Day Four in Nimule (Journal Entry)

This afternoon I helped James, Francis (another pastor from S Sudan), and a couple of others to finish the extra “Love Covers” bags so we can take them to village of Pageri tomorrow. With these that we’ll be taking there will have been about 1000 given out to the children of Pageri and Loa. They are a backpack with six exercise books, a package of pencils, a pencil sharpener, two pens, three pair of underwear, a school uniform, a “Love Covers” t-shirt, a blanket, and a mosquito net. WHAT A BLESSING FOR THESE KIDS! Wes and Vicky were telling me that when they did the main event last week with the teams from Maranatha Chapel and Calvary Chapel Gulf Breeze that they were just surrounded by all the kids cheering and smiling as they drove into town. The kids surrounded the cars and escorted them into the school area. They were jumping onto the cars etc. I will go with Lino, Michael, Gifti and others tomorrow to distribute the extra 60 bags or so for some kids who were not originally registered. We will also give the t-shirts to 145 kids that did not get theirs in the bag last week. Additionally, I will be teaching the weekly women's Bible Study at Maranatha Chapel in Pageri. Normally Vicky teaches it but she and James had to travel to take care of some administrative things. I'm really missing the family the last couple of days. It’s so nice to talk to Carrie every day and the kids as well. For some reason Jada really gets to me. When she comes on the phone and tells her mom “me do it!” and then says “hello, I love you baba” I just want to die. I miss her so much! Not to say I don’t miss Carrie and the boys, but Jada, and even Caleb, are my little babies still and I feel like I’m missing their lives. I don’t like being apart from them like this one bit! If I knew I’d be seeing them in a couple of weeks it would be better, but knowing it will be a couple of months makes me want to cancel the rest of my trip! I know better, and instead make it that much more a matter of prayer.

Lord, I pray that Carrie and the baby are healthy and doing well. Lord, help me not to worry, but to carry everything to you in prayer with thanksgiving.

I was just thinking of how fun it would be to have my good friend Bond here and spend some time doing ministry with him. I miss doing ministry together with him.

This morning the four Michigan ladies left. I was wearing my comfy cammo pants when we drove them to the airstrip. When we got there a matatu (minivan / public bus) pulled up with a man named Ross (American) who runs an orphanage. I squatted down to play with some of the kids from the orphanage that had come with him, and when I did the crotch of my pants blew out completely! It was terrible. Nobody noticed except for maybe one of the kids. I covered it with my shirt the best I could. Then I had to go to the passenger side of the Land Cruiser and open the door and roll down the window so that the body of the door covered my mid-section and I could still talk through the open window. It was so funny. Right now the sewing teacher at the FRM compound is working on the blow-out to see if he can repair it. Those pants are so comfortable! Of course the comfy ones are the ones that blow out! I need to stop writing now so I can do my own personal devotions. I haven’t done them yet today and I need to be vigilant!

8:13 pm - At dinner tonight, Michael, Vicky, Lino and I talked about rats and snakes. These are the two things that Vicky hates the most (just like Carrie!). They told me about the rats here nibbling on people at night. They told me that when they are sleeping the rat will nibble on the edges of the feet, toes, or fingers, especially if the person has not washed well and the scent of food is on them. Michael said that it didn't hurt or wake you because they would take a small bite and then blow on it. He made a little rat face and then the motion of gentle blowing. I almost died laughing at the idea of a rat taking a little bite of my heel and then blowing on it so it would feel all better and I wouldn’t wake up! They kept talking about it and demonstrating the rat's actions and at one point I fell out of my chair laughing. Watching the expression on Michael’s face as he explained it and picturing the rat doing what he said was so funny. Vicky told a few rat stories from her life and then we switched to snakes. It was hilarious. Her and Carrie are cut from the same mold when it comes to rats and snakes.

This is video of Michael and Gifti demonstrating how the rat will bite and then blow.

Day Two in Nimule (Journal Entry)

9:30am - I slept really good last night. The mattress here is quite comfortable. I still have bad jet lag and feel sick in the head from it, but it’s getting better after last night’s sleep. This morning I had some really good coffee. Vicky said it’s Ugandan. It was good and it was made strong. Since it tasted similar to good coffee I might enjoy in the States, it was a good psychological/emotional pick-me-up. After breakfast we had staff devotions which included the four ladies that were visiting from Michigan, myself, Vicky, and some of the staff - Elijah, Martin, and James.

10:18 - Yesterday I worked on a bunch of MP3 players (probably 40 or so). I had compressed the 2000 Series of Chuck Smith sermons through the Bible when I was in the States, and Ben had installed them onto these little MP3 players. But there was room left over and they wanted to add the teachings from the “Refresher Course” that the Maranatha Chapel and Calvary Chapel Gulf Breeze teams had just completed. The Chaplains were so excited when they received these MP3 players with the Cuck Smith teachings. When Martin (one of the staff leaders) took them back from them so they could have the new files added they got upset and kept saying that Martin was trying to steal them. It was funny. So Vicky and Martin were happy when I finished them yesterday. The power is only on from 7pm to 10pm (generator) and there’s a solar system that can run a laptop or two, but it’s been cloudy and raining a lot so there hasn't been much power for computer use during the day. In fact, Vicky says today is the coldest day this year, and that a day this cold is very rare here. It’s raining and a bit breezy and probably around the high 60s. Last night was actually quite comfortable. My neck always gets a bit warm for some reason, but it's not as bad here as Kigoma. I know I already said this, but I slept so much better last night. And now with the steady rain and cool weather I keep wanting to go lay down and nap! I spoke with Vicky and James Olal (the lead staff member and the pastor of Calvary Chapel Nimule) this morning and have agreed to spend four hours per day with the senior staff doing discipleship. From 10:30 to 12:30 and then another two hours after lunch. I will do this for a few days and talk about topics having to do with leadership. My first thought, of course, is the “servant-leader”. Then I think I'll share about being an example and above reproach. And I'll also encourage them about the importance of daily devotions as well. These are three major areas that leaders go astray in (I'm speaking from experience here). The format will be one where I suggest the topic and allow questions etc. This way we can interact and truly disciple and not just “teach”.

Left for Nimule today (Journal Entry)

Left for Nimule, Sudan this morning from Entebbe airport in Uganda. On the way from Kampala to the airport, the driver slammed on the brakes in the van when she wasn’t sure if the green light meant go or not (this is actually something to worry about and watch for here in East Africa). We fish-tailed and skidded quite a bit. It was scary and funny all at the same time. The MAF pilot that flew us from Entebbe to Nimule was Simon. He was really very nice. He knows Andy, the MAF pilot in Kigoma. Simon said he was Swiss, but his accent sounded quite British; a bit Scottish in fact. After further questioning I learned that he grew up in Papau New Guinea as the son of missionaries, attended International Schools which taught in English, and was married to a Scottish woman... hence the Scottish/British accent. After he gave the "speech" (a really short version of the safety speech that a flight attendant typically gives), he prayed for our flight, for the FRM ministry in general, and for the ministry that we, the passengers, would be doing in Nimule specifically. It was such a blessing to have a pilot pray before the flight! It almost choked me up a bit. Well, I have tremendously bad jet lag and sleep deprivation. I arrived from the States just three days ago and have averaged about three hours of sleep each night since. I feel sick and want to go home, but I know it’s just the physical side warring against the spiritual because my body is so weak right now. I just had beans, rice, and cabbage for dinner. Too delirious to write more now. Going to shower and sleep.

Valle de las Palmas

During the Senior Pastors' conference I had the pleasure of getting to know many new brothers in Christ. One of these was the young pastor of Capilla Calvario Las Palmas (Calvary Chapel Las Palmas) in Baja California, Mexico.

Hassan Villegas is orginially from La Mirada, in Los Angeles. About four years ago he moved to Mexico with his wife, Stacy, and their three young boys, so that he could run Casa Hogar Celestial, a local orphanage in Valle de las Palmas. During those four years, the Lord did many things in and through Hassan and his family. One of these was to plant a church in town which Hassan now pastors full-time. The orphanage has undergone some restructuring, and while Hassan and Stacy are still intimately involved, they have now been freed up to focus full time on the growing body of Christ at CC Las Palmas.

Me and my brother Hassan outside the CC Las Palmas building after Sunday service

Carrie and I and the kids were blessed to be invited to come and stay with the Villegas family for a few days. Hassan also asked me to teach on missions at the Sunday morning service at CC Las Palmas. It was a really wonderful time getting to know the Villegas family and the church family at CC Las Palmas, not to mention a great opportunity to stir up the brethren for missions. We also had the pleasure of meeting three other missionaries that help in the work there: Rebecka, Rachel, and David.

The Langley kids and two of the three Villegas boys.
Left to right: Noah Villegas, Keenan, Kevan, Micah Villegas, Caleb, and Jada
(with me in the background)

The next weekend I was able to go back to Valle de las Palmas for the grand re-opening of the orphanage. Many of the volunteers from the States who did the physical work to renovate the orphange were there, along with the staff, both new and old, and most importantly... the kids! We had a great feast of burgers and hot dogs and watermelon and the like.

Please remember to pray for both of these awesome ministries to the people of Valle de las Palmas, Baja California, Mexico: for the orphanage, it's staff, and children. And for the Villegas family, Rebecka, Rachel, David, and the body of Christ at CC Las Palmas.

I've posted some pictures below of our time there. You can also learn more by visiting the CC Las Palmas website: www.capillacalvariolaspalmas.org

The Langley Clan & the Mariachi Band at the Fish Taco Place in Tecate - yummy!

Back Row: Keenan & Caleb
Front Row: Micah Villegas, Kevan, & Noah Villegas
The Beautiful Dove-Shaped Platform at CC Las Palmas
I'm telling a funny story about using the word "taco" in Swahili - Hassan is translating the sermon into Spanish for me

Beachfest Outreach - Huntington Beach

We had the opportunity to enjoy a little beach sun and fun while participating in an annual street evangelism outreach in Huntington Beach. It was a really a terrific event, with something to attract every type of visitor so that they could hear the gospel. There were different bands playing on a stage right on the beach where it meets the very busy "boardwalk". There were skateboard and bike demos. There were kids events with face painting and puppets and songs and yo-yo tricks. There were Christian surf clubs and various other ministries represented. The gospel was preached from the main stage, the bike/skate ramp, the puppet stage, and dozens of individuals in one-to-one evangelism. It was such a blessing to see the Word go forth and people get saved. At the end of the day, Pastor Mike Harris from Calvary Chapel Beachside gave the gospel for the last official time of the event, and then did a baptism for the new believers right there in the ocean at Huntington Beach.

Here are a few photos we took of the day...

This is the "Fuzzy Bear Band" from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa & THEY ARE AWESOME!

The Fuzzy Bear Band in Action

Kevan's Face... Painted

The Band Stage - HB Pier in the background

July 2008 Update

“Divinely delayed”. That’s the phrase we’ve decided to use to describe the past few months. While our hearts have been longing to be home in Tanzania since early March (our original departure date), God divinely delayed us. I find it so easy to trust the Lord to “step out” and “go” and “do”, but now He has taught me to trust Him just as much to “be still” and “wait”.
Essentially the delay was a matter of finances. We invested everything we had - selling our personal possessions and spending our savings - and combined with the generous partners we already have we were able to live and do basic ministry in Kigoma for the first year. But God is calling us to do even more and put down some roots in Africa, and so a better foundation of support is required, ergo our extra time here in the States.

While waiting on Him to provide we have been making phone calls and new contacts, and also completing a training period at the home office. Through it all the Lord has been faithful and now we are finally beginning to see the doors open to new partnership opportunities with churches and individuals. We are so thankful and tremendously excited as we see that the Lord is not done with us yet and we will be back home in Tanzania soon. Please pray along with us that these contacts and times of sharing the Lord’s vision for us in Kigoma blossom into fruitful partnerships.

Serving God in a Kilt. I was talking to someone the other day about the Scottish Highland Games that I used to compete in. Years ago - before we starting having kids - I used to compete all over the state of California in the Scottish Highland Games. If you’ve never heard of or seen “the games” for yourself, just imagine a bunch of big guys in kilts throwing heavy things around (it’s actually much more complex and skillful than that, but you get the picture at least). I thought of how my times competing in these games began and developed and then the Lord directed my thoughts to Heb 12:1; 2 Tim 4:7; and 1 Cor 9:24. In these verses Paul likens the christian life to a race or other competition. So I thought of my times competing.

The first time I saw the highland games I was a spectator at an event in San Diego. At first I only watched, but then a thought began to creep into my mind... “I can do that”. Have you ever watched your pastor or another believer as they serve and do great things for the kingdom and heard the voice of the Holy Spirit whisper to you, “You can do that.”?That’s the first step towards living the fulfilling and victorious christian life that Paul was talking about - realizing that there are no spectators in the body of Christ. It’s a life of loving service to a living Saviour that requires us to stop spectating and start competing!

After that fateful day of spectating and realizing that I could actually compete, I made a few phone calls and found out exactly how I could begin competing in the games. A few weeks later my wife, my father, and I all drove up to Sacramento for the annual games there, where they had an “open” class for new beginners. You didn’t have to wear a kilt (I didn’t yet own one), and everyone in the “open” class were complete amateurs. So we showed up and I competed in my first highland game. It was absolutely amazing! What fun I had doing something that seemed to have been made just for me! Being 6’3” at well over 300 pounds of... ummm... “muscle” turned out to be just the right foundation for such a competition. Do you realize that God made you specifically for the game! He has given you the foundation of His Word and Holy Spirit! You’re made for it! Get in the game. If you’ve been spectating and longing from a distance to be like the others you see competing, then get in the game! Just as my physical nature was made for throwing big, heavy items around, so your spiritual nature has been made alive by the Holy Spirit of God and is now literally MADE FOR SERVING HIM.

After that first game I began to compete in every competition I could find out about, no matter how big or small. My skills and strength began to grow quickly and I was winning all of the amateur class games. They moved me up to the next level of amateur, the “B Class”, where I had to wear a kilt to compete. This new addition to the wardrobe was required to be in the game, but brought with it a fair amount of murmuring and persecution from those not competing in the game. This is so true of the race that we run in Christ. Those who are not running - and I’m even speaking of those who call themselves christians - will often ridicule or persecute you for doing whatever it takes to compete and finish strong. Who cares? Because when you’re truly committed to competing to win and doing whatever it takes, the joy of the competition and the victory God has in store for you far outweighs the persecution of those who have never even experienced it! (Rom 8:18; Heb 12:1-2)

I continued competing and growing and honing my skills, and by the end of that first year I found myself competing in the national championships in my class and actually tying for first place! This automatically moved me up into the “A Class” amidst a field of giants... literally! Now the game became much more difficult. I was competing with guys who really knew what they were doing, had been doing it for a lot longer than me, and were not only as strong as me but much more skilled. The more we compete... the more we run the race that God has set before us.. the more we faithfully serve Him and bring our fleshly appetites into submission of God’s will, the more we grow and win and excel at the things He puts before us. But along with this victory comes a new level of competition and resistance from the enemy of our souls. Maybe you heard the voice of the Lord to get into the game and you’ve done so. And for a season you’ve flourished and excelled and ran victoriously. But now you’ve found that it’s difficult “in the A Class” and you want to quit. Remember: you’re made for this game! But unless we heed the instruction of Scripture, the race will become extremely difficult. The Word tells us to discipline ourselves for the race (1 Cor 9:24) and to get rid of anything that will weigh us down and fatigue us (Heb 12:1). We are each made for the race, instructed by the Word on how to run, and gifted by the Holy Spirit to win! We need only look at Jesus, our prize... our goal. When we focus on Him it becomes easy to deny the flesh and run with endurance; to finish strong the race that we were made to run.

I’m so weary of seeing the runners in all the wrong places. I see them in the grandstands as spectators. I see them at the starting line and the starting gun has gone off, but yet there they stand. I see them after the first mile or two, sitting under the shade of sin, sipping the tea of temptation and the drink of dissipation. Imagine Tiger Woods, with all of his skill at the game of golf, merely standing with the crowds of spectators. Imagine Peyton Manning, with all of his talent as a quarterback, sitting on the bench because the game got too tough. Imagine if Sugar Ray Leonard had quit boxing because he didn’t like doing sit-ups! Imagine what the world would be like today, if the courageous and heroic men who stormed the beach at Normandy had decided that it was just too hard and given up.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ; if you call Him Lord and yourself a Christian, I urge you to become His disciple. Discipline yourself after Him. Not in your own strength or according to the flesh, but by the power of His Holy Spirit and the Word of God... GET IN THE GAME. Get involved in ministry at your church. Volunteer your time and cheerfully give from the finances God has blessed you with. Be a light at your job, both in how you walk and in proclaiming the gospel verbally. Serve your spouse and children and love them as Christ does. Get in the game. Run the race.

Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters who are such an encouragement and blessing to me. Will you please encourage them in the race you’ve called them to. Lord if they have yet to begin running, please give them the courage to start. Lord, if they are running victoriously, please bless them even more and continue to give them the victory. Lord if they are weary and want to give up, please lift up their heads to see you, seated in the heavenlies, making intercession for them, and fill them with Your Holy Spirit to press on for the prize in Christ Jesus. Lord, may we all be encouraged by the great cloud of witnesses before us: Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Daniel, Stephen, John, Paul, and many others. We ask for You to be glorified in our lives and the races we each run. In the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen!