Faithful God

As we say goodbye to another year, once again we are reflecting on the faithfulness of God. Like the sun, our God is constantly shining, always working, even though we can’t always see Him because of the “clouds” in our lives. It’s always amazing to look back at the end of the year and reflect on all that God has done in our lives.. He is faithful!

We are thankful for such an awesome, gracious, and faithful God. We are also thankful for each of you who have prayed for us, supported us, and encouraged us in this journey as we serve Him in Tanzania.

THANK YOU 

We are not used to needing a fan during the Christmas season, but we did this year!

Christmas was a lot different this year for us. To be away from family, friends, and our church family was hard, but the Lord gave us a sweet time here with new friends.

Here in Kigoma, there were no outward signs that Christmas was approaching. There were no lights, no Christmas music being played, no sales in the stores, but occasionally you could spot a miniature Christmas tree in a small store. It wasn’t until Christmas Eve that I noticed many were out shopping and getting their last minute food items and gifts.

This chicken was our first Christmas gift of the Christmas season & it was delicious! Yes, Christmas was very different here in many ways. The Lord kept us busy throughout December with various Christmas parties and several opportunities to speak and share the Gospel. 

At the beginning of December I preached in Swahili in the village of Kizenga again. We are praying that this small group will grow, revive, and be able to function on their own. About every six weeks I get to come and share the Word with them.

We visited an orphanage that is about one hour away from us called “Matyazo”. We had been one time before, but went back to visit the children and the young couple who are serving the Lord there from Germany. 

This is Baraka and Katie playing together.

We also celebrated Sam’s birthday on December 11 with both Johnson families and the Mirabellla’s. We are so thankful to have such a sweet missionary community in Kigoma which acts as our family here.

Sam just turned 6 years old and what else do you give a 6 year old boy in Africa for his birthday? A drum! So far we haven’t regretted it, he only plays it during family devotions.

The reading room in Ujiji is going well for which we thank the Lord. There are many children that come in each day to watch “The King of Glory”. There are other adults that come in to read, others come in out of curiosity, and occasionally a pastor will come in with a Bible question :-)

We thank the Lord for how things are going there, and continue to pray that the Lord would keep it open and use it for a long time.

I also had the opportunity to use the paint board and give a Gospel message for the Boy’s Club Christmas party at the chapel.

Before I gave the Gospel message, there was a time for games which the boys really enjoyed. One game they tossed a water balloon back-and-forth until they all busted! There were also rewards given for memorizing verses and attendance.

We are thankful for how everything went and there was good attention for the Gospel message.

We were also invited to a Christmas party at a place called The Victory Camp. It used to be called the destitute camp, but they change the name for good reason. This is a place for former lepers, and people with disabilities and no family to care for them. I was asked to bring a Christmas message and prepared it in Swahili. This was a great opportunity for the Gospel because many who were present were not believers or were of other faiths.

 

I meet once a week with a group of street boys here in town. For Christmas, after we played soccer and gave them the Gospel message, we gave them each a pair of shoes. We have a great time with these boys, and I’m enjoying getting to know them all.

 

December was a very busy month for us, and we were glad to slow down for a few days between Christmas and New Year’s. On Christmas Eve some of the missionaries got together and had a small service where the kids put on play for us about the birth of the Lord Jesus. Every one of the kids young or old took part—it was so sweet.

  

 As we look back over the entire year we are amazed at all the Lord has done! From getting us to Tanzania, sustaining us with His grace during language school, and helping us adjust to life here.

The Lord has been faithful! 

Always shining - constantly working!

“Great is Your faithfulness...”