New Wave Ministry

Photo Gallery at end of post

After a seemingly perfect honeymoon (I don’t want to devalue the word’s literal (flawless) meaning, though it seemed perfect to us) we slept late at our pastor/host’s home where Ashkey had stayed & were tired the Sunday at her pastor’s church.. It was a 10 hour church day! I did come down with a bad cough/sore throat which didn’t spoil our wonderful, restful honeymoon, but after packing for our early morning bus trip out of town, our night was very short & the 3+ hr trip was very hot. I got a sleep deprived head-ache before we took our first 3 man motorcycle taxi ride to our first teaching meeting. I took a total of 8 extra-strength Anacin (I seem to be immune to low doses or toxic doses:) & still had some pain, but how blessed we were to run across her new-born again father & to see him arrive for our first meeting! Even though the group wasn’t ready or enough adults to warrant my planned seminar on the Song of Solomon, my father-in-law, Sylvester asked great questions when I invited them. Racheal confirmed that God really lead my sharing (I turned the direction to answering questions). We traveled to two more teaching stops outside homes, both with sore throats, headaches & some stomach pain part of the time. Her father came to every meeting & we figured out that he could best understand my Swahili, & I his English.

Physically the trip to her home-town was miserable, but how my wife is a treasure!! The first day I was just trying to think about other things on the last long ride to the hotel, to avoid throwing up on the back of the 4 person motorcycle (Racheal held Ashkey) in front of me on the back. My headache was getting worse. I collapsed on the bed, of course, making sure Ashkey was taken care of. Then Racheal massaged my back, my scalp, & my feet! She had a sore throat, some head-ache & occasional stomach pains, but I am so blessed! She never complained & rejoiced with me for everyone that was blessed by our travels, including her father’s avid questions & hugs for me! We never got enough rest for 3 days & it was too hot for a North Indiana American to be comfortable, but the response of the people & her father, in particular, was great! I also learned a lot about the unusual endurance and maturity of my young wife. To me it seemed like the most miserable 4 days I could remember, but it was only 3! But we’re both glad we went. Racheal told me, she was telling those who asked, that Ashkey was her first-born. Truly, Ashkey cries if Racheal won’t hold her, even when she first sees me after a few days of travel!

We returned all the way to our host/pastor’s home to get a decent nights sleep, but left the next day to visit my original apostolic, evangelistic, church planting network leader with whom I traveled last year until I met Racheal. That four day trip was really wonderful!

We stayed in a house with a private bedroom & bath that was more comfortable than the last $16/night hotel. Our bachelor host spoke excellent English & loved talking to me (typical in Africa).

We visited 3-4 house churches for each of 3 days, with great discussion teachings.

One day, our 2nd stop had 3 ladies who said they wanted to get saved! Unbeknownst to me, I was sharing about the real gospel to people who really were ready! After leading them in prayer & explaining the importance of baptism, 2 more men wanted to be saved!

At the next home we found “A worthy man.” Matt 10:5 who was waiting to be saved! He had invited his best friend who with his wife also received the Lord as both Savior & Lord! Fortunately, he spoke English & loves to read good books & I had brought about 200 good books, which I said, I’d leave with our pastor/host for a library for English readers!

Our “worthy man”, John, came with us for the basic teaching discussion, that is my nature when we eat & travel together. He was well-to-do, businessman, so he drove us the next day & to the home traditional church of my great leader contact on Sunday.

Our new bachelor host, stayed the last two days at a friends house, so we had another honey-moon cottage & both got good rest & made progress against the real nasty colds we shared.

Of course we got more rest, because Ashkey & our host’s family were so happy together that we left her with them those 4 days, but we were both glad we took her to see Racheal’s family, who had never seen my baby before, except in photos.

We postponed our travel to Tuesday night, so we had time to start packing Sunday evening plus time to teach a disciple-ship group on Monday.

I taught new subjects with no use of my computer for notes Sunday & Monday, & was so blessed at how it all came together to teach about the churches needed expectation of great influence & it’s responsibility to bring the kingdom beyond salvation to business, education, & government. I taught the responsibility of all believers to both make disciples & to build the church, which requires destruction of false ideas & methods of evangelism (like bring them to buildings:) before you can build!

Two things have impressed me in my experience with a marriage/ministry partner in Africa this second time:  Read more... (3127 words, 52 images, estimated 12:30 mins reading time)

Wow! Our two wedding ceremonies, on March 17 were more fun than I imagined, with more Christian inspiration from Racheal’s two fathers & a young friend named Racheal than either of us had imagined.

First the Inspiration

In the first traditional “Introduction” ceremony at Racheal’s real father’s front yard, I picked him out, though I’d never seen him before., & saw that he didn’t have his 5th wife with him & didn’t smile very much, though I got a quick smile out of him. His background in brief:

After many years of smoking, drinking, womanizing & being somewhat wealthy & stingy, with Racheal & others praying for him the womanizing dropped off, of course he was about 68 at that time 10 yrs ago, then he stopped smoking & drinking, so Racheal thought God is answering my prayers bit by bit.

Sometime after he amazingly agreed that we could marry with no dowry requested, around October, he called his large family together to tell them something. He said, “Last night I had a dream. I was given a pair of spectacles. When I put them on, I saw the light. I saw a man preaching the good news of the cross of Jesus for salvation. When he finished he said, “Why don’t you give your life to Jesus. He will carry your burdens.”” Racheal said, “Daddy, do you want to receive Jesus, now?” He said, “Yes.” His whole family was stunned when their stingy father soon said, “I am going to give 1 milllion shillings (approx. $400) toward the celebration of Racheal & Greg’s marriage.”

He has changed greatly. He asked Racheal for a bible. He couldn’t read the small print, so he said, “I’ll go get reading glasses.” He traveled to the other side of the country to go to a Christian conference. He won’t let Racheal leave from a visit, until she prays with him. He recently told her, “I don’t intend to do for your sisters, what I did for you. You have my favor, because my spirit is one with yours!” Bear in mind that he is a new brother in Christ, but he is showing his oneness with those who are disciples of Jesus. When I talked to him twice on Racheal’s phone from the USA he was so happy to hear my voice as his future son-in-law.

During the first ceremony, I noticed when Racheal walked in a line of sisters by her father, he gave her a big broad smile, of great happiness! When the ceremony required that I give something to him I told him “Nashukuru!” which means I thank you from my heart. Then I hugged him. The whole crowd Oooohhed, because he grabbed me in a bear hug & swung us back and forth from right to left until I could hardly keep us on our feet! That video was too large to email.

He also gave a speech thanking all for coming and clearly saying that this joy was from Jesus and all the credit belongs to him!

In the Christian church style wedding, in the step-father & mother’s front yard (where I first met her) her step-father took the mic & gave us his advice in three short points:

“The first key to a our good marriage is love. After that,

We are patient with one-another,

When we do wrong, we forgive each other quickly.”

Racheal & I were both surprised & amazed, because she is praying for her him & her mother to know Jesus, as they are part of a religious, but not gospel-preaching, Anglican church. I thought that was the best sermon, I’ve heard on marriage, because it is biblical & I can easily remember it:)

Then a young lady friend/spiritual daughter of Racheal’s with the same spelled name read a poem she had written about marriage, with advice, mostly to me. It was really good! In short, she said, “Many other (suitors) tried, but you have won. You have found beautiful rose. She is a flower that must be cared for. The thorns may hurt, but you must care for your rose.”

I & my best man wore three different colorful African suits (I had to pay to be made) Racheal wore two & the wedding dress that my 30 yr old daughter helped me find at 40% off and bring in one of my 6 checked boxes/bags (I only paid $200 for extra bags, because my Christian travel agent got us a missionary ticket with 4 checked free & up to 51 lbs in my two carry-ons [Ashkey & I]). I literally took 800 lbs of luggage. Most of the weight was books, 8 computers, & 1 laser duplexing printer.

Custom, also required numerous gifts to father, mother, aunts, uncles, the group (1 cow, sugar, salt, soda, etc.) & special clothes for most of them. I was a little peeved at all the expenses for the traditions of her culture, but both parental families paid many of the expenses and did not require the traditional dowry. But I take my aggravation back, because the ceremony had beautiful lines of dancing walks of aunts, brothers, sisters, brides-maids, all in beautiful matching dress, great advice, memorable African suits & a large crowd rejoicing & laughing at my dancing, & her father’s joyful embrace of me among other things. It was way more fun than I had imagined!

Also my new Android phone was used by my Rwandan brother-in-law, by my deceased wife, to take nice quality photos & videos which I’ll attach to this email. My really great Kenyan (in USA) secretary bought me 2 long life batteries for my computer & 2 extra batteries for my new phone/camera/internet phone. I was so busy I forgot the nice $62 video camera we bought for the wedding, but we hired a man for $122 & he did a really good job, which will give us a DVD of wedding video & photos for another $61! Besides all that, I was amazed that all the key people & businesses could talk with me in good English, more than any other Africa country I have been in.  Read more... (3048 words, estimated 12:12 mins reading time)

My fiancee’s dress sizes are shoulder to foot “Height”: 57” (not her, but dress height), Bust: 34”, Waist: 27”, Hip: 36”, Ugandan English “Caber” is outside of shoulder-shoulder: 16”.  They are all in inches straight from metric Africa. We were given one for the wedding to my deceased Rwandan wife in 2008. Now we (a different we) need another that we can alter. Call/text my cell 574 295 9696 or reply to ship to my address at the bottom of this.

Below is a great report from Tanzania about 32 mostly new churches, deliverances & healings! (Edited for readability with Dave’s approval)

GREG

We thank God for His love, and the blessing that He is doing and working through us. We are happy that God is multiplying disciples here. As He takes us step by step, we are growing. By now we have grown from 7 House churches in Dar es salaam to 30 more in other cities in the country After long bus trips from east to west we planted 10 house churches in Mwanza, the town located at lake Victoria in the west of the country. We also planted 5 house churches in Singida the town located close to Arusha. Our  37  house churches are growing fast.

Here is the testimony of our brother AMANI, from our house church in Singida. “People are amazed to realize how the small church can make true family in Christ more than the traditional churches. I feel loved and belonging to the church more now than in the big church I used to attend, cause in small churches I can ask questions. We are free to meet the deacons, and almost everybody is a minister. We sing songs together, and we pray for each other.”

Also, we thank God many people are healed, demons are cast out and people are set free from many kind of oppressions during our Jesus film crusades. Hallelujah! Jesus Films have been a wonderful ministry to win & touch people’s lives. Jesus Film ministry is helping us to rapidly plant and grow House churches and many are receiving healing from Jesus.

During a Jesus Film crusade there was a woman who had a fibrous tumor. We laid on hands and prayed for her. Then the demon manifested. After she vomited she could not feel any pain in her stomach. We told her to go to the doctor for medical checkup. The doctor verified that she had no tumor. She is free! The Lord set her free! Halleluiah! She told us the stomach pain from the tumor was gone! This happened during Jesus Film crusades in villages. Many people attended the crusades. We thank GOD that through Jesus Film crusades the house churches near Singida have multiplied from 5 to 15 now . I want to go back to help train new leaders and plant more house churches. They are in the rural area. It takes an 18 hour bus ride from Dar. It is a rough road, from the city of Singida to the rural area.

Your Tanzania New Wave Ministry partner, David

David has persisted in being faithful to use the Jesus Film DVDs I sent, the DVD projector sent after a big donation, & the speakers he bought with another big US donation. He has had very occasional success selling computers for me for profit, but has never had enough for ministry trips without great sacrifice. But he wants to make disciples for Jesus & he managed to go with what he has & occasional small help from me. He is a good pastor of leaders (he always encourages me) & he is committed to bringing the Kingdom of God to people who have not heard or seen what Jesus can do for them.

He needs four types of donations. I only remember one $100 donation that I got this year (not counting my own gifts).

1. $150 round trip fares to return to train leaders & help them plant more churches.
2. $100 for training materials
3. $350 to print a book he wrote (about choosing a marriage partner) that people want to buy (he has orders) to support his travels.
4. Monthly support for his family & ministry travels. He has looked for jobs & buyers for computers, but his most fruitful efforts have been preaching the gospel, teaching, & traveling for Jesus. I suggest $30-$50/mo, but if you have online banking like most people your bank can send any amount every month at no cost to you in time or postage. I make several donations from just $7-15/mo to other ministries using repeating online bill payments.

Summary of miraculous blessings (#3 is the best amazing answer to prayer):  Read more... (4337 words, estimated 17:21 mins reading time)

1. After over 3.5 years of marriage with no birth-control, my ministry leader-wife died in the final stage of AIDs (she told no one) 11 days after our first daughter was born in the 8^th month, because Provi was unconscious that day. I got my 3^rd HIV test 9 mos. after exposure, late Oct. I tested negative I’m & stronger than ever! My first two tests were before the 90 day risk period had ended. The Christian health staff lady confirmed my baby Ashkey’s passed test, by observation that she was way too healthy to be an HIV positive baby! She was treated to stop HIV transmission, successfully & tested in Rwanda at 7 wks of age.

This is my/our testimony, but I also attached & recommend “The Weightiest Matter” MorningstarMinistries.org Prophetic Bulletin.  It’s one of many great free bulletins & this one relates to the whole reason for romance & marriage.  The writings by Rick Joyner have radically impacted my life along with Watchmen Nee & “Reise Howells Intercessor” by Norman Grubb & audio teaching by Mike Bickle of www.ihop.org.

Our 2007-Provi’s promotion to heaven marriage:

This is a great testimony of how “…eye has not seen & ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.” 2 Cor. 2:9 & Luke 18:29-30 “…there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of who will not receive many times as much at this time & in the age to come eternal life.”

Although I suffered most of the time for 30 years, since I was married at the age of 19 to a wife who was angry with me most of the time, because she couldn’t succeed at changing the source of her fears (my family leadership, provision & some mistakes, of course) & who, 13 years later, after she had experienced a dramatic deliverance, which came partially through my fasting for her, told me she was backslidden when I married her.  After her deliverance we had a few  wonderful months (at least I thought so) but she seemed to get even worse for the last five years, often saying, “I wish I could kill you.” and choosing to sleep alone for the last three years.  She is happily remarried and likely, greatly improved by now with many admirable qualities, which I have many times spoken well of.

God answered my prayer & accomplished my written goals to find a good wife in a 3^rd-world country & to help me lead hundreds of churches, though I had no Christian leadership position when I wrote those goals in the spring of 04.

Providence, called Provi, who I called Du (short for Dusabe) & I, had a fabulous relationship, after I arrived Oct 10, 07 & married her the 14^th.

I wrote a long list of qualities I desired in a wife, like radical for Jesus, loving to pray, not afraid of men, a hard worker, intelligent, & disciplined.  I saw these qualities, by phone & email, & by the testimony of my partners, after we really started communicating about 8 weeks after I met her.  But she was beyond my list of requests, as my partners told me she was so zealous, nearly always passionately affectionate, & amazingly humble & teachable, although I understand her personality well, since we are both independent, functioning like 3^rd- born children of the same sex, intelligent, & often opinionated, because of our natural gifts.  I never dreamed I would find a wife of her age who would love me so much & who is willing to change rapidly to please me.

She begged me to tell her if she “made a mistake” so she could change.  There wasn’t anything significant that I didn’t like, so after some pondering, I told her, although it wasn’t a big issue, I would prefer that she not drink soda-pop (which is common even among the very poor) because it’s not good for you at all & is a waste of money you can use for the kingdom of God.  She said, “Drinking soda is finished.”  Although I have seen her drink it when given it, she told me she has stopped drinking soda-pop.

 I’m still increasing my physical strength.  I’ve also challenged her & all of you as well to avoid things made with sugar or white flour, since most common western diseases are caused by refined foods with those ingredients.  You can get a great supplement, “Healthy Advantage” at www.DrDavidWilliams.com.

I encouraged my wife & all of you that we must be like children to enter the kingdom of God, & children are open to new ideas, quick to change & learn, & happy when they don’t have much of anything, as long as they are loved.  She & I didn’t have much financially, & we had to work hard & even sell our prized possessions (like the computer I sent her) to earn some income, but we had so much love for each other & so much by our Father & Bridegroom, Jesus. We were like happy children, always learning & eager to please our Father, one-another, & our bridegroom, Jesus.

Although I knew she was devoted first to Jesus, she treated me like Him & said, “You are my life.”  “You are my schedule.” “I have no schedule of my own.” & I know that I must be first devoted to Jesus, but by loving & sacrificing for her, I was loving Him, as He said, “Whatever you have done to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it to me.”

I was quite amazed by the perfection of our relationship in areas I never dreamed to expect.  Of course, I know that there’s times when it seems the honeymoon is over & you find something you don’t like, but except for illness our earthly honeymoon never ended.

 We still had a honeymoon for 41 months and grew strong in our relationship through various shared trials, including our longest separation for 7 months before my only 2010 trip.  We survived, together a rolled-bus accident 24, April, 09, and she made it through another illness with 6 weeks of head-aches with no known natural cause later that year.  When she found out she was pregnant September 2010 she was so happy she cried. Neither of us knew that she would still not have her US visa after I applied Dec. of 07.  But our marriage was solid as a rock, after the normal challenges of early marriage passed.  Read more... (1623 words, estimated 6:30 mins reading time)

Great sources & why:

1. www.gbtv.com–If you sign up for GBTV Plus, you get a 14 day free trial, at $9.95/mo, with a lot of great material, documentaries, and a university that teaches with real professors, the Christian history of the   USA!  But it’s down, because of their rapid start-up, but I have found so many great videos, including 5 episodes of the diary of Anne Franke.  You may not like all that Glen Beck says, but his work should be respected & supported, because he is telling the truth & he credits the leading of God for all the good things that have happened, not to mention his experience of the “atonement” from Jesus Christ. Though he is a Morman, I’ve never heard him espouse Morman doctrine, but he tells the truth!
2. www.MorningStarTV.com–Much great teaching & worship that is very balanced in my opinion & most of it is free.  Prophetic Perspectives is free and available new & old archives.
3. Books by George Gilder (Try www.Amazon.com). “Men & Marriage” which is “Sexual Suicide” revised is eye-opening on the destruction of western cultures, “Wealth & Poverty” explains the secret of wealth & poverty with raw facts, “The Israel Test” about the test of nations, pass or fail. I have felt that every one of his books I’ve read should be required reading in Universities, because he just tells the truth, which supports Christianity, but from a secular approach.  I think I’ll read more that I found at Amazon by him.
4. “The 5,000 Year Leap” Truth about the Christian Foundation of the USA.

US life & God has provided a fiancée & future mother for Ashkey & the money from less than 3 months of hard work to pay for my flexible date, extra luggage ticket for Ashkey & I to travel round-trip any time in the next year! The ticket is paid for, while I catch up on details before I travel to Uganda to get married & whatever else God leads.

I met Racheal early May, as the chief cook & oldest daughter (of 10 siblings) of our last host on an 8 day trip in Western Uganda.  Her English is good, but more importantly she always prays for the Lord’s will, not our desire, & she quotes scripture to me on the phone & even more by text messages, and she knows how to work! I had a wonderful marriage to Provi, who died 11 days after Ashkey was born, Feb 13/24, and because God has given me such a heavenly viewpoint, I didn’t feel lonely or anxious to marry again.  But despite my many strengths, I am a bit unbalanced (I’m not at all sensitive) and expect to be more fruitful in His kingdom as a married man.  I also think, that the best thing you can do for your children (my greatest personal emotional desire is to raise children as a good father without opposition in my family) is to show your children that your love for God, produces parents who love each other and show it.  I suppose the Lord knows that when Ashkey, starts eating more than drinking the good organic formula, I found, and crawling, it will also help me run my business or teach, if I have a helping wife.

Although, I was swamped & blessed by God leading me to travel home on the first day of a bumper summer crop in my heating and cooling business, & behind on many important things, & recently lost my wife and had to be father & mother to my now 7+ month old baby, I feel enriched in relationships, which are much more important than things, blessed in increasing knowledge, as well as increasing physical strength, growing in faith, and the ability to hear God’s voice.  I have had really sweet relationships with my customers (having a baby with you helpsJ) and just today, I felt God impress me to stop my usual plan to listen to good web-stream teaching on my computer & call my fiancée while I bathed Ashkey. She told me that she had just turned on her phone, after it was solar power charged & boy did we have a great conversation! I am so grateful to God that I hear His voice in all kinds of things and happy that He uses these things to confirm & strengthen my relationship with my new life-long partner.

Racheal now has internet in her phone, thanks to the miracle that my identical twin (except skin) from Kenya somehow got it working when several people, including managers, from the wireless company could not get it working in her phone!  They both had a wonderful visit when he brought great books from other ministries to my new leader of, now 316 house churches & 5 traditional churches in Uganda. She surprised and blessed me when she told me that she was learning from the teaching email, I just sent, that was lessons from my life brought to the surface by hearing God recently. She also shared with me how she was learning from my book on the Song of Solomon that I emailed to her and my transparent emails about my troubles, feelings, and confident expectations. Reply if you want me to send my email teachings or my book on the Song of Solomon. I can’t send all my emails—I only have one fiancée, & don’t expect to have any more for at least 50-100 yearsJ.

Attached are not only great photos of Ashkey 4-6.7 mos., but there are some great short videos of her kicking, bathing, & me sliding down my home-made quick fire-escape from our   new upstairs deck (11 ft. above the ground).

Lessons from my busy USA time 1 June-now:  Read more... (2604 words, estimated 10:25 mins reading time)

I wrote after Kenya Adventures on the way back May 31^st, but was too busy after arriving after midnight June 1^st to my home/heating/AC business (97 degrees & humid that day & week) to organize photos & finish the email. God blessed me  in the USA June-now with:

1. Immediate & much paying business.
2. Good business & early childcare help at just the right times
3. Great health & enough money for any pressing need
4. Such strength & endurance that I always enjoy taking care of Ashkey (she was 3.5 mos. Old & almost 7 mos old now & tired of trying to crawl right nowJ so I just picked her up & put her in the walker a customer gave me, when I took her to help J me install an Air-Conditioner. She smiles at me when talk to her, but she’s about ready for my amazing (put her to sleep in 20 seconds) routine. It took a little longer tonight, but she sleeps when I cover her head with a pillow slip or sheet & put her where she can’t roll over. She fussed, but didn’t really cry for a minute & is zonked out in her play-pen now after about a minute. Of course, I know how to make sure she’s full & really tiredJ.
5. Great workers from Craig’s List to continue finishing my house (finished bedroom, bath, 11’ high deck railing & other projects) who also helped me do jobs when I was too busy to do them alone or at all. The first guy, even picked up groceries, I needed etc. at 2-3 stores the first time he came, with his own money to be reimbursed by me.
6. A great relationship, by phone & text, & a little email (she printed my book on the Song of Solomon & really is amazed at the revelation) with my future wife (her parents & she accepted my request/proposal yesterday). Her English is very good, but she has learned my favorite phrases in Swahili, which her father speaks along with English & other languages, so I called him to ask for his agreement. His first action was to ask her if she wanted to marry meJ
7. I have so many good photos that I’ll send my US photos & short baby videos in another email.

Kenya Adventures: After a good night’s sleep, the night of 15 May, in our Nairobi host’s house, I spent the day traveling with a brother who seems like my twin! I just met him before my last departure, but we are two peas in a pod, except I get sleepy when I’m hungry and he gets sleepy when he eats.

We had a long first Kenya day for the purpose of setting up my internet and telephone service interrupted by the theft of another backpack with a computer and two batteries!  Thankfully, once again my external hard drive, passports, and phone chargers were, unusually, not in the pack, nor were my digital camera & 3 telephones & chargers! This time, I was so busy talking to Patrick that I left it on a restaurant chair and the staff probably lied, that they did not find it, when we returned. But, amazingly, I had one more identical computer & battery which I succeeded at connecting to the fastest wireless internet with most of my files restored from my external hard drive. That was a long day of walking all over down-town Nairobi, several times, but we got the important things & even bought a nicer back-pack, with strong straps, many pockets, and belt to carry heavy loads for $22.50, which for that quality was a bargain. I often used the belt to move the weight to my hips, instead of tiring my shoulders.

Patrick cancelled his plans to direct the school he led the founding of, to travel with me to teach in Kisii Land, & boy did we have fun!

The first part of our journey seemed like playing Russian roulette with someone else pulling the triggerJ. Since he was late due to pre-marriage counseling till 3 am, we took the fast motorcycle taxis to pass the Nairobi morning traffic jam. Oh my God (hope you’re not offended) it was hair-raising enough to make you pray loud in tongues & ask for a deliverance interpretation! We weaved in & out of traffic, passed on the right, the left, the median, the sidewalks, the mud paths, on both sides of the roads. Sometimes we were so close to big busses that I needed to pull my knees close to the motorcycle to keep from scraping other vehicles!

Patrick is a bit too optimistic, like I was in my younger years, and said it would take just 10 minutes. It was a ½ hr. of hair-raising dashing, but it was better than the African 30 minutes which would have been at least two hours, I’m sure, in that traffic jam. As a result we got on the bus that was leaving in an African 10 minutes, which turned to two hours of waiting to leave after the departure time! But the internet in Nairobi was very fast, so I finished my homework & emails on my only battery before the bus started bouncing down the road.

Kenya is a little more developed than the other African countries I’ve been in, so we had working electricity most places to keep my one computer battery charged after we arrived and began teaching & traveling in various Kisii Land places.  The capital’s police department even had an ordinary toilet, TP, running water, and a working soap dispenser!  I don’t think I hardly ever had all that in one place in Africa, before Kenya.  Read more... (3525 words, estimated 14:06 mins reading time)

I am attaching some good baby photos & videos, this time. The file names describe the contents. The videos are short, funny & very cute, except for the mourning singing, which are still interesting. If your player won’t open them, I downloaded the free Gom Player, which also plays most of my down-loaded movies. Search for it or use www.download.com. Her bandaged hand was for intravenous anti-HIV transmission meds, but that part is finished.

I really feel happy:

1. Because I’ve had the joy of teaching many people in my own home, both as a stand-up teacher & by discussion with people who ask bible questions & I can see them really touched.
2. Because when my daughter cries & isn’t hungry, she falls asleep on my chest, and I fall asleep with my arm around her.
3. Happy because I can feel sorrow & experience joy at the same time!—I was surprised when the nice hotel restaurant that my young brother-in-law took me to, at his expense, panged my heart, because I wish I could’ve taken Provi there to be treated special. She told me a few days before her coma that she wanted to eat at a restaurant with me when she was feeling well. But we will eat at the heavenly café, at the Lord’s Table, because she is well now!  But I also enjoyed some non-African food, for a change with a delicious & healthy pizza, for a whole $10.20. & it was paid for by an African!
4. Happy because, God has provided everything I need despite my loss, & I am a free man! I am free to serve Jesus and confident that nothing I desire will be withheld by my loving Father & Bridegroom! I only suffer a momentary light affliction to be far outweighed by an eternal weight of glory.
5. Blessed because so many have shown their love & concern, & also when they hear the joy & peace in me they express respect for me. What man doesn’t like to be shown respect?
6. Happy because, I am healthy, strong & surrounded by resources with the wisdom to know where to look for every need I/we have. I even have a good Christian mother who lives in my USA house & has called me several times & laughed with pleasure when I said, I know you will enjoy helping me with Ashkey!
7. Blessed because, God has really healed me of loneliness & I am excited by the changes of traveling & living with my new daughter.
8. Because I’m making great progress in speaking Swahili and have a team who works with me in my African home and my American home. Experienced mothers, men with gifts I don’t have & all respecting me & committed to help me. One of my brother-in-laws said, I promised Provi at her grave, I will do whatever is needed to take care of Ashkey! He said “Which (what) can I do for you?”
9. Excited because I see my plans coming together, as I make another trip to talk with deans of a University while I apply for a US passport for Ashkey, so we can travel anywhere together.
10. Blessed because my online education is going well & my two professors that I have never met, are both praying with their families for me.
11. Really thankful, because I get along so well with our house servant, & brother-in-laws. We share sweet moments at strange times (all hours) just laughing when Ashkey puckers her lips or cries and forgets she is hungry & falls asleep.
12. God even sent an American who speaks Kinyarwanda very well to interpret for me at the closing condolence service at our house & she said she will buy our TV/DVD (which I don”t need) & called me today, as she is working on two buyers for my 8 unsold computers.
13. Provi is rejoicing in heaven & probably has rejoiced with my oldest daughter, & talked with her about how God showed Provi that Leah was in heaven, only wishing she could ask pardon of me face-to-face.

What else could a man ask for?  I feel like the richest man in the world!

The silver lining in Thursday’s cloud:

I had a wonderful day, because I went to town to get a Rwanda birth & death certificated for the US Embassy & because they closed for lunch when I finally got there! Since they were closed & I was hungry & the place I went to eat nearby was occupied by the president of Rwanda, I asked my friends at the wireless data/phone office (they know you by name if you are me) & went across the street to the Gorilla Hotel. There was a young (21 yrs.) Chinese lady there, because of a hard rain who was eating while it stopped. We began to talk & she was so interested in my wide areas of knowledge & amazing stories. She said she was agnostic, but she felt God had messed up her plans with the rain so we could meet & share about so many things. She gave me her Uganda phone number to SMS her so we could meet & I could take her home to see Ashkey. Shortly after I finished my government trip, she followed my bicycle home on a moto-taxi. I think we talked for 9 hrs that day! Now she is Ashkey’s Auntie Dan. Her last name is TanJ I have photos & videos of her holding and talking to Ashkey and telling her that she is so blessed with many things including her father! She even stayed all night & almost missed her 9:30 am bus because we talked so well! I think she will come to the Lord & be partly discipled by me. She prayed very sincerely from her heart in English and Chinese, so she could express herself.  Read more... (1572 words, 37 images, estimated 6:17 mins reading time)