Celebrate

 

Last October, a significant milestone in language translation was reached.  We are now able to celebrate that the number of languages that need translation work started has dropped below 2000!  What a joy it is that we are that much closer to having God’s word in every heart language of the world!

We also celebrate the beginning of our family’s next project—in January, Craig began working in an exciting new role to help reach the last remaining languages of Eastern and Southern Africa.   As of 2013, Craig joined the leadership team of the new director for SIL Africa Area Eastern and Southern Region as consultant to the director of external relations and legal affairs.

This is quite a responsibility.  Believe it or not, there are still 300 languages in Eastern and Southern Africa that do not have any of God’s word in their own language.  Through several comprehensive plans and in partnership with others, we are trusting God for the impossible--that the remaining languages in Eastern and Southern Africa will have every language started by the year 2025!

 

In March, our family traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Alemayehu, the new director for SIL Africa Area.  He and Craig were able to visit the embassies of several strategic countries in Eastern and Southern Africa as well as several Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs). It was an encouraging time--seeing where God has taken us as an organization as well as looking ahead to where He is leading us. 

  

On the same trip, Carolyn and the girls were able to catch up with many of our Manassas friends (although it doesn’t seem like we ever get enough while we are there to see everyone we want!).  God was so gracious to give us so many wonderful friends while we lived in Virginia.    We miss you!!

Catching Up

Well, our somewhat normal pattern of blogging slowed down once we returned to the states--due to many factors including house-hunting, re-aclimating to the US, catching up with family and friends, and honestly, some pretty severe fatigue!  So, we are hoping to catch you up with a little of what has been going on since our return.  :)

As some of you know, we have moved into a new home just north of Tampa. We are grateful to God for his provision of this lovely home and the wonderful people who lived in the home before us.

In December, we enjoyed going to Christmastown in Bush Gardens and enjoying a concert by Jars of Clay.   We were also able to attend a Christmas concert featuring some dear friends of ours.  And the best part was being able to spend Christmas with our families this year!

In January Craig began his new assignment as consultant to the Director for Africa Area Eastern and Southern Region of SIL.  Craig has already been working with several countries in the area on some technical and legal issues. He will also continue to work with the Tanzania leadership on issues of advocacy and government relations. The work will be remote with some trips to DC and Africa as the need arises.

Some other big news is that Craig is hoping to go back to school in May.  He has been accepted to Eastern University for a Masters in International Development program (most of the classes will be on line with only three weeks each year at the campus).  This education will allow Craig to gain more practical skills in how SIL and the Wycliffe Global Alliance can create and implement programs that bring spiritual transformation to communities. Craig will be joining others which include staff from organizations like IJM, World Vision and Samaritans Purse in learning how implement and measure the transformational nature of our work.   We are praying for God’s will in this, as it would mean an increase in our financial support, but we believe that this study would be very beneficial to Craig’s position.

Time to Travel

It was time to hit the road the again!  We had the opportunity to travel and visit a few of our friends in Georgia and North Carolina.  It was so wonderful to spend time with many loved ones  that we hadn’t  seen in over a year as well as see some friends we made while in Tanzania.

 

Our first stop was to visit Susan and Marty Larsen in Georgia.  We had the privilege of meeting them while we were in Tanzania and we just love them!

 

Next stop was Waxhaw, North Carolina where we caught up with some more friends from Tanzania, Brian and Karen Anders. It was great to see them and hear about their time being back in the states.

 We visited the JAARS center...

 

 

Spent some time enjoying the fall leaves with our friends from Virginia, the Dillinghams, who are now with Wycliffe...

 

Met up with our friends, the Cravens, who we first met during our initial training with Wycliffe.  We have stayed in touch with them through the years as both our families have served both overseas and stateside...

 

And got to shop at the very-much-missed Trader Joes for the first time since returning to the states!

 

Then, after arriving in Bakersville, NC, with our friends the Leavells, we carved pumpkins...

 

Collected candy at the town's fall festival....

 

And played in a surprise snow shower!

 

 

2012 Global Outreach Celebration

We enjoyed a great week with our friends at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Florida.  Whenever we are invited to their Global Outreach Celebration, we know we are in for a special time!

Throughout the week, we caught up with old friends and made new ones.  We spent time with missionaries from all over the world and heard miraculous stories of how God is at work.  Our God is an awesome God!

Birthday Week

 Mid September brings us lots of time to celebrate!  (As you can tell, this is a very belated birthday post!)

Ariana turned 8!

Celebrating with friends at Steak n' Shake

       The birthday person always starts their special day with breakfast in bed!

Anissa turned 12!

The super-star bowlers!

 

 It's great to celebrate with friends!

 

And, Jim (Carolyn's dad) as well asVirginia (Craig's mother) celebrated their birthdays as well!

The Return

Wow!  When I think that we have been back in Florida for a little over a month, it's hard to believe. The time has flown! 

 

And now, we find ourselves in yet another transition.  And with every transition comes lots of emotions.  As excited as we are to be "home" we are EXHAUSTED.  Although it literally feels like a weight has been lifted off of our backs by not dealing with the daily stress of just living life in Dar, we still find we are struggling to have the energy to get through all it takes to get re-established someplace new.  We sold our house before we left for Africa and now need to look for a new home to settle in.  That is both exciting and overwhelming.  And through it all I am so thankful that we don't have to do it alone and that God is there to see us through!

I wanted to share a few pictures from our first weeks back in the states.  (And I have to note that the type in the blog post is going crazy and I can't seem to get it all to match up, so forgive me!)

We had a wonderful greeting at the aiport by great friends from our church!

 Craig returned 3 weeks later.

 

 

The first stop back in Tampa for both the girls and I and then Craig-Tijuana Flats-our favorite Mexican place.





We were also welcomed home by a hurricane/tropical storm.  This is the back yard of the home where we are staying.  Typically, the water from the lake is behind all those trees.  Ariana thought it was pretty cool that we saw fish jumping in the yard!

 

We visited the Wycliffe center in Orlando.

For those of you who may remember, one of the hardest parts of us leaving for Tanzania was the fact that we had to leave our three cats here in the states.  My sister was gracious enough to take them in and start her own geriatric ward for kitties.  Our oldest cat is 21 and is diabetic, the middle one is almost 18 and has seizures and the baby is almost 12.  Needless to say, we when left, we really didn't think that we would see them again.  However, we are excited to be able to spend more time with all of them!



 Jasmine, our "baby".

Luke with the girls

 

 

 

 

Beboo, the old man

 So right now, we are still trying to settle in, visit friends and family, find a place to live, re-adjust to life here in the states and do many of the things you need to do when you move.  We look forward to seeing more people in the next few weeks and we have a upcoming missions conference and then some travel. 

Although we don't live in Tanzania any longer, we would ask that you continue to pray with us for the people there.  There are still so many people that need to hear about our Saviour and so many translations to be completed!  We have friends working hard in an extremely difficult city to help bring the news of Jesus Christ to the Tanzanians.  We have a special place for them in our hearts and in our prayers!

A Visit to Tanzania's "White House"

We serve an awesome God! He is able to open any door he wants and close any door he wants. He is the God of relationships. Starting with the Trinity he uses these relationships to advance his kingdom and glorify himself. Over the course of our six years serving in DC, Tanzania and around the world, we have seen relationships orchestrated by the hand of God.

 It was about two and a half months ago when I (Craig) was reading The Citizen, an English newspaper in Tanzania, when the hand of God moved again. With surprise, I came upon a name I recalled from my time in Washington, D.C.

The article quoted the Chief Secretary from the Office of the President of the Republic of Tanzania. The Chief Secretary is responsible for every Permanent Secretary of every Ministry of Government in Tanzania. (The Permanent Secretary at each Government Ministry runs the entire Ministry.) The name I read was Ambassador Ombeni Sefue.  I met Ambassador Sefue nearly four years ago when I attended a program in Washington, D.C. about China’s expanding role in Africa.

At the time I first met him, he had just been appointed as Ambassador of Tanzania to the United States. We enjoyed several visits over the next year and a half in DC until he was appointed as Ambassador to the United Nations for Tanzania and moved to New York. We lost touch so I was surprised to read in the paper that he had been appointed to one of the highest positions in the Country of Tanzania- The Chief Secretary.

I have learned from my mentors Dave Farah and Ron Gluck it is the little things in relationships that count. So our leadership here in Tanzania decided it would be fitting to congratulate Ambassador Sefue in person and present him a language map of Tanzania produced by SIL. Our leaders (including Director Liz Thomson, Louise Nagler and Allen Mchake) had a great visit at Tanzania’s “White House” (the State House) and spending time with Ambassador Sefue.  At the end of our time we were able to pray for Ambassador Sefue.

Ambassador Sefue with UTB Director Liz Thomson

It was great for me to see Ambassador Sefue again and be reminded God is truly an amazing God.

Congratulations Ambassador and best wishes on your new position serving your country!

The task for reaching those without God’s written word in Tanzania and around the World is immense but with our God nothing is impossible!