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Recent Posts

Of Boys and Rockets

By Jacob
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They got new gloves and were super excited to test them in the snow. Notice the absence of shoes. I guess when you are having fun... So, I decided to make some matchbox rockets for the boys. All you need is patience, and the above tools. ...and a few hours later you have a matchbox with the essentials. I did modify the rockets from the original design by adding aluminum tape to the top after wrapping the aluminum. It creates a better seal and a satisfying POP and noticeably more velocity. I got the idea from youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFyKgmnCF-8 We will see if the kids enjoy them as much as I did.
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A Long Week

By Jacob
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I am lying here on the bed next to Carmen, Esther, and Tivoli. The day has started and it is getting hot outside. Fortunately, there is a breeze and we do not have a power outage so the fan can keep running. It seems we get our daily (or more) power outage which lasts anywhere from a few minutes to five hours. I don't think you realize how nice it is to have consistent, reliable power until you just don't. The boys are outside somewhere, and Dinah is cleaning the house. The sound of construction and the occasional horn or loud music overwhelms the sounds of bustling Dar Es Salaam. Earlier this week on Sunday afternoon we moved across the city to a two bedroom apartment making our commute to language training a leisurely five-minute walk. Since then, we have found a fridge, borrowed two couches, and bought mattresses to sleep on and mosquito nets. We are quickly learning our way around the city! Jason contracted a fever, stomach ache, and runny stool on Monday. Thou...
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What Drives Us

By Jacob
"I am under  obligation  both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish...For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."  Romans 1:14 & 16   "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent"   Romans 10:14-15 Here in America, we are privileged with many churches and Bible versions to choose from. However, there are approximately two billion people in this world who do not have access to the Gospel. We could stay in the States with family, security, and conveniences, but these are small matters when the eternal destination of unreached people groups around the world is at stake. For Paul, the spread of the Gospel was not an option - it wan a...
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Brokenness

By Jacob
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As the new pilot for MAF Tanzania I was able to go on a medical outreach to the village of Gorimba for the first time last month. I was deeply impacted. Hundreds of mothers crowded in a line leading into a small room where I and a Tanzanian nurse sat to fill out paperwork (in Swahili) before these women and their children could be seen by the nurses and doctors. Sweat poured down their faces as they held their babies under the harsh sun, waiting for hours before it was their turn. They had already traveled far across the dusty bushland of Tanzania to get here. Flies buzzed around the babies' faces attempting to drink the moisture around their eyes and mouth. As sad as this is, they are used to it. The dust, the dry seasons, the hard manual labor, and the struggle to survive and raise a family. Life is harsh in the remote villages. A month had passed since that first experience, and we were scheduled for another clinic in Gorimba. I looked forward...
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