Dear Family and Friends,

“Today is the day of salvation, today is the day to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord! You can’t wait until you die to believe in Him, how can a dead person call on His name? How can a dead person repent and believe??!”

With these words, Pastor Peter Dotto pleaded with the crowd of patients and family members who crowded the porch at our Magambua health center Monday morning. Many in our area believe they will get to heaven based on their good works, and some believe that family members and friends will pray for a deceased person to gain them entrance in to heaven. How sinister a lie this is! The devil loves to see people putting off the claims of the gospel and waiting until family members pray for them after death, because he knows that only judgement comes after death, and those who die without Christ are lost forever! We preach Christ crucified, and justification by grace through faith.

Monday was market day in Magambua, the regular patients swelled to 90. It was also the first day of one of our twice annual eye surgery clinics. Eye patients to be seen by the visiting eye surgeon numbered 50. Like the crowds in Jerusalem after Pentecost, we had such a mix of people listening to the morning Bible message. There were farmers, shepherds, businessmen, Muslims, animists, young people, grandparents…… all listening to the Lord’s words from His book.

Eye Surgery Clinic – We’re thankful again to the Lord for a good eye surgery clinic again this week. Dr. Kirumbi from Mvumi Hospital came with his team and screened patients and performed seventeen cataract surgeries yesterday and a couple minor surgeries as well. Pray that the seeds planted each morning during devotions would take root in patients’ hearts.

Homeschool Week – Thank you for praying for us for homeschool week at RVA two weeks ago. We saw first hand the damage done by the mud slides, but thankfully the roads were passable, and we came and went without a problem. We enjoyed a chilly but good week of seminars, meeting with other homeschool families, and SAT testing for Drew. Drew did fine on his SAT tests, and really enjoyed his two night dorm stay. At the end of the week we were given the ‘green light’ from the Elementary Principal for Drew to attend 4th grade at RVA starting in September. We loved seeing Josh too, doing well at school and busy with basketball practice and choir. He was also in the Elementary school musical that we saw at the end of homeschool week, about Nicodemas meeting with Jesus. Melissa also made breakfast burritos for Josh’s dorm, which were a hit!
Just this past weekend Josh told us over the phone that he was able to go and plant some new trees above the school with other students and staff at RVA. Deforestation is a big problem in the hills around Kijabe, and contributed to the recent mud slides.

Mobile Medical clinic – At the end of April, five members of our Magambua medical team traveled to the Alagwa area (three hours away) for another mobile clinic, same place I went last year with the Chew’s. This time the team was entirely Tanzanian, I stayed behind to run things in Magambua. They partnered again with the TIMO team there to run a two day medical outreach clinic. Otto, our lab technician, was part of the team and was able to offer a good variety of lab tests to the local people. They saw 165 people over the two days. Pray that the Alagwa would see God’s love in the way they were cared for, and in the way they are loved by the TIMO team that lives among them.

Women’s retreat – This past weekend Melissa enjoyed a weekend women’s retreat in Moshi with other missionaries. They had a wonderful time sharing and praying together, hearing from God’s word, playing games, swimming in a natural spring, and hiking near Kilimanjaro!

Upcoming meeting in Pahi – Please pray for me (Jon) as I travel this weekend to Pahi for a supervisors meeting regarding the Pahi Dispensary. I’ll be meeting with the team there, pray for wisdom and unity as we discuss different issues surrounding the management of the dispensary and medical care in Pahi.

Margaret coming – We are so excited for our new missionary midwife, Margaret Papov, who will be joining our team here in Magambua! She’s scheduled to arrive in the beginning of June for a language course in Dar es Salaam, and then to Magambua in July. Pray for all her paperwork to come through fine, for all the transitions, for safe travels and good learning as she studies Swahili in Dar.

Short termer coming – Pray for Dan Everett, a P.A. student from Cedar Crest BFC, who will be coming for a short term assignment at our health center for June and half of July this year. We’re excited to welcome Dan to the TZ bush!

PRAY FOR:

The gospel to bear fruit in patient’s lives in Usandawe and among the Alagwa
Pahi dispensary supervisor meeting this weekend
Margaret Papov as she settles in to life and ministry in Tanzania in June/July
Dan Everett’s short term mission trip to Magambua for six weeks
Drew’s heart and mind as we prepare for him to become a boarding student at RVA in the Fall

Love in Christ from all of us,

Jon and Melissa

Pictures:

1- Waiting for eye surgery
2- Dr. Kirumbi checking visual acuities
3- The surgical theatre (operating room)
4- The next morning after surgery
5- Taking bandages off and examining patients the morning after surgery
6- The joy of seeing, the woman pointing said “Hey, I can see that tree, and those wards with the windows, and everything!”
7- Pastor Michael Mashauri sharing with the crowds this morning (Wednesday) from the Scriptures.