May 2009 Update

Kigoma, Tanzania. I (J0n) was asked to teach the Sunday morning message for Pasaka (that’s Swahili for Passover, which I call Resurrection day and many Americans call Easter). Pasaka is the biggest day here in Tanzania, even more so than Christmas. When I was first asked to share “this coming Sunday”, and I agreed, I didn’t realize the date, but I agreed to teach thinking that I could possibly share something from my personal devotion time, or a teaching that I’ve prepared and given at a different location before. When I realized that it was Pasaka, and that I needed to prepare an appropriate teaching for the day, it was already Thursday night. But because of previous commitments I was unable to begin preparing until Saturday evening, about 7 p.m. It made me think of a joke that a Pentecostal Missionary here once told me. He said that there were four pastors having lunch together and discussing sermon preparation. One was a Methodist, the other a Baptist, the other an Independent, and the last a Pentecostal. The Methodist said, “Our topics are all planned out a year in advance, so I’m always prepared ahead of time for Sunday.” The Baptist said, “I usually begin my preparation for Sunday’s sermon on Tuesdays.” The Independent Pastor said, “Well, I normally try to begin on Wednesday, but no later than Thursday.” The Pentecostal Pastor had a confused look on his face. He finally said, “I don’t get it. So what do you all do during worship?” It wasn’t quite so late an hour for me, but nearly so. But God be praised that He guided my mind to the particular passage and message for the morning, and I was able to get my notes finished and ready. As it turned out, it rained so much that morning that half of the people didn’t even make it to church until the teaching was nearly over. So my worries about teaching on this day that they esteem higher than all other days turned out to be unnecessary. As usual, the message probably blessed and instructed me more than anyone else. I think that’s one of the reasons I enjoy teaching: because in studying, preparing, and sharing the Word of God, I myself become encouraged and strengthened by it.

Jon teaching with Gabriel translating

At this same meeting place - which is nothing more than the 10’ x 15’ would-be sitting room of an unfinished house with no roof - I am continuing to teach a weekly “foundations” class. Each week is interesting as I get to learn what areas of basic Bible doctrine they already know or do not know, and how well. It’s also interesting to see each week where the attendees will sit depending on where the tarps that cover the room are leaking that day. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out the drips shift positions! It’s such a blessing though, as nobody complains or is distracted by it. Occasionally the elder of the church will pick up half of an old, plastic bottle and scoop away the puddle that is approaching me as it grows with each drip. All the while I just continue teaching and interacting with those who have come to learn. It’s amazing how effective and efficient ministry can be when you, as a pastor or leader, aren’t always having to concern yourself with whether or not the people listening are distracted or unhappy because the air conditioner isn’t working right, or the furnace isn’t hot enough, or the chairs aren’t nice enough. It’s nice to share God’s Word with a group of people who want to listen and learn, even if their shoes are muddy from the wet dirt floor, the seat is a six inch wide hard and uneven plank that digs into their backside, and the tarp above them sometimes leaks water onto their heads or clothes. They won’t go away upset or complaining about the church meeting or looking for a “better church”. It is truly refreshing.

Carrie will be teaching the women’s study at this church this month. They are extremely excited about it, as she is normally much too busy with the homeschooling, the raising of the kids, and the managing of the household to be able to teach. But she has made the time to prepare and teach and all of the ladies are so excited and are inviting their friends to come to the Thursday afternoon Bible study. I don’t know where they will all sit! Though every time I have that thought I am sincerely surprised at how many do fit into such a tiny space.

I have finished teaching Daniel at the Bible College and have now moved on to Revelation. The students are so eager and hungry. They complain that I go too fast, but it’s because they are literally trying to write down every word I say. I used to not understand this, but have now come to realize that because audio cassettes, video cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and MP3s of good teachings are not commonplace, nor is access to a good Biblical library in the Swahili language, when they are able to get the Word, they have to record it for future reference. This thought is both humbling and scary. When you are teaching with the realization that every word you say is being listened to and written down; every truth you share is being recorded for future recollection and re-use by another, you are driven by a sense of carefulness and concern for accuracy that you otherwise might have let slip away. You just might visit a church in the village one day in the future and find someone teaching a version of something you taught previously, which they heard from someone else, who heard it from one of your students. As James 3:1 says, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

Congo. We continue to pray and wait on the Lord to see what He will provide for in Congo. There are some who have contacted us desiring to see the work there progress, but at this time we are still lacking some of the basic things required, one of which is teachers. Please continue to pray that God will provide qualified pastors and teachers to come and spend two weeks of there time teaching these men and women who so desire to learn more of His Word.

In June we will be having a one-week seminar in Congo, teaching some foundational truths. We are expecting about 200 to attend. We will be working with Dave Gonzalez and Arie Ramirez, our friends and family in Christ from Calvary Chapel Nairobi. Please pray for the continued preparation for this outreach: for the hearts of those who will be in attendance to be prepared to receive from the Lord, for the many difficult logistics involved, and for the safety of all who will be traveling.

Family. As you can see from the pictures, the kids are all doing well. We truly thank God for their good health and attitudes. They are a tremendous blessing. They are taking Swahili lessons three times per week. They seem to be picking it up and sometimes even try saying things to us in Swahili.

The kids at their Swahili lessons

Kevan had his 11th birthday in February, then Carrie had one in March, followed by Jada’s 3rd birthday on April 4th, and then our 14th wedding anniversary on April 8th. This month is Caleb’s 7th birthday! For Carrie’s birthday, a few other missionary ladies from the area surprised her with lunch. I didn’t even know about it! She was very blessed.

Kevan jumping into the lake

Carrie's birthday lunch


Jasmine is now starting to sit up on her own. I was helping her the other day and called Carrie in to show her. When Jazz saw Carrie walk into the room she got excited and stiffened up her legs which sent her flying backwards onto one of the pillows I put all around her. It was hilarious.

Jada wearing her birthday shoes

Jada helping with the laundry

Jada playing with Joshua

Baba's little girls

Kevan and his friend TJ

Keenan and Caleb acting like themselves

Kevan and Jada sharing a glass of juice

You may have noticed that Caleb still doesn’t want his hair cut. He is convinced that if it grows long enough he will look like Chewbacca from Star Wars! And if you also hadn’t noticed from the photos... the boy likes chocolate!

April 2009 Update

Kigoma, Tanzania. This has been a very busy month for Jon. He is teaching Revelation every weekday at Lake Tanganyika Christian College and preparing to teach both Daniel and Revelation at Hope of the Nations Bible College. He is teaching the men at the church for two hours each Tuesday, and meeting with and discipling two local believers on Thursdays and Fridays. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are especially busy since adding a Swahili class to our schedule.

Carrie, Kevan, Keenan, and Caleb are also taking Swahili lessons three times a week. We all desire to be able to communicate with the people of Kigoma on a more personal level.

The kids are working hard on their school work and memorizing Bible verses. Even Jada is learning her letters and sounds. She is learning Swahili as well by copying what her brothers say. Jasmine is already five months old! She is laughing, rolling over, and reaching for food. Her first tooth came in last month! Learning to feed her here is proving to be a challenge. I can’t go buy Gerber baby food at the local market! I (Carrie) have learned to make spaghetti sauce without Prego, pancakes without Bisquick, cake without the help of Duncan Hines, cinnamon rolls without the dough boy, and pizza crust without Boboli! Baby food is next on my list. Thankfully, there are plenty of bananas and carrots to help.

Our family has missed drinking milk, so a high priority this month was for us to learn how to pasteurize milk. Our friend Ruthie - a veteran missionary of several decades - taught Carrie how long to heat the milk for, as well as how to make yogurt, cream, and whipped cream. Now we just need to find someone close by with a cow that will sell us some milk!

Jon is planning to travel to Congo in early June with some fellow FRM missionaries from Nairobi. They will be sharing the Gospel with the people in the town of Baraka, DRC (Congo).
Later in June and July we may be going to Southern Sudan again to minister to the pastors and chaplains in training there in the town of Nimule.

By God’s grace we were able to bless many people this month. With our tax return money we were able to provide a portion of the money needed for about 20 orphans to attend secondary school. The orphans being helped are required to attend a weekly Bible study so that they not only grow in their understanding of math, science, and language, but also in the things of the Lord. (We are still seeking sponsors for another 24 orphans who cannot afford to go to school). We were also able to give money to our watchman, Joseph, so that he could send his oldest son to school. In addition, our friend and helper, Mama Rachel, had her baby and we were able to provide her with two months pay so that she would be able to take some time off and tend to her growing family. We thank God for providing us with enough of a tax return to enable us to help meet these needs.

We hope that you have a wonderful time of celebrating the resurrection of Christ! “They went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!' ” Luke 24:3-6 Praise the LORD! Bwana asifiwe!

Praise and Prayer. While we know that God knows all of our needs and even what we are going to say before we say it, He invites us, no commands us to pray. Why? So that we may have the privilege of talking to Him, hearing from Him, sharing our hearts with Him, and knowing His heart. Ultimately, we line up our thoughts and will with His. Even though He is already working everything together for our good, by prayer we prepare the way for giving Him glory for the things we prayed about, which we may have otherwise just taken for granted.
With that in mind we want to praise Him for the following:
- Praise the Lord, everyone is healthy!
- We are thankful to have some new missionary families in the area with children for our kids to play with.
- We have been able to meet many needs of the people here.

And we ask for prayer for the following:
- to continue to pray for Carrie and the problems/pain she is having with her wrists.
- for Carrie to overcome her fear of driving in Africa and to learn quickly.
- for continued health for our family.
- for everyone to learn Swahili quickly.
- for Jon and his very busy schedule (that’s why I, Carrie, am doing the Newsletter this month!)

March 2009 Update

Uvira, DRC. In February I was able to travel to the town of Uvira in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). You may remember it as Zaire or simply Congo. This nation has been at war with itself and others for a very long time, most of the troubles being rooted in the Eastern Congo just across the lake from Kigoma. It’s history - from the colonial days of King Leopold of Belgium, to the Belgian rule that followed, to it’s independence from the West, to today - is both complex and tragic. The country is one of the biggest in Africa comparing approximately in size to the entire Western United States. With so many problems, so many different people groups and languages (over 400), and a central government located at the far western edge of the country, even the best regions and districts are tumultuous, corrupt, and just barely getting by. Eastern DRC borders Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, and most of its residents speak a slightly altered version of Swahili (the national language of Tanzania). In addition, many Congolese escaped the war and death in their home country by entering Tanzania as refugees. Many Eastern Congolese have spent anywhere from five to twenty-five years in refugee camps in the Kigoma region. This common language, close proximity, and similar culture makes Eastern DRC a perfect addition to our scope of ministry, and one that God had told us about in advance even before we ever left the United States. From Kigoma its about a seven hour journey by boat or automobile to get to Uvira, which means that ministry is only a short day away. The needs are great and there are often difficult hurdles to overcome in order to accomplish anything there. The corruption of government officials, the depleted economy, the devastated infrastructure, and the unsettled nature of a country still recovering from civil war and chock full of rebel groups and rogue military elements, all make for a potentially strenuous environment to minister in. But all things are possible with God, and where He guides He always provides: the way, the means, the wisdom, the energy, the safety, the everything. He is the Great I AM!

In Uvira I met with Pastor Sepa Mamboleo, Pastor Tito, and other local and regional pastors and elders associated with them. The meeting went very well. The primary focus of the meeting was to discuss the training of pastors in the Eastern Congo. There are many pastors and church leaders in all of the regions of Eastern DRC - from Provence Orientele in the north (where the LRA has recently set up shop after leaving Uganda), to North and South Kivu (where various Hutu and Tutsi rebel groups still operate and terrorize the people for personal profit), down to Katanga in the far south. All of them have expressed a deep desire for solid Biblical instruction so that the pastors and leaders of the churches in these villages and towns might be firmly grounded in the Word of God and fully equipped for the ministry. We plan to accomplish this by establishing a Pastor Training School in Uvira, which is basically a middle ground between the north and the south. Here current and future pastors can come and be trained in the Word of God. Currently - as is the case in much of Tanzania and many other African nations - a pastor is typically named “pastor” because they are the oldest, or wisest, or most popular or “spiritual” and have expressed a desire to be a pastor. Sometimes the motives are good and other times the motives are based on a desire for recognition or status. Rarely, if ever, is it because they have met the Biblical standard of an elder, teacher, and/or pastor. By attending the Bible School they will not only learn what the Bible says about foundational doctrines, but what it says about being and elder, teacher, and/or pastor. The Word of God will then divide the called and those with godly motives from those who are “in it” for the wrong reasons. Those who remain and complete the training will learn how to study the Bible for themselves. They will learn through the Bible what it teaches in regards to the foundational truths of the Faith. They will learn how to serve the people with a pure heart, on behalf of the Lord, as a true mtumwishi (bondslave), and not for personal prestige or gain. They will learn the importance and centrality of being lead by the Holy Spirit, according to Scripture, in order to accomplish God’s will and purpose in their lives and lives of those they serve. This is what’s lacking and they know it and have asked us to help. How can we refuse?

Jon with the leaders of the church in Uvira, DRC

Kigoma, Tanzania. There were many challenges waiting for us when we arrived back home in Kigoma. With God’s grace and strength we made it through and are now settled in and back to business.

Kevan has begun helping with another local ministry that takes care of the destitute. For more information about it, please see the previous blog entry titled "a heart for the poor." Please pray for Kevan to continue to grow in Christ and be sensitive to His calling and leading in ministry.

Jon is now teaching a weekly discipleship / Bible training class to the leaders of the local church that we work with. This takes place every Tuesday from 3 to 5 pm (local time is currently 11 hours ahead of U.S. Pacific Time). Please pray for these meetings to be fruitful and for the church to become healthy and grow accordingly.

Carrie will begin teaching the ladies group from the local church once per month. Please pray for her to have the time and strength for study and preparation, and for the Lord to give her peace to overcome any nervousness.

Jon will soon begin teaching at the Bible College on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Please pray for his time of study and preparation. Also please pray for the students hearts and minds to be prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive from the Lord.

Carrie is working hard as 5th grade teacher to Kevan, 2nd grade teacher to Keenan, 1st grade teacher to Caleb, Preschool teacher to Jada, and nursing mother to Jasmine. Please pray for her physical, mental, and emotional strength in homeschooling. It is a very difficult and tiring endeavor, though very rewarding.

Jon is working with a close friend to help find a way to provide for several orphans to continue their education. These are young boys and girls with no parents who are being cared for by friends or neighbors. They have passed their primary school exams and been accepted to secondary school, and so have the opportunity to move on but cannot afford the school fees, school supplies, school uniforms, and shoes. Those who receive support will attend a weekly Bible Study in order to remain in the program. Please pray that the Lord would provide the support needed for each of these children (only $19 per month). Currently there are about 40 children who have been screened and identified for assistance.

Jasmine Grace. For those of you interested in Jasmine’s growth and pictures, please visit the following internet sites for information and pictures: www.thelangleyclan.org and http://thelangleyclan.blogspot.com

Additional Information. For additional updates, stories, pictures, sermons, etc., please continue to visit our Blog. You can sign up for automatic notification of new blog articles. Just use the sign up form on the right of the screen near the top.

Current Needs. As you have read in this update, there is a lot going on and a lot to do. We would really appreciate your prayers and your helping us get the word out so that we can move forward on the projects that the Lord has put before us. Prayer and financial support are two common ways to partner with us, and many who read this newsletter already do both. You can also help by telling others and getting your church involved as a whole.
--- The pastor training school in Congo will require $77 per month per student to run (or a total of $1855 per student for the full 48 week program). We need sponsors for these brothers to be trained. Once they’ve been trained they’ll minister in their home villages and towns, some will become missionaries, and others can teach in the school themselves. Please pray for the Lord to provide for these students.
--- We need Holy Spirit-gifted and qualified teachers to come and teach at the Pastor Training School for two-week sessions. We will be scheduling two teachers at a time, one to teach the morning session and one the afternoon session. We need to be able to schedule a total of eight teachers for each session of eight weeks. Please pray that the Lord would guide us to the right brothers for this task and provide for their needs to come and share in the work for a short season.
--- The orphan education program will require $19 per month per child. This is a small price to see these kids get the chance to continue their education while being discipled weekly in the things of the Lord. With this combination of Biblical discipleship and basic education they can not only grow in their knowledge and relationship with the Lord, but also use that foundation to make an impact for Christ in their country, which is slowly moving more and more towards Islam and away from Christ. Please pray that this need will be met quickly so the students don’t miss this opportunity.
--- The ministry both here in Kigoma as well as in Congo is being expanded by the Lord. This expansion further emphasizes the need for one or two godly Tanzanian co-laborers to help with administration, translation, teaching, and government relations. Those who wish to serve the Lord in this way don’t have the benefit of having family & friends who can financially support them. In order to bring a couple of servants on board with us, we’d like to provide them with a fair wage so that they can meet the needs of their families. Currently we can do this for $250 per month per person. Please pray that the Lord would provide for this according to His perfect timing and wisdom.

Praise Him! Thank you so much for your prayer. We are feeling much better, are settled back into our home and somewhat of a routine. Our electricity has been good compared to most others, so we thank God for that constantly. God has also blessed us with a couple of partners in the ministry who have contributed towards our health insurance for the year. Thank you Lord!

Please Pray. Getting water to the house is still a problem. Please pray that God would provide for the extra expense of having to hire men to bring in buckets on their bikes. We were only paying a few dollars a month for water before and now it costs us about $20 each week (I know it sounds small but our budget is VERY tight). We continue to pray that God would provide the remainder of our medical insurance premium for the year. We know He will take care of us. Please pray for Carrie’s wrists. She has been having a lot of pain in both of them for some time now.

Jazz at the Lake

I'm sure that you've heard us mention how much we enjoy spending quality family time at the lake. Now that Jasmine is here she gets to join in the fun!

February 2009 Update

Most people that we talk to ask us what our children think about us living in Africa. Our response is always the same, “They love it in Africa.” However, if you have any doubts about our response and wonder what the children really think about living here, then read on and see what they’ve said in their own words. The itlics are parental editorial to give context and a better understanding to what the kids might have said.

Jada (2.5 years old) - “I like the lake and going to Bond and Heather’s house.” [Jada is very young and doesn’t yet realize that now that we are back in Kigoma we are nowhere near to our friends Bond and Heather in San Diego. We’re confident that she’ll adjust. She was only 1.5 years old when we left and remembers very little.]

Caleb (6.5 years old) - “I like it in Africa. I like the lake. I like swimming in the lake. I like diving off the rock. I like to eat mandazi and the round burnt things [he’s referring to kitimbua]. I’m looking forward to sleeping at home and finding quartz.” [FYI... we are currently staying at the guest house of another ministry. When we arrived in Kigoma our house was in terrible condition due to the regular dirt, dust, and bugs, but in addition we had some water damage that caused mold in our bedroom - on our bed and on many of our clothes - as well as a continued issue with bats in the the attic. It will take some time to get things back to normal. We are even praying about moving to a different house to start fresh as this house we are renting continues to have problem after problem.]

Keenan (8 years old) - I can’t wait to go to Bible Study and see my friends. I like to swim in the lake, jump off the rock, and go to Allys and Sun City. I have fun jumping on the big trampoline. I like making poison and doing secret stuff, and scaring people. I like playing with Jonas. I’m happy to be in Africa. Oh, and I like eating chips mayai. We try to fellowship with other missionaries in the region at a regular Bible Study. It really helps to have like-minded people of a similar culture to talk to from time to time. Allys and Sun City are a couple of little hole-in-the-wall places to eat in town. Visitors wouldn’t think much of them, but eating there is a treat to us! The trampoline belongs to another missionary in town, and Jonas is one of our guards who loves to play with the kids.

Kevan (10.5 years old) - I like the lake. I like to eat at Hilltop. I have a heart for the poor and want to help them. I like making new friends. Our guards are fun to play with. They are good at hide and seek. They’re hard to find in the dark because they’re black. I don’t like the monkeys because they take my things, so I shoot them with my sling shot. I like the food here. I have fun going on Harry’s boat [Harry Johnson - the one with the trampoline - has been a missionary in Congo, Burundi, and Tanzania his entire life. He has a little sailboat at the lake and takes the kids out on it sometimes.]

So you see, they really do like it here! In fact, because of their willing hearts and flexible attitudes, they have made it so much easier for us to transition to life here and do the ministry God has called us to!

Please Pray. After being gone for so long and having so many hurdles to cross in order to get back here and get going again, there is often a strong temptation to be overwhelmed and want to give up and go back to the “easy life” of the land and culture we are familiar with in the States. Please pray for us as we get things back in order and get back to the work God has called us to. Please pray for good health, spiritual strength and discipline, and family unity. Please pray for us to have wisdom and patience in dealing with an ever-growing problem with electricity and water in the area. Also, through our partners in this ministry God has provided a portion of the cost of our medical insurance for the year. Please pray that God would continue provide the remainder.

A Heart for the Poor

If you know our oldest son, Kevan, then you that he has a very caring spirit. When he was just a few years old and beginning to talk, he was riding with Carrie in the car while she was driving her mother home. Carrie's mom lived in downtown San Diego, in a very low-income area. Kevan noticed the people sleeping on the sidewalks along many of the streets downtown on the way to Grandma Berta's. He asked Carrie, "Mom, why are all of those people living on the streets?" In her attempt to simplify the explanation according to his age, she said something like, "They don't have a home to live in." Kevan asked, "Why not?" To which Carrie replied, "Well, they don't have enough money for one." Kevan had the last word, "When I grow up I'm going to build them all houses so they don't have to live on the sidewalk."

That's Kevan. Though he's older now and his knowledge and understanding of the world around him is much deeper and more complex, his heart has not changed. When we recently asked him about ministry in Africa he responded that he had "a heart for the poor" and that he wanted to help them. Knowing that there are so many destitute people here in the Kigoma area I invited him to join in helping with a local feeding program nearby. So last week we went together to assist in feeding the destitute. These are people who literally live in what's called a "destitute camp" outside of town (and I'm referring to what is considered "destitute" by local African standards). They are mostly aged, sick, maimed, diseased, or otherwise "unfit" for society. The government allocated a piece of land and built a few shabby buildings for them to stay in several kilometers from town. Out of sight, out of mind. Some friends of ours here in Kigoma minister to them regularly, including a thrice weekly feeding program, so Kevan and I joined in serving them a hot meal. There were about 200 children and 50 adults on that particular day.

Kevan serving bowls of hot rice and beans to some of the children

Kevan will continue to minister to the poor and hurting in this way in the future. The very program he is helping with was actually started by the teenage daughter of our missionary friends. Her own father didn't think it would work, but she had the heart and the vision and put a plan into action. Years later she is gone and married but the ministry she began continues. Please pray for Kevan to continue to have a heart for people, and pray that he will develop his own vision for ministry here in East Africa.

Planes, Pains, and Automobiles

We were scheduled to leave LAX on January 7th. On the morning of January 6th, Jada began vomiting. We had the flight changed to the 14th to be sure that she had time to get over it, as well as anyone else in the family who may have picked up the same bug. Jada got better, we finished packing, and on the morning of January 14th we caravanned from El Cajon up to LAX. My dad drove his large SUV with Kevan and sixteen of our checked bags. I drove the Suburban my grandpa had given us taking the rest of the family, the other eight checked bags, our twelve carry-on bags, and the baby stroller.

I decided to go to the airport very early because we had so many bags and our tickets were kind of a mess due to many changes over several months. When we got there at noon, the British Airways counter was empty and the sign said that they would open at 12:30. So my dad, Kevan, and I unloaded both vehicles onto the curb and then parked the cars in the airport parking lot. By the time we were done, not only was the counter open, but there was already a long line!

I talked to one of the roving BA agents to let her know our luggage situation. She was very nice and helpful and directed me to stack everything at one end of the check-in area. So my dad, Kevan, and I proceeded to bring in all 24 checked bags, as well as the 5 heavy carry-on bags. Mom and the kids all helped with the lighter backpacks and the stroller.

Once everything was now moved again, I got into the very long check-in line. After waiting about thirty minutes, I neared the front of the line and was told by another agent that when my turn came I was to go to window 25. They had an agent there waiting for me... just me.

It took about forty-five minutes just to clear up the ticket confusion and get the proper seats and boarding passes. Once again, the BA staff was tremendously kind, patient, and diligent. After the ticketing was in order we began the long process of checking the bags.

Checking bags at the airport is typically a simple process. Since we are anything but typical, the process, once again, was anything but simple. Two by two - like Noah's cargo - we weighed the boxes and bags. After each was weighed it received four different stickers, like tattoos or brands on cattle, each signifying to those whose paths its crossed to whom the cargo belonged, where it was headed, and even how much it weighed. At most airports this is where the luggage is fed into the mouth of the great TSA luggage monster by the monster's uniformed handlers. Unfortunately for us (and a whole lot of other travelers at terminal B of LAX), after each bag is checked with the airline it must be taken to the opposite end of the terminal to the TSA luggage area as the TSA system and the check-in counters are not yet integrated. So as we weighed and labeled each piece of luggage we stacked them onto luggage trolleys and my dad, Kevan, and one of the airport staff moved them over to TSA for me. The service that we got from the airline and airport staff was nothing short of miraculous and an answer to prayer.

So after an additional thirty minutes of luggage handling we were finally done checking in. Since it was now about 2:30 and the kids were "starving", we lugged the carry-on bags up the escalator to the airport McDonalds and ordered lunch. While Carrie and the kids ate, my dad and I went back down and out to the parking structure and took the Suburban back to my grandpa's house to leave it there and then my dad drove us back to the airport again. We met up with Carrie and the kids again and then headed down for the security check. After saying our goodbyes to my dad we headed down the long causeway to the security area. Once again the Lord answered our prayers and their was NOBODY in front of us and NOBODY behind us. This meant we could walk right up and take our time getting all of the bags and shoes and belts and jackets and stroller and everything else imaginable up onto the xray machine belt. It went as smooth as physically possible and then we headed to the gate.

As you can imagine getting all of us and all of our stuff onto the plane is no easy feat. BA allowed us to board early, along with the other passengers with small children and those with physical disabilities (funny how those always seem to go together). We got situated and had a nice flight to London. The nine and a half hour flight actually seemed to go rather quickly. As an additional blessing, BA has finally completed Terminal 5 at Heathrow. This means that we didn't have to land at Terminal 1 and then take a bus to Terminal 4 for our flight to Tanzania. We landed and departed from Terminal 5 (theoretically... more about that in a minute). This made the flight change a lot easier.

When we arrived at Heathrow we navigated our way across the various causeways, onto the tram, up the elevator (rather than the two escalators), across the terminal, and through the security screening to the Terminal 5 waiting area. After a few hours of "potty breaks" and napping we were ready to head back down another giant escalator to our gate to wait for the airplane to Tanzania. This is where is gets a bit comical. When it was time to board we went through the doorway of the gate and ended up outside on the tarmac where a bus was waiting to take us to our plane; a plane that was far far away parked on the tarmac at none other than Terminal 4! So we had to move five very heavy carry-on bags on and off of the bus, along with all of the kids and their backpacks and Carrie with the baby, the baby bag, a stroller, and a laptop bag. Once we arrived at the plane we had to get all of that UP THE STAIRS onto the plane and then back to our seats and into the overheads. Again, to God be the glory that it went smoothly, but by the time we were done WE WERE EXHAUSTED and needed the ten hour flight just to recuperate.

We made it to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania safe and sound and tired. Dar es Salaam is on the east side of Tanzania on the Indian Ocean, and it is notoriously humid. The heat was probably only in the high 80s, but the humidity was very high. This shock to the system whilst disembarking the airplane is never one that you get used to. It's kind of a non-verbal "welcome to Dar es Salaam" that you wish had gone unspoken. We waited in the passport control line in the heat and humidity, each of us taking a non-voluntary shower in our own perspiration. Eventually we finished and found all of our luggage had arrived safely. Bwana asifiwe (Praise the Lord)! I gathered the bags into one location and then contacted our usual driver who has a minivan. We cleared customs with them checking only one bag and taking my word on the rest, and then, with the help of four or five porters, we loaded the minivan with twenty-three pieces of luggage and drove them over to the airport cargo department a couple of kilometers away. While I dealt with the cargo, John Francis (the driver) went back to the airport and collected Carrie and the five kids and the thirteen bags and brought them back to where I was. It took about twenty minutes to unload and weigh the cargo that I needed shipped to Kigoma, and then about two and a half hours to finalize the paperwork, x-ray the cargo, negotiate payment, and get out of there. All the while Carrie and the kids were melting in the heat and humidity with no water to drink. It was a real blessing to get the cargo taken care of immediately, though the price was high both in dollars spent and my family's time, temperature, and health. They were such troopers, though, and we finally headed off for the guest house.

The next morning we got to the airport at 7:30 a.m. for our 9:15 a.m. flight to Kigoma. After passing through security we were told that the flight was not leaving until 11:15 a.m. now and that we could not check in until 10:15 a.m.. That meant sitting in the hot airport check-in area for almost three hours with no food or water... again! After about an hour I went to the counter with family in tow to ask for an exception and they agreed (upstairs by the gate is semi-air conditioned and they have food and drinks available). But once they started to process the tickets they told me that our open-ended tickets had never been booked for that day. I was disappointed in the agent in Kigoma who was supposed to have taken care of this already. Then they told me that I was also missing a ticket (since we had a new baby), which was another item I thought that the agent had handled. So I had to go back outside of the airport to the Precision Air ticket office to take care of it. The girl behind the glass did this thing and that and printed something out and said it was okay so I went back through security again and to the counter. They began to check us in and said that we were still short one ticket. I was so frustrated. They called over the woman in charge and she apologized and figured out what was wrong and said I needed to pay for an additional ticket. I agreed but did not have enough in my pocket. So I headed back outside again to use one of the two ATMs at the airport before heading back to the ticket office AGAIN to finally get everything straightened out (by now it was nearing the actual check-in time). As I approached the first ATM I could see that the screen had a message on it stating that it was out of service. I went to the second ATM nearby and found it had a similar message. I truly had faith that the Lord would work it all out and kind of chuckled at the insanity of it all. I went to the ticket office and told the girl that I needed to pay for an additional child ticket. I then told her that I was short 50,000 Tanzania Shillings and that both ATM machines were broken. I asked if she could issue the ticket and I would pay the remainder at the Precision Air office in Kigoma. She said no and then tried to explain, but honestly I stopped listening after the "no". I then called the agent in Kigoma and explained the situation. I asked him if he could issue the ticket from there and allow me to pay him when I arrived. He said he would take care of it and to wait "a few minutes" for his call. It was now 10:30 a.m.. When he hadn't called back after almost ten minutes I called him again. I handed the phone to the agent at the airport, they spoke the secret airline language, she hung up, printed something, and then handed it to me. As she handed it to me she folded it in half and said, "He must have given you some kind of discount. Don't let the others [in line] see this." I took it and looked at it and found about a 20,000 Tshs. savings. What a blessing!

I went back through security for the third time. Upon entering I found Carrie at her wits end from dealing with hot, sweaty, hungry, whining kids. I rushed to the counter and finally got us checked in and our boarding passes issued. Then we rushed upstairs, through another security check, and to the gate waiting area. It was now 11:05 a.m.! We thought we had just barely made the flight, but with the precision that gives Precision Air their name, promptly at 11:15 a.m. an announcement came over the PA system: "Precision Air. We regret to announce the departure of flight PW741 to Kigoma has been delayed. The flight will now depart at 12:30 p.m.. We apologize for any inconvenience." For once, an airplane delay that we welcomed. We were able to go to the small eating area nearby and get the much needed water and food for all of us.

By 1:00 p.m. we were boarded and on our way to Kigoma. Around 4:00 p.m. we were landing in Kigoma and relieved that the "adventure" was almost over. It's funny to me because so many people think of living here as some sort of adventure when really it's getting here that's often the true adventure.

Our good friends Mwenge and John, both of whom work with a local ministry called Joy in the Harvest, picked us up from the airport and helped us to get our luggage loaded. They took us to our house in the Burega area where we were greeted warmly by two of the watchmen. Upon entering the house we found the usual build up of dirt, dust, bugs - dead and living - and spider webs. It was a bit depressing in the sense of not being a welcoming sight. Then I found that a window had blown open in our bedroom allowing rain to get all over our bed. Mold was growing on the bed and sheets as well as on much of the clothes in the closet. All three of our pillows were destroyed and you can't buy pillows here. The depression went a little deeper. Then I found in the living room the strong odor of the bats in the attic above. I had tried to get rid of them several months ago. About 400 of them left but it smelled like some had returned. The depression dipped even deeper. Then I asked about the water situation. Jonas - our daytime watchman - told us that no water had come since the last time I was there in September. The depression started to feel like despair.

In times of frustration, depression, and even despair, God is always there! Mwenge told us that we were welcome to stay at the Joy in the Harvest Guest House while we got the house cleaned up and livable. The guest house is very nice and very clean, and they work very hard to make sure it has water and even electricity. We were so relieved and blessed by the generosity of Lowell and Claudia Wertz (the missionaries responsible for Joy in the Harvest), and Mwenge, their right-hand-man.

So that's where we're at now. Every day we clean up the house a bit more, get a few more pieces of our cargo, get a little more readjusted to the time zone and weather, and generally settle in. We thank God so much for His faithfulness. I admit there were several times when the circumstances of getting here, the situation with the house, the readjustment to the time zone, the renewed culture shock, and the missing of our dear friends and family all combined to bring me to a place of wanting to call it quits. But in those brief moments of emotional turmoil God was right there renewing my vision for why we are here and what He wants us to do. It's amazing how strong a motivation purpose is, especially for a believer who is struggling with near-sightedness and self-pity! As the Scriptures say, even "when we are faithless, He remains faithful".

With that in mind we ask you to thank Him along with us for our safe return and to pray that all will get back to "normal" quickly. Please also pray for the new ministry opportunity in Congo as it appears that the Lord is moving quickly in that area and I will probably be scouting it out next month. Mungu akubariki (God bless you)!