Geyman Steps

During the weekend we were able to visit with my twin brother and his wife. They took us to some great places. One of them was Fort Monroe which is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States. It was largely fortified during the Civil War and World War 2. 100% boys! This is the Lincoln Gun. The barrel alone weighed 49,000 lbs (23,000kg) and it could fire a 440 lb projectile 4 miles. This is the cell where Jefferson Davis (Confederate President) was held after capture. And Byrd Park (it is named after a guy - not the birds) They had a box of cereal which had gotten a little old.  Both the ducks and the boys thoroughly enjoyed it!   The last stop was Holleywood Cemetery. This pillar is a monument to 18,000 confederate soldiers who were buried in mass graves nearby. Many historical figures are buried here. Notice John Tyler. And Jefferson Davis himself. And Jeb Stuart. If you don't k...

This last week we were able to sit down with the Director of Aviation, Steve, whom we will be replacing in Tanzania. Part of our discussion revolved around the importance of aviation for Bible translators. As such, the question of why aviation support for translators in Tanzania was introduced. His answer had elements I knew already, but he also brought some really great insights to the table. Expediency Translation teams make regular trips north of Mbeya where we will be based. Normally this includes an exhausting and bumpy 10-12 hour drive. On the other hand, a flight in the 206 only takes a couple of hours. This is just one example of why aviation in an underdeveloped country can save a tremendous amount of man hours.  Support Link Aviation provides a vital link. Recently, four families left the region north of Mbeya due to oppressive spiritual warfare. This area is controlled by witch doctors. The aviation program, which provides this vital connection, was ...

There are three other couples on ICC who are going to Africa. Namibia, Senegal, and unspecified. While we were talking about the fact that about half the group are assigned to Papua New Guinea and very few of us are actually going to Africa, someone commented, "Well the Dyers are going to Namibia. You guys will be pretty close to them." At first this sounds reasonable. But Africa is huge. The USA, China, Europe, India, Mexico, and Japan - all put together they fit quit nicely inside the bounds of Africa.  I will admit, I did get a little carried away with all these fun facts:  If we draw a straight line from Mbeya, Tanzania to Windhoek, Namibia (where one of our new friends will be translating) we come up with 1436 miles or 2311 km. This would be the equivalent distance of flying a straight line from the California coast to the Mississippi river. Tanzania alone is larger than Texas and Oklahoma put together or just smaller than Montana , Idaho , Washing...

When we named both of our boys we carefully considered the meaning. Sometimes names come with positive or negative connotations based on people we have known in the past. I think the best example of this is when I suggested using Lucy as a name for if we had a girl. I love the name... my wife, not as much. During a drive I believed that I had finally convinced her that it would be a great name to use. My confidence in my persuasive prowess was short lived when she concluded, "Yes! Lucy would be a great name for the new dog..."We weren't talking about the same thing!  Silas Matthew - Saver of men, Gift of God Silas Matthew is a very special name to me. I was almost named Silas and my middle name is Matthew. He will always have a special place in my heart as my first born. He truly is a gift of God to us. Our hopes are that we would teach him in wisdom and that he would grow to be a mighty man of God. A man that uses his gift to reach out to those around him and save ...

During the past few weeks we have been thrown into an intensive course designed to prepare us to stand firm in Christ amidst the challenges we may face on the field. Sometimes it seems like a firehose of information! The staff have so much experience on the field and sometimes it seems an impossible task to transfer all that information in just four weeks time.  A younger couple from Brazil spoke this morning about some of the challenges they faced on the field. The sentence that has stuck with me from this discussion is "an untrained soldier is an easy target". We are so grateful for the staffers and their desire to prepare us for the challenges ahead. They have a contagious love and trust of God. On another note, we have been making wonderful friends. It is incredible to be with so many young couples who have a similar deep desire to bring the gospel to the lost and be about God's business.  But through all of this, please pray with with us. Our des...