Steve & Avril's Blog

Busy times indeed

2011-01-03T22:52:00.001+03:00

We’ve really had a lot on our plate lately. Two weeks ago the elder’s school (or Kingdom Ministry School) was held in the extendable kingdom hall, followed by the ministerial servants’ shortened version the next day. Then the host visit of the circuit and district overseers and their wives began on the following Tuesday, and then on Friday afternoon there was the Annual Pioneer Afternoon. Immediately following that was the two-day Circuit Assembly.

On January 9 there’s the zone visit in Dar es Salaam, and in February we look forward to the dedication of our Extendable Assembly Hall.

Lake Chala

2010-12-30T12:48:00.001+03:00

In November Avril and I impulsively decided to strike out for the Kilimanjaro foothills and see some more of the country that feels so much like home. Another opportunity to enjoy Jehovah’s creation was nigh.

We took our tiny new tent which we were given by Graham White last year and our little stove and off we went, first to Moshi then on a little bus up into the hills. We were headed for Lake Chala, an isolated volcanic caldera filled by underground springs from Kilimanjaro herself. The lake lies astride the border of Tanzania and Kenya.

Uplink to the mothership

Did you see what he’s got?

It’s supposedly really really deep.

Kilimanjaro is hiding in those clouds in the background.

What struck us as extraordinary was the sheer biomass of insects that inhabited the area. When I say ‘biomass’ I choose my word carefully – the insects were both numerous and large! Not a camping trip for the insect-wary, it nearly drove us crazy on the first night. Safe inside the tent, we kept wondering if it was raining; the pitter-patter was actually and endless succession of different insects impacting with the outer wall of the tent.

The scenery was marvellous, though, and the lake beautifully clear and lovely to swim in. We were warned to keep an eye out for crocs though – a tourist was apparently lunch for one a couple of years back.

We also spent many hours looking for Bush Elephants that roam free around these parts. It seems that they had decided on a last minute package holiday and were nowhere to be found. They’d left plenty of poo though – no doubt they were crouching just around the next bush.

We stayed five nights in the end, and had a picnic with our buddy Rebeka Jameson from Moshi and her mate Katie on our final day.

Then, on our way back to Moshi, we got hopelessly stuck in the mud in Rebeka’s car – our efforts to extricate the vehicle only got us filthy with bright red mud. We ended up staying over at Rebeka’s place and finally made it back on the following day.

1 Year On: Angela Wendy Dowds 1943-2009

2010-11-04T19:28:00.001+03:00

Mum has never left our thoughts this year, since she died on November 5, 2009. She was a loving and conscientious mother.

Though none of her four children will forget her even for a moment until we see her again, an anniversary nevertheless has a certain significance for me personally.

If you have experienced loss like I have then you know what a distress, what a burden it can be. It can last for many years. But with each year that passes I feel that I have moved further from the hurt. What’s more, even something as excruciating as the death of a dear parent can benefit the bereaved. We can grow because of our sadness, develop in new ways, become better, more thoughtful, more considerate people capable of greater empathy.

I know for a certainty that ‘the hour is coming when all those in the memorial tombs will hear [God’s] voice and come out.’ I know likewise that ‘the righteous themselves will inherit the earth’ when God’s will is finally ‘done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Then our family can continue growing closer and knowing each other even better forever as perfect individuals. (John 5:28; Psalm 37:29; Matthew 6:9, 10.)

Congratulations Avril!

2010-11-01T18:14:00.001+03:00

Today, on October 31, 2010, Avril has served as a regular pioneer for fifteen full years. What an achievement!

Pioneers are those of Jehovah’s Witnesses who have the circumstances and the motivation to preach and teach non-witnesses about God’s Word for a number of hours each month that is agreed in advance. Many Jehovah’s Witnesses with children or ill health might manage a couple of hours each weekend in the ministry. Regular Pioneers do 840 per year, or 70 per month. Auxiliary Pioneers do 50 per month, and Special Pioneers 130.

Congratulations Kirsty!

2010-10-30T16:16:00.001+03:00

This week on our service meeting programmes in congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses around the globe is a fifteen-minute audience discussion entitled ‘Be Self-Sacrificing.’ The source material for the item was a selection of three experiences from the 2010 JW yearbook, including one from England found on page 58. It’s accompanied by a picture.

Our sister Kirsty has been learning Lingala in order to help people learn about Jehovah. She noticed this Congolese lady struggling with her bags of shopping and offered a helping hand, all the way to her front door on the 3rd floor. After greeting the rest of the household, she was able to start a bible study there.

Kirsty is a dear old friend of mine and I wanted to congratulate her on being discussed this week in 100,000+ congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but she’s changed her phone number. ;-(

Cat Dilemmas

2010-10-18T20:16:00.001+03:00

When we returned from Mwanza we were horrified to find that our dear cat, Paka Stanley, was missing. I must say that it ought not to be all that surprising, since we had moved house just a week or two beforehand, and it was clear that the poor moggy had not yet come to terms with her new territory. Things were no doubt complicated further by the presence of a yappy excitable dog named Winnie, the property of our neighbours Mike and Terri Kanellos.

Avril was very disciplined in her reaction to this unmitigated disaster. Nevertheless, after two further weeks of looking for poor Stan it became clear that a new cat was needed.

We advertised on a local mailing list for a neutered adult cat and within a couple of days we had collected Schlafum, an enormous dopey tom, half coarse ginger fur, half really soft white fur. Schlafum was so affectionate that he would get cross if you weren’t petting him. Avril took to him right away. Not only was he already housetrained and neutered, but he even had his own fully endorsed German passport. Well, you never know, maybe I’d be able to get German citizenship on his account.

Everything seemed to have gotten worked out and looking rosy, though quite naturally Avril still missed poor Stan. I even climbed up into Mike’s attic to see if her tiny furry body lay there, electrocuted by the deathtrap wiring.

Six days after our acquisition I was in a local supermarket when an Asian man whom I vaguely recognised approached me and insisted that he had spotted our cat. The man was our neighbour when we were in our old place, and he reckoned our cat was living in the roof next door to where we had been living. She had made it all the way back the three blocks to our old place, nearly a ten-minute walk for a person.

Avril needed only to report to the scene with a little of her favourite food and out she came.

So now we had two cats. Would they get on like a house on fire? Well, it became clear after only a short time that the two cats would never cohabit in our very constricted living space. We could see the appeal of having two cats, but not if they couldn’t get along.

Sadly, then, finally it became necessary to say goodbye to Schlafum, who was taken from us by an enthusiastic young lady who wanted to solve a vermin problem.

Here we are, then, back where we were at the start. Avril’s thrilled, of course, to have Paka Stanley back in good health, and I’m happy to report that she has finally made our little yard her own.

Mwanza Missionary Visit

2010-10-12T19:06:00.001+03:00

In July following Avril’s return from the UK we decided we deserved a holiday together and booked flights to Mwanza, where the missionary family have been inviting us to visit.

If you examine a world map, you’ll see a substantial blue spot in East Africa just to the north-west of Tanzania, and it’s called Lake Victoria. Mwanza is the fairly large town that looks northwards across the lake, which they tell me is about the same size as Belgium. Though in theory you should be able to spot Uganda and Kenya off in the distance, it’s just too far. It might as well be an ocean to an observer in Mwanza. The water, however, is not saline like the ocean, and is very deep and rich with life.

We’ve been insistently invited to Mwanza for some time now, ever since Steve and Karil Thompson were reassigned there. Subsequently George and Liz Quawey have been assigned there as special pioneers and then Scott and July were also sent there. Since January Steve and Karil are actually assigned to our congregation here we felt we had four reasons as least to visit.

One distinguishing factor which sets the region apart geologically speaking is the presence of many huge boulders, many standing precariously or even perched up on others. They range in size from a few tonnes to the size of a large house, and they’re just everywhere. The beautifully-appointed missionary home where all our friends live is on the side of a steep hill, and has a fairly large garden around it, in which several such boulders provide a centre-piece around which everything else has been planned, including even the house itself.

We were able to preach in the field around about along with our friends Scott and July, and we were able to test the fertile territory in which several congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses thrive.

That didn’t mean that we didn’t have time to relax though! The missionary home has a long, wide tiled veranda which looks out over a panoramic view of the lake, 180 degrees around. Down on the lake, a hundred feet below perhaps, ferry boats and other craft criss-cross the lake, and the sun sets over to the left over a distant promontory, bright red. It’s a beautiful place. Especially if you have a cold beer in your hand.

Moving House

2010-10-08T18:33:00.001+03:00

Partly in the name of cutting costs and partly to reduce housework, Avril and I took the opportunity to move into Pete and Carla’s old place when they vacated at the end of May.

The house itself is an annex, a granny flat, if you will, tacked onto the side of the house currently occupied by our brothers in the faith Mike and Terry Kanellos. Before they moved in, Charles and Sonya Larry lived there. Prior to Pete and Carla’s occupancy of the annex, Glen and Jo Cole from Wales lived there during the missionary home construction project.

While our old place served us admirably for so long (nearly three years, as it happened) we really didn’t need three bedrooms and were tired of having to share our house with others as well. We just needed a little privacy. (So if you stayed there with us personally, hah, no offense intended.)

The new place could hardly be smaller. Following some minor adjustments there’s a tiny shower / toilet room, a store, a corridor / kitchen, a bedroom barely large enough for a double bed, and a small rectangular living room which is host to the fridge and freezer. It took a lot of thought to arrange our furniture to make best use of the little space that we have. Some have commented that it reminds them of a static caravan – no space is wasted.

After three months living here we could say that we’ve rather gotten used to it and will no doubt grow to love it in time just as we did our last place.

Moshi District Convention

2010-10-04T22:55:00.001+03:00

At the end of the month of July we once more attended our district convention in a little stadium in Moshi.

We thoroughly enjoyed the programme, especially the audio drama of the book of Jonah.

We particularly liked the period drama of the flight of the Christian Jews from Jerusalem prior to its fall to Roman Armies in 70 CE. It clarified many fascinating aspects of this account, in particular the sensations experienced by those who left behind businesses and fields and even friends because of Jesus’ prophetic warnings. History showed that many responded faithfully and were saved. Any who delayed or who gave up later and returned to the city were conscripted or perished in the fighting or because of the famine in the city. It is a situation that mirrors the dilemma facing many who sit on the fence rather than decisively taking their stand in these last days.

Only the eagle-eyed will spot one of the world’s most famous mountains.

This year, sadly, Kilimanjaro did not make her appearance during the programme, on account of heavy clouds. I include this photograph from 2008.

Goodbye to Pete & Carla

2010-10-02T19:39:00.001+03:00

One of the hardest things to deal with here for us is the constant movement of brothers and sisters, to and from Tanzania. We admit that we find company with people from home comforting, especially when the world here seems quite alien sometimes. So naturally we take quickly to newcomers, who in many cases are only able to stay for so long. Then we have to say goodbye.

In May we were very sorry indeed to say goodbye to two friends whom we’ve both grown to love very much.

Carla and Pete Jennings are from Cornwall and came out here for about a year and preached a lot with us. The two of them provided us with much-needed support during an otherwise very trying time for both of us.

Take care both of you, and welcome back anytime!

The Serengeti with the Freedluns

2010-08-30T21:18:00.001+03:00

During our ten-day vacation to Mwanza we consulted Scott and July on tourist activities and Scott mentioned Serengeti.

It hadn’t occurred to me that, though Arusha is the starting point for most of the Serengeti safaris, Mwanza is far closer (to the opposite end of the massive nature reserve.) Since the Freedluns have their own 4x4 and since we figured we could easily do a safari in a single day we decided that we couldn’t miss this opportunity. Serengeti safaris from Arusha are costly because they last at least three days on account of the long round trip to reach the park. Finally we’ve been to all five parks in the north of Tanzania and taken in another of its ‘must-see’ attractions.

So after doing a little asking around and buying a little map, off we headed on the 90-minute drive to Serengeti. Our enquiries revealed that we were fortunate on another count: that the famous animal migration would be passing through that western end of the park during July.

We’ve all seen these animals in captivity, but it’s really a different, more intense experience to see the real wild animals in their own habitats, doing what they do.

Here are a few of the photos we took.

Wildebeest – walking lumps of silverside, the reason for the great Serengeti migration.

Teeth still bloody from a recent kill.

This image gives the impression of the migration – we’re surrounded by wildebeest on all sides.

Vultures pick the bones of an unfortunate wildebeest clean, after the lion’s share has been taken.

I’ve never had such a clear view of a hippo before. Just look at the scratchmarks on his hide.

Nile crocs like this one grow up to six metres (18 feet) in length. This was some way off that, but impressive all the same.

Mike & Cath’s Tanzania Project

2010-08-26T19:23:00.001+03:00

Following Mum’s sudden death in November Avril and I were home and staying with my dear elder brother Michael and his wife Cath.

A couple of years earlier the two of them had considered coming out to Tanzania to set up shop here for a while, and finally moved to Dunoon. As well they did, since shortly after Dad suddenly died and Mike and Cath were able to look after Mum, who needed their support.

When Mum died Mike and Cath could no longer see any reason to stay and they came to check things out early in the month of January. They stayed for three months, by which time they had made some new friends here and had a taste of the ministry here too. By the end of their visit they had made up their minds to come to Tanzania for at least a year and booked their tickets to return for June.

So they’ve been with us for several weeks now and have settled into their own place up on the hill less than a mile from our place. For the time being it is their intention to remain with the Central (English language) congregation, but meanwhile they are making efforts to learn Swahili.

We’re thrilled to have them here with us, preaching with them each week. In July and August they’re both auxiliary pioneers, and starting in September Mike will go regular. Congratulations to you both!

Ministry Update

2010-08-16T18:26:00.001+03:00

After reporting Joffrey’s baptism in January, I neglected to mention that Luka’s baptism followed in April. If you don’t remember too much about him, read the blog dated December 22 of last year.

These few months later he has enrolled as a regular auxiliary pioneer. Since he’s still pretty young, probably 21 now, I have high hopes for this student who started his study with Scott less than one year before.

Moussa Kileopa, the subject of a blog at around the same time, was also baptised on the same day. Moussa’s wife Elizabeth is now a publisher and his two adorable little daughters accompany them both regularly to the meetings.

In line with society direction, both studies continue in Remain in God’s Love.

Graham White’s visit

2010-08-04T11:33:00.001+03:00

(CONTRIBUTED)

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says: ‘Now there are varieties of gifts, but there is the same spirit; and there are varieties of ministries, and yet there is the same Lord; and there are varieties of operations, and yet it is the same God who performs all the operations in all persons.

Later in that same chapter it talks about the body with its many different members, it refers to the many different people that make up God’s organisation.

My experiences in Tanzania really helped me appreciate the trueness of the above words, I met so many people who do so many things in Jehovah’s service, the literal fulfilment of a scripture is not what I expected to be taking from Tanzania but I am more than happy that I did and for this one reason alone I would say to anyone to go and have the same wonderful experiences that I did.

Steve and Avril really looked after me and made me feel safe which was greatly appreciated but they also helped me go places and meet the brothers and sisters of Tanzania which made my time with them so special.

Whilst I was with Steve and Avril we attended the Kusini congregation, I went to both English and Swahili meetings and at that time next to the kingdom hall a new missionary home was being built and I expect that this is now finished and serving the needs of the missionaries very well.

Yes within those first few days of arriving I had met, Need Greaters, Pioneers, International Construction Volunteers and a Circuit Overseer who hugged me so tight that I think this is how Jehovah God would hug us if he could and of course I met those that make up the congregations of Kusini, its not an easy life in Tanzania and the brothers and sisters are poor and have many problems with health and generally just living but they serve Jehovah very faithfully and despite hardship love the truth.

I went on field service whilst there and it was amazing, so much respect for God’s word and such respectful people in general whilst working from door to door, I also went with Steve and Avril on their studies and that was for me an eye opener to the conditions that some people live and work in, yet they took time out of their day to sit and learn about Jehovah God, it was a real humbling experience, I shall never complain again about my life or anything trivial in it.

On one of the weekends we travelled to a small neighbouring congregation and stayed with Musa and Sarah and their two children Samwali and Gracie they have a small farm which they share with their close family, we pitched our tents behind their home and Musa and his wife looked after us with there meagre means but still they treat us with such kindness, again we went on service and on the Sunday Steve gave the talk in Swahili, we had 26 in attendance at the Kingdom Hall which consisted of a mud floor and walls made from wooden poles, polythene and vine arrangement we sat on small benches and I can honestly say it was the best meeting I have been too, I met some lovely people and those memories will stay close to me heart, our Sunday dinner after the meeting was a freshly killed chicken prepared with herbs and vegetables and the ugali bread, perfect.

Of course I did some touristy things also, a safari which included a lion killing a wilder beast and some days out swimming in some of the more upmarket hotel swimming pools relaxing and enjoying the sun.

But the things I enjoyed the most, the things I will always remember are those that showed me Jehovah’s wonderful organisation with its many avenues of service.

So, will I go back, I hope so with all my heart, would I recommend that you go, of course I will.

Thanks Steve and Avril for such a wonderful life experience.

Graham White

Comings and Goings

2010-01-31T09:10:00.001+03:00

Being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is extraordinary for many reasons. One of them is that those of us who travel can find a welcome practically wherever they go, regardless of whether they personally know anyone at their destination. On many occasions I have benefited from such unselfish hospitality – a Bible word that really means ‘a love of strangers.’

Yesterday Avril and I said goodbye to a guest who has been with us for five months here in Arusha. Her name is Jennifer Oaks, and at the relatively tender age of 19 is already a zealous full time preacher. She’s from Forest Hill, California. Avril and I became quite fond of her!

Yes, it is one of the hardest things in this life to cope with that we get to know people with whom we share much common ground, rapidly become friends, sharing practical support, and then inevitably they leave to return to families and congregations that miss them. It is emotionally quite taxing. Better to have loved, though, and lost, than never to have loved at all.

On a more positive note, we have been able to welcome my elder brother Michael and his wife Cathy. They are here for three months for now. It is a real pleasure to see them enjoying the environment and getting to know friends we’ve made over the past three years. We are able to set aside a little time each day to help them in their study of the Swahili language. Avril and I are sharing the lessons between us, ‘good cop / bad cop.’

Also, on January 28, Avril’s parents arrived for a two-week visit. We’ve been looking forward to their trip here for a long time! This is their second visit to Tanzania – they also came back in December 2006, after we’d been here only three months. We’ve carved our little niche a bit more nicely since then – we’re quite a lot more comfortable, having moved house a couple of years ago. So it’s a real pleasure to share our lives and our daily experiences with them.

We have more to look forward to. Jean David Lerouge is a single MTS graduate assigned to Paris English. We knew him in Middlesbrough when we served in with the French groups there from 2003 to 2006. We’re looking forward to welcoming him here starting on March 1 for a couple of weeks.

Joffrey Joshua: Update!

2010-01-04T20:45:00.001+03:00

I’m thrilled to write that on December 26, Joffrey was indeed baptised. Welcome to the congregation Joffrey!

Kimira Kingdom Hall Dedication

2009-12-23T21:35:00.001+03:00

A couple of weeks ago I received a surprise envelope containing our invitation to the dedication of Kimira’s kingdom hall.

Regular readers will remember several posts to our blog about the travails of our dear brothers and sisters over there – they’ve been battling to finish their kingdom hall project for 5 years.

Following the involvement of one of Tanzania’s KH build teams, the hall was completed, making use of society funds.

The hall can hold about 60 to 70 people on plain wooden benches. It’s not fancy, but the high standards of construction certainly bring glory to Jehovah, and show doubting neighbours that Jehovah’s Witnesses is indeed a credible world religion. (When congregations here meet in the homes of our brothers they are often mocked. People assume that they don’t have God’s blessing if they don’t have a proper church building.)

The brothers in Kimira congregation were so happy when we went to see them on December 19. A short history of the kingdom work in the Kimira area was followed by a dedication talk by Rick Stringer our circuit overseer.

After that, the local brothers and sisters had gone to considerable effort and expense to feed their visitors, providing fizzy drinks and hot food to everyone present. There was quite a party atmosphere.

Congratulations, Kimira congregation!

Lucas Fabian

2009-12-22T19:01:00.001+03:00

Lucas has been studying since Scott Freedlun contacted him during one of Lucas’ brief visits to Arusha between travels around the country. Scott met him at the kingdom hall the first time and they had a conversation about spiritual things. Lucas accepted a What does the Bible really teach? book and then disappeared for two months.

When he returned in January this year, all he wanted was the truth, and he began attending meetings regularly right away. That was back in January. It was obvious to everyone despite the fact that his formal study had barely started that Lucas was unusual.

By the time he reached chapter five of his formal study in March, he was already a kingdom publisher. Scott passed the study over to me and Now we’ve reached chapter 16. I’m hoping, as is Lucas, that he’ll be baptised in a forthcoming assembly.

In the meantime Lucas was looking for work and was struggling. You see, he’d given up his travelling job that he’d had before working for his brother so that he could get to all the meetings. The work had been fairly lucrative. But now he’s been able to get a job on the missionary home site as a construction labourer – they are paying salaries to brothers in order to secure their services day in, day out.

Spending all day with dedicated witnesses from Tanzania and from abroad has brought Lucas on a great deal. Now he’s looking for something to do after he gets baptised. Perhaps he’ll preach full time, serve at the branch office, or join the construction team full time. He’s been a great source of encouragement to the brothers and sisters because of his earnest desire to help others.

Joshua ‘Nusugari’ Shinga

2009-12-17T19:55:00.001+03:00

Joshua Shinga and I

You might remember, some time back, that I mentioned this fine African gentlemen, who was studying with me during 2007. In fact, he studied from March 2007 until October 2008 with me, and also began attending many meetings. He was well known to the brothers, and regularly gave heartfelt comments at the watchtower study. Our coordinator came to me and asked me why Joshua was not yet a publisher.

However, there was a reason why. Many people here who consider themselves married are only married by common-law, in many cases co=habiting for decades and bearing several children together. This is the case with Joshua. His wife, unlike the Shauris (who are both reaching out for more privileges since their baptism last spring) is uncooperative and undermines Joshua’s efforts to train his large family spiritually. Last October Joshua seemed to have given up on the truth, and we didn’t see much of him for about a year. We went to speak with him now and then at his little bike repair shop, but he didn’t share much with us during those occasions.

Joffrey

During that period, his 18-year-old son Joffrey began studying. He didn’t have the obstacles that his father has, and he was quite zealous. He’s been a publisher since June, and he’s working towards baptism. I’ve recently done a story about Joffrey, and I’ll provide a fuller update soon. Joffrey’s younger brother Samwele is also studying with a brother in the congregation.

Since last month, though, Joshua has made a clear decision to take his stand. He is back at the meetings, and has made it his goal to become a publisher of the good news. He still doesn’t have his marriage certificate but he’s working towards it. (- Hebrews 13:4.)

How thrilled I was to see Joshua at a recent Sunday meeting with all five of his children!

The Shinga Family

His wife still is not interested in joining her family at Christian meetings, but we keep going to meet her and to reassure her of our love for her and the warm welcome she’ll receive.

Star Cup Lamech

2009-12-11T22:19:00.001+03:00

The ministry has been going very nicely indeed lately for both Avril and I, as you’ll perhaps have noticed from recent blog entries.

The first call work is a delight. Once a publisher masters the language and spends a sufficiently long time greeting before coming to the task of preaching, he can enjoy excellent results. One challenge is distinguishing real interest from material greed, especially if you’re obviously from abroad.

Recently I had a excellent experience. Pete Jennings and I were doing some return visit work not far from our place when one householder explained that he would be available after half an hour or so, and that then we could have a conversation at leisure. We didn’t have any back up plan, so we headed for a fancy open-air coffee bar called Star-Cup to wet our whistles.

I struck up a conversation with the manager about absolute truth. Many people here feel that all religions lead to God, whether they teach what the bible says or not. But most are surprised at just how much of church teachings have no basis in scripture – on the contrary, they teach the opposite. I showed him a classic example from 1 John 5:19: that Satan rules. Almost all Christians and Muslims here are certain that God rules the world he created, but the bible asserts that ‘the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.’ (If, dear reader, you don’t know why, ask one of Jehovah’s Witnesses to give you a scriptural explanation.)

The manager, called Lamech, was quite surprised to read that. Then he began asking other questions, and since that short first conversation we’ve met four times, gradually building towards a formal bible study.

Each time Lamech sees for himself a new and unfamiliar bible truth there’s a twinkle of excitement in his eye and a big appreciative smile. I hope that my efforts will come to something, with God’s blessing. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Moussa Kileopa

2009-12-08T20:59:00.001+03:00

I am often reluctant to accept new students because of my busy roster. Our local pioneer sister Anna Natai saw fit, as a result, to resort to underhanded means to convince me to take care of one man she’d met, back in April this year.

She agreed to take some of my lady calls from me in the same neighbourhood, and begged me until I couldn’t refuse. I learned a big lesson though!

Avril contacted Moussa the first time at his shoe repair shop by the roadside, where she gave him a tract or a magazine some time ago. The publication was enough to raise Moussa’s curiosity. He had been raised a nominal Muslim but soon became dissatisfied, exploring Christendom for a while with the local Assemblies of God. But he quickly recognised the ring of truth. Anna contacted Moussa next, and answered a few of his questions. Then she began studying with Moussa’s wife.

It was at this time that she asked me to begin conducting Moussa’s bible study. I did agree, and when I met Moussa, I was immediately impressed by his level of interest. He had already learned a good deal about the truth from Anna and from the publications he’d been able to read. Despite not having a good education, he had been able to study quite a bit on his own.

We started the study at chapter one of the What does the Bible really teach? book and rapidly made progress, assisted by Moussa’s zealous preparation for our little lessons.

In July he began asking how he could qualify to preach with the congregation, and the elders suggested he be given a little more time. This month Moussa qualified as a kingdom publisher, and I had the great joy of taking him out on his first house call.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are known as such because they give a witness – it is essential for each one to make a ‘public declaration for salvation.’ (Matthew 24:14; Romans 10:10-14; Isaiah 43:10-12)

Prison Preaching

2009-12-04T20:10:00.001+03:00

Here’s me preaching in a low security prison to a local man who lives on site. He’s not actually a prisoner, but lives with a family member who works as a guard. His name’s Robert.

The prison is intended as a demonstration of how prisoners can be used to do productive work. The small population of the prison consists of offenders who are already near the end of a longer sentence, so there’s little reason to attempt an escape.

They keep ducks and hens and plant crops and, to some extent, pay for their keep by means of the work.

Camping in Loch Lomond

2009-12-01T22:29:00.001+03:00

Whilst in Scotland in June Mike and Cathy and the two of us went together to camp for a couple of nights on the banks of the world famous Loch Lomond.

We set up our tents and built a fire, and prepared hot food on our stove.

On the middle day we decided to go canoeing on the lake itself. We navigated to a few of the islands that make the Loch so interesting. There were four of us, but only two canoes, each built for only one person. So we had to return twice towing the empty boat to pick up the two others. But we had fun, at least until the famous Scottish weather began to close in on us.

Kusini Congregation 2009

2009-11-28T19:33:00.001+03:00

Here is a recently taken picture of our congregation just shortly before the departure of our beloved local missionaries Scott and July Freedlun. Behind you can see the extendable kingdom hall in all its glory.

We hope to bring you coverage of the dedication of the kingdom hall before long.

Since we’ve been in Arusha Kusini we’ve seen spectacular growth. In November 2006 shortly before we joined their ranks there were just 38 publishers, but recently the figure rose as high as 75, with many new publishers from the field swelling our numbers.

Goodbye Charles and Sonya

2009-11-26T22:11:00.001+03:00

Charles and Sonya have been with us for nearly two years during two stints with us here in Arusha. We were very sad to say goodbye to them in July – indeed, the whole congregation was sorry to see them go.

Both Sonya and Charles worked hard with the Swahili language during their time here, and both of them conducted many bible studies with interested people. Charles was very busy too in the congregation – after Scott and July Freedlun left for California in March, Charles began serving as the coordinator of Kusini’s body of elders.

But more than these things we became very close to them as friends, especially when they moved into Kusini congregation and into a house not far from ours. They showed warm hospitality and gave me a lot of training as an elder. We had some marvellous conversations about spiritual things.

We’ll miss your pizza and your bolognese, and your smiles.

We hope dearly that you’ll be invited to Gilead school before long and that perhaps, just perhaps, you’ll be assigned here to Arusha!

Missionary Home Progress

2009-11-24T20:29:00.001+03:00

Perhaps you were aware that our extendable kingdom hall was on a plot rather larger than the hall itself.

The Governing Body decided some time ago that the space was to be used to construct a home for Arusha’s missionaries. Since the spring Tony and Ann Porter, our friends from South Africa, as well as two couples from Wales, Glen and Jo Cole and Dan and Kim Bath, have been with us helping with the construction work.

The work has been moving on apace. When we left in May for Blighty the foundations were nearly complete. When we returned the walls were nearly complete.

Now the roof is complete, the walls have been drylined and painted and they’ve started first-fix electrical installation and tiling. The house is straightforward in its design but built to a very high standard. Each missionary couple will have a room about six metres square which includes an en suite bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe. There’s a laundry, a large open plan public area used as a dining room and living room, with the kitchen facilities at one end. There’s a large generator for power outages and water storage facilities for when the water gets cut off.

Tony, project overseer, shows the Muxlows what they’ll be missing out on since they were reassigned to Moshi

The unfinished kitchen

Tiffany Karshnick keeps a low profile

‘Choncho’

There’s also been some changes to the missionary team. Our circuit overseer Rick Stringer and his wife Malin have completed two years with our circuit now and they are staying for the moment. Mika and Hanna Santikko are still here, our Finnish friends who graduated from a recent Gilead class. Last month they were joined by Todd and Michelle Hodgins, whose acquaintances we renewed at the English Special Assembly Day.

Angela Wendy Dowds 1943-2009

2009-11-06T11:47:00.001+03:00

Angela Wendy Dowds, my dear mother, died yesterday evening (November 5) in her home. Feel free to email the family with any messages of condolence.

Pioneer School 2009

2009-11-03T19:15:00.001+03:00

The Karshnick Family: all four invited to pioneer school; youngest, Kevin, only 14, already pioneering over 2 years.

Public transport witnessing – special training!

Lickle birdy wants spiritual food, but turned away due to dress code

Avril and I were thrilled to be invited to pioneer school in English in Dar es Salaam in the month of September. I only qualified on Avril’s coat-tails – I wouldn’t have qualified to attend a second time officially for another year, but there’s a special dispensation for married couples.

Eighteen pioneers were present, including ones from eleven different nations, all working hard in the ministry here in Tanzania. Most of them are based in Dar, with the exception of two Danish girls Helle and Charlotte, who are based in Moshi, 70 miles or so from Arusha.

The school was a very special opportunity to refresh ourselves, and attend a pioneer school that catered for the very special territory here in Tanzania, whilst also being able to follow in English. Such classes have been held only once before in Tanzania, so it was a really special privilege.

The two instructors are both circuit overseers here, both Gilead-trained missionaries serving in Dar with their wives. So it was quite inspiring to benefit from their experience of ministry here.

We managed to have fun too though! It wasn’t all serious. We had a ‘pioneer school beach day’ in the middle weekend, and stayed in the branch for a couple of nights also. At the end of the school Avril and I went to a quiet beach resort and set up our tent, camping for a couple of nights before returning home. There’s no beach in Arusha, 500 miles from the coast, so we have to seize the day!

Tarengire Safari 2009

2009-10-23T18:15:00.001+03:00

With Graham White visiting us for a couple of weeks, our social lives have undergone a bit of a renaissance. Naturally he was keen to go on safari, and we were able to negotiate a special price since we send so much business in the companies’ direction, so we too went along.

Tarengire is said to be especially good after long periods of drought, because the animals group together wherever water is still available.

I posted a few of our photographs for you. We were particularly fortunate to witness a female lion making a kill. It’s rare enough, but you’ll see from our photos that the lioness was pregnant, and opted to smother the poor wildebeest rather than going for the jugular. It took some time, and was obviously rather draining for the lion. (Come to think of it, it was very draining indeed for the wildebeest.)

Elephants have been actually eating the bark of this tree.

a Dik-dik

1 Peter 5:8 – can you spot her?

There she goes!

Ouch!

Carrying her young.

Hackfall

2009-06-29T18:30:00.001+03:00

Whilst in the UK John and Monica Moonie (the in-laws) and Avril and I had a smashing day out to Hackfall. We had a lovely walk in the countryside and spend some time together.

READY

May’s last minute photos

2009-06-01T18:10:00.001+03:00

Yeah, we’re off to England in just a few days now – we’ll be in Blighty by first thing on Friday morning. And we’re looking forward to it now too.

In the meantime, please enjoy the following pictures. I apologise for the poor quality – my phone has a poor camera in it, but I always have it with me, you see.

Progress on the missionary home site

Yeah, our friendly build team have broken ground a few weeks ago. Concrete has been poured for the footing, which is pretty deep and very solid looking, reinforced with pre-fab box sections of re-bar. Now the foundation is being build up using breeze blocks. I suppose by the time we get back to Tanzania it’s possible that the walls will be erected as high as the ring beam over the windows.

Rick Stringer, our CO and local missionary brother

Yeah, Rick and Malin Stringer’s visit finished yesterday. Rick is an experienced missionary with 26 years of missionary service behind him. Rick went to Gilead as a single brother, one of the last bachelors to be invited. Just a few short years ago, whilst in his assignment here in Tanzania, he met Malin, a Swedish need-greater, and they got married.

The visit was a great success, with plenty of support for the field ministry. 102 people attended the public talk, and we heard that our congregation has reached 72 publishers, including 7 completely new publishers since the last visit in November. Our publishers average over 14 hours in the field service, and on average conduct 1.5 studies each – not including the pioneers. (The regular pioneers’ average is nearly 8 studies.)

Avril taking her life in her hands

This was a snap from our field ministry. You may imagine that we were in the ‘rurals’ here, but no, this really is quite an urban location, ten minutes’ walk from the Kingdom Hall. Avril and I were preaching together during the circuit visit last week.

Jofrey Joshua

2009-05-31T16:14:00.001+03:00

Jofrey is nearest the centre of the picture, holding the small child.

On previous occasions I have written about my student Joshua, and mentioned his 18-year-old son Jofrey. Joshua, as some readers may remember, was attending nearly all the meetings and becoming quite keen to publish himself, but finally gave in to opposition from his wife and has now returned to finding new ways to feed his 6 children. Life is hard, but I still feel sad that he couldn’t find a way to put the kingdom first.

Just as this was happening, Avril noticed that his eldest son Jofrey was becoming interested, and it took her a while to convince me that he was worth studying with. Finally, on her advice, we began the study together. One difficulty in particular is that, like many young people here, he studies at school six days a week, and the only day free is Sunday – prime time for bible studies with many in our territory.

His progress became manifest, and though he doesn’t often make it to Thursday meetings, I was thrilled when Jofrey was accepted as a congregation publisher. So he is now one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with the privilege of bearing His name and talking to people himself about the good news of the kingdom, as all Christians are meant to do.

I double-booked myself with Joffrey and my other publisher student on Sunday, and so Lucas assisted with Joffrey’s study, then Joffrey assisted with Lucas’. We did the studies at the kingdom hall, as is my custom on Sundays. We had a good laugh, then the three of us went to look for two other students out in the field.

Avril and I are happy about this for a personal reason too. After a couple of years struggling with the language and the culture, we feel we are both beginning to make an impact in our territory (with a lot of help from the local brothers and sisters.) Jofrey is the first study that we’ve started ourselves that has taken the step of preaching. A rewarding morale booster for both of us.

Culcha, init!

2009-05-30T13:27:00.001+03:00

It’s funny the things you miss when you’re far from home. Often, you don’t even notice them until you get them once more.

Avril and I have long had a fondness for music, and especially live music, of practically any kind. Though I lost any taste I once had for rowdy rock concerts, a little bit of real live musical entertainment is a treat.

There isn’t really anything like that around these parts, that we know of. Few people take the time to learn to play an instrument – certainly, it would be the preserve only of the rich and the determined.

Our team of builders includes two British brothers, along with their wives, and both of the brothers are rather talented musicians. Glenn Cole plays the guitar and sings, while Dan Bath plays drums. Though there isn’t a proper drum kit available, Dan makes do with a few little drums.

Valerie and Glen Corey dance to one number

Claire joins in with her flute

On Tuesday night Charles and Sonya invited us round to their house, where the build team is staying, and we all appreciated their renditions of our favourite numbers from Blighty. Claire Salvage, a sister involved in the kingdom hall build projects and who travels throughout Africa with her husband Mark, joined in with her flute.

We haven’t had a treat like that for some time, and we enjoyed it more than we expected. The concert went on until fairly late in the evening, but we were sad when we went our separate ways that evening. We hope we’ll be able to do it again before too long.

Things we miss from Blighty

2009-05-24T17:04:00.001+03:00

Yeah, our trip home is now only two weeks away, and we’re looking forward to it quite a lot. Avril was home in June last year, but I haven’t been home since Dad died in August 2007 – nearly two years.

There aren’t too many things that you can’t buy here, but some staple items you would buy in the UK we can’t afford here. Butter is about £2.50/lb here, though milk is not expensive. Yes, we’re working on preparing our own! Cheese is another thing. Cheddar is available, as well as a slightly out of the ordinary locally prepared Gouda. Neither are particularly nice or cheap. We certainly can’t afford the brie, camembert, stilton, or roquefort that we so enjoy.

Another complaint is that crisps (potato chips) just aren’t the same here. Pringles are available and not too expensive, but for some reason any other kind tends to be a bit soggy when you get them. We’ve perfected the art of home-made salt ‘n’ vinegar crisps, but we’re looking forward to crinkle cut, Discos, Doritos and other flavours too.

Avril says she misses fruity yoghurts. She makes yoghurt every week from fresh local milk – bought still warm from the farmer. But it’s just not the same somehow. (She likes that ‘factory’ taste, I suppose.)

The chocolate here, some of which actually bears the Cadbury’s logo, is grainy and lacks chocolaty-ness, defeating the purpose somewhat. One of the major items brought to us from Britain by guests has been chocolate, as well as good ground coffee. It surprises many to hear that. You see, Starbucks buys all the best coffee from here and we can’t afford it. Mars bars, Bournville, Lindt dark chocolate and so on are amongst ‘most missed items’ too.

The beer here is good, though it has nearly doubled in price in the nearly three years we’ve been here. Local varieties are called Kilimanjaro, Safari and Castle, and there’s a Guinness franchise as well. Tastes nothing, nothing like Guinness back home but I still love it. It tastes of marmite. We’ll still be queuing in Tesco’s with San Miguel, Guinness and maybe even Scotch.

Number one, though, on the missed list, is undoubtedly Red Wine. We only buy red wine once every six weeks or so, and save it for special occasions. We sometimes make a bottle last three nights. It’s usually from South Africa and is not too bad, though it beats me why no one takes advantage of the ideal climate here to grow wine grapes.

So if any of you, our readers, sees us in Tesco over the month of June, you’ll no doubt predict the bizarre combination of items that’ll be in our baskets!

English Lessons

2009-05-20T22:16:00.001+03:00

As we mentioned, our newly-secured visas stipulate that we actually do some volunteer work, and I’ve found myself teaching an elementary level English class.

The class has up to fifteen students in it, and they’re all adults. The average attendance is about ten, and consists mainly of workers who are associated in some way to the work of the charity. There’s a pastor in the class from a local church. The lady who runs the charity for whom the class is held gave him a dressing down one day. She’s one of Avril’s bible students, though she herself is a Muslim. Overhearing the pastor trying to give doctrinal advice to someone there at her office, she interrupted, saying, ‘If you’re really going to give advice about the bible, you need to sit down at the feet of one of Jehovah’s Witnesses first and learn!’ Though of Islamic persuasion, she was keenly aware of the inaccuracy of his ‘Christian’ teaching. In many vocations, including the clergy, people are not as qualified even as they might be in the UK. I have no doubt that there are clergymen here that have never received any structured vocational tuition at all.

In each of the two weekly one-hour lessons I teach I try to keep the students involved. So we play games, do involving exercises, and work in pairs. This helps to make sure that shrinking violets in the class receive less practice than others. A game some may remember from their childhood, ‘Simon Says’ is ideal for teaching verbs, and is endlessly expandable. We play bingo to help with numbers. The students prepare their own flashcards to help them remember nouns. The hour always seems very short. I am also instructed to give the students plenty of homework, and I am happy to oblige with this. Two hours’ language tuition is not really enough without zealous private study and practise.

Special Day Assembly Highlights

2009-05-17T22:01:00.001+03:00

Our extendable kingdom hall was host once more to a special assembly day, which was very successful. For Avril and I it was an enjoyable programme which we enjoyed to the full, since we had no share on the programme ourselves.

Once more we were pleased to invite our dear friends from Mbulu, Modesty and Jamaica Kobelo. They are the couple that we went to visit in the town where they are assigned, out in the middle of nowhere and at 2,000m above sea level. We have made it a habit to invite them to stay during each assembly, and we enjoy their company very much. Each time, they bring their humble gifts, usually vegetables that grow in the fertile soils from around Mbulu. This time, among their gifts, was a fruit called topetope, whose name in English we don’t know. It tastes like a slimy pear, but has a tough lumpy green outer skin and seeds that look a bit like cockroaches. It’s quite nice really.

On the programme, we enjoyed hearing the experiences of the local brothers and sisters, many of whom are very zealous in the ministry. For example, there was one regular pioneer sister who was interviewed. Though she is a local girl, she was asked a few months ago to serve where the need is greater in a village called Mto wa Mbu, or in English, Mosquito River. That unappealing name does not prevent tourists by their thousands from visiting this village, since it stands at the gates to two world-famous national parks. In contrast to the UK, where practically all the area of the country is assigned to some congregation or other, no doubt a large majority of the area of this large country is not assigned and not regularly preached. Mto wa Mbu has perhaps never been thoroughly preached before. She went there with a companion and started preaching, just the two of them. The nearest meetings are fifty miles away, but the sisters got a good response from the field and now have 30 studies to conduct between them.

She even managed to start a study with a pastor in the area, and as the study progressed, they reached chapter 11, paragraph 5 in the What Does the Bible Really Teach book. On reading the cited verse in Job 34:10, the pastor exclaimed, ‘Oh, when people find out about this, we clergy are done for!” Something no doubt said in the hearts of many of his colleagues around the world. It certainly is a privilege to expose bible truth and Christendom’s lies, and all the better when individuals respond humbly.

There was a young lad who made special efforts to start studies at school during his free periods. He was able to begin a study with a classmate, who had many questions to ask. The classmate made rapid progress, and was baptised last year. The youth’s family perceived fundamental positive changes in the lad’s behaviour and personality, and they also started studying and now attend meetings regularly themselves (- Ephesians 4:23, 24.)

Among the attendance on Sunday was my student Geoffrey. I have spoken of his father on a few occasions in the past and I am disappointed to say that he’s no longer studying himself. He had many pressures, including his common-law wife who opposed him but who is the mother of his four youngest children. It’s not easy feeding all those mouths with an ordinary job or home business. He succumbed eventually to these pressures, while his eldest son began studying earnestly. It took me a while to see his potential, and now we study on Sundays each week. He struggles to answer the questions well when he doesn’t prepare for his study, so sometimes he refuses to study, asking for a little more time to prepare.

He tells me often about the hardship and opposition he faces because of taking his stand as a witness. Not only does he face opposition from his step-mother, but also at school, where his colleagues mock him for not being a part of a ‘proper’ religion. They make fun of him because Jehovah’s Witnesses, to them, seem like a small, pathetic church compared to the Catholics, Muslims and Pentecostals here. Witnesses expect that kind of persecution, I tell him, and that it’s a further proof that he’s in the right religion (- John 15:20; Matthew 5:10-12; 2 Timothy 3:1, 12.) The elders will meet with him this week to see if he’s ready to preach with the congregation.

Another student, recently passed into my care, is Moses, and he too was there, with his two small children. Though his accurate knowledge of the bible is not advanced, he has great zeal for the scriptures, and though he had not even begun studying the first chapter, he asked me what I thought the unforgiveable sin described at Mark 3:29 actually is. He works as a shoe repair man in a tiny hut by a busy thoroughfare, and in between resoling and stitching people’s shoes, he’s there, reading God’s word. We sit there, studying together, interrupted by his customers as they come to ask for his help.

Lake Duluti

2009-05-13T20:52:00.001+03:00

Our dear friends Tony and Ann Porter from South Africa recommended that we take a trip to a place called Lake Duluti, for a day out, while our Swedish friend Anna Sanberg was here visiting with us. We had heard of the place, but we didn’t know where it was or anything else about it.

We found out that it was quite an easy place to reach and struck out for our destination one warm Saturday afternoon in January, the warmest month here.

When we arrived, we found that there was a nominal entrance fee, which seemed to be promising. As we entered, we saw a bar playing noisy music, right there on the bank of the beautiful tree-lined lake. How relieved we were when we found out that we could rent a rowing boat for our party for a few dollars. We bought some cokes and clambered aboard the boat. Since there were no seats in the boat, the staff had taken some plastic garden chairs (the kind you see literally everywhere around here) and hacked the legs off them. Then they are placed on the flat ‘deck’ of the boat – perfect!

Once you are out of earshot of the bar, the lake is tranquil and beautiful. We quietly rowed all around the lake, taking in the sunshine and the extraordinary variety of bird life. There are diving birds and storks and herons and other birds, either enjoying the sunshine, drying their wings, or actively engaged in hunting down a tasty tilapia or bass.

We were quite sorry to have to head home after so little time, but we loved it so much there that we went back a few weeks later. a perfectly relaxing way to spend a sunny afternoon.

A couple of interesting photos

2009-05-09T20:57:00.001+03:00

Today Avril and I spent a long morning together in the ministry conducting her series of ‘Tuesday’ bible studies in a distant area of our territory called Engo Sheraton.

On our way to the territory, we saw a touching site, which we would like to share with you our loyal readership.There was a tiny kitten, dozing gently at the breast of a young dog. The kitten woke up and stayed with her larger friend, a very ordinary ferral dog of the kind often seen round here. They were obviously very close friends!

Later in the day, a student of Avril’s convinced her to accept a kind gift: a live hen. The student tied the hen’s legs together and dropped her into a plastic bag, with a hole for her head. Here she is!

Now our hen, whose name is Mnomno, an adjective in Swahili meaning ‘very fine indeed’ and used particularly in reference to chickens, is running around our little compound, clucking and eating bread and pooing. She’s quite loveable, really.

Real Joy!

2009-05-03T19:39:00.005+03:00

A number of months ago I wrote a blog about Shanilla (A picture of her is on that blog). An eleven year old girl with whom I was studying. Initially I studied with her Mum and when she stopped Shan carried on. She had made wonderful progress, attending the meetings and bringing her friends along with her until she was bundled off to live in the middle of nowhere with her Gran.

I saw her a short time later, her mother had brought her home for a weekend. She said that she had found the KH in the area she went to but that it took her two hours to walk there and thus couldn't go each week. I encouraged her to try and find out if there was any bros and sisters living near her. I didn't know if she had succeeded or not til today. I was not able to help her as she couldn't describe where exactly she lived.

Today the other half of our circuit assembled for the special assembly day, we had ours last week. As it is held nearby I attended as I hoped some studies would attend. Happily they did. But even happilier (if that's a word), Shan was there. It seems that she found a group 1/2 hrs walk from her home and a sister in the group is studying with her and she is able to attend sunday and thursday's meeting each week. There are 14 publishers in the group. It seems that Shan, determined to find any witnesses in her area, went out one sunday morning and stood on a main path and asked anybody passing, who looked like they had a meeting bag, if they were witnesses and unsurprisingly Jehovah blessed her efforts. She met Sara, the sister who is now conducting her study. The sister told me that Shanilla has been severely opposed by her grandma who has beat her and threatened her not to attend the meetings. The reason is that many churches have an arrangement to give out money and her Gran wants her to attend one of those. One neighbour of Shan's was so curious as to why she was so determined to go to the meetings with the witnesses that she decided to go to the meeting herself but the Gran has frightened her off so she has not as yet attended. Sara said she thinks this lady is too curious not to attend and they will see her soon at the meeting. Shanilla insisted that I meet each of the 14 publishers in her group, two are pioneers, one an elderly bro and the other his son who is married and has a little boy, there is an elderly ministerial servant who leads the group. No elders. I asked Shan if she felt loved by the people she lived with and she said no but she said that the brothers and sisters in this little group do love her and I could see that as I talked to them today. Shan had slept overnight at one of there home's in order to travel early with them to the convention today. I really felt a loss when Shan left to move away and prayed to Jehovah that she have contact with witnesses there. I should have had no doubts that Jehovah would look after Shan! It is really faith strengthening.

Visiting Home

2009-05-03T13:11:00.002+03:00

For the third time in two and a half years, the fourth for Avril, we’ll be headed to Blighty for four weeks beginning on June 4.

We’re flying to Newcastle Airport via Schipol, avoiding London altogether. We’ll be at Newcastle District Convention. Starting on June 22, we’ll be spending a week or so in Dunoon with the congregation there. Otherwise we’ll mostly be in Northallerton and perhaps briefly in Stockton-on-Tees.

Apart from spending time with family (I haven’t been home myself since Dad died in August 2007) we have a further motive for returning.

We’ve been quite focused on applying for Gilead Missionary School since we got married, and our desire to attend has become stronger as the years have passed. We see Gilead as a chance to perpetuate our circumstances here in Africa, serving Jehovah our God in the fullest way possible. It would also be a privilege to gain such a wonderful training over there at Paterson, USA.

However it is not presently possible to apply for Gilead from countries that accept Gilead missionaries. Why take people away from useful assignments only to send them back again? So it’s necessary for us to go home for a little while and fill out our applications as UK residents.

Our Gilead application will be more significant on this fourth occasion because generally the brothers invited are elders (almost without exception) and this will be the first time that we’ll apply whilst satisfying that criterion.

Barbeque Chicken?

2009-05-03T11:10:00.003+03:00

I received an unusual gift on the ministry on Tuesday, a live chicken! The Bible study who gave her to me lives about 2 miles away so I had a lovely walk home with her under my arm, the most difficult bit was keeping my balance crossing the plank over the river, not usually easy but infinitely more challenging with a chicken. To be perfectly honest she didn’t really make much fuss unlike all the people I passed on the way who evidently didn’t think it was a usual thing to see a white lady wandering round with a live chicken.
I think the idea is that I was supposed to slaughter and eat her but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I had to take her with me to two Bible studies I had planned on the way back. The first is with a lady who sells coal from a shed. She usually throws a piece of fabric over a bag of coal as a seat for me. I don’t usually come out clean. She actually keeps chickens and said that she could tell that mine is an unusually nice chicken who would lay eggs this week. Her husband came in partway through and said that he believed his wife was right about the chicken. He could tell “by the look on the chickens face”.
She is currently living in the garden, the chicken I mean. I don’t know if it is odd but I quite like her wandering around, clucking away. I am trying to decide whether to buy her a boyfriend. I have tried to do some research as my knowledge of chickens is based on the film “chicken run” and I suspect that this knowledge will not suffice.
The cat is terrified of her and has spent hours watching her suspiciously from a distance. The chicken seems to have a penchant for sitting on the barbeque. Is that prophetic?
The picture is me sitting on the goat (the Tanzanian tool for preparing coconut), in my garden, trying to do the coconut without permitting the chicken to steal all of it. She was quite determined.

Preaching to the gravel makers

2009-04-30T21:00:00.001+03:00

One hot afternoon in February, a few of the pioneers in Arusha Kusini congregation decided to go and work our most distant map, at the southern tip of our dog’s-leg shaped territory.

Our maps are based on a town planning map which is very detailed indeed, though a little out-of-date. We know there’s no houses at all on the territory in question. In fact, in the past we’ve told you about the ‘ditches,’ the spectacular canyon valleys, and it’s that point of land were we went that day to preach.

Charles Larry sharing bible good news with a gravel-lady.

When we arrived, we found lots of people sitting on the ground in the baking sunshine, with old hammers and axes in their hands. Among them were old women, and even children. They were engaged in gravel-making. Mining the cliff faces into hollows to extract large rocks, these would be carried up to where the workers would gradually split them into smaller and smaller pieces. Trucks from Arusha were constantly in attendance, being loaded up with the precious building commodity.

The work is hard and the sun relentless. The salaries for these people, who are employed, is a pittance, even for here in Tanzania. They work long hours, and are considered perhaps the most unfortunate of all here.

Though we don’t have the means to put an end to these people’s sufferings and labours, we were able to give them a little encouragement from the scriptures. We showed them that in future, and in contrast to their present situation, God purposes for everyone on earth to “build houses and have occupancy and plant vineyards and eat [their] fruitage” (- Isaiah 65:21.) Many were happy to listen to these words of comfort, since so many have a healthy respect for the scriptures.

Exam Disappointment

2009-04-28T19:08:00.001+03:00

The exam results are in. Grim news. I failed them all again. Nothing to show for my effort – it’s time to jack it in.

Missionary Home Project

2009-04-27T18:14:00.001+03:00

This week the branch finally gave the go-ahead for Arusha’s latest society construction project. The plot that was purchased for our extendable kingdom hall was considerably larger than was required. That project was completed in August 2007.

With much of the remaining space, the governing body has decided that it would be appropriate to build a missionary home. We’ve been hearing whispers about the project for over a year, and many discussions followed. A few months ago, in preparation for the project’s beginning, Tony and Anne Porter moved back into our congregation. Tony presided over the construction of our hall, so we already know this South African couple well. Shortly after, Laban and Stella Ephesy, a Tanzanian couple who married recently, also moved into Kusini. Laban was also involved in the construction of our hall, although then he was in another congregation.

This week we have been thrilled to welcome five new team members, with another local single brother yet to arrive. Two couples, registered as International Volunteers, arrived this week from Wales: Glen and Joanne Cole from Swansea and Dan & Kim from Cardigan. An Australian brother whom we’ve known for some time, Lindsay Cooper, is the fifth. They won’t be joining us in Kusini congregation but they’ll be nearby and we’ll be looking forward to supporting them and sharing good association.

The Missionary Home Construction Site

At the site, pictured here, you can see the toilet block, with 9 cubicles, to the left. To the right, you can see our extendable kingdom hall, with its large covered ‘patio’ area used to accommodate 500 extra people during our assemblies.Between these you can see the red shipping container where the site equipment is securely stored. In the foreground is where the missionary home will be built.

They’ve begun by placing posts to mark out the foundation excavation, though ground hasn’t really been broken as such so far. But we are very excited about the project, which will doubtless prove to be a blessing for the zealous missionaries who are assigned here.

Memorial 2009: Kusini Congregation

2009-04-24T21:32:00.001+03:00

Much preparation went into Kusini’s memorial this year. Our meetings are normally finished by 7pm, but this year we were forced to take a later slot than usual, and the memorial had to begin at 7.30pm instead.

We predicted that this change would have an impact on our attendance, which it most certainly did. It had, on the other hand, some other effects too.

You see, I attended the English-language memorial which began at 6.15pm, and 65 people were present, perhaps a little over double the total of publishers. It was a nice programme, and an Ethiopian brother named Mesfin Haile gave the talk. Eveything went quite smoothly, in fact.

Until, that was, just after the closing song but before the prayer. The chairman was reading a rather long special announcement inviting any present to request a bible study, and the lights went out. It was pitch black. I really couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.

At the branch dedication in January a nice American brother made me a gift of a tiny torch which is very bright. It was on my keyring and I fumbled to find it, and walked up the aisle to give it to the poor brother so he could finish his announcement.

It was at this point that I realised that, in all probability, the power failure was going to last through our very much larger and more complex memorial celebration.

The time between the two programmes was only 20 minutes or so, and by the time the English programme had finished, many from our congregation were already waiting outside to come in. We hurriedly set up an emergency light on the platform for the speaker (The lamp was battery-powered, and we had no idea how long it would last.)

A few others had torches and so on and we continued with our programme as planned, by torchlight. Those passing the emblems were also carrying torches borrowed from those in attendance, and they used the light to follow the emblems as they were passed, to help prevent any spillages / accidents.

Avril sat at the back, facing away from the speaker, shining her little torch on Valerie Corey, another long-serving US pioneer, who was signing for a deaf Tanzanian lady who had turned up.

Really I perceived that evening that events were presided over by Holy Spirit, since not only did that unreliable but crucial emergency lamp continue to shine until everyone had left, but a drop of wine was neither spilled nor imbibed, and there were no accidents.

Perhaps most amusing of all was when one of the servers, Laban, got up to begin his duty, and promptly tripped over something in the aisle – a puppy. I had been wondering what the whimpering noise had been! It turned out that there were two tiny puppies in the hall that evening, and they had entered, not deterred by the presence of so many people, to see what all the fuss was about.

I nearly tripped on the remaining puppy, who showed up in the aisle just as the closing prayer finished. I scooped him up and held him in my left hand, shaking people’s hands as they left with my right.

Our attendance was 167, 250% of our publisher total, but still at least 30 short of what we might have expected had our memorial been earlier. Next year we’ll expect to be well over 200.

Exams

2009-04-22T22:20:00.001+03:00

Regular visitors will have read our recent story about my translation diploma. I sat the final exams in January, but I’m still waiting for the results.

It’s very stressful indeed, being in this situation. The IOL (who administers the examinations once per year) promise exam results within 14 weeks, but I’m not expecting to receive them here until perhaps early May. The fourteen weeks ended yesterday.

I can hardly contain my excitement, and my fear of failing these difficult exams once more.

Update on Kimira Congregation

2009-04-18T21:39:00.001+03:00

Many months ago we wrote on our blog about the struggles of a nearby rural congregation to complete its little kingdom hall.

Kimira recently completed its kingdom hall, with the assistance of a Kingdom Hall Build team. The brothers there invited me to go there to give a talk, and I was pleased to oblige. So our neighbours Charles and Sonya Larry from the US and the two of us headed there a few weeks ago, and we were able to give their new hall a close inspection!

The quality of the workmanship is really excellent, especially when compared to the other buildings being put up around about. The society has its special plans and guidelines for the halls which are well thought through, and the decision to use tirylene instead of paint makes the place look smart inside and out. It lasts far longer than paint, looking nice for years.

Here we present to you a couple of pictures of our time up there.

The sisters of Kimira congregation, with Avril and Sonya

The Hall in All its Glory

The Watchtower Study at Kimira congregation.

Lucas

2009-04-15T20:52:00.001+03:00

Our friendly local missionaries departed from us once more for a few months back in March. Scott had met a young man who was interested in the bible and started a study with him, but soon afterwards Lucas went travelling for work, and was away for some time.

When he finally returned, he had quit that lucrative job. He had been reading his ‘What does the bible really teach?’ book during his travels and had opportunity for meditation on the extraordinary things that he had read.

He took up his study once more and quickly qualified as a publisher of the good news.

Now Scott has left, Avril had the wonderful privilege to be the first to take him out on the preaching and teaching work, and he stayed out with her for a few hours as she tried to show him a few different aspects of our ministry. He is very zealous!

Now I have the privilege of studying with him myself for a while, and I’ll be hoping to play a role in helping him to baptism over the coming months.

Branch Dedication Expedition

2009-03-20T20:58:00.001+03:00

On January 25 we once more boarded the coach headed for Dar - for a rather less scary reason than two weeks before. The newly-constructed branch office, which was completed last year, was to be dedicated to Jehovah - the moment where the building is 'given' to God by its constructors, much like what King Solomon did after the Jerusalem's temple was completed (- 2 Chronicles 6.)

We were not invited to the ceremony itself, which took place in the grounds of the Bethel itself. The following day, however, in Tanzania's national football stadium, the programme was reprised for a larger audience, which included many of the brothers from Dar's 20 or so congregations, as well as many visitors. The audience was 4,480-strong, one of the largest gatherings of Jehovah's Witnesses ever to be held in Tanzania.

The stadium was interesting in itself. It has apparently been standing for several decades, and I was told that all the nation's presidents since independence from Britain were sworn-in in that very stadium. Understandably, the ground is considered to be part of the nation's heritage, a sacred site. As a result, throughout its history, the authorities have never permitted any other events to take place in it, with the exception of the nation's unimpressive footballing exploits. Not so sacred, though, that they had put money aside to paint it...

The witnesses started work on the site some weeks ago and painted both of the grandstands and the perimeter wall, and also cleaned the site throughout. Thus they became the first organisation ever to be permitted to use the stadium for a religious purpose. Avril was told by one of her return visits that it was on the news here.

The programme included a watchtower summary, and a lengthy exposé of the history of Jehovah's Witnesses in Tanzania, and then a series of reports from countries both far and near, relating news of the work's progress.

The final discourse was given by Brother Samuel Herd, of the governing body. He reminded listeners that they needed to brace up their minds for activity, alert to signs of a weakened mind, and aware of ways to be firm and steadfast despite trials.

Following the 10am programme, brothers and sisters stayed for several hours to associate, a chance for many to renew acquaintances from long ago. Tanzania is a pretty large country, and though transport is not difficult or expensive for us, it is nevertheless beyond the reach of many of the poorest people here in Tanzania. A single one-way ticket from Arusha to Dar costs at least two weeks' wages for ordinary folk, so you can appreciate that attending is a major project that requires much forethought.

We were able to meet with many brothers and sisters, including Tanzania's missionaries, who hail from the US, the UK, Scandinavia and Germany as well as a host of other countries. We met with Mark Noumair, formerly a Gilead missionary himself in neighbouring Kenya, but now an instructor at Gilead Missionary School in Patterson, USA. He related to us different facts about the school and tips on how to apply.

The following day we were able to tour the new offices and meet the brothers once more. Thankfully we were staying with a kind sister, Lorraine from Southport, England, very close to the branch complex. That afternoon the missionaries and many others went to the nearby White Sands beach to enjoy the sunshine and the surf and play volleyball.

Translation Exams Expedition

2009-03-20T20:57:00.001+03:00

Early in January, Avril and I travelled once more to Dar es Salaam in the muggy heat for a six-day stay. The purpose of our visit was for me to sit the exams to qualify as a French to English translator - the project that has engrossed me for the past 20 months - since I last failed those same dreaded exams.

The British Council is a charitable organisation run by the UK education system, established to educate by British standards and invigilate UK exams for wealthier foreign people. So it was to the BC that I headed on January 13, to sit a series of 3 exams, all on a single day, seven hours in total. Like last time the experience was testing in the extreme, physically and emotionally as well as mentally.

I felt on the whole that the examinations went as expected. In particular I knew that all the preparation in the world would be useless if the texts chosen for the exam did not suit me, and so I realised that I would need considerable fortune on my side if I were to pass all three in a single attempt. In fact my tutor (on a correspondence course I did) said that few people succeed, even well-prepared candidates. Fortunately I can return to re-sit any failed examinations next January.

On the day the three texts were about diverse subjects. The first general paper was a text from Le Monde French newspaper about the role of intellectuals in the French government, which concluded that there wasn't any. Paper 2, the technology paper, to my horror, was nothing to do with France and wasn't even my idea of 'technology' either. It was about the Three Gorges hydroelectric project on the Yangtse river in China and its engineering specifications, as well as its advantages to the local communities. Care was needed to transfer all the data and the units of energy so on. On the other hand, I felt the first two papers weren't too difficult - though I hope I'm not speaking too soon.

The third paper spoke of a ray of highly energised photons from the centre of the galaxy, and speculation as to the astrophysical phenomena which could give rise to such rays. Though I felt the subject matter suited me - compared to other topics which might have featured - I did feel that this was the hardest of the three papers. This was not least because, on beginning work on that paper, I had already been sitting working on hard translations for five hours. Extreme stress and mental fatigue was setting in. After drawing on my last reserves to translate the piece, I paused to read over the result, only to find that there were certain logical problems with what I had written - the text didn't make sense. Try as I might, I could not find where my mistake lay, if indeed there was one. I tried to make clever use of English to mitigate the contradictions. So I have my reservations about that final paper. I would be somewhat content to pass two of the three, and re-sit just one next January.

The Diploma in Translation is a Masters-equivalent degree in translation. It qualifies a person to become a chartered translator with the Chartered Institute of Linguists. Qualifying would certainly lead to major changes in our expectations economically over the final years of the system (- 1 Corinthians 7:31.)

Anna and I

2009-03-20T20:56:00.001+03:00

This is a sister from another congregation. I was happy to see her continueing to do so well. She was one of Natasha’s students (Natasha and her husband were missionaries who had an unexpected pregnancy and had to leave) Anna was baptised shortly after Natasha left. Her three children are also doing well. One is also baptised and the other an unbaptised publisher.

Circuit Assembly Pictures

2009-03-20T20:55:00.001+03:00

Jenifer did get baptised, as you can see here! Another sister in the queue had big problems getting baptised. She is afraid of water and wouldn’t put her head under. After many attempts she succeeded! There were 15 baptised.

There were some particularly nice interviews. One was a brother Steve studies with last year. He started studying 27 years ago. Became a publisher and then fell back and became a drunkard. About 5-6 years ago he started studying again but struggled to overcome his problem. Finally last year he succeeded and was baptised and is still doing well now! Gives us hope for those students who do not act immediately on what they learn. I just hope I don’t get any student who take that long. I don’t think there is time left.

Another brother who is single and a pioneer was having problems with his work taking too many hours. He had to decide between pioneering and his job. He decided to give up his job. That is a big sacrifice here. It took him two months and he found another suitable one. The bros interviewing him asked him how often he went without food for those two months and he replies that he didn’t sleep hungry even one night. This was very encouraging and surprising to the brothers in a place where going to bed hungry is not that unusual. Many here are choosing between work and meetings, never mind work and pioneering, it is good for the bros to see practical examples of how Jehovah fulfils his promise to ‘add the necessary things’.

Last Ever Bookstudy

2009-03-20T20:52:00.001+03:00

This is a picture of our last ever books study. I think we will miss seeing the brothers on a Tuesday. We are made up of three families, two have come in the truth in the last three years. Some single local sisters, a South African couple who are here for a 6 month construction project (a new missionary home). Two Japanese pioneers and us. Nobody else seemed to have realised it was the last group so no big party. I did bake a cake though but all the Tanzanians thought it was a strange time of day to eat cake but politely ate some anyway!

Circuit Assembly Time

2009-03-20T20:51:00.001+03:00

Thought it was time I wrote a blog! I know the gaps between them are getting bigger.

We are fine healthwise. Steve is tense in the lead up to his big exam in January. We have had some difficulties in arranging permits to stay. We now have a temporary 3 month one. So we know we are here until the end of February. After that we are now not sure, which is disconcerting! We are doing all within our power to find a way. We feel like now after two years, the language is easier, we understand the culture more and now we want to use this knowledge, not leave!

Our circuit assembly is this weekend. It is busy busy busy leading up to it. Seeing as the hall is 5 minutes walk away we always seem to be very involved in the preparation. Also we will have Tanzanian special pioneers staying with us from outlying groups. We also have a Swedish pioneer who arrived last Friday staying. She is planning to stay for three months. She is called Anna, is 30 and is normally in an English congregation in Sweden. She is currently sleeping. Arusha seems to have that effect on new guests.

We have a few baptismal candidates. One is called Jane, she is about 17. She is the housegirl for a Tanzanian witness family in our congregation and has been drawn to the truth through them. She is from a very rural area and has a poor education but tries hard to understand in her study, she looks up lots of the verses. She has had a few different teachers since she started to study and I have been very happy to study with her these last few months. She started publishing earlier in the year but had some months of inactivity. It seemed that no-one was regularly studying with her. Anyway after some discussion it emerged that each Saturday she conducts Bible studies with some other girls. It seemed that she had been doing this for many months but not submitting a report. Finally I understand that she didn’t know conducting bible studies was preaching and that the time doing so would also be included on ones report. She has now submitted reports for those missing months and as a regular publisher we hope she will be able to be baptised. The elders did a local needs a few weeks ago on how to complete ones report so hopefully that will sort things out a bit.

Shanilla

2009-03-20T20:49:00.001+03:00

Shanilla is an 11 year old girl with whom I have been studying. She attends the Sunday meeting regularly on her own. She is very bright and understands well. We have just reached chapter 11 in the Bible Teach Book on why God permits suffering. I originally started studying with her mother but she works every day and I haven’t seen her now for months. Shanilla has continued and seems to really want to please Jehovah. She has started preaching to her school friends and has brought up to 8 along with her to the meetings, two others are now regularly studying. She seemed very depressed when I studied with her this Sunday. It seems that she is to be sent away to her families village in the middle of nowhere. She is worried about it. Her mum it seems is to busy to care for her, her dad is dead already. She also mentioned that she wouldn’t be able to come to the meeting. I have done some research though and found out that there is a congregation which is not too far away so I will try to get in touch with someone there. I will miss her study. I now have to trust Jehovah to care for her.

2009-03-03T20:43:00.000+03:00

This is the miniature dashhound puppy of some our friends here.

I know I am a sucker but I think he is just too cute!!

Kimbunga

2009-03-03T20:35:00.001+03:00

The rains started last night. They are somewhat delayed and a great relief. The dust has been phenomenal this year. The air was full of it, you could smell and taste it as you breathe. I had to wash my feet and legs with a scrubbing brush each time I entered the house. Even the trees and flowers are covered in dust, muting their colours, it will be nice to see everything bright again for the first time in months.

On Wednesday afternoon the sky was blue, I was working in the garden, it was very hot and suddenly the wind picked up and the sky started changing colour. It first went dark then gradually turned from dark blue to having swathes of sandy beige in it, until eventually the whole sky was a kind of orangy beige colour. We shut ourselves in the house and tried to shut the windows (not very many of our windows do shut!) The air was just full of dust blowing round and round! I asked the sisters about it yesterday. They said it was ‘Kimbunga’, a tornado or whorlwind nearby, sucking all the dust into the sky and then dropping it all back down on us. Ugh!! I have been sneezing none stop ever since.

Normally I have three Bible studies this morning but this is Africa and when it rains everything stops and waits til the rain stops. I have had a text from the sister I arranged to work with this morning to say we will meet when the rain stops! The bible studies would be more surprised if we turned up on time than if we waited. It doesn’t usually rain all day, this rain started yesterday evening about 9pm and it has been raining incessantly until now about 9am so maybe it will stop soon. The rain is was so loud on our tin roof it was difficult to sleep!

Along with the rain this morning the sky is full of 1000’s of weird insects. I don’t know what they are called. They have four wings and a fat body. They seem to appear in huge quantities at various intervals through the year. Apparently they are vary tasty. We haven’t tried, people just pluck them out of the sky and pop them in their mouths. Mmmm! The cat seems to agree, normally very averse to rain she is dashing around the garden jumping into the air, batting them with one paw knocking them to the ground and then eating them. Last time these insects came, within a few days the ground was littered with them like a blanket, crunching under our feet as we walked, somehow reminding me of autumn!

Goodbye Dowds Family

2009-03-03T20:33:00.000+03:00

Farewell to Akina Dowds (the Dowds party)

So on Friday evening we finally said goodbye to my mother, brother and sisterin-law. It was a sad moment when we finally waved them off as they departed for the airport. We were all agreed that the holiday had been an unqualified success, and quite action-packed too.

The three of them went on safari in the Ngorongoro crater and in the Lake Manyara national park. They were fortunate enough to see a Cheetah, as well as the usual hippos, elephants, antelope, zebra, monkeys and baboons. They returned exhausted after their two-day trip.

Our little house can be a little crowded with five in it, but we managed quite well with the space we have. We have managed to acquire a barbecue grill for our little compound, and so now the sunny days have returned we hope we will make regular use of it.

Tomorrow more guests will be arriving - a couple from the US whom we don't yet know. As they are our brother and sister, doubtless we will get along just fine.

The second photo here is a snap of Kilimanjaro from our aeroplane to Zanzibar.