Worlds Apart

We have now been in Tanzania for almost 8 months. We are adjusting to the many changes in our daily life; the food, weather, bugs, landscape, the people and the language (just to mention a few!) We praise the Lord for a smooth "ride" so far. He has meet our every need! Recently we needed some bricks delivered to our house to build a small shed. I looked out the window to find some cows outside the dining room window hauling a large wooden cart. This method was used many years ago in the US, but it still works here in Tanzania. As mentioned we are getting used to many new things! This picture is a good illustration how we can be worlds apart, but yet we can accomplish the same tasks. Just at very different speeds!

A Trip to Civilization for Baby Sarah

My brother, Steve and his wife, Natalie had their third child June 4th, 2009. Her name is Sarah Elisabeth Burkholder. Both Natalie and Sarah are happy and healthy. My (Tricia) mom was able to spend two weeks in Nairobi, Kenya to help take care of the kids while Natalie recovered from her surgery. Brad and I took advantage to meet Sarah and to visit my mom. An additional bonus was to visit Nairobi, Kenya to enjoy some civilization and good restaurants! While we were there, we went to a giraffe park. We learned that the giraffe has a very clean mouth and its saliva is actually a great antiseptic. That little fact may explain why Brad actually fed one from his lips!

Some Thirsty Guests

About 2 weeks ago we noticed a strange smell when we turned the water on. We prepared ourselves for the worst and thought we would be cleaning out a clog in our septic system. We soon discovered that was not the problem. We were never so relieved and the problem that we were about to discover was nothing! Brad climbed up to our water tank to find hundred's if not over 1,000 bees inside our tank! With the help of Kingu, he and Brad managed to kill them all with a little smoke and several cans of insect killer. What a sight to see Kingu with Brad's motorcylce helmet on his head, running around the yard with a can of "Doom" in each hand chasing the bees! Here is a picture of Kingu scooping out the left over bees out of the tank. This is our new life in Tanzania!

The Birth in Basotu

We wrote in our last prayer update about the first church plant out of Truth Baptist Church in Katesh. Fellow missionary, Nate Wolf and Tananian church member, Christopher are pastoring the new church. They had their first Sunday service the first weekend in May. That weekend, church members from the Truth Baptist Church spent the weekend in Basotu preparing for the first service. A team of Bible students volunteered their time to play games, sing songs, hand out invitations, and preach to crowds of people. Four people trusted Christ as their Savior! We also were able to show some Christian films on Friday and Saturday in front of the church. Seeing a "movie" in their small village sure drew a crowd! Here are a few pictures of the events that weekend.

Ladies from Katesh (Mama Emma, Mama Hidijah, Mama Joshua, and Mama Frankie) enjoy some free time before the service

The crowd gathers before the service begins on Saturday

The mass "Exodus" of children to hear a Bible lesson

The Goat Cup

During Easter weekend, the TRUTH Center hosted a volleyball tournament. Four teams of young men from Katesh competed for the grand prize.......a goat! Never did we think that we would travel to the market to buy a goat as a trophy. During the tournament, the participants and the gathering crowd were able to hear the Gospel.

As many as you know, Tricia's brother, Steve and his family have been in Tanzania for over 7 years. Two weeks ago, their parents and oldest brother, Mark came for a visit. Before they headed back to America, we took them on a safari. Here are some highlights of our trip.

To give you a perspective on how close we REALLY were!

Taking their afternoon "Cat Nap" getting ready for the big kill!

This male lion was about 30 yards from our car, what a great sight to see!

The meanest and ugliest animal in Tanzania; The Hyena

This guy was right outside our car window

Our Vicious Guard Dogs

We officially introduce to you Mocha and Max. We recently got them from a missionary friend. They are German Shepard and Doberman mix. We have always thought that having a puppy was torturous, let alone TWO! But these little brothers love each other and play and sleep together all day. They just want us for the food! Here they are before their 4 hour car ride into the "bush." They did not know what they were in for!