Jean Stockdale...

Something to Consider

Tomorrow morning, our brothers and sisters living in the village will gather for worship. Together the congregation made their own bricks to build the church. It took 4 years. During that time the building did not have a roof. Tanzania has 6 months of rainy season and 6 months of dry. I am not sure what they did during the rainy seasons.This year Pioneer Missions provided a metal roof.The church does not have pews. The people will sit on large limestone rocks the bring in on their heads. Tomorrow when you walk into your air-conditoned church, would you please remember to pray about our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world. Check back for pictures. My computer would not download them so I will try to do that tomorrow.

You Know I Did!

You gotta know I did not miss this opportunity. But just so you know...the issue at hand is not dancing; it is worship. In Africa, worship is done through song and dance. Oddly, none of the congregations clap in time to the music. Nor do they clap at the end of the music. I think it has to do with their concept of the holiness of this time of worship. It is not a presentation. It is not a musical number. It is worship-plain and simple. Enter into His gates with singing and His courts with praise. Worship Him.

Elesa's group asked if she would dance with them. She giggled and said her dancing would cause the congregation to cover their eyes. Her African sister replied, "We do not dance for them. We dance for Him!" Wow. That is a perspective none of us will ever forget. So much of what we do has the appearance of service to God, but we are guilty of skimming off some of the glory for ourselves. It is not for them, but for Him. So I had to. I had to dance before the Lord. You know I did!

As much as possible we attempt to enter into the culture of the people we are ministering too. We were asked to wear long skirts to teach because the women do not wear pants. We do not go with the intent of making them Americans. We will not stay long enough to become Africans. But while we are there we try to honor their traditions and customs as much as possible. Paul said, "To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Las, asunder the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law...I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it" (1 Cor. 9:19-23). I did not dance because I could in Africa and we do not in America. I danced to identify with the Tanzanian style of worship. I danced with freedom and reckless abandon before the Lord Jesus Christ. I did not dance for them; I danced for Him! And I loved it! You know I did!

Oh, Yes She Did!

This is Ray-Ray and Miss Boss-Lady is letting me post the dancing photos.

Jean did indeed kick up her heels over in Africa and it looks like she is having a ball. I'm just going out on a limb here but it looks like the gal to the right of Jean is having her a good old laugh as well!

 

I need to back up and tell y'all that Jean and I have been attending kick-boxing classes for a couple of months. I'm laughing as I'm typing this because we are like a train wreck in the class. For some strange reason neither one of
us knows our left from our right. We can tell
you that we are right-handed but we can't
start off on our right - it's just the weirdest

 

Anyway, in the first photo Jean is doing the 'speed bag' move - all the while keeping her eye on her instructor.

I think this is the African equivalent of the 'grapevine-to-the-left AND come-on-back' move.

Jean said these ladies could dance for a long time without being winded or tired. Everyone in the group knew the moves and it was truly
a worshipful time.

 

 

 

I will go along with that but I got news for  you - the girl on the back row in the long-sleeved blue shirt is lost! The native gals have moved on into the more advanced part of the dance. Boss-Lady  is all but swaying and humming Kum-Ba-Ya.

 

 

She wins a prize for being a willing participant! Jean said the ladies just loved that she was out there with them. I think these girls can show us a move or two when it comes to praising the Lord Jesus.

Ray

From Week Two

After the glorious safari we headed back to Mwanza. God used our time in the Serengeti to restore our souls and refresh our hearts and minds. On Monday morning, Craig and I drove with our translator to a new village about 1 and 1/2 hours outside the city. The Redmonds did the same. This village was farther out in the bush than I have ever been. It is a large village with very little evangelical work in it. However, that is one Baptist church. They began using the principles we were teaching in Feb. 2007. Their membership has gone from 30 to 200! Many other pastors had heard about their success and they joined us for the teaching. We had 101 pastors and church leaders attend. One pastor rode his bike for 5 hours to participate. They stayed at the church for the 3 day conference and slept on the ground. The church we met in was built by the members. For four years they made bricks and paid to have them fired. Slowly the building was built but it had no roof. Last year Pioneer Missions paid for a metal roof. They still do not have doors, windows,a floor, or pews. The members sit on large limestone rocks. The first day we met in a cotton warehouse because the dust was so bad at the church. Here is how our brothers and sisters in the Lord celebrate Him with song and dance.

The joy of the Lord is evident on the faces of these precious people. They worshiped with such freedom and abandon. Craig and I were regularly swept into the presence of the Lord as we worshiped with them. Unable to understand their words, we joined our hearts as our worship of the Lord Jesus Christ transcended cultural and language barriers.

Now, do you think I let this moment pass by without joining in? Let me hear what you think and tomorrow I will reveal my response! Blessings. 

Now Here is a Great Truth Fresh from Africa

Craig and I traveled toTanzania with Paul and Elesa Redmond. The four of us stayed in a hotel in Mwanza, a city of about 400,000. Mwanza is Tanzania’s second largest city and the accommodations were luxurious by any standards. The villages we taught in were over an hour away from the city. Each morning Craig and I left with our interpreter and a driver. The Redmond did the same. After a long day of teaching, we all returned to our hotel in Mwanza. After cleaning up, we would gather on the patio of the hotel restaurant and compare notes from the day. We indulged in ice-cold bottled sodas. My standard fare was a hamburger with fries. The meal was tasty but did not resemble what we have in the States. Still, it was a blessed relief to have a semblance of home each night.

Each hotel room was equipped with a self-locking safe. Paul felt it would provide additional security for their travel cash and passports. After dinner, he realized he needed some cash and ventured to his room to retrieve his funds. Imagine his surprise when the key spun around without engaging the lock! Anxiously he tried to coax the worn lock to open the safe. The issue of money was not as grave a concern as the matter of the passports. If you have never traveled out of the country, you may not know that having your passport on your person is imperative, especially in these days of heightened security. Roadblocks and random checkpoints are devised to ensure travelers do not move about foreign countries without passports in hand. Frantically, Paul rushed to the front desk to tell the clerk of his plight. In broken English her reply was, “Tomorrow.” We discovered this same response seems to apply to a number of situations. Paul emphatically replied, “Not tomorrow. Tonight. I need our passports tonight!”

Although it appeared to be impenetrable, a locksmith was able to rescue the vital documents from the stubborn safe. Paul had placed his most important possession in a metal lock box. God placed His most valuable gift, the Lord Jesus Christ, in us. He did not choose a secure vault; He chose an earthen vessel. A safe cannot be easily penetrated; an earthen vessel is easily broken to allow the precious contents to emerge. When Jesus walked among us in His incarnation, God dwelt in a human body. After the resurrection, God sent the Holy Spirit to inhabit all believers. Once again, God dwells in a human body. In order to allow the life of Christ to be manifested through us, God breaks our earthen vessels. When the vessel is broken the surpassing greatness of the power will e of God and not from ourselves (2 Cor. 4:7). Conformity to Christ is achieved. The life of Christ is displayed. The Lord is glorified.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight!

The safari experience was unbelievable. Seeing so many animals in their own habitat was stunning. I hate to say it, but I kept thinking I was in Disney World! My brain would not accept the fact that I was actually getting to fulfill my last childhood dream! Here is more.

Cape buffalo herd.

 An elephant from 20 feet away! This was our close encounter of the very big kind. We came upon this massive bull elephant just as we were about to leave the crater and drive up the mountain to the lodge. For about 15 minutes, we stood in our jeep and held our breath. Getting to see an animal of this magnitude so close was priceless. Check back tomorrow for some more tales from Africa.

THe Lion King

Everyone on safari wants to see a lion. We were warned they are difficult to see since they hunt and eat at night and snooze undetected all day. Please understand this was no deal breaker for me. I was thrilled to be on safari and having a great time. On the first day I told the group I thought I might have a word from God. In my quiet time I was in Psalm 60-Psalm 70. I was about to finish up but dropped back to read Ps. 59, 58 and then Psalm 57. I was praying the Scripture back to the Lord and personalizes it. Then I came to this, Psalm 57:4, "My soul is among lions." Seriously. Lions. So I was not surprised when we saw this:

Isn't that just like God? This is a kiss from the king. Jesus is the real LION KING. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Majestic. Marvelous. Matchless. The Lion King of glory! 

Facebook-Here I Come

Because I am simply so very techno-savvy, I have gotten on Facebook. Actually the boys were here today and got me set up. I have posted about 100 pictures from Tanzania and our safari if you are interested. Type www.facebook.comand go to my page at Jean Stockdale. I believe anyone can access the picture albums without being a member. I will post more about the trip tomorrow on the blog.

The Dream of a Lifetime

I can only really remember having 2 dreams as a young girl. I wanted to write a book and I wanted to go on safari in Africa. In 2006 I published my first Bible study on Proverbs. It was a long and winding road to see that dream fulfilled, but the Lord graciously granted a very secret desire of my heart. We have sold nearly 900 of that first book. In publishing circles, that is a pitifully small return-but to the part of me that still dreams...it is huge!

I could never have dreamed that the Lord would allow me to travel to Africa (this was my 3rd trip to Africa), much less incorporate my lifelong dream of safari. Between the two PE training we were able to arrange for a 3-day safari. On Friday morning we left the hotel with our driver, Leonard. For the next 3 days he showed us a side of Africa that few will ever see and regaled us with the diverse artistic power of our Creator God in the animal kingdom, as well as the landscape of Africa. We arrived at the park entrance to the Serengeti around 11:00. We were instructed to "be quiet". The animals do not like noise! Just who do you think that was directed at! I had a minor screaming fit as we drove up to the gate and discovered a hapless baboon family, sitting in the sun and picking fleas. I think Leonard must have thought, "This is gonna be a looong 3 days!"

The top of our Jeep popped open so we could stand and ride, looking for animals. Obviously it was quite breezy! We immediately began to see herds of antelope, wildebeests and zebra standing and gazing along the horizon. Snapping pictures wildly, I could never have known that within a few hours we would be close enough to touch them! Which, by the way, was another thing forbidden by Leonard! He probably assumed he did not need to cover that restriction because if I continued in my current state when I spotted a animal, we were never going to be close to any!

This was our first close encounter and I spotted it. You can tell by the startled look on his face! I was trying to contain myself but something kept rising up within and spilling out with shouts of joy.

This was the fulfillment of a dream of a lifetime. I am forever grateful to have been able to go on this trip, but if this dream had never been fulfilled it would not have been a big deal to me. I did not HAVE to have a safari in order to have joy or serve the Lord, for that matter. Most PE trips we have done have been to barren places with no site seeing and no souvenir shopping. That is fine. These trips are not all about me, after all. But there is no denying that the possibility of incorporating a safari while in Tanzania was very special for me personally. God did not have to grant this opportunity. God did not have to allow me to see this dream realized. But He did. And this is what I call "a kiss from the King." That is, there are times when God chooses to interrupt life as you know it, and make His presence so unmistakably known in the quiet place of your spirit, that you know you have just been kissed lightly on the cheek by your Father. Not that you deserve His kindness, not that you earned His favor, but just because He loves you. He sends an unexpected blessing to remind you of your royal lineage. The gift is always wrapped in grace and tied with ribbons of lovingkindness. 

Our God owns the cattle on a 1000 hills and for a reason unbeknownst to me, He let me see some of them that live in Africa. And I could not help but think He was smiling on me that whole weekend, enjoying-from His vantage point in glory-watching me discover His glorious creation!

 Some of which is quite comical!

And some of which is just simply breath-taking! Tune in tomorrow for more notes from Africa. Blessings. 

Walking by Faith

If you have done any mission trips before, what I am about to write will not be new to you. Please indulge my ramblings. But if you have never been asked to walk by faith outside of the USA, I wanted to try and capture just some of the ways God manifested Himself in Africa. Tanzania is a beautiful place with unending plains hemmed in with jagged mountain peaks. If I were merely a tourist, I would be compelled to say it is one of the most beautiful places I have been. But as a child of God, the purpose of my trip was much greater than taking in the scenery.

Craig and I traveled with Paul and Elesa Redmond. You will remember that the Reds were with us in Nepal where Elesa contracted a food-borne amoeba and was "sick unto death."I cannot think about her and that trip without thinking of Epaphroditus in Phil. 2:25-30. Paul said, "Hold men like him in high regard, because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient." Elesa was so sick in Nepal, they considered air lifting her to Bangkok for treatment. The fact that she would even pray about traveling abroad again for the cause of Christ gives her walk of faith great credibility in my eyes. I am proud of my friend and blessed by her faith.

Walking by faith is the work of Christianity. It does not come natural to us; it does not come easy to us. It is a hard fought battle to surrender mind, will and emotion to the indwelling Spirit in order to walk by faith and not by sight. Doing it in the familiar environment of home is tough; doing it outside our comfort zone is all-consuming. But I have found God is more than capable of being BIG in my life in Africa, even as He is at home. This was my third trip to Africa. I declare if you could actually see my heart, I think it just might be conformed to the image of the continent! I have fallen in love with Africa, just as I have Nepal and India. The last place I have visited always owns my heart for a while! But for now, Africa is not only on my heart - it is my heart!

We flew into Kenya and then onto Mwansa, Tanzania. After lunch at a Chinese restaurant on Lake Victoria, we drove 3 hours to the city of Shynanga. We stayed in a oasis of a hotel that served cold bottle Cokes and hard boiled eggs! We felt right at home.

From our little retreat, we drove about 1 hour each morning to teach Pioneer Evangelism to 106 pastors and church leaders in a village of mud huts and thatched roofs. Our interpretor, James, was born and raised in this village and his father donated the land for the church building. It was made of mud and straw by the church members. It does not have pews. The members sit on a double layer of mud bricks, stacked and hardened on a dirt floor. With no doors or windows, it was breezy and pleasant--although a pesky lizard forced me to cast down some vain imaginations! The program we have been trained to teach takes 3-4 solid  8-hour days to complete. This village had 4000 and  only 1 (Baptist) church. The church leaders, who had traveled great distances on foot, were anxious to hear the  PE teaching, which teaches discipleship, church planting and evangelism. The native language is Swahili but every tribe (120 of them) have a heart language or mother tongue. James, our interpretor, is a pastor and works for Pioneer Evangelism. He will follow up on the pastors and help them grow their churches and plant new ones in the coming months. This teaching was new to these pastors but they hung with us, furiously scribbling notes and listening intently.

 

This is a picture of the men in front of the building. Breakfast, lunch and dinner was included and prepared by the ladies of the church. The village slaughtered a goat in honor of Craig and I and served it with rice, beans and well, some other things.

On the second day of teaching, we sent them out into the village to share the Bible stories about Jesus. Because many of the villagers have never heard His name, the stories begin with very basic truths about our Lord. Hopefully, after 7 weeks of hearing stories about Jesus, these contacts will give their hearts to Jesus and be incorporated into the existing church or become part of a new work. This program is much more than a "door to door" visit. It involves building a relationship with a lost person, making weekly visits to share about the life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and then asking for a commitment. There is another 7 weeks of stories for the new convert to ensure a clear understanding and to help them grow in the Lord. We also had several books of sermons to give the pastors. Resources are limited so they were received gladly.

As you can imagine, leaving these precious people was hard for me. Walking by faith in Africa requires a conscious "fighting for the faith"in order to stay seated in the heavenlies and not reduced to limping along in the energy of the flesh.

Africa assaults my senses. Strong smells of diesel fuels mix with wood fires, the abundance of citrus fruits, raw sewage, and animal waste to create an aroma of human misery. The sight of unspeakable poverty pulls at my heart and makes it ache. My head pounds. My emotions become raw. My sensibilities are challenged at the sight of such masses of humanity locked in a cycle of poverty and pain. I fight to keep my spiritual equilibrium, but each trip takes a massive toll on my soul, leaving me feeling helpless and emotionally spent. These trips push me to question my place in all this. Again and again I cast myself upon the Lord and trust in Him alone to sort out my troubled mind and soothe my aching heart.

I would not give anything in the world for a trip like this. It is good for my "comfort zone" to be challenged. It has forced me to settle my own convictions about the issue of God's sovereignty. It has moved me to a new level of compassion. It has broadened my vision of who God is and who I am in Him. Walking by faith in Africa has accelerated my spiritual growth and given me a new vision of just how BIG my God is. And, bloggy sisters, He is BIG! He is BIG in Africa and He wants to be BIG in your life here in America. I can tell you this with certainty and conviction: He is BIG. Every trip outside the country teaches me just how BIG He is.

Walking by faith in Africa taught me to come back to my child-like faith and allow my Heavenly Father to carry me with strong arms and a gentle touch. For the many things I could not reconcile in my pitifully finite mind, I trusted His infinite plans and His merciful grace. I tell you, I felt His warm breathe on my neck as He whispered His tender words of comfort in my ear. Every day was a fresh encounter with Him, and I tell you it was worth it all to be in shut up into His presence in the remote bush of Africa. Was this trip about what God wanted to do in me or about what He wanted to do through me? It is hard to say, but I am forever changed for the glory of God because I was privileged to walk among these people and love on them in the name of Jesus Christ. God is at work among His precious people in Africa.

God is challenging the heart of this believer and in turn, I hope to stir you. Beloved believer, the walk of faith is a fight against the world, the flesh and the devil. It is not meant to be easy but it is full of riches for this life and rewards in the next. Blessings.

Home!

Craig and I arrived home last night-without our luggage! If this test had to show up on our radar screen, I am so glad it happened at the end of the trip and not the beginning. It amounts to alot of dirty clothes so we are not overly concerned. We will see if the airlines, who currently charge you for a bag of chips now, can live up to their commitment to service! Especially since they threatened us with fines for having one overweight bag! The skies are not as friendly as they used to be! If we had to pay extra just to fly the stupid thing, I am going to feel pretty awful if I have to now pay to replace the stuff they lost!! Oh, life here at the Stockdale household is a thrill a minute.

I will write more tomorrow and include pictures, but I am very jet-laggy and not up to it this moment. Thanks to Ray for keeping you all informed during our absence and thanks to all who prayed. It was a glorious trip. For those of you who keep score, you will know that I never have returned healthy from one of these trips. I am usually quite sick. Thanks to Dr. Ashley Escue, my new allergist and BFF, I was able to avoid bronchitis and respiratory problems. If you see her before I do, give her a hug for me! I know the Lord is ultimately the Great Physician, but I am grateful He allowed her to doctor on me and help to keep me healthy. Blessings. jean

Oh Pluuzeeee

One of the last things on my 'While Stockdales Are Gone' list was to order Craig and Jean some new checks. I placed the order and they were to be delivered around September 1st. Cool, mark it off my list. Apparently the ordered was processed earlier than expected and delivered sooner than anticipated.

Y'all know what's coming don't ya?

It looked like they were delivered by a low flying crop-dusting plane. Tossed by the pilot. Without looking.

Now I'm just asking... what was the delivery person thinking when he/she propped the package up against the door at knee level to two boxers?? Possible answers (1) the boxers looked bored and needed a little something to entertain themselves with or (2) delivery method might have been "sail the package out the window"  because of the boxers or (3) the boxers climbed up on the shelf, located conveniently by the back door for such occasions, and decided to make a  play toy out of box.

It took a little while to collect the checks. Sadie and Marleigh said they were sorry.

They looked sorry. Which will be how Craig and Jean are going to feel, sad and sorry, every time they try to implement the sequential check number thing when they pay bills.

 

 

You all have been so kind to indulge this little blogging experience of mine. I must say what Jean does so effortlessly I find just a wee bit stressful. I get logged into Typepad and suddenly am faced with a blank page. I never knew how stark and uninviting a blinking cursor on a white space could be!

It goes without saying that Jean will have stories and photos to keep all of us entertained for a long while. God is at work in a mighty way in the African bush. Thank you for praying diligently for them while they have been away. We sing praises to our Lord for their safe return.

Ray-Ray

Email Update from Jean

Dear Ones-I cannot access my Typepad so I know Ray will copy and post this report. We have finished both trainings. Craig and I drove from Mwambo to our village. It was an hour away. We drove to the bush and then turned left and drove to the edge of the earth. We taught in a village where the folks live in mud huts with straw roofs. The church has been using the program we are teaching for nearly a year and they have grown from 30 to 200 with 49 baptisms! Isn't God good. They hosted our conference and we had 101 pastors and church leaders come to attend. The members made the bricks to construct the church and it took 4 years. Wade and Barbara were responsible for buying a metal roof for the church. It has dirt floors and no windows or doors. There are no pews. The people sit on limestone rocks! They arrive carrying their huge rocks on their heads! What a precious group. Craig and I got very attached to both our groups. The first training was in a village, but not as rural as this one. It is WAY out in the bush. When Craig gave a gospel invitation many responded. The word had gotten out that Americans were in the village so many came in to hear us on the last day. It is very exciting. The gospel of Jesus Christ can work in the bush of Africa, in a mud church, with a dirt floor, with no pews, and no water or electricity. Jesus is very real here. Many are animal worshipers or ancestor worshipers. Many have never even heard the name of Jesus. One lady said she had just been waiting for someone to come and tell her about Him! We have had one day of rest here at the hotel before we start the trek home. It has been nice to relax after several very taxing weeks. We have read and napped. We can eat the food here and we got hamburgers (?), French fries and a cold Coke in a bottle for dinner. Right here in the middle of Tanzania. It was a treat and a piece of home for all of us. I believe it was a "kiss from the King." We have had many of those and I am eager to share them with you. Please pray for a safe trip home and, as Ray wrote, I need a quick recovery and to get back to Philippians. I will have many examples from Africa to use. It takes about 3 days of travel to return to the States so the day to unwind was a huge blessing for all of us. I am amazed by how BIG our God is and how real He is here in Africa-even as He is in America. The same God is Lord over all! Blessings from the uttermost parts of the world! jean

Do Not Disturb!

This is the first day since the Stockdales left for Africa there is silence on the Farm. Just the clicking of my fingers on the keyboard is all I can hear. 

• not one phone ringing 
• not one notification of an emailing dropping into someone's inbox
• not one piece of machinery making noise
• not one dog barking

I must say this is awesome. It has been a really long time since I've heard this sound. I grabbed the camera and went to check on the animals. I think this is a good representation of the phrase:

The Dog Days of Summer

by the way Google says: "dog days" of summer is the period between early July and early September 

when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere.

Miss Sadie Girl is taking a little break.

This is my best buddy - ever - Cody.

This is why everyone needs two boxer puppies.

And when all is right in the world, Joe Cat comes and sleeps in my office. 

We have his bed behind a chair and he must feel like he's invisible 

because he sleeps so soundly, he snores. Just dainty little kitty snores.

We received an email from Jean and Craig this morning. The evangelism sessions are going very well. They have had numerous village people come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Jean, Craig, Paul and Elesa are very pooped prophets right about now and are operating on sheer adrenaline. Please continue to pray for them as they wrap up their time in Africa and begin the long 3-day journey back to the States.

I would ask that you pray specifically for Jean as she has 3 weeks of the Philippians study left to write. Her deadline is September 9th so she is going to have to make a quick recovery from the trip and start writing hard and fast. Also I believe, September 10th is the start of the new Moms semester at Bellevue Baptist Church. Jean will be teaching Esther.

Thank you for praying for the Stockdales and Redmonds.

Ray-Ray

Update from Jean

I am writing tonight from the Serengeti. We have been on safari for 2 days between our training conferences. We have seen lions, tigers and bears. Oh my! Actually we have seen many lioness, and 1 baby plus a male lion. It is unusual to see the males at all but one was by the side of the road and we parked and just watched him. Tonight on the way to the lodge we saw a bull elephant that was only 25 feet from the truck.So kind of the Lord to give us a few days to renew and refresh. We are all well and healthy-I do not have bronchitis for the first mission trip ever-and Elesa is healthy too. We also got to visit a Maisai village and it was simply unreal. Many pictures and tales to tell.

The Lord has given us a glorious time here in Tanzania. Tomorrow we will drive back to Mwambo and start the 2nd training on Monday. Craig and I will be going to a village church 1 hour outside the city and Paul and Elesa will be in a village a bit closer. Pray for the Holy Spirit to anoint. Thank you all for holding the ropes for us on the other side of the world. jean

Sidebar: Google says:

The Serengeti National Park covers 5,700 square miles (about the same number of pictures Jean took in the park)

90,000 tourists a year visit the Serengeti

Famous for the annual migration of one million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra

The park is well known for its stock of the "Big Five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters: the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo.

What a Face!

Guess who dropped in for a visit? I know your first thought is a repairman of some type. But this time you would be wrong. Kathryn and Grayson came by the farm. Do you mommies remember the sweet smell of your newborn? That yummy, can't-really-describe-it smell is just the best. The special treat of their visit was when Dawson and Kathryn let me keep Grayson while they ran a quick errand! Just me and Grayson. And Joey the cat. And Marleigh - aka Boxer #1. And Sadie - aka Boxer #2. 

Just look at this face.

Geography - Not What I'm Good At

Good Grief! I suppose all you folks who made an 'A' in geography class could place the thumb tack in the correct location of Tanzania. Me, not so much. I just liked watching the world globe in our classroom spin so fast that it would pop out of the stand and roll across the floor. I knew Craig, Jean, Paul and Elesa were going to Africa - I can identify Africa but Tanzania, not so much. We just got an email update from Jean (which I will share with y'all in just a minute) so I thought I would google Tanzania. Oh, my word! Africa is a huge continent (google says Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia). For anyone else out there that might find Tanzania's location a tad challenging - it is located in the lower middle section of Africa, to the east Tanzania borders the Indian Ocean. Google says as of 2006, Tanzania had an estimated 37 million people AND Mt. Kilimanjaro is located in the northeast region of Tanzania. I love google and this concludes the geography lesson today.

Here is the update from Jean:

Dear Ones- we are having a LARGE time in Africa. We taught in a mud church with dirt floors. 106 folks attended the training. They slaughtered a goat for our lunch. It is true what they say, "Goat does taste like chicken?"

We had 7 come to Christ after Craig did a presentation of the gospel. We are so excited. Today we drove to a different city (Mwambas I think) and will go on safari for 3 days. We will return and begin our training with a new group on Monday. The people here are precious. They are very open to the gospel. We are all well. Please continue pray-especially for health and well being. it is a tough trip with much odd food. I am not having trouble with bronchitis and I am grateful for that. Please continue to pray and I will update as I can. Many blessings from the other side of the world. jean

Thank you very much for checking Jean's blog and for praying for them. I will post again when I receive an update. God bless each one of you. Ray-Ray

Where Did All the Words Go?

This is Joey, Jean's cat. He isn't acting like himself today. I think it's the dark computer monitor which, he seldom sees. I think he is sitting here out of habit and routine. Which now that I'm reading the previous sentence it is hysterical because there is no routine around the Stockdale household.

Joey spends all of his day in Jean's office. He is on the back of her chair, in her lap, walking on the keyboard or sitting in front of the monitor. When I snapped this photo he looked at me like, 'we needs words. where are the words? what is a day around here without words!'

Hope you guys are having a great day and using words that are sweeter than honey.

How's this for a Monday?

First the good news .... we received an email from the Stockdales Sunday afternoon letting us know they arrived safely in Africa. Jean said it took 3 full travel days for them to reach their destination. Their internet access is rather sporadic and somewhat limited but she will update us when she can. Thank you so much for praying for safe travel. Please continue to pray for their physical and spiritual renewal.

Okay, for the not so good news......

Their side-by-side freezer went out the night before they left for Africa which, wasn't a big deal because they just moved the frozen items to their larger freezer in the garage. The refrigerator portion also died - a slow death - over the weekend - during the hottest days on the planet. Things like mayo,yogurt and sour cream aren't their best at 120 degrees. I can't take much more! My nerves are on edge and I've developed an odd facial twitch.

Now for the best part of Monday. Look who paid a visit me a visit.