Stinky Spiritual Nugget

I have a question.  If I were to step on a rose, and it smelled wonderful I might say, “It smells good because I stepped on it”, would that be true?

 No!  It was the rose’s properties revealed not mine.


So, say I step on a skunk, and I say, “Oh, it stinks because I stepped on it” that would not be true. As I said, it was the skunk’s properties revealed not mine.

When we have trials and our character stinks, don’t blame the trial.  It’s just showing your properties. Whether your properties are good or bad is your choice.

Joshua

Liwale Trip Blog Post Dec 1-17, 2013

Hi. I hope you will like this post.

We went on a LONG trip starting the 1st of this month. We left our house at 4 A.M. to drive the long trip to Dar es salaam the first day.  We were with Temboh (the evangelism school principal), Owen Zimba (the chef from Riverside,  Zambia), and Blaston Kisoso (one of the evangelism school teachers,) and we traveled in the evangelism school vehicle. 

Owen Zimba and Blaston Kisoso

We got to bed late.  After sleeping in Dar es salaam one night we left our hotel at 5 A.M. to go to Liwale in Lindi region. We got there about 5 or 6 P.M.  It was a long trip.  We took the shortcut that went through the Selous Game Reserve. Many people see LIONS but unfortunately we didn’t see any. We saw 13 warthogs!

Our effort in Liwale went well. We had three people baptized. Praise the lord!  And many more people have asked for Bible studies.  Many of the days that we were in Liwale, I translated for the meetings three or more hours a day.  I especially liked translating for Owen in the cooking classes.

Translating into Swahili for Owen Zimba during the cooking class (Temboh in is the background)

 Mom even let me teach for one of her health sessions at the public evangelism effort.

On our way back we left Liwale at 4:19 A.M. and took the roundabout-way that goes through Nachingwea, Masasi, Lindi and finally Dar es salaam.

When we arrived at the turning point to the shortcut or long way around (roundabout-way) we had lunch with some of our previous students. Guess what they had out back? A pet monkey! How’s that for fun? He liked to check my pockets, groom my hair, eyebrows and many other things!

Me and the monkey

 We arrived in Dar es salaam around 9 P.M. We stayed in Dar es salaam for two nights.

We left Dar es salaam around 3 A.M. and arrived in Mafinga around 4 P.M.  It was pouring rain when we got to Mafinga.  There was an inch or more of water running down the streets, and about 4 inches or more running down the drainage ditches. 

We got back to Kibidula safely.  On the 7th of January we will start the Medical Missionary course for one month. 
-Joshua

Trip to Eden Valley Foster Care Mission, Mago Oct/Nov 2013

Hi. 

On the 21st of October we left for Eden Valley Foster Care Mission (EVFCM) in Mago in a double cab pickup with 3 adults and 4 children! The adults were Janet Fournier, Dad and Mom.  The kids were Twalisa, Emily, Helena, and me.  Janet is Twalisa and Emily’s grandmother.  Helena is our friend from Kibidula.  The girls didn’t stay the whole time that we were there, though.  We had a good time together. 

A few days after arriving I heard a strange sound.  When I looked down the one-lane road that passes through EVFCM, I thought I saw one big dump truck.  “Interesting,” I thought. It passes and I hear something else behind it. When I saw it, I said, “WOW!”  It was a LARGE track-hoe! Behind it were two more dump trucks!  They were coming to quarry for rock right beside Janet’s property.  That was Friday.  Then another day there was SEVEN dump trucks!  Because she lives on a dirt road, I/We have to water the road almost ALL DAY to keep the dust down.  I really liked watching the trucks and backhoe. 

We have also been working on Janet's small hydro-electric dam.
My parents have been teaching health to the students and staff.  The class we taught was one month long.  We did two health expos with the students and had a large turnout.  The people really enjoyed
it.

Also there were some donkeys transporting fertilizer and I got to get a ride behind the fertilizer.

Mega Bus

(From our US trip in Sept/Oct)

Hi.  We were planning to ride a bus so while we were in Africa we started looking for cheap tickets. We found Megabus. Some tickets are $1! They have free wifi and 1 electrical outlet for each seat and a toilet. You have to order online at www.megabus.com.  The few bus stops I remember is Ann Arbor - Grand Rapids - East Lansing – Detroit – Chicago – Saint Louis - Normal – Cincinnati – and many more.

Different days are different prices, so if your schedule is flexible check a few days before and after the date you’re planning.

Joshua

Alan and Ruth

Hi.  We went to our friends’ house to visit for 2 days and then again 2 days later. Both times I rode a horse! They have a small pond with a boat.  They have two dogs which are German Shepards.   Just before we came back for the second time one of the dogs got stuck under the boat with a skunk that the dog killed. Boy, she STUNK!
Any way, it was nice to stay there and feed the chickens and ducks. Our friends collected LOTS of things that will be useful to us.

Doha

Hi again.  Sorry it’s been a long time since my last post.  We left Tanzania and went to Doha, Qatar. It was very nice.  In the airport there was people walking around cleaning up the slightest shoe scuff!
 We walked out of the airport and our glasses fogged up!   It was HOT! 
We got in the hotel taxi/shuttle and it was very NICE. The hotel was a 5 Star hotel! We walked in the room and the BIG flat-screen TV said “Welcome, Douglas.” WOW.  There was a NICE buffet. In the bathroom there was a “Rain” shower-head, and a bidet. 
The buffet was 75 dollars! And in the morning we left at five o’clock in the morning to go the airport and it was DAYLIGHT! WOW! Amazing! The airport has a play-place! I think I’ll like that on the way back.

Joshua

Memorizing Scripture

Hi, again.  I like memorizing God's word (the Bible.)  I have been using Memverse to do this. 

Memverse is a fun, simple and intriguing way to memorize Bible verses.  The following information is from a flyer made by another Memverse user:

"Have you experienced the joy of memorizing Scripture? Whether your answer is yes or no, God desires all of His children to experience the great and many benefits.  His Word gives to those who diligently study and memorize It. Memverse.com makes it easy for the student of God’s Word to do both with free, yet simple and easy to use software that is 100% online! This means there is no software to download, no flashcards to carry around, and no need to keep an organized list of your verses. 
Memverse takes care of this for you, and allows you to spend less time looking for lost note cards, and more time in God’s Word!  Some other cool features include: Church, State, Individual, and Country leaderboards for those who enjoy a little friendly competition.
A Popular Verses section so you can see what your friends are memorizing
Reports that allow you to track your progress over weeks, months, and even years!
Accuracy tests to see how well you really know your verses, and more!
Whether you’re just starting out or have been memorizing faithfully for many years now, Memverse.com is the site for you. It just takes a few minutes to sign up, but the benefits last a lifetime."
 

If you are interested in trying Memverse please click the following link to sign up:  http://www.memverse.com/?referrer=joshua-t .  By using this link you will automatically be noted as referred by me!  There are many tutorials to help you get started and to teach you how to use the different functions.  If you enjoy using this program, please keep active by doing at least one "REVIEW" session per month.  I hope you have fun learning God's Word. 
Thank you - The mission kid (Joshua)

A Report about Baobabs (Adansonia)

Baobabs are a very large tree found in Africa, Asia and Australia.  There are more than 12 different species.  There are more than 4 species of baobabs indigenous to Madagascar, and more than 1 species in mainland Africa.

A humongous baobab tree in Madibira we saw October 2012

Baobabs have a coarse, cork-like bark that can be used for cloth and rope.
A fruit hanging off the tree can provide food.  Inside the fruit is a white pulp covering the brown seeds. This white pulp is made into cream of tartar.  The fruit is high in vitamin C.  The pulp is often colored and dipped in sugar as a treat.  In Kenya and Tanzania, some people roast the seeds to make seasonings.  In Europe people are adding this pulp to smoothies which you would buy from a shop.

A lot of baobabs that we saw as we traveled on a bus.

 The largest known baobab tree has a trunk that is 154 feet in circumference.  The trunk can hold up to 32,000 US gallons (120,000 liters) of water, which the tree will need during the dry season (sometimes more than 6 months.)  The trunk can be tapped for drinking water.  Some people build their house in the trunks of the trees.

David Livingstone slept under this tree.  This is my dad and I trying to climb it.

Because of these things, some people call baobabs "tree of life."  Other names for this tree are boab, boaboa, bottle tree, upside-down tree, and monkey bread tree.  The largest known baobab is in South Africa at Sunland farm, Limpopo.  The owners have built a pub in the tree that will seat 60 people! 

From Joshua's Mom

From MOM:
It was suggested by a friend that Joshua have his own blog.  He LOVES to tell stories and is always looking for an attentive ear to share his latest experiences.  Thus, this blog has become a reality.  This blog will also be a place for him to practice his typing, spelling and other general English skills.  So from the mom perspective, this is more than just "fun" or "communication" but also an educational experience (just don't tell Joshua that!)

An Exciting Train Trip

Hi.  This is my first post.
On the 29th of May we left Kibidula to go to the OCI Retreat in Zambia.

Zambian Kwatcha - equals about $20

We left our house at 4:25 A.M. and rode on a coaster (minibus) to Makambako. 

Makambako train station

We arrived at the train station about one hour before the train was supposed to arrive.  As usual in Africa it was???? – LATE. 
We got on it and occupied almost three compartments (two compartments were foreign missionaries and in the third were five Tanzanians.)  There were six beds in each.
We crossed many bridges. 

Bridge

Another bridge

 We went in, I think, about 5 or more tunnels which were really cool.  In Mbeya we picked up another Tanzanian (the health leader for the conference.)  We continued on. 
When we passed through the first tunnel, my friend and I were in the Tanzanians’ compartment on the top bunk (about 6 feet high from the floor), and every thing went BLACK.  I jumped down and started fumbling for the door handle, because I didn’t know what had happened.  I hadn’t thought that we might go through tunnels.  By the time I got out of the compartment we were close to the end of the tunnel. 

Tunnel

 Late at night we crossed the border, but I was asleep.

Big train station in Zambia

Both days we (the missionary kids) played red light, green light on the train.
We heard that there was a wreck ahead when we were at the first big train station stop during the morning in Zambia.  

Train engine moving around train cars

At this large train station the engineers moved A LOT of train cars while we waited a few hours.  Finally we continued to the Serenje Train Station.  On the tracks ahead was the wreck, we were told

Train wheels beside the tracks

We got off the train and got a mini bus for about 1/3 of the rest of the trip.  Then we were picked up by two Land Cruisers to go to Riverside Farm Institute in Zambia (RFI.) We arrived at Riverside at 11:00 p.m. 

Hippos

The retreat was great.  At the retreat we had the privilege of going to Mkuyu Outreach and Chongwe Adventist School.  At Mkuyu the outreach is literally on the edge of a river. It was about 10-20 feet from the old grass roof house. The river is the mighty Zambezi river.  We saw about 8-10 hippos in the river. There are also crocodiles in the river, but we did not see any of those.  The people have to have an electric fence to help keep out animals.

The man who was killed by the elephant rests here.

 The brother of the man who now runs this project was killed by an elephant in 2005 not far from that house.  I was told that one night this man that was killed was awakened by the sounds of elephants around his house.  The next morning he went out to see the damage to his garden.  When he went out, he probably wasn’t totally awake.  When get got to the garden, and was looking around, he didn’t realize at least one elephant was still there.  The elephant attacked him and put his tusk through him.  The elephant, as many elephants do, put him in a hole and covered him with rubbish.  Later the house girl came and heard him moaning.  She dug him up and he told her that he was alright with God and that he would die.  But she tried with the help of some friends to transport him to the hospital.  He died before they got there.  So now his brother is running the project.    

At Chongwe there is a small well for water.  I decided that I wanted to bring some water up for the fun of it.  I opened the lid and instead of walking on the ground, I walked on the cement edge around it.  I accidentally bumped my shoe into the lid and it fell off.  Where did it go?  It went in the worst place.  It went down the well.

The man is about to go down the well

Me thanking the man (can you tell which shoe went down the well?

 I told someone that my shoe had gone down the well.  He said that we would try to get it out.  First we tried to fish it out with a bucket, but it didn’t work.  Finally they decided to send a man down the well on a rope.  Fortunately it didn’t break, and he got my shoe.  I am very glad to have my shoe.

 

A view of Riverside from the Mountain

There are two passenger trains that go between Tanzania and Zambia.  On the way to Zambia, we rode the Tanzanian train.  On the way back, we rode the Zambian train.  I like the Tanzanian train better, because there was more room to play in the lounge car. 

On the way back to Kibidula we arrived at our final train station at approximately 2:30 a.m. and we got home about 4:00 a.m.  It was a great trip.

A python caught on the mountain at Riverside