Tanzania Tidbits

Sharing From the Heart

2015-09-17T16:36:00.000+03:00

A single mother from one of our supporting churches was here this month visiting our teammate, Lisa Newland. Megan and her son Blake came to experience the ministry here in Tanzania. To see what life is like. Little did we know that she would come to have a great impact on our pastors'/leaders' wives.

It was kind of a last minute request of mine to invite Megan to give her testimony at the ladies meeting planned for August. I knew she would be there, and I actually moved the date up so she could attend. However, it wasn't until meeting her that I asked her to share what the Lord has done in her life. (Sorry about that Megan! More notice would have been appreciated, I'm sure.) Lisa told me later that Megan had spent many hours preparing for what she was going to say. She prayed and asked the Lord to give her just the right words to speak into these ladies lives. The Lord answered her request in a special way.

As Megan began to share of her past and how the Lord saved her it moved all of us there. After she finished speaking there was opportunity for the ladies to share themselves. To be honest, I didn't expect them to say much. They rarely do. However, Megan's transparent testimony stirred the hearts of these ladies. One in particular shared her heart, with her face contorting in pained memories and tears threatening to spill, how her mother had died when she was just a little girl and how her father was an alcoholic and on drugs. He beat her until she finally ran away from home. She lived on the streets for a time but eventually went back home. The people in her village thought she had lost her mind and treated her as such. She wanted to go to church but her father wouldn't allow it. She has suffered much and can come across as being very harsh. Hearing her story helped me to better understand her and have more compassion. It also opened the hearts of the others present. I could see it in their faces as some wiped away tears - tears of empathy, and just maybe tears of understanding as they too have suffered.

It all started with Megan being willing to open up and share from her heart. What if she had thought her life too messy to share with these women? What if she would have smoothed over the rough places and just talked about our loving, heavenly Father? It sure would have made her look better. But it wouldn't have spoken to the dark and messy places these women have lived. Megan's willingness to be transparent allowed these women to feel they weren't the only ones that had a past. It also didn't point us ladies to herself. No, the forgiveness, mercy, grace, and victory all pointed back to God. It reminded all of us that day who our God is and what His Son Jesus did for us. We were reminded of the mighty power of God to save us and transform our lives.

“A Tale of Two Lives”

2015-08-18T22:45:00.000+03:00

Recently we witnessed the stark contrast between salvation and rejection, between forgiveness and judgment, between life and death.

Pastor Petro received news that a man in his village had died. He was 30 years old. Several years ago, this man had a successful business and was doing quite well. However, he started to drink, and before long, he was a slave to alcohol. Because of his constant drinking he started to have various health issues including a serious skin disease. About a week before his death, Petro went to talk with him about the Lord. He became belligerent and told Petro that he wanted to have nothing to do with Jesus. That week after taking medication for his skin disease, he got drunk. The combination of the medication and the alcohol led to his death. Petro attended his funeral and was shocked to witness this scene. This man’s family and friends took a bottle of alcohol and poured it all over his dead body and even poured some into his mouth as a send off into eternity - sadly he got exactly what he wanted, an eternity without Jesus.

During the same week that this drunk man went out into eternity lost, a 90 year old witchdoctor came to Christ. In the ten years we have lived in Tanzania, this is only the second witchdoctor that has gotten saved through the ministry of any of our churches, so, it is a very rare occurrence! This man’s family are members of our church. They have witnessed to him about Christ on many occasions along with many attempts by Pastors Petro and Pelegrino to give him the gospel. He was never interested until recently. He was an old man in poor health, and he knew that his time on earth was coming to an end. Petro received word that the man would like him to come visit. Upon arriving at his home, the witchdoctor immediately informed Petro that he had turned to Christ and believed on Him for salvation. Petro was shocked and stunned even further by what took place next. The witchdoctor was bed-ridden at this point and could not do anything for himself. Since he was now a believer in Christ, he wanted to disassociate himself from all of his sorcery practices. He asked Petro to cut off the fetishes on his head, wrists, and ankles which he had worn to identify himself as a witchdoctor and to ward off evil spirits. To do this on his death bed obviously testified that he was trusting in Jesus now and not witchcraft. This all happened on a Monday. On Saturday Petro received news that this former witchdoctor had died and went to heaven. Petro preached his funeral and was able to share with the community this man’s powerful testimony.

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see

life; but the wrath of God abideth on him”

John 3:36

Audio Bibles

2015-05-03T19:37:00.000+03:00

One of Tammy's goals on furlough was to purchase solar powered audio Bibles to bring back to Tanzania. She researched, talked with product reps, ordered samples, and PRAYED. Her heart's desire was to bring back God's Word for those who cannot read, and to increase reader's ability to meditate on God's precious Word.

Since we have been back from our furlough we've been able to give out many audio Bibles. Quite a few of them were passed out at a special 10th Anniversary service in Fumagira. There was much rejoicing as we showed the pastors how to use them.

Before a Sunday service in the village of Kikano we noticed an audio Bible sitting outside in the sun charging. After church a group of ladies went outside to get it and began listening - this after a typical, long service. Tammy asked if this was common and the ladies happily told her they do it every week!

We want to thank every person who contributed towards putting God's Word into the hands of Tanzanians. A special thank you to the the Bible Baptist Church of Palm Harbor, FL and also the First Baptist Church of Atoka, TN.

Hiding God's Word in Our Hearts

2015-05-03T19:14:00.000+03:00

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

Psalm 119:11

Memorizing God's Word is an important spiritual disciple for a Christian. I've been working on memorizing 1 John myself, which hasn't been easy. There are so many things that vie for my time and effort. Psalm 1:2 challenges us to meditate on God's Word day and night. What better way to meditate than through memorization?!

For the past two months I have been teaching the pastors/leaders' wives about biblical love. I challenged them in April to memorize 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. For those who could memorize it I promised a laminated Subway Art Print of the verses in Swahili. I was thrilled when six ladies quoted the verses! There were a few more who tried, but didn't quite get it. I've given them one more month to earn the desired Subway Art Print.

What are you currently memorizing? I'd love to read about it in the comments!

The Work of Prayer

2014-10-11T11:37:00.000+03:00

https://www.facebook.com/groups/brouwersintanzania/

Join with us in the ministry of prayer for the work here in Tanzania. We continue to find villages without a gospel witness. Would you pray with us that God would call and equip men to bring the light of the gospel into these villages?

"The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
Matthew 9:37-38

First Impressions (Guest Post)

2014-07-26T17:14:00.000+03:00

Molly is a young lady from our home state of Tennessee. She is a member of one of our supporting churches. Her parents wanted her to have an opportunity to spend some time in Tanzania as she seeks the Lord's will for her life. The timing worked out for Molly to travel back to Tanzania with our family when we returned from our furlough. Its always nice to get a fresh perspective on the people, life and ministry here, so I asked her if she would jot down some of her first impressions...

Mwanza Town: My first impression of Mwanza was that it felt like the beach. It is sandy and dry, there are palm trees, and the sun is hot since we are so close to the equator.

Driving: The driving is CRAZY! Sometimes I wondered if people here have a death wish - because they often drive like it. Sometimes it feels like a constant game of "chicken."

Church: The church members are always honored to have American guests, and the kids want to touch your hair and hold your hand and play games with you. I loved going to church services. I loved the difference between how Africans worship and how Americans worship. Much of the music is a cappella, and even if its not, they clap to keep rhythm. Instead of applauding, they twist their tongues - a wildly joyful sound that makes me grin every time I hear it! The whole service is infused with rejoicing and an energy of worship. Church is definitely one of my favorite parts of life here.

The African Way of Life: I also enjoy how laid-back it is in Tanzania. Africans don't schedule and plan out their time like Americans do. Days are slow and easy - we go to town when we need to run errands, we go to church on Sundays, and in between, there's not much else. Housework and cooking take up some time, and the rest is taken up with people. Tanzanian culture is very people-oriented. Relationships are important. So we drop into their homes (or vice-versa) for chai (tea), or go on a walk and talk to those we meet on the street, or fellowship with other missionaries. There is always time for a good conversation.

One day, Pendo - a lady who works for the Brouwers - offered to make us and a visiting team lunch at her home. Abby Brouwer and Hannah Helsby joined me in going to her house to help prepare the food. We sat on a mat outside and chopped vegetables with homemade knives while Pendo and some other ladies stirred giant pots over open fires. The food was delicious - we had beef, beans, rice and vegetables. The team loved it all, and we had a great time of fellowship.

When I go back to my normal life in America, I am going to miss so many things about life here. Pendo, who taught me how to cook African food and helped me practice Swahili; the joyful worshipping in the church services; fellowship with the other missionaries; Tanzanian food, weather, and way of life. I am anxious to come back as soon as possible.

New Teammates!

2014-07-25T15:55:00.000+03:00

Back: Bill & Tammy Brouwer; Hannah, Becky & Dave Helsby, Jake, Benjamin
Front: Carter, Lauren, Megan, Kate, and Lisa Newland

We want to welcome to our Mwanza Team the H Family: Dave, Becky, Hannah, Jake, Carter, Lauren, Megan, Kate, and Benjamin. We have known the H's for about eight years. They worked in an orphanage about an hour outside of Mwanza city and attended one of our churches in the village of Kitongo. As God was leading them in a different direction they began to pray about working with us. After much prayer, they feel led to work in our churches and with our leaders to help build strong families. We are excited to see how the Lord will use them in strengthening His Church!

Prayer Letter for Jan/Feb 2014

2014-03-12T18:23:00.001+03:00

Juma's Burden For His Village

2013-11-14T20:12:00.000+03:00

In the picture above is Juma and his family. They are new members at our church in Mayoka. Since joining the Central Baptist Church of Mayoka, Juma has asked Pastor Pelegrino about the possibility of starting a church in his home village of Kimaga - a village with no church of ANY kind.

When Pelegrino went to visit this village with the intention of surveying the area for a potential church plant, over 150 people gathered to listen to the Word of God. They had many, many questions about God, the Bible, and salvation. Pele also shared with them he and Juma's burden to start a church in their village. He asked them what they would normally do on a Sunday since there was no church in their village. They told him that some people just stay home while others follow traditional religion and go to the mountain to pray to their dead ancestors. Here is yet ANOTHER Tanzanian village in complete spiritual darkness! What a joy it is to bring the light of the glorious gospel of Christ to places like Kimaga!

Since that time Pele has been able to return to this village again to preach the gospel to them and ask if there is interest in starting a church there. Pele received an overwhelmingly positive response. We are now in the process of buying some plastic tarps for them to meet under as we begin the initial stages of a new church plant.

Bill & Tammy Brouwer

Tanzania

Sunday School Teachers Training Seminar

2013-10-02T05:00:00.000+03:00

We are blessed to have Lisa Newland working with us in Tanzania. Earlier this month she held a Sunday School Teachers Seminar. We are greatly encouraged to hear of Mama Odetta's willingness to be used of the Lord in teaching children! Below is Lisa's blog post about the seminar:

Mama Gervas, Mama Odetta, and Lisa Newland

Mama Odetta

49 years old. Widow. Mother of 4. Saved as a child, though didn’t grow much in the Lord till she joined our church over 10 years ago, and even then her attendance/ growth has been up and down. Mama Odetta was one of our 11 seminar participants this year.

She shared a testimony at the end of the week: When I found out that my daughter couldn’t go to the seminar, but that I was invited, I thought, “I don’t know how to teach kids. I wouldn’t know what to do.” When I asked my friends they all said, “You should go. We’ll take care of things at home for you. Go.” I felt led to come, but still didn’t think I would be able to do much. Then in our session on teamwork I learned that if I taught Sunday school, I wouldn’t be alone. I would be joining a team of teachers, and we could help each other. That’s when I thought, “Maybe I can do this.” And now, if my fellow teachers will help me, I want to try to help out as a Sunday school teacher.

AMEN! We all cheered. Justa, the pastor’s wife at Mama Odetta’s church and the head Sunday school teacher, said,“We will help you for sure. We are so happy to have you join us!”

Mama Odetta teaching about the rich man and Lazarus

Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons of the seminar, Justa and I taught a demo class. We had 15-20 neighbor kids each day. We sat them down in front of all the seminar attendees and taught an hour-long class (including songs, Bible lesson, review questions, and memory verse). Then on Thursday we split the 11 seminar attendees into 4 groups, and gave them a Bible lesson and 1 ½ hours to prepare their own 1-hour long class. I was so blessed to watch Mama Odetta teach those kids. She got right down on their level and told Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus. How that living the good life now isn’t that great. Instead, God is looking for people who will walk by faith. And this taught by a women who has suffered and struggled and kept her faith in God.

His name be praised!!!!!

Kenya - Harambee!

2013-09-25T22:24:00.001+03:00

It was Saturday morning, Eastern Standard Time, when I saw the first Facebook post concerning the terrorist attack at a mall in Nairobi, Kenya. Shortly thereafter my daughter called to ask me to pray for one of her schoolmates and his father. Both were trapped inside the Westgate Mall while terrorists killed those who could not prove they were Muslims. Then I read of another missionary mother and her children who were hiding in the mall. THANKFULLY both families made it out alive. However, that cannot be said for the 60+ people who died, and the hundreds that have been wounded.

We were not in Africa when this took place, but this mall is a place we have shopped at during our trips to visit our daughter who attends school an hour outside of Nairobi. This is the mall we took our nephew Steve to last December. It is where we spent some time in July, just prior to our return to the States for our furlough ministry. We ate outside at the Art Cafe that was shown many times on the news. We shopped in the Nakumatt where many hid from the terrorists. Therefore, it really hit home to watch this on TV and know that it could easily have been us at that mall. It could have easily been us being gunned down for our faith in Christ.

As we mourn for Kenya, we also rejoice to hear reports of Kenyans joining together to help and support one another. Their response lives up to Kenya's national motto "Harambee!" - which means, "Let's pull together!"

God Cares For Individuals

2013-09-13T21:12:00.000+03:00

Many times in church-planting we see the big picture. A village with no Gospel witness. Thousands of lost souls without an opportunity to hear the plan of salvation.

What we may lose sight of is the fact that these villages are made up of individuals who need Jesus Christ in their lives.

Pascali is one such individual who lives in the village of Kikano where we planted a church just last year. Previously, this village had no Gospel-preaching church. Through the witness of this new church Pascali received Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.

Recently Pascali testified that before the church was started in Kikano he was a hopeless drunk. He was unable to provide for the needs of his family. As a matter of fact, he was a heavy burden to his wife and children because of his sinful lifestyle.

However, Pascali gave glory to God by testifying that Jesus has dramatically changed his life! He has stopped drinking. He is faithfully attending church and is now meeting the needs of his family.

Because of a new church plant in a remote village, just think of how this entire family will be changed by the power of the Gospel!

Building Dedication

2013-04-16T20:09:00.001+03:00

This past Sunday we had a celebratory service for the Charity Baptist Church in the village of Bundilya. It was their first time to meet in their new building. I'll let this short video give more details...

Powerful Display of God's Word To Change a Life

2013-04-04T17:25:00.000+03:00

We witnessed a powerful display of God’s Word to change a life during our week-long revival meeting at the church in Fumagira the week before Christmas. There were a total of 47 adult salvation decisions during the meeting, however, the salvation of one lady demonstrated the mighty power of the Word of God to convict and convert even one held in bondage by Satan.

As we have mentioned many times before, the villages where we are planting churches are steeped in witchcraft. Before hearing the truth of the Gospel, the people in these villages live in constant fear of curses and under the heavy influence of witchdoctors. They believe the spirits of their deceased ancestors control every aspect of their lives. They build little wooden huts for these ancestral spirits to live in. They cook extra food to place in these huts in order to feed their dead ancestors. The witchdoctors claim that they can communicate with these spirits. When people experience trouble or what they consider bad luck, they visit the witchdoctor. He claims that he can appease your dead ancestors in order to change your luck. In reality, these people are opening up their souls to Satan and his demons.

This particular lady who was converted at our revival meeting was invited to this meeting by one of our church members at Fumagira. We discovered later that this was the first time that this lady had ever attended a church in her entire life. Kitabo, a preacher from a church in Bariadi, preached on the topic of witchcraft that evening. Kitabo knows all about witchcraft since he was a witchdoctor before becoming a Christian. As his message was coming to a close this lady fell to the ground and began yelling and screaming for almost ten minutes. Pastor Pelegrino and some other leaders in the church calmly took her aside and opened the Word of God. As they did so a guttural animalistic voice uttered unintelligible words from her mouth. She was obviously being harassed by the forces of evil. At one point her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she went unconscious for a short time. When she came to she couldn’t remember anything that had just happened. They spent the next hour giving this lady the message of the Gospel. She desperately wanted deliverance and received Jesus Christ as her Savior.

She instantly became a new creature in Christ! She came every night of these meetings. She attended the Christmas service. She helped the ladies who cooked the meal for the Christmas service. Even her countenance was transformed! She looked like a different person. During our baptismal service on Christmas Day, she publicly declared her faith in Christ and submitted to believer’s baptism. We are thrilled to report that she continues to faithfully attend our church at Fumagira, and she is growing in grace. God’s Word has not lost its power. It is still “quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12).

Revival in Fumagira!

2013-01-25T18:05:00.001+03:00

It was a busy week for Fumagira. Pastor Pelegrino, Pastor Petro, Pastor Naftary, and Kitabo organized a week long evangelistic meeting that led into a special combined service on Christmas Day. I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking...

Nightly Evangelistic Meetings

Each evening there was preaching. This is Kitabo preaching.

Of course there was singing.

This lady in the middle got saved during these meetings. More on her story in another blog.

The Jesus Film or another Gospel film was shown to a large crowd each night.

Christmas Day Combined Service

Fumagira hosted this year's Christmas service. They started in February saving money to decorate.

Sure looks festive!

Christmas morning people started arriving from each of the six churches. Boy can they pack a truck!

Each of the choirs from the six churches sang specials they have been working on for some months. Many even had matching outfits made!

The most important part of the day is the PREACHING. Here is a 20 second video clip of Pastor Naftary preaching in Kiswahili and then Kitabo translating it into the mother-tongue of most of the people, Kisukuma

This is one of the 57 who were baptized after the service. What a joy to see so many older people who have trusted Christ as their Savior and then followed in believer's baptism!

And of course we train them to be good Baptists by having a meal afterwards.

Church building requriements...

2012-12-17T15:05:00.000+03:00

Land? Building permits? Surveying fees? Architectural drawings? Zoning clearance? How about a MANGO TREE...

Back in May of 2012 the church in Fumagira helped Bonifice start a new church plant in the village of Kikano. They began meeting under a mango tree.

At the beginning of the rainy season we purchased a tarp so the church could continue to meet in spite of the rain. Each week Bonifice arrives early in order to put up the tarp. And at the end of the service he takes it down and carries it back home. (This is done so that it is not stolen during the week.)

Boniface continues to be faithful. The church is now averaging 50-60 each Sunday. There are 30 baptismal candidates attending classes in preparation for our next baptism being held on Christmas Day.

Cupcakes with sprinkles

2012-11-29T10:04:00.000+03:00

Yesterday I made cupcakes with sprinkles for Joseph's 4th birthday. Joseph is Pendo's (our houselady) son. We try to do little things for her kids, so Abby and I frosted some cupcakes and put some colored sprinkles on top. Sprinkles I picked up at Walmart, for next to nothing, during out last trip to the States. They are available here, but cost about $7 for a bottle. Needless to say, with them being that expensive, most Tanzanians have never had them before. It was a special treat for little Joseph and his brothers.

When Pendo arrived to work today she told me how happy Joseph was and how he enjoyed the crunch of the sprinkles. He went from person to person and chewed on them so they could hear them crunching. He wanted to share his joy to all who would listen!

It truly is the small things in life that will bring us joy if we let them. What little things can you find joy in as you look for them? I'd love to read in the comments the things God shows you today. Be like Joseph and share your joy with me!

Witchcraft in Tanzania: CNN Report

2012-10-14T15:59:00.000+03:00

Click here to view an article/video by CNN

concerning witchcraft in Tanzania.

Over the years we have tried to express the spiritual environment that we face as we bring the Gospel message into villages steeped in witchcraft. We have tried to describe and explain the nature of the witchcraft practiced in Tanzanian villages. We found this CNN "Inside Africa" report to be fair and accurate. There is one part in the report where an actual witchdoctor is interviewed, and she performs a ceremony of spirit cleansing on camera. Listen to her as she talks about the spirits that control her. Satanism and witchcraft are real, and we fight real demons as we seek to bring the light of the Gospel into villages where Satan has held these people in bondage for hundreds of years.

By Errol Barnett, CNN

October 8, 2012 -- Updated 1655 GMT (0055 HKT)

Casting out demons

2012-10-13T17:54:00.000+03:00

Today we heard a commotion just beyond our backyard fence. After listening for a moment we could recognize the all too familiar words of "TOKA, TOKA, KATIKA JINA LA YESU, TOKA!" In English this means "out, out, in the name of Jesus come out!"

Casting out demons is a huge practice in Tanzania. I'm not saying there isn't demon possession and obsession, especially in a animistic society like Tanzania. However, it is often screamed over and over again, only to be done the following week because it didn't work.

As we heard the lady crying out and the man shouting toka, Bill decided to take Pastor Pelegrino with him to see what was going on. They found a woman tied up and flailing in the dirt. The man casting out the demon was shouting loudly, with sweat dripping down his forehead. This went on for some time when he finally gave up.

That is when Bill stepped into the kibanda (little open hut) with his Bible. As soon as he began sharing from the Word of God the woman stopped wailing and flailing in the dirt. They untied her and she sat up in her right mind. She was able to listen and answer questions. Bill proceeded to share the gospel with her. She didn't get saved, but she definitely heard the Truth!

Afterward Bill pulled the man aside who had been trying to cast out the demon. He told him, "Brother, you have no power in yourself to cast out a demon. It is the Word of God that has power! You just saw for yourself the power the Word has."

Now we can't say if this woman really and truly is possessed by a demon. However, we do know that God uses His Word and we'll continue to wield the powerful Sword of the Spirit as we fight against our enemy!

Singing in the rain...

2012-10-11T12:21:00.000+03:00

Thank you for everyone who has been praying for rain. The Lord has poured down His blessings - literally! Today while out on our morning walk Bill and I got caught in a downpour. However, rather than taking cover we chose to walk through the rain and spend some time thanking the Lord for answering our prayers and the prayers of many of you.

Please continue to pray in the weeks ahead that the Lord would continue to rain down showers of blessings on East Africa. Good rains will help the crops to produce the much needed food. It will help those in the village to have food for the coming months. They will also be able to sell some of it and have money to pay for medical needs that might arise due to illnesses such a malaria. (Another child was recently buried in one of the villages where we have a church. He died because his parents didn't have the money to buy malaria medicine.) It will also bring down prices of food for those who live in the city.

So as we count our blessing of rain, what blessings is our Heavenly Father raining down upon you? We'd love to hear about them in the comments so we can rejoice with you!

Salvation and a charm bracelet

2012-10-09T17:37:00.002+03:00

Witnessing in Tanzania is nothing like in America. When we arrive at someone's hut we are offered the best seat available - usually a roughly made wooden chair. We sit outside and neighbors begin to gather. Yesterday was no exception. As Pastor Musa and I opened God's Word to share the Good News of the Gospel about 15 people gathered around to listen. One man in particular was especially attentive. About an hour later this young man said he wanted to receive Christ as his Savior.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The next thing that happened has never happened to me personally. This young man, without us even talking about it, pulled off his charm (arm bracelet) and threw it down. He said now he didn't need a charm to ward off evil spirits anymore. Shall we say it again...

PRAISE THE LORD!

Please pray for Simoni to grow in his faith.

To bargain, or not to bargain??

2012-09-07T10:27:00.000+03:00

Earlier this week our teammate, Lisa Newland, and I had fun shopping at an African Expo. It was interesting to see the different wares they were selling. Some from different areas of Tanzania, and some as far away as Uganda.

We also spent some time talking to a lady who is from Mwanza. She spoke English fluently - something we rarely ever hear. She was quite interesting to talk to. She teaches people how to do handy crafts that can be sold to make a living. She proceeded to tell us that one item may take hours and hours to complete. Then when the person tries to sell their wares people dicker over the price and the person might be left with little or no profit. However, if they've used all their money to travel into town to sell their wares, they have to sell them - even if they are practically giving them away - in order to get home. So they sell their wares far less than they are worth, only to go home discouraged and not wanting to waste their time again.

There is a conflict here. For the most part we bargain over everything we buy except groceries and medicines. (In fact, we've been known to bargain even in America at stores and with dentists!) Typically people start high, even higher for we wazungu (white people). The "rule" is to go about half of what they ask and then go back and forth until you agree on a price. So what are we to do when we are trying to bargain for a handmade item? I guess what we try to do, and will worker harder on now, is to think of how much we think the item is worth before we start the process. Then be happy when we agree to that price.

Below are the items I purchased. Most all of them I didn't even try to bargain because the price sounded reasonable right off the bat.

dress for my granddaughter made of kikoi

$8.13

wall hanging (5 ft long)

$15.63

cow horn (2 ft long) from Uganda

$6.25

Initiative

2012-08-31T10:38:00.000+03:00

As you know, we just got back from a short trip to the States. We had a wonderful time and are ready to get back at the work God has called us to do.

When we got home Bill spoke with Pastor Pelegrino about all that has been happening while we've been gone. Sadly, he has had to deal with three different instances of adultery with some leaders at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Igekemaja. Please make this a matter of prayer as Bill walks Pastor Pelegrino through the process of dealing with this sin issue in the church.

However, all wasn't sad news. Pele also shared that he and Pastor Petro called together the various pastors/leaders from several of our churches for a planning meeting. Pele explained that we were not there, and one day we would be gone and they need to learn to stand on their own. Each of the men raised the money for travel and lunch. Pele said it was a good meeting and everyone walked away encouraged and excited. Of course we were thrilled to hear of their initiative!

Jet Lag

2012-08-25T09:41:00.000+03:00

It's been a couple of months since I last posted. We just returned to Africa - about a day ago, but not really sure; seems like I lost a day somewhere - from our six-week, whirlwind trip to America. It's a quiet morning here at the Hampton Guest House in Nairobi, Kenya. Bill and Abby are still fast asleep while I've been up since about 4AM. Oh the joys of jet lag!

Since my mind is far from writing anything coherent, I thought I would try for a more funny approach...

How you know you are experiencing jet lag:

* when you consider asking a stranger what the day is
* when you put hair gel in your hand only to forget what it is and smear it all over your face
* when you get giddy about every little thing and just can't stop laughing
* for you ladies...when you're too tired to even shop

As the fog lifts I plan to write about our time with family, friends, and supporters. Until then pray for my sanity!

Father's Day Around the World!

2012-06-17T12:15:00.000+03:00

When is Father's Day celebrated around the world?

(taken from Baptist Missionary Women Blog)

We took a little survey of some missionary ladies around the world who follow this blog and asked them if and when Father's Day is celebrated in their parts of the world and in this post we will share with you what we found out!

We also asked missionary ladies to send in photos of their hubbies with their children or hubbies active in ministry. We hope you enjoy the photos of these faithful missionary fathers!

Stewart Schepers with son, Seth. (Dominican Republic)

Bill Brouwer with daughter, Abby. (Tanzania)

The following countries follow the US celebration of

Father's Day:

Mexico

Costa Rica

Peru

Japan

Ecuador

Argentina

Ghana

New Caledonia and France - However, Mother's Day in these countries is the first Sunday in June.

Bill Brouwer enjoying game time with kids at MKamp. (Kenya)

Father's Day is also celebrated in:

Honduras - March 19th

Germany ( two weeks after Mother's Day)

Australia - September 2

Lithuania - 1st Sunday in June

Malawi - October 15th

Argentina - August 24th

Brazil - 2nd Sunday in August

In Thailand, Father's Day coincides with the King's Birthday (December 5) because he is regarded as the Father of all Thai people. FYI: The first Father's Day in Thailand was December 5,1980. They had celebrated Mother's Day for 30 years before the first Father's Day.

Matt Gansemer with his children, (from left to right)

Brenna, Ethan, and Clara

Father's Day is NOT and officially recognized holiday in the following countries:

Ukraine

Belarus

India

Uganda (some do "unofficially" celebrate it the same

date as in the US)

Tanzania

Republic of Vanuatu

Greenland

***The following is a quote from a missionary wife in Greenland -

"In our five years here last year was the first we've seen any mention of Father's, Mother's (or Valentine's) Day. I think we're slowly being influenced and will see more as the years pass. We usually follow Denmark in almost everything, it just may take us a while. So, in Greenland I would say that we acknowledge the special days, but we don't really celebrate them. By "we" I'm referring to the Greenlanders, in our home we do remember the days and even have a special mention and/or gift in church. I should clarify and say that this is how it is done in our town. I had to spend a month in the Capitol last year and they were definitely more exposed and influenced to Western Culture. I did see many Valentine's decorations, etc... (this was in Feb-Mar) Since each town is isolated from the rest, we are all growing and changing at different rates."

David Sterling (my kid's wonderful Daddy) after a

Wednesday evening service.

With Father's Day being on a Sunday, these missionary Dads pictured here and many others all over the world will have a busy day just like all their other Sundays.

Daniel Jacabo with his children. (Honduras)

First time pig hunting in the Northern Territory of Australia

for Patrick Bauer.

Dear Faithful Fathers,
We pray you all can take some time to celebrate your special day with your family.

May God bless you abundantly as you continue to serve Him and raise up children who God may call to carry on in your footsteps continuing to take the gospel to the four corners of the earth!