Greetings in Jesus' name! There is not even one month left until Waama graduation! No matter how many times I say it, I still have no clue where all the time goes. Third term is rapidly coming to an end and with it our 2nd year in Tanzania. It has been a good semester and a very good year. We have formed friendships with many of our students and had the chance to minister in many of their villages. We trust that our investment into their lives will pay dividends when they return to serve at their home churches, most of them as lay pastors.
For the most part, this semester has been pretty normal: preparing for classes, teaching, and going on evangelistic trips on the weekends. This semester I thoroughly enjoying teaching my Bible class - Daniel. I love digging into some of the "Sunday School stories" and watching the students light up as they discover new truths from the same old stories.
My other classes (Guitar, English, Computer, and Sight Singing) are going well also.
Our weekend ministry is also coming to a close for this school year. In fact, this weekend (June 6-8) is our last scheduled evangelistic trip for the school year. During this time we have two Jesus Film showings planned, a seminar to teach on Saturday afternoon, and the sermon slot on Sunday morning. This has become a typical schedule for our weekends.
It gets to be tiring, but it is also very rewarding to meet with people on the ground and have the opportunity to teach them from God's Word.
We had a visitor this semester which was a nice change of pace. Pastor Craig Johnson from Astoria, OR (Jesse's pastor before coming to Africa) came to visit for a week (May 21-29). During that time we were able to go on a weekend ministry trip - showing the Jesus Film twice, teaching a seminar, and preaching Sunday morning. We were also able to do some sightseeing which included visiting some nearby waterfalls and going on a safari. Following our great week together he continued onto Uganda for a week to see the AFLC work there. He will return to the US tomorrow (June 3).
As for our schedule, finals are scheduled for June 12-14 and graduation will be June 29. Jesse will be leaving for the US on July 3 where he will stay for the duration of our summer break. Unfortunately, I will not be returning to the US this summer. I will go Brazil on July 3 for about one and a half months. During this time I will visit my parents and little brother and hopefully see some of the places where I spent my childhood. After my time in Brazil, I am planning on returning to East Africa and staying in Uganda for about 4 weeks with my brother Nate and his family. In late September, Jesse and I will return to Tanzania in preparation for the new school year here at Waama which will start at the beginning of October.
Thanks for your part in this ministry through prayer, support, and encouragement. If you haven't had a chance to check out our blog recently, please check it out. We try to keep it updated with current pictures of our ministry here - http://benandjesse.blogspot.com
A few things to praise God for...
- safety - from our weekend ministry travels, to running around on our motorcycles, to Pastor Craig's safe travels, to protection from thieves.
- another good year of ministry coming to a close.
- His direction for this summer and next year as well.
A few things to pray for...
- the students as they take their finals (a terrifying experience for most of them), graduate, and return to their homes, families, and ministries.
- Pastor Craig's trip tomorrow.
- Jesse and my travels next month and a refreshing time in the US and Brazil respectively.
- Waama as it is still learning to spread its wings and fly (since the founding mission finished turning it over to the Lutheran church in 2004).
May God bless you,
Ben
