March 2008 Update

Greetings from the U.S.A. We arrived in time to spend Christmas with our family which was a real blessing, especially for the kids and their grandparents! While we are thankful to have had the time with family and for the opportunity to share with supporters and others this month, we are very much looking forward to getting back home to Kigoma in early March and getting our hand back to the plow. We have so much we're looking forward to the Lord doing this year and are excited to get back to it.

In February we had the opportunity to visit some churches and individuals to share about what the Lord is doing in Kigoma. It’s been exciting to see those who are partners with us in the ministry as well as those who are just meeting us for the first time. Sharing about the ministry in Kigoma has helped us to focus in on what the Lord wants us to continue in and what new things He has in store for us. We’d like to share some of that vision with you in this update.

Calvary Chapel Kigoma - We will continue to work with our small fellowship of believers in Kigoma, to strengthen them in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will do this through the systematic teaching of God’s Word for the entire body, starting a children’s ministry to minister to the needs of the many children, and bolstering the existing women’s ministry to include more Bible Study and growth opportunities.

The Body of CC Kigoma w/ the Building in the Background

The Bible College - Jon will continue to teach the Word of God at the Bible College in Kigoma. This is a tremendous opportunity to reach men and women from many different tribes, villages, and denominations, in order to build them up in the Word of God and encourage them in their faith and ministry to the Lord. Most of them have very little to zero education in the Bible and ministry, and most of them have only a partial primary school education. For them it is a dream-come-true to be able to attend Bible College and learn more about their saviour and His message. For us it is a dream-come-true to be used to accomplish this.

A Bible College Student Taking His Genesis Final Exam - Fall 2007

Rabuna Fi - “Rabuna Fi” means “God is here” in Arabic. It’s a women’s ministry program developed by Far Reaching Ministries and related Calvary Chapel church plants in East Africa. It has been very successful in Southern Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya, and we’d like to implement it at Calvary Chapel Kigoma as well. You can read more about it at www.rabunafi.org. In a nutshell, it involves three meetings per week whereby the women come together for Bible Study and discipleship, followed by a time of working on income-generating projects - clothes, jewelry, and the like - that are then taken to the U.S. for fundraising. The income generated helps to meet the physical needs of these women and their families, many of which are amongst the poorest in the Kigoma area.

Women from CC Kigoma Working On Various Income Generating Projects

Kigoma Youth Outreach - We would like to meet the needs of the youth in Kigoma as a whole. We plan to do this by beginning a monthly youth outreach open to the entire community. This will allow for evangelism and a healthy and safe place for the youth to have fun. We would eventually like to have a full time youth center available to the youth of Kigoma where they can come for discipleship, mentoring and counseling. The youth center will also provide the opportunity for evangelism, Youth Bible Studies, games, and organized sports. The youth of Kigoma are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually neglected, and we can help to point them to Christ and stir up the gifts of the Spirit within them. We can also reach the next generation of youth by teaching the “Religious Education” class in one or more of the public schools. Through these two vital ministries we can infuse the society and culture with the love and truth of God’s Word and raise up the next generation to love and honor their creator, Jesus Christ, and live for and by Him.

Burega Primary School, near our home

PLEASE PRAY...
- Please pray for the Lord to continue to do His work and will in Kigoma and to allow us to be some of the vessels He uses to do it. To Him be the glory, great things He has done!
- Please pray for peace in neighboring Kenya.
- Please pray for the Lord’s provision for our flights back to Tanzania, our monthly expenses, and the ministry expenses involved in getting the youth ministry started.
- Please pray for the Lord to send us a local man to not only translate, but be Jon’s “right hand man” for ministry and administrative tasks.
- Please pray for the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into the harvest field in Kigoma to labor alongside us - both short-term and long-term.
- Please pray for our family and friends who are concerned about us as we are living in East Africa, specifically those who don’t know Christ and His peace. Pray they would give their lives and hearts to Him and know the peace that passes all understanding.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND PRAYER!