Church building requriements...

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

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

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

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...

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!