Africa, Here We Come

Well, it is that time again and we are getting ready to go. Our container which has sat here for over a year is nearly full. Jason and Frank worked on it last year around the time of ASI filling it up with all the things Janet and I had set aside. Janet, if you remember, did not come home for ASI and so the job was left up to the guys. They did a good job, but is was incomplete. Since we have been home we have gathered more stuff to put into the container to make it as full as possible. We have room for about 5 more boxes and we have about 8 plus an exercise machine for one of our friends at Kibidula and also some wrestling mats. No they are not for Janet's and my wrestling matches. We will be using them at the day care. Anyway, we will see about getting everything in. Where there is a will there is a way - and if Janet wants it, her will will get it done.

I have started to pack, but have a lot more to get together. Upon getting our tickets, Janet and one of her granddaughters and one of her grandsons ended up on a separate flight then myself. They will be leaving on the 8th of May with an overnight layover in Washington DC and then going thru another country in middle east and arriving in afternoon on the 10th. I leave on the 9th and have about a 6-7 hour layover in London and arriving at 7:00 the morning of the 11th. She will meet me at the airport and I think Jason will have been there to pick her and the kids up so they will probably be there and more that likely we will leave from there to head back to Kibidula than onto Mago.

I am looking forward to going and getting some much needed work done. As soon as the container comes we will unload some pews that EVI Church gave us. I want to get them ready and installed in our little church over there. It will be so nice to actually have padded pews instead of boards to sit on. Also we would like to get water to the houses, Janet's kitchen set up, pipeline dug for our hydro-plant, and a couple of buildings built (1 staff house, 1 pole barn for the wood for the carpentry class, and maybe a garage). We also have our tractor on there which will be used to get the ground ready for planting this year (maybe) if we have time.

Mariam (our translator's wife) is due to have her 3rd child at the end of April first part of May so we will have another little one to "play" with upon arriving or shortly there after. We have 50 students enrolled in the school over there with 30 living in our dorms. I am so glad we were able to get the dorms built and as ready as we could for them.

Please pray for us as we head back and hit these projects head on. We need to finish this year if possible and I know all things are possible with Christ who strengtheneth us day by day. I have been memorizing Bible promises about strength for that is something I am lacking in my life - that is spiritual strength. One quote from EGW - (paraphrased) is that the power we have available to us from above is more than all the power of Satan and his angels combined. All we have to do is want it and believe we will get it upon asking for it. And I do, but we have to die to obtain it, that is the hard part. Then again, that is where faith comes in.

And this is where I go out....

Signing off from EVI, Loveland CO

Deniece

Another Post, Yeah!

I keep getting the thought that it is time for another blog entry, but I don't know what all to write. We are home and Janet and I are working on mapping out some areas where the new houses will be built. We did this in Africa and so our experience is coming in handy. The container that has our new John Deer Tractor is still here. It is not full yet and we want to use all the space we can to put things in that we can use over there; we have already added to the items in there. We are hoping to get it shipped soon. It will take about 4 months to get it to our place so we want it shipped so that it will arrive shortly after arriving there ourselves.

I am in Georgia now and have been to 1 of 3 churches where I am putting on a powerpoint presentations that shows the things we have been doing for the last few years. It was well received on Sabbath in a church in Tennessee. I have 2 more to give in a couple of churches in Georgia. My mother came down from Wisconsin to see me for about a week and it has been a good visit. I am staying at my sister and brother-in-law's house for the three weeks that I will be here.

I want to thank everyone for their support and prayers while the work is going on over in Tanzania. The Lord has blessed in that the work we have done could not have been done without Him; and we are thankful for His watch care and love for us while there and also here.

That is all for now, from GA

Deniece

Home At Last!

We are home at last. Janet, of course went home a week before I did. My flight on the following Tuesday was canceled Tuesday Morning because of a snow storm hitting London, England (which was where I was to fly into from Dar Es Salaam). Janet called at 4:00 am Dar time to let me know. My ride to Kibidula was leaving in 5:00 am and British Air's office did not open until 8:00 am. What should I do. The only thing I could do was to pray and wait. I could have gone back to Kibidula, but then I couldn't have gone to British Air (BA) to reschedule. What a perdicument. Anyway, I prayed and let the Lord open and close doors as He saw fit. I went to BA and she said it didn't look good and to come back at 2:00. Well, I was bored at 10:00 am and decided to go back to BA. She had found something - when she got off the phone she said she found a flight leaving on the 24th and arriving on the 25th. She said she was trying to find something sooner and did find something going into Zurich, Switzerland but couldn't find a flight from there. Anyway, to make a long story short, she finally got me a flight leaving on the 23rd going into Zurich, a flight from Zurich going into Frankfurt, Germany and then the last leg leaving Frankfurt coming into Denver on the 24th. This was just 1 day difference from the original flight.

While staying in Dar the two days waiting for my flight, the power went off on the first day for about 12-13 hours and it was hot. We didn't have air but we did have a ceiling fan to move the air. Well that stopped working - this with the high temperature and the high humidity made life miserable. But, God is good. It rained also, and that cooled things down some.

Upon arriving home, my friends here at EVI had "cleaned" my house and made a welcome home sign and also left me some fresh fruit. They had also left me some left overs from their Christmas dinner they had on the 23rd.

I do miss my "home" in Africa but I am glad to be home in Colorado; even if we are getting snow at this time.

So long from Colorado...

Deniece

Going Home

Well this will be my last blog from Africa this year. I am sitting in my room in the house I am staying in at Kibidula. Janet left this morning from the airport and is now on her way to London. I will be doing the same next week at this time.

All went well in Mago. We put up 7 structures above ground and 4 below: 2 staff houses, 2 dormitories with bathhouses and a separate bathroom facility near the school. The three bathhouses and one of the staff house had a septic tank built (with bricks and plaster) underground to hold "stuff". These structures kept us busy all year. Starting in January we will be housing some of our students in the dormitories and we have water to all the bathrooms. We have families living in both staff houses built and have water to their places. Now the water is only a tap outside to the house. One of the families, the Baumans, almost has water inside. Fred is still working on it. The other place, and of course Janet's house, has water outside but not inside. Next year we hope to complete it.

Janet has said that the building will slow down next year. I think this is so she can get her house completed and also concentrate on the academic structure of the school. I don't know how many we will have when school starts in January, but we have room for at least 20 in each dorm. We have a cook lined up already and some teachers. Beverly, lady from Canada, is on tour now viewing Tanzania but will be back in Mago first part of January to teach some more English. Baraza (our translator) will continue with her class when she leaves the last part of January.

I am finishing the financial books while here at Kibidula. I am praising the Lord for He is so good. I do not have to take a 13 hour bus from Kibidula to Dar Salaam. There is a family going Dar at the same time to pick up family members the evening before my flight. So they have offered to take me down. It is so much more comfortable in an individual vehicle than in a public vehicle, if you know what I mean.

About the last month at Mago we lost internet service. I think it came back, but you had to walk up the hill and I wasn't up to it. With all the work, rain and stress to get things done I have come down with a "cold". I did not get a diagnosis, but a nurse called a doctor friend in Dar and she said to give me an antibiotic which is good for bronchitis and pneumonia. Even I felt that I may have one of these; but was too busy to do any major treatments that it has hung such a long time. Anita, the nurse here at Kibidula, gave me fever bath last night. Before the bath she had boiled some water and put some eucalyptus oil in it and had me inhale it for about 15 minutes. After the bath she brought me home, plastered me with vicks and gave me ginger and licorice root tea, cut up two onions as a "room freshener" and gave me the antibiotic and said get some sleep. She had prayer with me and then left. I slept better than I have for days; hardly any coughing. This morning is a different story, but I am feeling better. I don't know exactly which of the items did it, but to me now, it doesn't matter.

Anyway, all is well; I am almost done with the books. Irma, who is helping me, had something important to do immediately so she has told me to take a day or two to get better and then we will finalize on the books. This sounded good to me when she told me yesterday, that I took a nap. I will be leaving on Sunday with the family to Dar and so until then I am not doing much of anything. I am able to do some reading. The following is a quote on Dan. 1:17 found in 4BC 1167 - 17. God's Blessing No Substitute for Effort.--When the four Hebrew youth were receiving an education for the king's court in Babylon, they did not feel that the blessing of the Lord was a substitute for the taxing effort required of them. They were diligent in study; for they discerned that through the grace of God their destiny depended upon their own will and action. They were to bring all their ability to the work; and by close, severe taxation of their powers, they were to make the most of their opportunities for study and labor. While these youth were working out their own salvation, God was working in them to will and to do of His good pleasure. Here are revealed the conditions of success. To make God's grace our own, we must act our part. The Lord does not propose to perform for us either the willing or the doing. His grace is given to work in us to will and to do, but never as a substitute for our effort. Our souls are to be aroused to cooperate. The Holy Spirit works in us, that we may work out our own salvation. This is the practical lesson the Holy Spirit is striving to teach us (YI Aug. 20, 1903). {4BC 1167.6} May we all learn from the Holy Spirit what is necessary for success.

Signing off now from Mago (Kibidula)…..

Deniece

PS – Will write more when I get back to the states. Maybe even have some pictures I can post.

 

 

 

 

 

Human Interest Stories

Well, Frank was not able to get Janet seat on my plane but did get her a ticket booked for December 14. We contacted Butler Travel and I could have changed my ticket from 21^st to 14^th but it would have cost me $430.00 to change it for one week. I could not justify spending that much money for just one week so my ticket stays. The Lord is so good, though, we had talked about me traveling with her to Dar and staying there for a week by myself and then fly out. She had left to go pick up Beverly, a lady from Canada who is here for 3 months teaching English and being girl's dean, and the more I thought about it, I really didn't want to spend a couple of hundred of dollars for my stay in Dar. I also did not want to deal with the heat, mosquitoes, traffic, people who don't speak English, etc. by myself in Dar – and besides, what can I do for 7 days, it would be so boring. Anyway, when Janet got back I told her that I really did not want to spend my week in Dar by myself and told her I would stay at Kibidula and see if Bill could take me to Dar. She told me that Jon Luke would be going on the 19^th and he said I could ride with him. The Lord had it all worked out before I did. Also, there is another girl from Kibidula going at the same time to Dar with Jon Luke so there will be three of us. Jon Luke is picking up his kids from the airport who is coming home from school for Christmas break. I will stay in Dar for one day and two nights. Marianna's flight is also on the 21^st but later in the afternoon; mine is at 8:40 am. God does look after His own. I am not worthy of His loving care accept for Jesus making me worthy.

We have been so busy with work here that that is all I have talked about. This blog is going to be more of a "human interest" blog. We have done four clothes distribution to the orphans so far this year and are planning for 3 more before leaving this year. Work is slowing down and so that is freeing us to do them. When the children come they sing songs to us. We can't understand the words but we do hear Jesus' name every once in a while so we know they are singing about Him. These kids can really sing well. I can just sit a listen to them all day. They have one person who leads out by herself and then the rest will repeat. I am going to try and get a video of it to share. You will really enjoy it. The kids are so grateful to get the clothes we give them. We also give them all a toothbrush and some toothpaste. We share with them a flyer with a bible verse on it in Swahili. Some of the schools are a couple of hours walk away from us and the kids still walk here. Some of them come on a day after the distribution day and still wanting clothes. Some come, even ones that are not orphans, to get clothes. We get a list from the schools that lets us know which ones are orphans and which ones are not. Those that are absent on the day the others come arrive on another day and we check their name against the list and we share clothes with them also. It is hard because by that time we have put everything away; but we find something to give them that they can wear and they are happy. Some of the kids that are not orphans come for clothes and we have to send them away. It is sad, but we know that if we share with them, then we will have the whole village here for clothes and we just can't do it. We have to draw the line. I noticed she gave some young kids some toys that had been given to us and she passed them out to several of the "non-orphans". I was working in the church where we do the distribution a few days later and there were 5 real little kids, not even in school and a couple just barely walking They were sitting outside the church watching me for the longest time. I came out and smiled at them and said "Habadi" which is hello, how are you in Swahili. Almost all of them said "Nzoodi" which is good in Swahili. (I am not sure if my Swahili spelling is correct, I am just spelling it like it sounds.) I think they came for something and I didn't have anything to give. Janet was down at the school and so I went to Miriam to have her check and see if they need anything. When I went back, they had left. I just wished I could provide for these little ones all that they needed.

Here is another story, some of you may know (and some may not) but Janet is an extractor of teeth. She doesn't claim to be a dentist because she is not, but she can and does pull teeth. She averages 5-6 patients each week and they come from all the local villages around the area. She gives the lanacain for deadening the gums and then she pulls the tooth/teeth. Well recently we have been having an influx of even more people. It seems that her "fame" has gotten around that people are walking 2-3 hours to her place to get their teeth pulled if for no other reason than that she doesn't charge anything for the service. We had two come one day from Makete (3/4 hour drive) and then about 2 days later we got a couple more and then another the same week. Pardon the pun, but word of mouth gets around and more people are coming. We give them toothbrush, toothpaste and a religious tract before they leave. She takes care of wounds and even takes people to the hospital; some have come and ask for a ride to hospital or she sees them on the side of the road and sees their need and offers to help. Sometimes she may be up by the clinic in Lupalilo and the people at the clinic ask her to take one of their patients to the hospital. Some of the people that she tends to in one way or another are so thankful that they come back and give something for their gratitude such as dried beans, potatoes or maize for the service. Janet in turns gives the "gift" to her students which are in need of food. It is such a blessing to be able to help on both parties.

I find that sometimes I don't feel like doing something but I have to do it anyway. When I read what Christ went through for me it is easier for me to live by principle and not by feelings. Christ did not feel like going through what He did for us in the garden as is written in these words: "Stronger Than Human Desire.--The human nature of Christ was like unto ours, and suffering was more keenly felt by Him; for His spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin. Therefore His desire for the removal of suffering was stronger than human beings can experience. How intense was the desire of the humanity of Christ to escape the displeasure of an offended God, how His soul longed for relief, is revealed in the words, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." {5BC 1103.8} Yet Christ had not been forced to take this step. He had contemplated this struggle. To His disciples He had said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" "Now is your hour, and the power of darkness." He had volunteered to lay down His life to save the world (ST Dec. 9, 1897). When it seemed like His weakness was too much Mrs. White writes that an angel came to strengthen Him in Gethsemane. When it seems that our weakness is too much we have the same promise in Heb. 13:5 – "[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Let us claim this promise and watch unto prayer until He comes to take us home.

Signing out from Mago, TZ Africa

Deniece

Almost Complete

Well it is Saturday evening and we are showing the Jesus video again. Three of our sewing girls came and requested it, so we are showing it for the second time this year. We also have been having quite a few of the village young people coming to our video night so this is a good video to show. We have been showing videos every Saturday night; we have been showing Planet Earth to them and they enjoy looking at the various different animal species and the habits.

We have now only 5 fundis to finish the work. We were told on Friday that two of them will be leaving which will leave us with 3 to finish the jobs. The five are trying to finish the boy's bath house/toilet building and the septic tank that goes with it. After that is done all that is left to do is a 2 stall bathroom with septic and a septic that goes to a staff house. When these jobs are completed then all the fundis will leave. We have a plumber coming on Monday to connect to the 2" pipe line which we installed last year. The pipe we are tying in with will go to the dorm and the Bauman's house. We will then install the hot water tank that we will have at the dorm. We will have a fire built under it to heat the water. We will also install the drainage pipe at the girl's dorm to go to the septic. When this is done we will move the girls up to the dorm. Hopefully this will take place within the next week or two. We still need to paint the boy's dorm and the girl's dorm is half way painted. Time is running down and we still have lots to do. I am completed through September with the finances. I told Janet I need to work on October because of the time left to work here. In November she is planning on taking the staff to Kibidula to a series of meetings by James Raferty of Light Bearers ministry. I am hoping while there to get the help of the girl who helped me last year with the books; so that I won't have to go later in December. My flight leaves on December 22. Janet still hasn't gotten her flight yet. Frank said he was going to try and get her on my flight but she doesn't want to wait that long. I said if she gets a flight earlier in December I would like to change my flight also to come home a little earlier. She said she would email Butler travel and have her check. I am not sure what will happen but I want to get the books completed to a point so that it won't take a lot to finish.

Here is a quote from Desire of Ages which has me thinking alot lately and I pray that you will see the importance of it also: "He who would confess Christ must have Christ abiding in him. He cannot communicate that which he has not received. The disciples might speak fluently on doctrines, they might repeat the words of Christ Himself; but unless they possessed Christlike meekness and love, they were not confessing Him. A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life's burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them. And "whosoever shall deny Me before men," He says, "him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven." {DA 357.2}

I also pray that you will contemplate on these things and examine yourselves.

Signing off from Mago, Tanzania…

Deniece

Listen to the Lord

It has been a while since I have written. I have no excuse except that I have been busy, not enough battery time on my computer and I have been real busy. And another reason is that we have been real busy. We have completed two staff houses enough to where the families have moved in. The girl's dorm needs paint in the rooms and water to the bathroom and we can move into it. The boy's dorm will get glass this week and then it will need painting. The bathroom for the boys is getting the floor poured tomorrow and then the fundis will start the brick work. We have two bathrooms to complete and three septic tanks and our building projects will be completed for this year. I am getting pictures and will put them in a power point presentation upon arriving back into the states in December. At the beginning of the building projects we had nine fundis working. Three more came a couple of weeks later and so for about five months we have had 12 fundis. Now we have five fundis working here. The others have gone back to Kibidula to work on projects there. We need to tie up loose ends before leaving in December so that is what we will be doing in November and December. In fact, we have already started to tie up a few loose ends already.

Some of the things I have been doing is: painting window frames, doorways and doors, walls and varnishing the bunk beds. I am working on tables for our cafeteria. We have 6 table tops that have been purchased and we have had our carpentry class make 6 tables that the tops will go on. Hopefully they will be completed in a week or two. I have taken off 14 doors and have helped to paint them and have installed them again. I work on any plumbing problems that come up with the water line going to the fundis. I have helped with laying out of some of the buildings early on and even with the bathrooms that need to be done now. Again, one of my jobs is teaching English Monday through Thursday for about an hour to an hour and a half; and also being girl's dean; I do the finances, also. Other things I do are too many to list and fills in a lot of my time and they are the things that Janet needs me to do to help her with projects she is working on and also at times retrieving items from the container, church, her room, ect. These jobs are small in and off themselves, but if you can imagine keeps me busy along with all the other things I have been given to do.

If I repeat myself from previous blogs, please forgive me. It has been a long time since the last blog that I don't remember what I wrote. I have been staying down at the girl's dorm with the girls and it has been a good experience. The girls and I have got a good relationship going; I am also their English teacher. We have a good time together. But it is hard to communicate with them when there is not translator to help out. It would be easier on everyone if they could speak English or I speak Swahili.

I have been reading "Empowered Living" by Jim Hohnberger and have been trying to listen and obey the still small voice of the Lord directing me all through the day. This is a lesson we all need to do and Jesus is there just waiting on us. One day last month I went down to the school; Carolyn was with me. When we finished the task at hand I was going to come back up the hill a certain way. A "thought" came into my head to check in my room at the make shift dorm and go home a different way. I obeyed, and it was a good thing. One of our workers 2 ½ year old son was getting water from our spring at the school and had fallen head first into the water and couldn't get out. I ran over, grabbed his shirt and jerked him out of the water. I had lost my balance in the mean time, but Carolyn was there to hit his back and he started spitting and coughing and everything turned out. If I had gone home the original way that I was going, we would not have heard or seen Ema and he would most likely have drowned. There has been other times when I didn't listen and it came back to "bite" me if you will. I am learning, though, and it is exciting to see how the Lord is willing to direct if we are willing to follow.

Signing off from Mago, Tanzania

Deniece