In the Darkness...LIGHT!

One of the frequent challenges here in Arusha, Tanzania is the unreliable electric grid. Almost every day lately the power has been out during the daylight hours or the  evening hours. We had a 5-day stretch of luxurious, continuous power last week and wondered whether this would be a trend. Sadly, no. In fact a friend told us that the reason why the lights were on so long was that Tanzania's President was in town on a visit. Sure enough, once she left town we were back to intermittent electricity. 

It's quite dark here by 7 pm every night. When the power is off our best friends are our rechargeable LED flashlight and headlamps. They pierce the darkness and light our way, even when the whole neighborhood is pitch black. This is a fitting reminder to us about our true Light in this sin-darkened world. "In him was life," John writes, "and this life was the light of men." 

We have many examples of how the bright, shining light of Jesus' grace is shining here:

Right next to the seminary there is a house where an Islamic family lives. Several times a day they broadcast a Muslim call to prayer from an outdoor speaker. The young boys who live there have been attending our Sunday school. Please pray for Aaron, Ibra, Mishak, and their brother Nuru (not in the picture) that they might know the light of Christ:

We had a test run of an outreach event on the last two Wednesday evenings, here at Ambureni Parish (the same site as the seminary). We showed the "Jesus Film," which depicts the life of Christ from the Gospel of Luke, on an outdoor screen. The dialog was dubbed into Swahili, so all the locals could take in this full story of Jesus' birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection:

There were about 40 in attendance, with many visitors (including two of the next-door Muslim boys). This was also a training event for the seminary students. They will be able to make use of this battery-operated equipment in the future, in churches they will serve. We also have a copy of the film in the Maasai language, so we will be able to take it to isolated villages where the Maasai live. You can see the "Jesus Film" in English HERE, and in Swahili HERE. (Note that final segment on the YouTube version is an appeal for a "decision for Christ." We have clipped this from our versions, so that they end with the scene of Jesus' ascension. After this scene one of our preachers delivers a short, Gospel-oriented sermon and invites the viewers to attend church and/or Bible class.) 

Our daily work is preparing our seven men to serve as pastors in the TCLC. They will be bearers of the good news about Jesus, the Light of the World. Click HERE for a video clip of a recent opening devotion hymn verse.

Our Sunday school program continues every Sunday afternoon, with a dozen or so enthusiastic children. We have a growing selection of Swahili children's songs that they sing, including "This little Gospel light of mine." The Swahili words are "Mwanga wangu wa Kristo, wacha wangaze!"

From time to time we have an incidental opportunity to share Jesus, the Light of the world. One of these occasions came when an elderly man, who lives on the road up to Wittenberg Seminary, asked for a Swahili Bible. We were glad to supply it...please pray also for Julius:

In other news: we were blessed to finally receive our official Resident Permit cards, which allow us to be in Tanzania long-term, without having to leave the country every 90 days:

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It is when things are darkest outside, with the power out, that we most appreciate the shining, battery-operated lights that we do have. With the increasing darkness of this sin-sick world, the "Light of men," Jesus Christ, is the bright light that sustains us, saves us, and cheers our hearts! 

Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Hello all! I am here at the Wittenberg Seminary in Arusha as the students are discussing Jasper's practice sermon in class. Each Thursday a student preaches his sermon to the class, receives input and advice, and then he can preach at the Sunday worship service here. Jasper's sermon is on the subject of forgiveness which we ought to have for each other because of the forgiveness that God has shown to us in Christ. 

Paula writes a monthly journal to send to our children. It has a lot of interesting details about our lives together here. You can see her journal for September HERE.

It's been an eventful few days for us! On Tuesday Pastor Jeremia, his wife, Judica, Paula and I spent the day visiting the Maasai congregation at Esilalei: It's about 2 hours distant, to the west of Arusha. We were accompanied by Pastor Solomon who serves this group in addition to his home congregation of Monduli. It's an amazing experience to see these people living in dry poverty and yet so joyful about the Lord Jesus! They provided us with an enthusiastic welcome including songs with dancing, speeches, and hand-crafted gifts. Here are a few pictures (click to enlarge):

You can see a larger collection of photos, and a few short videos, HERE. 

Just last night we had a special event, with all the seminary students and teachers over to our place for dinner and "broomball." It's like soccer except with brooms. We played it on our driveway, until the brooms began to break and we switched to feet-only. There were three teams - the Evangelism students, the Seminary students, and the faculty. Everyone had a wonderful time, with the Seminary team winning the trophy. Paula made chicken and dumplings for everybody--14 in all--followed by pineapple upside-down cake. Since we work those students pretty hard in their studies, it was good to kick back a bit, so to speak. 

More photos can be seen HERE. 

Our weekly Sunday school continues with 10-14 students each Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. I'm getting good use from a "traveler" guitar that I purchased with assistance from members of Messiah, Eau Claire...see a video sample HERE.

Despite occasional challenges, we are finding the work here to be fruitful and rewarding! Thanks again for your prayerful support.