What a blessing to be back in the U.S.!! In fact, my travel from Kilimanjaro to Amsterdam on the 3rd as well as the final leg arriving in Seattle on the afternoon of the 4th went so smoothly that I was actually slightly ahead of schedule and had no problem making it to the Arlington 4th of July parade and then to the fireworks later on. God bless America!!
Our final days in Tanzania before coming home went smoothly. The graduation on June 29th was a blessing with many people attending. God also gave us safe travel on our motorcycles the following day to Arusha where we had just enough time to tie up some loose ends and finish our preparations and arrangements for being away from there for these next couple months.
Already, my time here has been busy but a huge blessing as well. It has been so good to see many of you and I look forward to seeing as many of the rest of you as possible before it is time for me to return to Tanzania. Part of the reason I am writing is to give you all a basic idea of what my schedule is looking like for the next couple months in case there are either presentations you would be interested in attending or open dates that you or your church would be interested in filling. Currently, I anticipate the following:
- July 14th – Medical Check-up at University of Washington Medical center. (Thank you for keeping this in your prayers.)
- July 18th-26th – Time in Astoria, OR. (Visiting friends and working with my previous employer.)
- July 20 – Sharing at Bethany Lutheran Church in Astoria, OR.
- July 27th-August 2nd – Vacation in Eastern Washington with several friends and family.
- August 5th-18th – Trip to the East Coast to visit my sisters, Sarah and Anna, and their families.
- August 24th – Sharing at Elim Lutheran Church in Lake Stevens, WA
- August 26th – Benefit Concert for me put on by my sister-in-law, Summer, and other friends at Atonement.
While I have not yet purchased the ticket for my return to Tanzania, it seems most likely that I will fly out of Seattle sometime around the end of September. As I have mentioned in previous updates, Waama Bible College will not begin classes again for the new school year until the second week of October but we anticipate returning somewhat early so that we have time to renew our residency permits, and take care of other formalities. Thank you so much for your ongoing prayers even as we are here in the U.S. Somehow, life never seems to slow down but it is certain that the preparation, rest, and support we will gain in these next couple months are of critical importance for success of our coming year of ministry. Thank you so much for your part. I do have a phone during this time. Feel free to call me at 425.737.8270.
God bless you all.
In Christ,
Jesse
