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Here is our most recent blog telling about our new sister in Christ: http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Centre/Iringa/blog-624488.html . We had a physical birth and a spiritual birth this weekend. Pretty exciting, wouldn’t you say?
I think my weekend qualifies as exciting. I assisted our fellow missionary wife in delivering their fourth child at home. I wrote about it on my blog here: http://alifeofjoy.blogspot.com/2011/07/midmom-and-doula.html . Don’t worry, it’s tastefully written, and appropriate for all audiences. :) Sunday morning we also had a spiritual birth, but I don’t want to give the details just yet, since George will be writing a blog about it. I’ll share the link when it’s ready.
I hope you all a wonderful 4th of July! As for us, we are more than ready for a little down time, which will probably include homemade ice cream. :)
One thing that I’ve been working on lately is a list of suggested Old Testament Lessons with References . Ignorance of Bible content is not a problem limited to third world countries, such as where we currently live. It is an increasingly world-wide challenge, as worldly pleasures compete more and more for our time. This isn’t just a challenge for children and youth, but it affects all ages. So, I would like to challenge you to make Bible knowledge a priority in your family. Help your children become students of the Word.
If there is one thing I’d like to stress, it is that we should not underestimate the minds of little children! They are FAR MORE capable than we often realize. Most two and three year old children are capable of learning all of the books of the Bible, from memory! You may find that you have some catching up to do, and that’s okay, as long as you recognize the need and you are willing to do something about it. Learn together with your children.
So far I have the list finished for the Old Testament. Please know that this list is just a starting place! It is in no way a complete list of all relevant events in the Old Testament. Keep in mind that one of the reasons I am compiling these lists is so that I can have them translated into Swahili so that they can be shared with parents who absolutely do not know how to go about teaching their children, as well as people who are “starting from scratch” in their Bible knowledge, such as new converts.
Yesterday George preached a great lesson on Responsibilities of Husbands and Wives. In all likelihood that’s the first of its kind for many of the listeners yesterday. We ended the day with a baptism of a young man who has been studying with our translator for a couple of months. We have great hopes for this young man – he has truly been a searcher. You can read more about it at our travelblog: http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Centre/Iringa/blog-613978.html
My favorite fast food would be Taco Bell. At this time it is only a memory; nothing of the sort available where we live. :)
We had lunch a couple of hours ago and my husband and children thanked me for the meal. They are always so gracious to thank the cook, whoever it might be, after every meal, and my husband has been the greatest teacher of this habit to our children, through his example.
That is a wonderful example. I have always enjoyed hearing in the prayer, “And Father, bless the hands that have prepared this meal,” even at church fellowships which we are having today!
We stayed at home where it is safe. We didn’t do anything exciting, except when the clock struck we went outside and the family made some noise, as we watched people on the hill near our house have a huge bonfire and make noise of their own. Our house is disassembled as we are in the final stages of preparing to move. We’ll load the truck this coming Tuesday. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you as well, Joy. We pray that your move will be successful and profitable as you continue to work in the Lord’s kingdom in 2011.
Happy New Year to you, George and the family. May God richly bless you all.
Here is our latest post on our travelblog, which gives a quick overview of recent activities. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Arusha/blog-511867.html
We are in the final stage of packing and leave tomorrow night (afternoon for most of you). We are scheduled to arrive in OKC Tuesday late afternoon – a 27 hour journey. We’d appreciate your prayers.
You definitely have our prayers, Joy! Godspeed for a safe journey.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Life has been quite hectic and so my priorities have not included blogging. Our oldest daughter will be flying back to the states tomorrow night, using her one-way ticket. :) The remaining five of us will follow her in three weeks. Prayers for her safe travels will be greatly appreciated.
We worshiped with the Monduli congregation today. George has been instructing them in personal evangelism. The congregation has been enjoying these classes immensely, begging him to keep coming. One elderly lady, who cannot even read or write, said today that his lessons were sweeter than sugar. It is so encouraging to us to see their zeal. George also taught a wonderful lesson on the beautitudes, from Matthew 5, of course. :)
This evening the missionaries got together to have a meal, have a devotional in English, and everyone also took turns expressing kind remarks and well wishes to Julia. Kind of emotional for her family. All in all, it’s been a wonderful Lord’s Day.
Good to have you back! Interesting story. Thanks for your families’ work for the Lord.
Must be a mixture of joy and sorrow to know that, soon, you and George will be returning to Tanzania after the wedding, leaving Julie her to begin a new life with her husband. Powerful feelings!
You speak the truth! :)
When our children were growing up, we purposefully did not make any plans to be out on Saturday evenings. The exception to that would be to attend a gospel meeting. We made sure clothes were ready, kids bathed and in bed at a decent time, and if I was teaching, all my class stuff assembled and ready to load in the car.
Even now we generally do not make plans for Saturday evenings (it’s not wise to be out after dark here any night of the week anyway, although we have to be from time to time). My Saturday preparations for the Lord’s Day are to iron clothes and have food on hand for Sunday. If we have a long drive we’ll bring lunch in the cooler, to eat on the way home. No fast food here. :)
Here is our latest blog post about our work and life in Tanzania:
http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Arusha/blog-499286.html
Well, right now I would have to say a dot, because I received some kind of bug bite about a week ago, which has resulted in a huge, painful dot. Hmm, for some reason I don’t think that’s what Randal had in mind. :<)
I love the smell of Star Jasmine and would love to have some vines outside my window, so that the scent can drift in. I also enjoy roses very much and would like to add some more to our yard. We can buy rose bushes very cheaply here. I am reminded of “Jesus, Rose of Sharon” – I like that song. :)
I was away from the internet all last week, thanks to a rare and wonderful get-away with my husband to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. That is the longest vacation that just the two of us have had together – ever. Now I’m trying to get back in the swing of things and prioritize my long list of things to do between now and the beginning of July, when we will make a trip to the states. I was going to go back and make some comments on previous posts, but due to time restraints, I think I’ll just jump back in and go from here. I have a wedding veil to make today. :) I hope you all are having a great week!
Welcome back, Joy! Glad you and your husband had a wonderful time. Sounds like you are just starting your day, and I am ending mine. Goodnight.
One of the most humorous events to me is the account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, on Mt. Carmel. Elijah mocked the false prophets by saying:
“…Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” I Kings 18:27
Now that’s funny.
Due to the fact that we live in Tanzania, we are at greater risk for crime. Our rental house has bars on all windows, metal security doors in addition to the wood doors. We have an electric fence on top of the tall concrete fence around the property, with a tall metal gate that is padlocked at night. We also have two German shepherds. Those extra measures of security are nice to have and the dogs and electric fence are particular deterrents, but our fail-proof security measure is being in Christ. Even if someone were to destroy our bodies, they cannot touch our souls. I think sometimes we get things turned around and put a great amount of emphasis on guarding our physical possessions, but we let our guard down when it comes to our souls.
Well said, Joy. You have to contend with lions that want to come into the house and eat something, too, don’t you?
Haha John, well there are none real close by, as far as I know. But…1 -2 hours away it might be a different story. 45 min. from here there are zebra, giraffe, elephant, and more, including more snakes than I’d ever want to meet.
I am reflecting upon the wonderful family God has given to me. Tuesday George and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I am so very thankful that he is my husband and father to our children. We both readily admit that we are far from perfect, but we have striven to keep God in the center of our home. Our son, Jacob, age 21, preached a very good lesson this morning. Our children are such a blessing in our lives, and I am often humbled when I think of their goodness. They teach me alot.
Joy, we are thankful that God has blessed you in this way.
I do like to travel! I’ve been to New Zealand, Jamaica, India, Malawi, and of course, Tanzania. Our traveling outside of the United States has always been mission-related, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It has been such a privilege to meet and worship with brethren in different parts of the world. Experiencing different cultures has definitely changed our world view and I believe it has given us a broader perspective of the church. When our children were growing up, my husband took turns taking them with him on various mission trips. Two daughters and one son have been to New Zealand, one son has been to Ukraine, and our oldest daughter has also been to Jamaica. Best of all is when our family has been able to travel together. In 2005 we all went together to India for a month. Together we spent a month in Malawi in 2006, and we moved to Tanzania in 2007. Our experiences have changed who we are, and hopefully for the better.
Joy, looks like you’ve seen a few countries yourself! It’s great that God’s people are able to not only see all of these countries, but to teach and preach the gospel while they are there. I’m certain you and your family have received a valuable education, without having to stick your head in one book.
Though my travels to other countries, I’ve learned that here in the USA, people are virtually spoiled with the amount of material things they possess. Not so in those far-away lands. What few material possessions those folks have, they are thankful to have them.
Hey, I’m on a roll! Two posts in one day. :)
This morning our family worshiped with the brethren at the Njiro congregation. We always enjoy worshiping here. Though they be few in number, there are some good people here. During one of the prayers offered this morning, my heart was struck at some words which were uttered.
But first, you must understand context. The home of the one who led the prayer is kind of like “The Projects” of Tanzania – rows of apartment-like dwellings for factory workers. Their space consists of two very small rooms. There is a small cubby hole where some food preparation is done. There is a tiny closet-sized toilet room, with just a hole in the ground. No sink. No shower. No running water. No electricity.
Now, with that in mind, think about this. Our brother prayed that we should not lay up our treasures on earth, because there are thieves and these earthly things will decay, but we should lay up our treasures in heaven. Isn’t that humbling to you? It is to me.
We may look at conditions in which our Tanzanian brethren live and think they are very poor. By U.S. standards they are. But U.S. standards don’t matter in the least. They are not “the” standard. George once asked his class of preacher students how many consider themselves to be poor. None of them thought so.
Just maybe some of our brethren in third-world countries have a better handle on what it means to lay up our treasures in heaven. They don’t have a lot of “things” in which to put their trust, but hope for a better place is very real to them.
What things do you treasure most? Can they be stolen? Can they rust? Will they decay? Maybe it’s time to reevaluate where we are storing our treasures, Matthew 6:19-20.
May you all have a blessed week.
In Him,
Joy
Beautiful, Joy. Thanks for sharing.
When the social elite take over this country there will be less luxury. Then maybe we will learn.
Thanks for sharing this.
Loved the article, Joy. It reminded me so much of the wonderful Christians we met in Jamaica while on campaigns. Some of them really struggle to keep their families clothed and feed yet they have this marvelous trust in God. I’ve taken both my kids down just to help them have a different view of “things.” It was money well spent.
God bless you and your husband and the work there in Tanzania!
Excellent post Joy. I wish we all could experience missionary life. It would give many of us “US” citizens and christians a dose of humbleness and strenghth to walk with God.
When I think of authority, that prompts me to think of submission.
Christ has all authority, and we are commanded to submit to him, Matt. 28:18.
We are to submit to the governing authorities, as long as they do not make demands contrary to the will of God, Rom. 13:1; Acts 5:29
We are to submit to elders, Heb. 13:17
Wives are to submit to their husbands,, Col. 3:18
Children are to submit to their parents, Eph. 6:1
Servants are to be obedient to Masters, Eph. 6:5.
No matter our age or position in life, there will always be someone in authority above us. Parents need to do a better job instilling into their children proper respect for authority. Too often parents are afraid to be authoritative in the lives of their children. However, learning to respect and submit to authority on a rudimentary level is vital preparation for submitting to various authorities in life, not the least of which is Christ, our ultimate authority. When parents provide godly authority for their children, it enables children to feel secure. Likewise, I feel a great sense of security when I think of Christ, because He is my perfect authority. Anything he requires of me is for my own good.
On a personal note, living here in Tanzania I do feel a certain amount of trepidation towards those in positions of authority in the world. Many are not interested in truth and justice, but in personal gain. However, I know that Christ will cause justice to reign in the end, and that is where my security lies.
Great insight and wisdom, Joy. We can “Amen” what you’ve said!
Amen Joy. If we don’t submit to authority then we become the authority. And on what basis do we do that?
Since Randal so graciously made an exception for Laura and me :D, I do feel obligated to reply – again. :) Here are a few of the many good qualities of my best friend, my husband: he is a spiritual leader, my encourager who gives me much more credit than I deserve, one in whom I can trust completely and talk to about anything and everything, and has a sense of humor that keeps me entertained.
If my mate is excluded, I’m out of luck. I don’t have a best friend other than him.
Joy, then we’ll make an exception for you and Laura. …
The best job I’ve ever had is the one I began nearly 25 years ago – being a help-meet to my husband, and then later a mother to our children. This is the best job I could possibly have, because it was given to me by God. Like many jobs, it requires flexibility and often challenges me to add new dimensions to my job description. It has been quite an interesting journey so far! :)
Joy, there’s no greater job (nor more demanding job) in the world than that of being a godly mother and help-meet to your husband. We’re thankful that you were willing to take on those responsibilities. May the Lord continue to bless you and your family.
Just one? :) One of the first thoughts that came to my mind was concerning Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son, Isaac. Though the specific word “obey” is not found, the concept permeates the account, found in Genesis 22. When Isaac questioned Abraham about the offering, Abraham replied “God will provide…”(Gen. 22:8). Hebrews 11:17-19 further reveals the thoughts of Abraham: he had faith that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead. Abraham obeyed, knowing that he could place complete trust in God to work out what seemed to be a most difficult situation. Are we willing to obey Him in all things, with complete trust in Him to provide, in spite of our limited view?
Joy, good point! God’s thinking is on a different wave length than our limited thinking processes.
I would have been more evangelistic. There are opportunities that have passed by because of being too timid.
I would like to say that although all of us would like to go back and do certain things over or be better than we were, the fact is we cannot. We ought to learn from our past mistakes and determine from this day forward to work on those attributes which we wish we would have begun to cultivate years ago. We must never live as though it’s too late to change; we must continually strive to be more Christlike every day.
Good one, Joy. And you’re right about changing now. At the same time, I was thinking of how helpful the Fellows’ comments would be for new converts. They’ll serve admirably for that purpose, I think.
Joy, thank you for the good insight on learning from our past mistakes and determining to press forward toward that challenging goal of the heavenly high calling that we have in Christ (Philippians 3:13-14).
Amen, Joy. Good word!
Excellent thoughts, Joy. Thank you. I had been thinking along similar lines about the impossibility of going back. We seem to have this _Groundhog Day_ (Randal, that’s a movie) mentality that if we could just go back we could correct all our mistakes. We forget to calculate in the human factor that makes new mistakes or even the same ones over again.
I’m so grateful God has brought me to this point. I have absolutely no desire to start over. I’m looking forward to what He will do as He further refines since I still have a ways to go!
I am working on some lessons for a ladies day. I would like to get your feedback on the following:
These first two questions apply to both males and females:
1. What vision or goals do you have for your personal spiritual growth, and what are you doing to make it happen?
2. What vision do you have for your family? What are you doing to help your family accomplish your vision? Hopefully we all have the vision of our family being in heaven, so please be more specific. :)
This last question is for females (men, you may ask your wives if you wish:) )
3. If you had the opportunity to attend a ladies day, what topics would you particularly like to have addressed?
Hi Joy! I’ll respond to each question by its number:
1) Personal Spiritual Growth? Study the Scriptures more (which I’m already doing), and I’ve been teaching an adult Bible class for as long as I can remember (we are short of men teachers).
2) Vision for my family? Well, it’s just my wife and I (son is grown and gone from home). We engage in short devotionals, which helps us draw closer to one another and to God.
3) What topics for ladies day? We have a Thursday ladies Bible class. The ladies have been studying the Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage issue in light of the Scriptures. Other good studies would be: woman’s role and responsibility in the church, child-rearing techniques, finance management, just to name a few.
Hi Joy,
My vision and goal is to grow closer to Christ. I try to do this through study and keeping my mind on Him during the busy, hectic day.
The vision for my family is that they all walk in the faith. We always try to be an example and practice what we preach.
As for topics, Mike has named some good ones.
Would I be showing favoritism if I said http://www.christiancourier.com/ ? :)
Not when that favoritism is well informed. :)
..I must surrender all.
For this very reason many people want Jesus as their Savior, not many want Him as their Lord.
My clothes washer is number one. I washed clothes by hand in our bathtub the first couple of months after our arrival in Tanzania, and wringing out everything by hand was definitely a chore, especially my son’s 36″long jeans. :)
Have you ever been talking to someone on the phone and while they talk, you wash a few dishes, dust the furniture, and turn to holler at the kids now and then? How about chatting online? Have you ever carried on conversations with two or three people simultaneously? How about four or five people? In this day and age, multitasking has reached new heights, and ironically, with the many different tools we have at hand to supposedly aid in communication, it seems that many people lack the ability to communicate on a deeper level. It has been said “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” I think there’s some truth to that statement.
Ralph Nichols once said “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” It seems like some people are people magnets. Somehow others are drawn to them. Folks always want to bounce ideas off them, discuss various problems, and bare their souls to these individuals. Perhaps one of the reasons is that they listen. But I wonder, who listens to them?
The next time you engage in a conversation, give some thought to how you listen. Try to focus your attention solely on the person with whom you are conversing at least for a few minutes. Don’t be so quick to express every thought and opinion. Don’t formulate your next sentence in your mind, while the other person is still talking. Instead, take the time to really listen. You just may learn something.
Excellent advice, Joy! Perhaps this is one of the reasons why married couples seek to get divorced from one another – they just refuse to purposefully listen to their spouse.
When I think of a good family life, I think of Deut. 6:4-7. A good family life results from two completely dedicated parents, who have put God at the center of their family unit – in everything. All decisions are made in the best spiritual interest of the family – when we will worship, what we will wear, what we will watch, what we will read, what we will eat and drink, whom we spend time with, etc. Also, I think honest, open, and respectful communication (this applies to the listener, as well as the one speaking) is vital to having close-knit family.
When we were in the states, the last two congregations of which we were members, we devoted the fourth Wed. of every month to prayers and singing. The men took turns by leading a couple of songs and then systematically working their way through the pews, asking each individual if they had a prayer request, maybe doing four or five at a time. The next man would take up where the last one stopped. We noticed a big difference in the types of prayer requests people made as they became more comfortable – they became more personal;everyone became more comfortable with addressing struggles in their life. I believe the members grew closer as a result. On this Wednesday the children did not have Bible class, and they also were given opportunity to give a prayer request.
It’s impossible to pick just one, but I have a special affinity for Sarah, who moved with her husband, Abraham, to a far away land, neither of them knowing where they were going. She went by faith, destination unknown, and was blessed more than she could ever imagine.
Welcome to TFR, Joy. Great post. We look forward to many more.
Here is an article recently written by my husband, George Jensen:
Our wonderful supporters often ask questions which indicate their genuine concern for our children. It is one thing for Joy and I to make a commitment to live in a third world country, but what about the impact upon our children? These issues have been the subject of many prayers and careful consideration on our part. Some time back Joy authored an article entitled: “Are We Asking Too Much?” . The high spiritual standard we have set for our own children we also expect from any who might be interested in courting our children. One valid question arises: Can we expect to live far from America, have exacting expectations, and expect our children to find a suitable mate?
Having read the title of this entry, you already may know where this is headed. God’s providential workings cannot be fathomed by the human mind (cf. Rom. 11:33). I firmly believed that even with the seeming limitations of living here in Africa, God would not be hindered in answering our many prayers to bless our children with a mate at the appropriate time. Those prayers have been answered for our eldest child, Julia. We thank God for allowing her and us to meet Lee Parish. May we trust God’s willingness to bless us (cf. Rom.8:32).
Joy, your daughter couldn’t have found a better godly man than Lee. We’re thankful for the Lord’s providence and His concern for each one of us.
Amen! I too prayed, only to find a mate for myself, as I was surrounded by ungodly people. I soon met a young man of a different faith. He came from a fine family — good people. Little did I know that he would not only accept the truth, but that he would eventually become an elder in the Lord’s church. God indeed answers prayers and cares for his own. I pray that Lee and Julia have a long and happy marriage, and they will, as long as they keep their eyes on God.
Glenda Williams is discussing. 
Tina Cutsinger, 
jimnewy, and 1 other are discussing. 
Lee is discussing. 
That is a wonderful example. I have always enjoyed hearing in the prayer, “And Father, bless the hands that have prepared this meal,” even at church fellowships which we are having today!