Cy and Stephanie Stafford are presently in the States raising funds and on a furlough trip. The latest report from Jimmy Gee about the work in Arusha, Tanzania is below.
Dear Family, Friends and Supporters,
We hope all of you have enjoyed some special time with your families this past week. In our modern busy world, even here in Africa, carving out some time to just be with family can sometimes be a challenge. I hope you are excited about the New Year, with new goals and a renewed spirit to obey God with every fiber of your being.
Last week, the "bad stomach problems" concerning Trina was actually "amoebic dysentery". For specific details you may look up the definition. It's usually acquired by eating some contaminated food or drinking "bad" water. Abigail, Candace, Elijah and Naomi were also affected but they recovered quickly because we noticed the symptoms early and began their medicine immediately. Trina’s bout with it led to an overnight hospital visit. Thank you for your prayers. Trina has fully recovered. A special thanks goes to our good friend, Ahimidiwe, who drove Trina to the hospital. Also, Abigail was indispensable because she went with Trina to the hospital, stayed overnight getting only 2 hours of sleep and helped in so many ways. For several hours Trina was so weak she could not walk and needed assistance to get up and down. Another note of thanks goes to our daughter, Lindsey, who stayed with all the younger children and did a good job of taking care of them.
Another Lindsey who we want thank is Lindsey Jensen (daughter of George and Joy). Without regard for her own health, she cheerfully came and stayed with Trina several hours until she was dismissed so Abigail could go home and get some rest. At times like these, it's great to have a wonderful family and good friends who care. True Christianity in action.
Our apologies to Brooks Boyd and daughter, Caitlyn, who we failed to mention last week when listing the visitors who came for Tanzanian Christian Camp. The Boyds were a vital part of everything. Brooks preached both Sundays and was a counselor and teacher during the week to the campers. Caitlyn was a counselor and teacher for the 14-16 girls. Caitlyn and her father supervised and organized the soccer games for the youth. Thank you for your contribution!
The Bible study with our neighbor, Katherine went very well and we began studying the subject of "Seeking God." It was thrilling that another friend of hers (and acquaintance of ours), Witness, was also there helping her with her baby. So Witness was also able to listen to our study. We will meet again next Friday.
Studies continue with Lembris and wife Rosemary. The crowd at Kisongo was smaller today...I know 2 families who were visiting their family in other places. Three people responded to the sermon. Two asked for forgiveness for unfaithfulness in their attendance and one that he had been quick to anger.
This Saturday will be the first session of the Child Training class. Our plans are to meet the first Saturday of each month from January to December. With only having 12 lessons (one for each month) there is much to squeeze into each lesson. Please pray the most needed subjects will be covered in a biblical and an easy-to-understand way.
We appreciate each one of you very much. Thank you for giving us the privilege of being here in East Africa.
In Christ, The Gees