Dear friends,
Once again, I can’t believe it has already been three weeks since I last sent out an update. At the same time, I am guessing that most of you have enjoyed the peace and quite. J I must apologize, however, for not having put any more pictures on the blog like I said I would during this time…I hope you can forgive me. I have been on vacation. (Ok…lame excuse.)
Let me catch you up a little. The day I sent my last update, we received 15 guests at Waama. It was a group of people from a small Bible school in Norway including 2 teachers and 13 students. Their goal was to see/experience life at a Bible school in Tanzania for a period of about 3 days. It was such a great time. I think it was a little shocking for the students in particular as they stayed with our students in the dorm, had to use the primitive hole-in-the-ground outhouses, and eat a lot of unfamiliar and pretty bland food. All in all, however, more than the other sights they were able to see, and experiences they were able to have during their 2 weeks here in Tanzania, many said that the time at Waama touched them the most. It was certainly a blessing for our students, as well.
For their last night at Waama, Ben and I invited them over to our place for some familiar treats (popcorn, cookies, etc) and the opportunity to relax a little. When it came time for them to head to the dorms, three of the guys who Ben and I had spent the most time talking to, said that they were seriously considering adding another week to their time in Tanzania and would really like to see Zanzibar if at all possible. I told them it was very possible, explained the approximate budget they would need to have, and told them I would be more than happy to be their “tour guide”!! So, our Easter plans were set: Ben would go to Uganda and visit his brother and family, and I would be going to Zanzibar. This was decided on Wednesday, March 5th. The following Friday to Sunday we had a couple village film showings and a baptism service and on Monday second-semester finals began to be administered. By Wednesday, March 12th, Ben and I had given all our finals, corrected and returned them to the students, and turned in our overall grade summaries to the school office. We were on our way to Arusha…
At 9:30 the next morning (Thursday), I was on the bus to Dar Es Salaam with Per, Henrik, and Anders; and by 5:00 that evening, Ben was on the bus to Uganda. It has truly been refreshing to have this break. (I will include a picture of the four of us.) Zanzibar weather is always perfect, the scenery is flawless, and my sunburns were actually pretty well controlled. (Others in the group were not so fortunate.) It was amazing how many Norwegians were on the beach! We even met a couple grandchildren of some of the people who helped start Waama years ago!! It really is a small world.
In other news…
- My arm is healing up incredibly well from my burns. All the scabs are gone and the new skin is even starting to get some color! I’m not even sure if I am going to have any scars to show off!
- Ben and I have officially decided that we will be returning to Tanzania for a third year. We have also informed the Dean of this decision. Amazingly, only minutes before making that phone call, we received a call from another ministry in the Mbulu district informing us that if God was closing the door at Waama, there is an open door with them. This was a very humbling offer but Ben and I both feel that God wants us at Waama for the next year and whatever He wants to call us to after that is up to Him.
- This Tuesday, March 25th, is Ben’s Golden Birthday! HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY, BEN!
- Third semester is scheduled to begin on March 31st. At that time, we are also anticipating some new students on campus who will be part of a special “short-course” for church leaders/pastors.
- For some reason, we have scheduled this third semester with all of our most distant film showing locations. Pray for us as we cover a lot of kilometers, interact during these trips with our students and their families, host these evangelistic events, and have opportunities to speak in weekend seminars and Sunday morning services. Pray also that despite all of this activity, we will be able to invest sufficient time and energy in our normal class responsibilities.
- Pastor Craig Johnson from Astoria, Oregon, will be coming for a visit in East Africa beginning May 21st!
- Graduation here at Waama is set for June 29th.
So, that is some of what is going on. I want to thank you all again for your interest in this work and for your continual investment through prayers, encouragement, and financial support. I have to admit that there are times when I am ready to take a new assignment but it always seems that at those same times, God reminds us of what is being accomplished and what still needs to be done. I am grateful for God’s direction and on-going provision in this work. It is truly an honor to represent you all in this part of the world. God richly bless you!
In His service,
Jesse Long
Mbulu, Tanzania
