The last month or so has been quite hectic for our family.  We realize that there haven’t been many blog posts lately.  We have been so busy just trying to keep our heads above water.   Most of the month of March George spent going back and forth to Arusha, in between all of his other work, trying to get the house we are renting livable.  Without actually living there, it was very difficult to do that, so we decided to go ahead and get moved.

March 29th was our last services with the brethren in Moshi.  There happened to be a potluck noon meal and singing planned for that day, which we enjoyed with our brothers and sisters.  We have come to love our brethren here very much, and will miss them.  I think that some of the children in Moshi will particularly miss Julia and Lindsey.  March 30 a truck was loaded with many of our household belongings.  This was the first spent the first night in our house.   The 31st some of the family went back to Moshi to get another load, while Lindsey and I stayed behind to work on unpacking.  We still have a few things left in Moshi that we need to get, but for the most part, we are moved in.  We’ve had a lot of plumbing/water issues that need to be resolved, but there is no place in Africa that doesn’t have one problem or another.  We’ve been relating to our ancestors, and have been heating water on the stove in order to get hot water.  In spite of a few inconveniences, we really like the house and location.

The mission team is beginning to put planning in high gear, in preparation for campaign time.  On April 9th I hosted a brunch for the other missionary wives, and then we had a planning meeting for various upcoming events.

April 11 a small group from Bear Valley arrived.  They will be here for two weeks, and have been doing a variety of things to help the work here - Mike Hite teaching a short course at the school, as well as other teaching and preaching.  Mike’s wife Lynn Hite, along with Kathy Pollard, have taught some classes for ladies.  The missionary families have taken turns feeding them supper, and we enjoyed having them in our home Friday.

Yesterday, the 18th, Stephanie Stafford hosted a luncheon for the Tanzanian preacher’s wives.  We had several lessons geared towards various issues commonly faced by preacher’s wives.  Lessons were given by Trina Gee, Anita Hochdorf, Kathy Pollard, and me.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the day very much.  Afterward, the missionary wives met to have another planning meeting for the Bible classes for children, which will be taught during campaign time.  It was a full day for all of us.

Today we worshiped with the Kisongo congregation.  Their building is located near the school of preaching.  Julia had to stay home today, due to being sick - likely tonsillitis.  George and Jacob have been sick, but are better now, and I guess it’s Julia’s turn.

Tomorrow, the 20th George and I are celebrating our 24th anniversary.  George surprised me with plans for a little get away for the two of us, which we both desperately need.

We are gearing up for several groups of visitors, who are coming to help with the work.  We look forward to seeing and working with various folks who will be coming our way - some who are already dear friends, and others who are friends we have not yet met.

May the Lord bless you as you work for Him.
Love, Joy

Our family is overwhelmed with the outpouring of concern, and the many prayers offered on our behalf, regarding the recent accident.  George and Jacob are recovering, although George, especially, still has some internal bruising that is causing him a good amount of discomfort.  We solicit your continued prayers as we deal with various issues:  possible court, our vehicle replacement, etc.  Thank you so much for your love and concern for our family.

A few months ago, we borrowed a book called “African Friends and Money Matters.”  We only had time to peruse it briefly, but while in the states, we acquired our own copy.  This is a very interesting book, written by David Maranz.  While the author has not written from a religious perspective, this book is very helpful to missionaries in Africa.  If a missionary does not understand the very different mindset that most Africans have towards money and its place in society, he will not be equipped to deal with the many money-related issues that are sure to come up.

Here is a sample:  “Precision is to be avoided in accounting as it shows the lack of a generous spirit.” Mr. Maranz goes on to explain “Precision and rigor in keeping accounts show a lack of generosity.  It is nontrusting.  It is not what a friend does….Another part of the explanation for this avoidance of accountability comes from the fact that in most African cultures it can easily lead to suspicion, mistrust, and confrontation.  Such unpleasantness is to be avoided if at all possible.”

Another example: “Many products are purchased in very small amounts even though the unit cost is much higher than for purchases in larger quantities. An African would say ‘If I have extra I am obligated to share.  Sure I know that buying a whole sack of charcoal is cheaper than buying it by the little pile.  But if I buy it by the little pile and my in-law or neighbor or friend comes asking for some, I can honestly say I don’t have any to give to them…”

One can see how this thinking would affect finances in the church, and understanding the present mindset is crucial if we want to help the church mature.

This past Saturday was a special occasion for our family, due to the fact that Jacob took part in the
graduation ceremony for the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. Jacob has worked hard at his studies, which commenced almost immediately after we arrived in Tanzania, in April 2007. Unfortunately, due to our time of arrival in the country, he missed a few classes. He also had to miss a few classes while we were on furlough, and that means he will have to return to school in order to make up those hours. We are very proud of him for persevering in less than ideal circumstances, which have not been the most desirable, but have, however, helped to build his character. After he finishes in the Spring, he plans to work towards continue working with George as a missionary.

One of the things that our family has enjoyed during our trip to the States is experiencing the autumn season. Throughout our travels we’ve enjoyed beautiful weather, the changing of the leaves, and crisp fall mornings. We are getting ready to head back to Tanzania, and when we return, we certainly will remember with fondness the wonderful weather we’ve enjoyed.

More than that, though, we will treasure the precious memories we have made. We’ve relished the days of worship, which we’ve been able to enjoy in English. We will remember the good times we’ve spent with family and friends. We’ve had the opportunity to see folks whom we have not seen in many years. We’ve gotten to know some people on a deeper level than we knew before, and we’ve also made new friends along the way. We’ve experienced much laughter together, as well as tears of sadness when it was time to say goodbye.

Thank you, everyone, for making our trip to the States a special one. Hopefully we’ll see some of you in Tanzania! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to travel. We will be heading over to San Francisco on Wednesday, the 19th. We will worship with the Oceanview congregation Wednesday evening, and then we will depart from San Francisco Thursday morning.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, as you follow Him.

The Jensens

During our travels over the last few weeks, we have been blessed to meet many fine people.  Everywhere we’ve visited, we’ve found a warm welcome.  Many families have opened their home to us, fed us, given us a place to sleep, given us a place to do laundry, etc.   We just want to say thank you to each of you who have extended kindness to our family.  We are humbled by your generosity.

It’s hard to believe, but Roundhouse 2008 is now history.  We have been anticipating it for months, and it’s always over way too soon.  The only part that would need to change if it lasted any longer is somehow, we would need to find a way to get some more sleep.  Because we are wanting to enjoy every minute possible, our sleep definitely becomes low priority.  We enjoyed the time spent with dear friends immensely.  Fortunately for us, there are several we will be able to see again over the next few weeks, before we head back to Tanzania.  Thanks to all who made it a good week.  If you are a member of the church of Christ, and your family home schools, this is a great opportunity for your family.  Visit http://roundhouse.us/ for more information.

We’ve been in the States for a month now, and we are one week into our seven week road trip. Everything has gone great so far. We’ve been in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and now we are in Tennessee for the weekend. Earlier in the week we enjoyed a brief stopover at Freed Hardeman University, where George was given the opportunity to speak to two missions classes.

We are blessed to be able to travel the U.S. and to visit with many brethren. It is interesting to note the varying awareness that brethren have about current events in our brotherhood. There are some events which we wish people do not need to know about, but unfortunately, being uninformed often results in being unprepared to deal with them. We think that people need to be informed about a recent event that has taken place in the brotherhood, the “Christian Scholars Conference.” Read about it at:

http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1437 -david-lipscomb-university-and-the-christian-scholars-conference

We are happy to say that we had a great trip back to the States.  We left Tanzania Tuesday evening, and arrived Wednesday afternoon, which ended up being a trip of about 25 hours, when the time difference is factored in.  We are happy to be with my parents, and look forward to spending about three weeks here in California, before our next stage of travel.

We’re trying to get a little shopping done, since we’re all in need of a few clothes. etc.  We’ve noticed how much bounty is available in America.  This truly is the land of plenty; it is rather overwhelming, really.

Our best to you all! Thanks for your prayers for our safe travels.  We’ll be on the roads a lot over the next three months, so please continue to pray for our safety.