'Jongoo'... that’s Kiswahili for ‘Centipede’

Recall the blog entry about "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't out to get you." Well, ants were small potatoes compared to what happened to me a couple of nights ago!

I was sleeping very lightly, then, around 1am, my already restless sleep was interrupted by a phone call from the U.S.. I really just wasn't sleeping well at all. It was around 2am that I felt a little tickle on my neck that felt like something fell on it or moved across it. I reacted very fast and brushed my hand on my neck. In the past I've always chalked it up to paranoia because I have very itchy skin and I hate the thought of bugs crawling on me. (Read the blog from August 18th, 2008 for more info). So after brushing my neck with my hand I sat up and grabbed the flashlight and looked by the pillow and saw only a couple of stray hairs and figured the fan had blown them across my neck. As I brushed them away I noticed a little bug part, like a leg or pincher or something. It was about 3/4 of an inch long. My mind was desperately trying to rationalize it away without admitting the possibility of bugs or other creatures being in the bed with me. So I decided to tell myself that a bug died on the ceiling, and this body part fell from the ceiling and somehow fit through the holes in the mosquito net (yeah, right!).

I brushed away the bug part and was about to lay back down when the Lord prompted me to look under my pillow (it's nice to have God himself confirm that I'm not paranoid, but not so nice when it also confirms that I'm actually cursed!). So I lifted up my pillow on the side where my head had left an indentation, and there, coiled up and clinging upside down to the bottom of my pillow, was a centipede! I could see that it was one of his back legs that I had found by the pillow. I must have broken it off when I brushed my neck with my hand, which means that it must have been the centipede that crawled across my neck! I HATE CENTIPEDES! They are the creepiest little wiggly, toxic creatures. If God had not allowed me to be sleeping lightly and interrupted my sleep with a phone call then I probably wouldn't have even noticed the centipede and may have rolled onto it or somehow offended it and been bitten on the neck! Those things hurt when they bite! The toxin is similar to that of a scorpion. It won't kill you, but from what I've read, it feels like someone ripped the flesh off where the bite is and lasts about 24 hours. Being bitten on the neck makes the pain and effect a lot worse.

So, while I'm clearly cursed when it comes to mosquitoes, ants, and centipedes (not to mention the enormous, mouse-sized cockroaches that sometimes chase me), I'm blessed to know that: (a) I'm not actually paranoid, and (b) through it all, curse or not, God protects me and takes care of me.

Lord please continue to protect me from the toxins of centipedes, snakes and scorpions, and please continue to protect me from contracting malaria despite the hundreds of mosquito bites. I trust in You and You alone. Amen.

A warm welcome home (Journal Entry)

12:11 pm - I haven’t journaled in a while. I’ve been so busy since returning to Kigoma. The house was pretty messy. Even though Nicola had been staying here, after she left it was empty for a couple of months. Then Gabriel stayed for about a month, but he’s not the type to clean very thoroughly. Anyhow, the combination of the dirty house, dirty sheets, dirty clothes, dirty fridge, dirty plates and cups and utensils, and lastly - but most disturbing for me - rooms full of the children's clothes and schoolwork but NO children and a bedroom with Carrie’s clothes and our big bed but NO Carrie, was depressing to say the least. Needless to say, I’ve been praying a lot more, simply to overcome the nagging desire to just leave now and get back to my family. I know God has a purpose for me here right now, and I even know what some of those things are. I can neither ignore nor deny these things, and so I press on, with much prayer. I arrived on a Friday and was greeted at the airport by my good friend Mwenge and another friend who works with him named John. They work for a local christian ministry called “Joy in the Harvest”. Mwenge has been a good friend and a tremendous help to us here. He knows a lot of people and knows how to facilitate getting things done (which is very difficult in this culture and political environment). Anyhow, he’s been administrating things for us while we were gone - paying our watchmen, taxes, checking in on the house, helping me with banking and airplane tickets etc. He does it for no compensation, just as a friend. I have to say that because it’s not very common here. People usually have an underlying motive of receiving a mutual benefit. Anyhow, it was a blessing to have him pick me up. He and John grabbed all my luggage (which was numerous and heavy) and loaded them into their vehicle and then took me straight to town and treated me to lunch. After that they took me on a tour of town to show me some things that have changed and where some mutual friends had moved to, and then they brought me home. Once here they immediately began to look at our vehicle, which had been sitting for several months unstarted and untouched (because I forgot to leave the keys with Mwenge). As the suspected, both batteries were dead. They took them out for me and took them to their office to try and charge them, but they were beyond resurrection. So they took me to town to the ATM and then to buy two new batteries (which are ridiculously expensive here - $120 each for really cheap Chinese ones) and then back to my house to install them. Unfortunately the way the batteries are set up I needed one with posts arranged in the opposite position of the other so that the pre-configured factory cables would fit just right. So, by the end of the day, as darkness was approaching, we couldn’t get them hooked up. I had to tell John to stop and go home and asked if he could help me the next day, Saturday. Saturday morning I overslept. I was awakened by honking. I got up and went out front to find that John was already here, and had already brought the necessary wires to rig up a solution for the batteries. He just needed me to come out with the keys to test it. He did a very good job considering what he had to work with and the solution worked. So I finally had a vehicle to drive. He and Mwenge have been such a blessing to me. I was really excited later that day when I dug out of my luggage the gifts I had brought for them. I gave John (who is the driver and mechanic for Joy in the Harvest) a Gerber Multi-Tool with a pouch. I showed him all of the tools and functions and he thanked me in a very humble, African way, but showed no real excitement. A few minutes later I noticed him from afar showing off his gift to the other workers at the compound. So I know he likes it. A couple of days later I was at the airport with him and Mwenge (another story for another time) and I bought everyone a soda. I watched John very skillfully use his bottle as a means of removing the caps from everyone else's bottles. Then he used his teeth to open his! I asked him if he had his new tool with him and he did. So I showed him where the botle opener was and how to use it! So now every time he or anyone around has a soda, he pulls out his Gerber tool and opens the soda bottle for them. I bought a camera for Mwenge. Originally he asked if I could get one for him in the States and he would pay me back for it, but after all that he’s done for us when we were unexpectedly delayed for so many months, I decided to just give it to him as a gift. He’s been using it every day. Now I need to get a small case for him so the camera doesn’t get ruined by the dirt and dust here.

Sandals, the Vice President of Tanzania, T-Shirts, and Salama brand male Prophylactics

What do “Sandals”, “The Vice President of Tanzania”, “T-Shirts”, and "Salama brand male prophylactics" all have in common? My day, unfortunately! Let me explain... I went to town to meet with a Congolese friend who is the leader of a local ministry here in Tanzania. Shortly after arriving at his office, he told me he had to hurry to the airport and asked if I could give him a ride. He said we could talk while driving. As we were driving, he told me that the Vice President of Tanzania was coming to town and that he was going to join with other local politicians and community leaders to greet him when he got off the airplane. So I planned to drop him off at the airport and then meet with him later regarding the questions I had about ministry. As we were driving he began to explain to me the protocol for meeting the Vice President and what was going to happen at the airport. It was then that I suddenly realized that he intended for me to join him in meeting the Vice President! As soon as I realized what he was saying I exclaimed that I wasn’t properly dressed for the occasion. I was wearing long pants, but only had on a T-Shirt and sandals. His response was a bit derogatory, but comical in it’s honesty. “Oh, he knows that Americans don’t care about the way they dress,” he said. I tried to convince him to let me make the detour to my house to put on a nicer shirt and some shoes, but he insisted that we needed to get there right away so we could get a good spot. To make things worse, I realized when we arrived at the airport that he intended to introduce me to all of the local “bigwigs”. First I met the Regional Traffic Officer (the head guy over the Kigoma Region’s Traffic Police). Then I met the second in command of the Kigoma Region for Immigration. Then I met the Kigoma/Ujiji Mayor, then the District Commissioner of the Kigoma District (like a county in the U.S.). His name is John, and so when he said that I had a good name and asked if it was he who was lucky to be named John or me, I correctly stated that it was I who was lucky to be named like him. I passed the test and we talked for a brief moment. After that I met the Regional Immigration Officer in charge of the immigration department for the whole Kigoma Region (like a state in the U.S.). Then I met the Town Planner for Kigoma/Ujiji. He’s in charge of all land use issues and zoning for the area and he is a Christian and a very amiable man. He’s a good person to know when it comes time to find a plot for the Kigoma/Ujiji Youth Center we’re trying to develop. Then I met a bigwig from the Tanzania Revenue Authority (like the IRS in the U.S.), then the Regional Commissioner of the Kigoma Region (like a governor in the U.S.), and finally, after waiting for almost two hours for his plane to arrive, the Vice President of Tanzania, the Honorable Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein. And even though they all supposedly don’t expect us Americans to dress nice for such an occasion, it was still extremely uncomfortable. After shaking the Vice President's hand while introducing myself, the Vice President finished the last few hand shakes on the line of greeters and then moved on to greet and listen to a couple of different groups of singers and dancers there to welcome him with song. We as a group of greeters began to walk back towards the airport building to get in our cars and wait to follow him in the procession through town. As we began to walk I looked to my left where the Vice President was watching the group of singers and realized that all of the singers were wearing the same red T-Shirts with a huge logo covering the front of them. It was the logo for Salama brand condoms. Now I understand that male prophylactics here in East Africa are a symbol of the fight against AIDS (the finer details of that debate not withstanding), but the idea of greeting the Vice President of ANY country wearing a Condom T-Shirt just made me laugh out loud. Chalk it up to another lesson in culture!

Last day in Nimule, Sudan

Today is my last day here in Nimule, Sudan. I'm sure I'll be back in the future to teach again. I wanted to include a picture of the class and I together on this last day, standing in front of the large tukul we use for the classroom.

Class 7 of the Chaplains and Pastors Training Center in Nimule, Southern Sudan Far left in the green/tan shirt is Martin, a staff member. Far right is me, and just to the left of me is Lino, another staff member. The other 38 are students.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't out to get you!

You know that saying that goes, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that some isn’t out to get you.” The idea of course being that the irrational fear of someone being out to get you does not necessarily mean that someone is not actually out to get you. I found that this applies to ants as well! I was laying in bed one night (and this is a general representation of each and every night) and I kept feeling as though an ant was crawling on me or nibbling on me or something. I would scratch the affected area and then try to sleep. This continued off and on before I fell asleep and even during the night while sleeping. I would tell myself that it was nothing but my regular itchiness heightened by the effect of the heat and humidity on my sensitive skin. This helped me to eventually sleep through the night ignoring the thoughts of the ithces being caused by ants crawling on me. I actually awoke the next morning with the thought still swirling around in my head as I felt an itch on my right forearm. I groggily opened my eyes - which, by chance, were pointed directly at my right forearm - an lo and behold there was an ant crawling on me! So... the moral of the story is the same as the one about being paranoid. “Just because you have an irrational fear that ants are crawling on you in your sleep, doesn’t mean that they’re not!

Visiting Martin's Family at their tukul

Martin invited me to visit him and his family at their tukul, about a five minute walk from the compound. Martin is one of the Far Reaching Ministries (FRM) local staff members. His first contact with FRM was when he attended Bible School in the refugee camp in Uganda many years ago. After graduating from that, he returned to his native Sudan and joined the Chaplain Corps of the SPLA, started by FRM in 1999. He was one of the students in the very first class of Chaplains. After serving as a chaplain in the SPLA for a few years, he went into full time ministry with FRM and has served in a few different places, including Nimule, Sudan and Kitgum, Uganda. He speaks his two native languages, as well as the lingua franca of Southern Sudan (Juba Arabic), the "official" language of Southern Sudan (English), and also Ugandan Kiswahili (or Swahili). Martin's wife is Susan, and his children are Joyce, Jacob and Esau (twins), and Missy. Only Jacob, Esau, and Missy are biologically their children. Martin and Susan took in Joyce nine years ago (the same year they were married) to remove her from a very bad situation with her mother (Martin's unsaved sister). They have raised her as their own ever since.

It was a blessing to meet them and visit with them. We sat and talked while having warm sodas. The kids were VERY shy, but cute.

Joyce, their oldest daughter

Martin, with his twin sons, Jacob and Esau

Standing outside Martin's and Susan's tukul. Susan is holding Missy, the baby

Gunshots are as common as whistling

I was in my room studying today when I heard a loud noise. I immediately recognized it as gunfire. It was followed by a second, and then a third. While I wasn't frightened, I was definitely curious to know what was going on. I got up and opened the door to my room and stepped out a few feet towards the office area. I saw James standing there with a couple of other Sudanese staff members. Before I could even ask he was telling me that he knew what I was going to ask. I asked anyway. "I heard three gunshots. What's that all about?" As one of the other guys was saying something about a military funeral nearby, James said the funniest thing. "Jon, in Nimule gunshots are like... like whistling." I laughed... kind of.

The Witch Doctor's Apprentice (Journal Entry)

1:42 pm - At lunch today I sat down to visit with Martin (one of the Sudanese staff here). He told me that he went to town today to get something, and he decided to stop at that house on the main road where the witch doctor is practicing (he even has a big banner advertising his cures out front on the road). Apparently, there was a woman who came to Martin and his family many months ago who was demon possessed and rolling around and naked etc. Martin and his family prayed for her and cast out the demons and preached the gospel and she became a Christian. She lived with them for 9 months because she feared to return to the house with her family where the evil things were going on. Eventually she returned. So Martin stopped there today because he had been noticing the big neon green sign in front of the house advertising a witch doctor there. He found that the woman he had helped had moved away to get away from the evil things, but that her mother was now possessed the same as she had been and acting crazy. Martin gave the gospel to her and another daughter (the sister of the original girl that he and his family helped). They professed to be Christians and said that they had no control over what was going on in the house. So he gathered the women of the family who were living there and the all prayed together. While praying, one of the men, the younger of the two witch doctors, was laying in a room nearby. Martin could see through the slightly ajar door that the man had the head of a goat on a stick placed carefully in the room along with goat testicles and other witch doctor paraphernalia. While they were praying together (which usually lasts a while) the man could not stand to be in the house and got up and moved about from room to room in an agitated manner. After they were finished praying, Martin asked one of the ladies, “Who was the one that I heard moving about the house while we were praying?” They said that it was the apprentice to the witch doctor. So Martin asked one of them to get him (Martin wanted to preach the gospel to him). One of the ladies went to him and asked him to come and speak to Martin and he asked, “Who is he? A soldier? A pastor?” They told him that he was a pastor and the man refused to come out. Martin asked them to go again and tell him that he wasn’t there to to anything bad but only to ask him a question. They went to the man again but he would not come out. Eventually Martin left. He told me about what happened while we were eating lunch. He said that he wants to go back there again at a random time because the man never saw his face so he doesn’t know what Martin looks like. That way Martin can have the chance to give him the gospel. Martin asked me, “What do you think will happen? I want to give him the gospel.” I told him the only thing that I know for sure to be true. I told him that God’s Word is sharper than a two-edged sword and able to cut between bone and marrow, between the soul and the spirit. When we bring the truth of God’s Word (in humility and the love of Christ), it will never return void, but it will accomplish it’s purpose. It is powerful and it WILL do it’s work. In some cases the response to it is repentance - turning to the Lord - and salvation. In other cases the response is one of pride and/or anger and turning away. We cannot know nor do we have the power to change it. We can only go in the love and compassion of Christ, with the power of the truth of His Word, and allow it to accomplish it’s work. We will pray that the man receives Christ, repents, and turns to him wholeheartedly.

God's sovereignty, family, and rain... (Journal Entry)

1:23 pm - I was just thinking about the sovereignty of God in regards to my teaching. When I forget to say something or don’t even think of it to begin with, but He wants it taught, one of the students will ask the question to bring it up. God is so sovereign! Today I was talking about Jacob and Esau and how Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of food. One of the students asked if that was the work of Esau or the work of God. Great question! I was able to teach more about the sovereignty of God and the volition or free moral agency of man. Anyhow, the very thing I was teaching was being used as the agent to bring about my teaching it! There are more and more students every day. Today another one came named Samson from Loa (near Pageri). He looks so young! He’s probably close to thirty years knowing the way they remain youthful in these parts, but he looks like he’s 16! After teaching I found Michael in his office and sat on his couch with him and talked for a while. It was nice. Somehow we began talking about death of family members, and he told of January this year when his wife was very sick and admitted to the hospital when she was still pregnant with Edward. Then only a few days later one of her “sisters” (cousins) was also admitted with a similar sickness. They thought it was malaria and so gave the quinine drip, but then after a few days the cousin died. FRM then flew Michael and his wife, Beatrice, on a MAF plane to Kampala to the hospital there and they found that it was meningitis and they gave her the medicine and God spared her and the child (people die from meningitis here all the time, not to mention the children in their wombs if pregnant). I remembered praying for them while serving at the office in the US and now realized that it was the wife of Michael I had been praying for. And now I got to hear the whole story from him. It was good to know that this man who has become my friend was the one I was already praying for before, not because of friendship, but because we are brothers in the Lord and serving together in the same ministry. I just checked my email on my phone and found out that Dave Clapper - the missionary pilot friend of the Bogles’ in Indonesia - is in fact dead. His plane went down in the jungle and the search and rescue team finally located it, and him. The church service yesterday was also a memorial service for him and on Tuesday they will have the actual burial. His wife and three younger children are there but the two older children are in the States. One of them named Judah is camping and still doesn’t know about his father.

Lord please bless the Clapper family with Your overwhelming love and comfort. Bring the right people to them as support, especially the two kids in the States who are separated from the rest of the family right now. Please comfort them. Please. I don’t know what else to say. Amen.

8:22 pm - I miss Carrie and the kids very much. It will be soooooo awesome when I get back and can hold Carrie and talk to her and see her smile, and also to see each of the kids and their faces and hugs and kisses, and not to forget the baby in Carrie’s tummy! For now I'll try not to think of it too much. Today was better. God helps me each day to grow and to fight past my fleshiness. I think He had a plan for having me here without the family though, that way I wouldn't take it out on them like I tend to. Just a thought. We had chips with dinner tonight and I ended up eating only chips and no rice and beans. I even had a warm Sprite hidden away in my closet that I'm drinking now as a sort of "dessert". Sounds funny but so true here. The lightning I’ve been watching since dark is getting very close now and the VERY LOUD thunder just began. The wind is picking up also. This doesn’t guarantee rain. It depends on if it blows this way. Sometimes there is lighting upon lightning and thunder upon thunder. Oooooo. I just felt a strong breeze and it’s very cool and refreshing. I hope it rains if for no other reason than to bring the cold wind and the soothing sound of rain on a tin roof while I sleep. WOW!!! It’s definitely getting closer. I counted only 2 seconds from lightning to thunder and IT WAS LOUD! Oh... oh... oh... I think I hear raindrops. Yes... yes... yes it’s definitely raining now. Nice. Unfortunately the weather has killed my already very weak cell signal by which I connect to the Internet (intermittently) for email etc. Bummer. I got my rain and cool wind and dazzling light show with thundering... well... thunder (duh), but I had to sacrifice the Internet for it. Well worth it. Well worth it. So the thought just crossed my mind... what does the lightning actually strike? A tree? A cow? A tukul? The ground? Out here in the bush what does it hit? Is there an epidemic of cow death by lighting? Toasted goat? Seriously, it has to hit something doesn’t it? I want to see the tree or whatever that it hits. Like the dirt in that movie “Sweet Home Alabama” that gets hit by lighting and turned to glass. I wanna see that. Wow it’s raining pretty hard now. Not “Africa” hard, but like a good hard rain in Southern California. Okay, it’s been a few minutes and now it’s raining “Africa” hard! Nice. Holy moly it’s raining. This is like the rain in Kigoma gets only cooler and fresher feeling that the humidity of Kigoma. The air is so cold and nice right now. Me like it! Okay, now I’m just rambling about the rain. Time to sign off. Oh wait more big lighting and thunder now. Is there a second storm rolling in on top of the first one? We’ll see.

Day Ten in Nimule (Journal Entry)

6:02 pm - The teaching went better today. I made it clear that they should not be looking around while I was teaching. It was such a distraction to me. I also made an announcement about NO CELL PHONES and wrote it on the whiteboard. It's always funny to me to think of how many Africans have cell phones. After lunch, James and Vicky and I had a great conversation about spiritual things. The topic would remain for a while and then slowly morph and drift to a new one and we encouraged each other in the Word for almost an hour. It was good conversation and I really enjoyed getting to know James and Vicky better through their expressions of Spiritual truths and personal application. Then I went to my room and was faithful to study for a couple of hours. It was actually a very good time and I thank the Lord for it. I need to be faithful. In fact I heard Him saying that and not only did I actually here clearly but obeyed also. This is good. I am growing again. The culture in the States entices me to corrupt what I know is right and become so lazy, complacent, spiritually numb, etc. I’m glad that is changing again. I pray that I will mature to a point where I cannot be so easily enticed by any country, culture, system, etc. to a spiritually dry and dying state like that any more.

9:32 pm - Dinner was the same as lunch... rice, beans, ugali, greens. The greens are pretty good though. Adds a new flavor to the rice and beans. Before dinner Raymond gave me the pics he took of me teaching. Then I came to my room to study Genesis some more and write this.

Teaching the first week of the Genesis class

A few of our missionaries were in vehicle accidents in the last few days. It has me thinking about how easy it is for it to happen over here. I want to pray before driving each time and even while driving. That’s how difficult and dangerous driving is in Africa. I talked to the kids today and they told me about their trip to “Castle Park” in Riverside. A really nice guy who works at the Conference Center in Murrieta also works there part time and got them free passes for the day. It was so cute to her them tell me about the rides etc. Caleb was the cutest this time though because he told me so much and in so much detail. It was such a blessing! Carrie told me that she was on my bed at the Conference Center (she isn’t washing the sheets because they smell like me - or the last outfit I wore the day I left for that matter - she’s so cute) and Jada said to her something like “Baba isn’t here” and then she said “I miss daddy, do you miss daddy?” And Jada said yes “I miss daddy” and then said “I KISS daddy”. So Carrie told her she could give me a kiss on the phone so she did when I talked to them tonight. It was so cute. I love Jada’s little kisses and miss them and her so much. I really appreciate what I have when I’m not with them.

Lord, make my heart like Yours, especially towards Carrie and the kids. I love You and thank You for them and ask for You to bless their socks off! Thank You again for Your love for me and for them and for us as a family.

The Angry Teacher (Journal Entry)

4:34 pm - We had mandazi and tea for breakfast. Then Martin did a devotion on Matthew 11:28-30 and Michael commented on it. Then I went to teach the second day of the Genesis class. When I began I asked for someone to share from their notes on chapter 5. One of the students named James (one who is the most active or interactive in class) told me some basic details. So I taught from Chapter 5 about the genealogy of Adam and how everyone dies now. I taught about how there are “sons and daughters” born to each generation, other than the specific ones named, and about the ages of the people and how they were able to pass along the oral tradition so easily since they lived so long. I shared about Enoch walking with God and about the rapture and the types we see, and many other things. So we finished up chapter 5. When I then asked for someone to tell me what they learned form reading chapter 6 nobody would share. So I asked them to raise their hand if they read chapter 6 and nobody had. I was so angry and really had to concentrate not to let it show and to be mad at them in a sinful way. I told them that if this happened in the class I teach in Kigoma that I wouldn’t teach until the students did their homework. I was concentrating on not being angry and trying to think of a solution when Michael suggested that they take 30 minutes to read the remaining chapters and then I would come back. So I came back and taught on chapter 6 and then 7,8, and 9. It was a really good time actually. I’m enjoying teaching again.

I thank You Lord SO MUCH for Your tremendous mercy and grace to guide me, change me, control me, mold me, and still use me even when I’m such a punk! Thank You Jesus! Bwana Yesu asifiwe!

I have to interject now that I’ve been listening to iTunes while writing and I put on Sherwin Gardner because it’s supposed to be decent christian reggae and so it would sound a little bit “African”. Anyhow... I just realized that I really don't like most of it. Maybe there was one or two good songs I heard, but right now I just listened to at least part of 4 or 5 of them and I had to turn it off. Now I’m listening to Redcloud. He’s a trip. Back to the day... Oh wait... I just heard a car and it might be James Olal and Vicky so I’m going to go check it out.

8:26 pm - Yes it was them. We talked for a bit. Then I showered and put on my Samoan pant/shorts and t-shirt and then sat around and talked with Raymond until dinner came. It didn’t come until 7pm, but it included mac-n-cheese and condensed mushroom goo for the rice. I had only rice with mushroom goo and mac-n-cheese. I had a second helping of each. Vicky and Raymond and I stayed after the others left and continued talking about their trip to Juba, Raymond’s time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and spiritual things in general. The topics were familiar to Vicky and I as missionaries... American comfort and complacency in regards to the body of Christ, separation from family and other missionary hardships, the bombing of the compound here in 2000, the idea of staying in a war zone or other dangerous place because that it where God called. Why would we leave if the people we are called to serve can’t leave. Vicky mentioned that book, “Abandoned to God”, about Oswald Chambers. It’s the same one Bond was reading. I want to get it. Anyhow, gotta go and study for tomorrow now.

Being thankful... (Journal Entry)

8:37 am - Today I got up around 7:30am to eat. Breakfast was just rolls of bread. I was so disappointed because when I first saw the tupperware it looked like rolex were inside. Rolex are chapati with fried egg on it rolled up like a wrap. Anyhow, when I opened the lid and saw that it was just bread rolls I was so FLESHY. I grabbed a couple and made some chai (minus the masala) and took them to my room to eat bread while reading the Bread of Life (Word). Ironically (well, not really, considering how big and awesome our God is) one of the things I read in Ephesians 4 and 5 this morning was about being THANKFUL. Actually, even before I read it I was convicted and repenting because of the sermon I just taught yesterday on Philippians 4:4-7, verse 6 being about prayer with thanksgiving. But after reading it several more times this morning the conviction and repentance became sincere and God gave me His grace to overcome the flesh. I actually enjoyed the bread rolls and chai and even went back for seconds. Yesterday, when I went with Michael to where he lives, I sat in his “tukul” with him and talked. After a few minutes his sister brought us two Cokes! I forgot how much I like lukewarm African Coke. It was sooooo good. It’s the first one I’ve had this week in Nimule. I hope to go with Michael to get my passport stamped today, and then to the market.

Let the children come unto me (Journal Entry)

3:39 pm - After church today I walked over to an area where Michael was with his wife and baby so I could meet them. Then all of the kids from the church started coming over and surrounded me. It felt just like the story in the NT when the kids came to Jesus and His disciples tried to shoo them away and He said ‘no, let them come unto me’. I knew at any moment that one of the adults would probably act just like the disciples so I mentioned the story from the Bible so they would remember it before they instinctively tried to shoo them off. Then, as Michael was going to walk away, I decided to shake one of their hands and say hello. It was like pulling the cork from a well shook champagne bottle! Every single child needed to touch me, shake my hand, and/or say hello. Some would hold on and not want to let go. Some would politely take their turn. Sometimes I shook two or threes hands with one shake of mine. Eventually it seemed that all 70 or so had their turn or at least their fill and I felt free to walk away. After that, Michael took me to his house.

This river is a tributary to the Nile and forms the border between Sudan and Uganda here in Nimule, Sudan

He lives right at the river, which serves as the border between Sudan and Uganda. There he lives with his wife and child, his maternal grandmother, and some siblings of his and his wife’s. The property actually belongs to FRM and was used in the past when they would get bombed by the North at the regular compound. It was safer at this other property because it's hard to see from the air and is right on the border with Uganda so North Sudan couldn't drop bombs there without entering Ugandan airspace. On the way back to the compound from his tukul something strange happened. We were driving down the dirt road and some cows were in the middle of the road. In order to get cows to move you have to drive right up to them and honk and yell. Sometimes you even have to touch them with the bumper. So Michael drove right up to them and began honking. It looked as if they were all moving so he proceeded. What neither of us realized was that the one cow that was actually laying down in the road never got up! As we were passing by very slowly I heard a small "thunk". After we went by we looked back and saw the young cow stand up and walk away. We had driven right over it! It passed between the tires but bumped it's head on one of the axels. It was actually a blessing that it was okay because if the owner saw it or thought the cow was hurt he would demand a lot of money from Michael. Well, my battery is about to die. More later.

The day after Pageri (Journal Entry)

10:25 am - Yesterday I got pretty tired so I didn’t write a lot of details about the day’s activities. I did have a good time and I thank God so much for filling me with His Spirit and speaking through me to the ladies. I can never tell for sure how the people here are receiving the Word while I am still teaching, but afterwards some of them will let you know. Pastor Tobias was very pleased and thankful. All I know is that my flesh is weak. I still feel tired/emotional like jet-lag and homesickness combined. I know it’s spiritual and I know the culture shock and stress of re-entering the field after being gone for several months is definitely a key factor, but I’m alone - no wife, no kids, no friends - and so it's more difficult because it’s just me and my flesh and I have to recognize it and crucify it and ask the Lord to continually fill me with His Spirit just to make it through a meal sometimes. Last night was a good example. After the long day and the ugali at Tobias’ tukul that I really didn’t care for, we finally made it back to Nimule to the compound. I really wanted some comfort food (like the Coke I had been craving all day) and was nervous to see what had been made for dinner (because typically it's rice, beans, and ugali). So I went to the dining area and lo and behold it was rice, beans, and ugali! It was emotionally deflating. I found some bread rolls left over from breakfast and some left over peanut butter from the visiting teams that were here and I made a couple of peanut butter rolls. When that got to the point where my mouth was sticking together too much, I put some rice and beans on a plate and covered them with salt, Tabasco, and a little ketchup (again, left over from the teams) and downed that. The only soda I could find was bitter lemon (tastes just like the name - made with quinine to be extra bitter) and I could only stand to drink about a quarter of that. I washed it all down with some water and went to my room with my taste buds depressed and my spirits a bit low. That’s when I wrote the last journal entry. This morning was better on the food front. There were “pancakes”. I only put them in quotes because the grain here is a bit different so the pancakes are thin, dense, and rubbery. Not that they're bad. They're actually quite good. I smothered two of them with Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter and Albertson’s fake maple syrup (thanks again to the recently departed team). It was just what the doctor ordered. A LITTLE VARIETY! I had chai (black tea with lots of sugar and cream - although there's no masala to put in it) with it and was very satisfied. It’s funny how a little bit of comfort food after the monotony of rice and beans can really brighten your day. Last night I never heard from Carrie and the kids, and then I finally got a text that she tried to call four times. I called her and told her the reception was bad and only spoke briefly. I miss her so much. Her and the kids mean so much to me and I just wish I could be with them. She had them yell “I love you” all at once. I need to be such a better father! I absolutely cannot believe what a terrible husband and father I became while staying in the U.S. the past several months.

God, please forgive me and cleanse me and change me and empower me by Your Spirit to be the best husband and father ever. Please Lord, I need Your grace in this area.

Now I have to study to teach tomorrow’s church service. I will be teaching from Philippians 4 about true, Biblical joy.

9:12 pm - I rested quite a bit today. I listened to music and prepared to teach the church service tomorrow. It was a relaxing day. Darn... They shut the generator off early and now all of the bugs have switched from the light bulb on the ceiling to my computer screen! Gotta go.

A day in Pageri, Southern Sudan (Journal Entry)

Today I went to Pageri with Lino (he drove), Gifti, Michael, Mikelina and her baby Judah (pronounced yoo-dah; he's terribly afraid of me), and one of the armed guards. We loaded up the remainder of the “Love Covers” bags and the t-shirts and left for Pageri at about 9:30 am. We grabbed a few "rolex" in town to eat on the way. No, it's not an edible watch. It's a nickname for a greasy fried egg rolled in a greasy chapati (a chapati is like a thick, somewhat greasy, flour tortilla). It took about an hour or so to reach the school in Pageri. The landscapes were beautiful.

On the Road from Nimule to Pageri

It's the rainy season now so everything is green. There are sharp hills and mountains that rise in different areas that make for a beautiful backdrop. It was smaller in comparison, but reminded me of the scenery of the mountains of western Ethiopia that I saw on the BBC “Planet Earth” videos (which really aren't all that far away). While we distributed the bags and shirts at the

One of the classrooms at the Primary School in Pageri / Loa

There aren't enough structures for every class, so some meet under trees

school Lino shuttled a bunch of the ladies from around the area to the ladies’ Bible study at Maranatha Chapel in Pageri town. Then he came and picked us up and brought us there also. Pastor Tobias met us there. The ladies were already there and began to sing as soon as I arrived. There’s something about that that I really like. It’s so welcoming. Tobias translated for me as I

Maranatha Chapel Pageri

The Ladies of Maranatha Chapel Pageri gathered together for Bible Study

taught the first half of Luke 22, including the Passover meal that Jesus ate and instituted the New Covenant. It was so cool getting to explain about the Passover and the New Covenant in Christ. Afterwards I waited outside of the church with the crew from Nimule as Tobias took care

The flag flying outside the church in Pageri

Foreground: A woman and her baby waiting outside the church. Background: Our armed guard/escort for the trip

of some church business. Lino played shuttle driver for quite a while so Michael and I walked to town and then to the tukul of Tobias. They must have planned this, because when I came into

Some local tukul (homes/huts) in Pageri town

the small round hut he had ugali and fish ready. We sat inside the tukul and washed our hands with the pitcher and bowl and then ate African style with no utensils. They were impressed that I didn’t want or need them. Tobias offered to find a spoon but I refused. The ugali tasted terrible to me. It seemed like it had sand in it. The fish was actually very good. It was smoked and then cooked in the stew/broth. It was a little hard from the smoking but I really liked it that way. It was almost like salmon jerky. I had such a hard time eating the ugali though. The ugali in Kigoma is soooo much better (and I don't really like it that much there!). But, 'when in Rome...' Afterwards I took this picture of Tobias in front of his tukul. Then he left on his motorbike to go

Pastor Tobias in front of his Tukul in Pageri

to Nimule. Michael and I walked back to the main street (Juba road) and I bought a big bottled water for him and I (I wanted a soda to wash away the ugali texture and flavor but he wanted water instead so I had the same). We drank our water as we waited for Lino to come by and get us. Then we drove back to Nimule.

August 2008 Update

Home Sweet Home... Sort of. In late July I (Jon) finally boarded my flight home. I can’t tell you how excited I was to finally be headed back to Africa. We as a family are so blessed to be counted worthy to serve our Lord in this way. We’re also excited at the thought of being in heaven together some day and having fellowship with all of those who have been a part of what the Lord is doing in Tanzania, whether ministry partners or those whom we are ministering to. We’ll all join together in praises to Him, thanking Him for His grace and the opportunity to know and serve Him. Until then, we keep living each day as a loving testimony to His power and grace in our lives, each according to the gifts and calling He’s put in our lives at this time. For us, that gift and calling right now is to share the Good News of Christ and His love in East Africa. So, while I haven’t technically reached “home sweet home” in Kigoma yet, I have made it as far as Southern Sudan! FRM has a pastor and chaplain training center in Southern Sudan, and they needed some teachers to help kick off the new class of students. I am honored and blessed to get to spend some time here and get to know my Sudanese brothers in Christ, as well as to share the Word with them as we study through the book of Genesis. Once I’m done here, I’ll complete my
journey home to Kigoma, Tanzania, where I can resume the ministry in the church there, as well as doing outreaches to the villages to the south. I also hope to visit one of my Bible College

View of Lake Tanganyika from our house. The mountains of Congo are in the background.

students, Bahati, in his home village across the huge expanse of Lake Tanganyika in Baraka, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). If the Lord makes a way and allows the time, money, and appropriate guide for my safety, then I’m rearing to go and establish a relationship with his village that could lead to further opportunities for ministry. We shall see and I will certainly keep you informed.

A Season of Separation. As you may already know or have just realized, Carrie and the kids are still in the States. For reasons too lengthy to discuss in this update, it was best for her to stay and give birth to our daughter in the States, rather than here in East Africa. Because of this change of plans, we will be separated for a couple of months. Once the baby is born, then we will all be reunited and back together as a team in Tanzania. Until then, we truly covet your prayers for strength, comfort, encouragement, a healthy pregnancy, and a healthy delivery. We have been separated before for two weeks or so, but never for over two months. We are confident that the Lord will bring us through, and we have plenty to keep us busy while we’re apart. Still, it’s not fun to be apart from those you love the most, especially since we’ve already given up being close to our extended family and friends by moving to Africa in the first place. So thank you for your love and prayer for this season of separation.

The Youth of Kigoma/Ujiji. One of the areas of ministry the Lord has put on our hearts is to reach the youth of Kigoma and Ujiji. We live about half way between these two towns, and have experienced first-hand the level of neglect most of the kids are subject to. From the time they’re old enough to walk until they’re grown and married, it seems that most of them are completely without direction, guidance, discipline, or positive stimulation. They aren’t stimulated mentally, as most cannot afford the basic uniforms and books to attend school. They aren’t stimulated physically, as there are no organized sports or other positive activities to be involved with, other

Some of the kids from Burega - the neighborhood we live in.

than the extremely limited program at the schools that they can’t afford to attend. They aren’t stimulated spiritually, as most churches neglect to teach the younger children and scare off the older youth with their works-based religion and a style of church government and liturgy that causes the youth to fear the pastor rather than fearing God. They desperately need someone to show an interest in them, mentor them, and most importantly... POINT THEM TO JESUS. He alone is the great physician, teacher, healer, and creator of life. We hope to be used by Him to bring the love of Christ to all of the children of Kigoma and Ujiji, whether they call themselves Christian, Muslim, Catholic, or anything else. We hope to show them the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Not to teach them our way or our ideas, but to lead them to the One who can save them and set them free, to disciple them in the Word so they know what He wants them to do with their freedom, and to love them with the love of Christ and be there for them in a way that their parents and churches have not yet learned how to do. This leads to the next thing on our hearts...

The Parents and Pasotrs of Kigoma/Ujiji. While we hope to meet the tremendous needs of the children and youth in the area, we would also love to help teach and guide the parents and pastors to a place where they can do it themselves. This again goes back to the very reason we are there... to share the love of God by teaching them the Word of God. As parents begin to understand what God’s Word says to them about loving, disciplining, and leading their children in Christ, they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do so. As pastors and churches see in the Word of God what their responsibility is to teach parents and to support them in their mission to love and raise godly children, they, too, will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do so. It’s a long process, but one well worth it. During our time spent in the States, God brought to my attention the real tragedy and failure of parents, pastors, and churches in America in this very area (myself included). The family unit is Satan’s number one target! When men are sacrificially loving their wives and children, and women are sacrificially loving their husbands and children, and children are observing this biblical example and being disciplined in the Word and pointed to Christ... SATAN HATES IT! He hates it because families like that are mighty influences for the kingdom of God. Families like that are mighty weapons against the enemy of our souls. But our enemy has done a tremendous job, both in the States and all around the world, in his attacks on the family. And we are excited to be part of the solution in Tanzania. We pray that you are inspired by the Holy Spirit to be part of the solution in your own family, church, and community. I highly recommend the resources of my good friends at Family Discipleship Ministries. Please visit their website and/or give them a call to see how you, your family, and your church, might benefit from the Biblical wisdom and experience that they have to share. Their web address is www.parentingministry.org.

Praises and Prayer...
- Please join with us in praising the Lord for His goodness to us in providing for our daily needs.
- We also want to thank Him for a healthy pregnancy for Carrie thus far.
- Please pray for a continued blessing upon Carrie and the baby in her womb; that the pregnancy, labor, and delivery would all go well.
- Please continue to pray for provision for the ministry in Africa, that we can get back and get busy, and be able to stay for a long time without worrying about support.
- Please pray for Jon’s friends David and Jaquie to be freed from the bondage of the Watchtower and come to a saving knowledge of and relationship with Christ.
- Please pray for Jon’s health and safe travels in July, August, and September as he ministers in East Africa.
- Please pray for Carrie and the kids as they stay behind in the States during these months, that the Lord would grant them peace and safety and bless their time together.
- Please pray for the whole family as we suffer the loss of one anothers' presence during this 10 week period.