Dear Cherished Interested’s,                                                                                           July 31^th 2024

We have been in Greeley Colorado since the night of July 29^th, so Hilda was here on time for her new teaching position at Tointon pre-engineering school.  4 flights, 5 airports, 3 countries, 3 states, a fair amount of driving to get to Greeley.  All safe, all with Angels given along the way. 

Most of the workers in Doha Qatar are Swahili speakers from Africa.  It is great to be able to affirm and thank them for their work.  Had a good long discussion with a young Kenyan mama working security at the flight to the US.  As seems unfortunately normal everywhere, the hardest working and least paid get the least affirmation and thanks.  I am thankful for the opportunity to remedy that even a little.

I wore my crucifix everywhere in that Muslim Airport and got nothing but bows, nods and smiles from the Qatari people.  No sharia police issues.

Flight from Doha to Philadelphia, 14 hours, had four strangers talking intensely outside the Restrooms mid-deck.  An amazing Hindi Nepali woman managing to educate over 200 children in Nepal and who wants Hilda and I to come, an American Muslim textile engineer born in Egypt, who wanted to talk about Jesus and what we were doing, an Arizonan who leads a free global medical services providing NGO, and me, a near penniless Christian missionary.  Sounds like a wind up for a joke, but it isn’t.  We have each-others contacts now.  More people to remember and pray for now..  what a wonderful problem to have!

In Philadelphia, Robert, a career musician for the Coasters, sky-capped for us.  It was a wonderful time through customs and immigration with both Robert and I, old guys, talking music and the Northeast USA where we are both from.  The customs inspector asked Hilda and I questions, reading us and Robert as we responded.  We were waved through with thanks for our work as missionaries from this young federal cop.  No physical inspection with the trunks just take them to the counter and watch Robert help the ticketing agents whisk them onto the flight to Dallas.

We were waved, by the elder boarding agent, onto the flight for Dallas before our Zone was called too.

Dallas was a survivable mess.  Musical gates but we got our flight to Colorado Springs. 

In Colorado Springs, it was the next day when we arrived, so we collected our rental truck, thanks to James at Budget Rental who stayed late to get it to us. 

Then Kenowa, at baggage claim, stayed late too, to use the baggage claim cart to pack our trunks outside and across the street to the truck in the rental parking.  These are all interesting conversations with people who want to have them.  We seem to give people permission to talk about things that are important to them, simply by being honest and open with who we are and what we choose to do with our lives.  And listening.  I don’t think anyone gets listened too, here at home in America, anymore. 

Hilda has been very well received at the Greeley School District 6.  No one has been afraid of this older African missionary chosen by them to come teach 8^th grade physical science in a two year old pre-engineering school.  Even top level school administrators here have spoken publicly during training this week about the importance of faith.

As far as the work goes so far, even with jet lag, Hilda is on top of it and adding to it well.

We have applied for an apartment on the University of Northern Colorado Campus.  This, available for teachers within the Greeley-Evans school district 6.  If we get it, Hilda will have relatively affordable housing with campus security for while I am gone from her, God willing.

Transportation hope are bus or local Uber.  We are avoiding permanent car expense as long as we can.  Rental now.  Hoping for none later until I return to find an affordable something to fix.

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Tanzania whats apps every day, several times, asking about Hilda..  They are diligently carrying on the work without me there with them.  Including the work of caring for those who have no family to assist their efforts towards a hoped for independence.  My heart explodes at their efforts with tremendous joy and love.  Just brilliant normal vulnerable women reflecting what we strove to do while with them.

I communicate when internet is available juggling two phones and computers at various locations.

Your hearts and minds faithfully work miracles, your praying is part of that!

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Hilda is smiling..

Obedience is hard.  But, Hilda is smiling..

Your prayer again.  Thank you.

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The book of messages written from Tanzanian Lutheran Church lectionary in two languages is still in process but nearing completion. 

I wrote the final two messages for the book, to incorporate the lesser festivals of the global church, both in one day before leaving.  Hilda listened, read, and insisted they be translated and included.

Hilda settled safely.  Then she is booting me back to TZ, God willing to finish things and close Africa house.  Deserting the loved ones there is extremely painful.  Perhaps, with today’s tech, it won’t be as complete a desertion as it was in the past. 

Long way to go.  Your prayer deeply sought for this work too.  Thank You.

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We have been invited to church here in Greeley.  Immanuel Lutheran Church on the way up the hill to University Campus had a worker bee outside as I drove by and swung in.  Similar pattern, listen to people, help them pack their tools and be real, you become a safe place to speak their hearts. 

It is such an honor to be invited by such people.  People longing to be heard because the youngers’ seem to be only phone screen minded.  Ignoring each other is not good ministry, nor good humanity.  We need to work on this together, okay?

We may live dangerously, but we are alive.  Thank you for praying us the courage to live this way, if dangerously.  We don’t see it that way.

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You who read and pray and suffer along with us.  Please believe what we get to see.  Thank you for praying our strength and guidance for each moment with each face.   Folks like you are beyond precious. 

vwilliamson@sprynet.com

Really blessed while deeply under attack..  all of it is spiritual..  I wish I could teach that to everyone so they could truly know it.  I didn’t know it for far too long. 

Please keep crumpling us up and throwing us at God.  That is where we need to be.  God will sort us out.

One day at a time.  Just like how you each live.  Just one day at a time. 

Thank you, each of you.

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What to Pray for:

Our armed forces families, our leadership, our people, whole world round, all of Gods kids -

All the tough and blessing expressed above –

The love of folks –

Whatever is on your hearts and minds for us –

For our children and grand-children who miss us?.. 

For Makumira Secondary School looking to share stories and partner in some way with a foreign school, Great leaders, teachers, students, programs, strong backs, minds, and hearts –

For our health to stay ahead of whatever is before us –

For each and every one of you –

Each and every one of your prayers, your precious conversations with God –

Prayers, Your Prayer, Even your groaning prayers makes all the difference..

Vern W

May life be as Music to your Heart – May Music be as Heart to your Life – May Heart be as Life to your Music

Dear Cherished Interested’s,                                                                                                       July 18^th 2024

Yesterday, Hilda accepted a teaching position in Greeley Colorado. 

So, we have much to figure out but..  This is part of discernment.  Too much still left to do here, however Hilda has to be on site in Colorado before July 30^th. 

Your praying hearts and minds faithfully work miracles, you are part of that!

This miracle breaks our hearts but obedience is not supposed to be easy all the time.  

SO.. those who follow us with financial support in addition to your prayers, please consider stopping. 

We don’t know what is ahead.  We don’t know what work I will find when Hilda and I are in the same place at the same time again, but, we will not be in East Africa.  We will not be in East Africa serving among people for whom what we were able to share was, for many, literally the difference between school or no school, eating or not eating, medical intervention or no medical intervention, living or dying. 

Thank You for your trust -

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Sunday Messages still going out as promised.  To two locations, one a local Lutheran Secondary School.

Your prayer again.  Thank you.

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The book of messages is closer but not done yet.

Long way to go.  Your prayer deeply sought for this work too.  Thank You.

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Please support Christian mission responses to poverty, nutritional, educational, and urgent medical care deprivation.  Then hold all of us Christian missionaries feet to the fire.  And, Pray for us, whatever we are doing.

We may live dangerously, but we are alive.  Thank you for praying us the courage to live this way, if dangerously.  We don’t see it that way.

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You who read and pray and suffer along with us.  Please believe what we get to see.  Thank you for praying our strength and guidance for each moment with each face.   Folks like you are beyond precious. 

vwilliamson@sprynet.com

Really blessed while deeply under attack..  all of it is spiritual..  I wish I could teach that to everyone so they could truly know it.  I didn’t know it for far too long. 

Please keep crumpling us up and throwing us at God.  That is where we need to be.  God will sort us out.

One day at a time.  Just like how you each live.  Just one day at a time. 

Thank you, each of you.

                -------------------------------------------------------

What to Pray for:

Our armed forces families, our leadership, our people, whole world round, all of Gods kids -

All the tough and blessing expressed above –

The love of folks –

Whatever is on your hearts and minds for us –

For our children and grand-children who miss us.. 

For Makumira Secondary School looking to share stories and partner in some way with a foreign school, Great leaders, teachers, students, programs, strong backs, minds, and hearts –

For our health to stay ahead of whatever is before us –

Pray for YWAM, YWAM families, Tanzanian families who choose Joy, over and over in defiance of death - 

For those who have braved the donate button to discover Kajun Crofton, our daughter who helps getting each one of your donations to us and every blogpost to where you can read it -

For each and every one of you –

Each and every one of your prayers, your precious conversations with God –

Prayers, Your Prayer, Even your groaning prayers makes all the difference..

Vern W

May life be as Music to your Heart – May Music be as Heart to your Life – May Heart be as Life to your Music 

Blogpost is a message we did not foresee..  We took a sister home to a mountain to help her sister get married..  The place had a story intimately connected to a mostly ignored lesser festival of our greater Christian Church..  

After the stupid little truck took us to and up this mountain above the home of that sister who served her family at a time of wedding.  After we got back.  After I studied and started to write.  After all that the connection geographically tied itself together with scripture and loss commemorated in the mostly ignored lesser festival.

Lutherans will find this festival in their worship books..  

Hilda wants this to be our blogpost this time..

Peace and Keep praying our way, Please.. 

June 3^rd Martyrs of Uganda, 1886  New International Version [NIV]    Psalm 2:7 ;  Psalm 118:24 ;  Leviticus 16:8-26 ; Matthew 16:13-18 ; Acts 22:19-21; Romans 6:6 ; Romans 12:1 ; Ephesians 5:2                           

High on the mountain’s ridgeline, up above Ugweno, Tanzania, and not too far from Mwanga, Tanzania, there is a view to the Northeast into Kenya, towards the equator & the rising sun.  There is a lake not too far from the foot of the mountain on the way to Kenya.  The view towards the Southwest and the setting sun includes the vast lake where Tanzania’s, post-independence, tremendous hydroelectric power development happened, and continues.  Fortunately, any development seems invisible in the distance.                                From the mountain, only village roofs and farm roofs, are visible up through the predominant canopy of forest, and those roofs belonging there so completely of the mountain, and the people of the mountain.  Below the top of the mountain, there is development here of a more recently ostentatious nature, but that is minimal, and its visual impact minimized by its distance down the mountain too.                          A mountain top, between two seemingly small patches of water.  Only seemingly small due to distance.  Water is crucial.  To the Northeast, a large body of water between this nation and Kenya.  To the Southwest, a body of water large enough, that the power generated from its outflow supplied this young nation only just a few years ago. 

People and rocks, people and high places, people and megalithic structures, have been known around the world as having relationships.  Relationships that in even recent antiquity can challenge, we blessed with a post-resurrection perspective as part of our culture.

In this forest beneath this mountain’s ridgeline are large rock outcrops, countable with less than the fingers of one hand.  The history of those outcrops is where, the history of sacrifice, the history of martyrs, the history of crucifixion were all taught and lived out long before Jesus was introduced here. 

Scapegoats: Leviticus 16..  Please read this chapter of Leviticus and try to identify with our ancestors.           People who God lovingly made with whole lives; and from whom we were made.                                   People whose understanding of the world was not as limited as ours is, but included spirits and mystical connections with places.  Places like springs of water and remote vast mountain rock outcrops.  Mystical and practical connections with, cause and effect, built into nature all around.  Much of that cause and effect, our ancestors lived open to, is now lost from us today.  Lost from us today, as we live with such tremendous material blessing in the world, that we have left the care of the ground, the earth, the understory, the canopy, the water courses and waters large and small behind, to seek our limited fortunes.              Seek limited fortunes divorced from the garden, the waters, the forest, the supply of nature, we were created to labor in relationship with.  This divorce from creation purpose, however brought about, is just the toehold to divorce from ancient realities and disquieting recent and even contemporary realities; ancient relationships and uncomfortable recent and even contemporary relationships.                                                Ancestor people whose understanding of the world, is not as broad as ours is, as their living time was not blessed with truth that is, verifiable beyond clinically, beyond interpretation of only story, beyond cohabitating truth in a moment verses the demonstrably causal.  Even so, these ancestors lovingly made by God with full challenging lives, were supreme survivors, as evidenced by them being made and living long enough that we could be made from them.                                                                                                               How dare we judge the precious people of Leviticus 16?  How dare we judge the people of this mountain, who less than 3 generations ago were the people of Leviticus 16?  Self-examination and critique invited by our post-resurrection reality just might bring us home to those whose lives were critical to ours being brought into being.                                                                                                                                   Coming home is the point of the story.  Life, here and now, revealed in our post-resurrection world, as the means to understanding God’s loving intent for, forever with each of us.  Each of us no longer divorced from each other, no longer divorced from creation, no longer divorced from our loving creator but redeemed, restored, renewed, resurrected with Christ.

There can be no resurrection without death. 

In the forest beneath this mountain’s ridgeline are large rock outcrops, countable with less than the fingers of one hand.  The history of those outcrops is where, the history of sacrifice, the history of martyrs, the history of crucifixion were all taught and lived out long before Jesus was introduced here.

Within living memory, the first local Christians on this mountain saved lives on these rock outcrops; and, in time, successfully ended ancient practices there.                                                                                                  These rock outcrops with impossibly shear drop offs, were where any infant(s) born with any perceived defect, including albinism, including twins, or any multiple births, was/were put to sleep at their mother’s loving breast, and then left behind sleeping.  Left exposed to the elements, and where the motions of wakefulness, sent every little fragile body plummeting to a death far below.

Where resources are limited, rationalization may even demand, survival of only what the most fit appears to be.  But our eyes are limited.  Our sight is imperfect.  The council we gave each other in antiquity, is likely no more nor less sanguine, than we give each other today.                                                                                            Our advantage today, is that we live in a post-resurrection world whenever it is proclaimed and lived in the lives in front of us.  Or proclaimed and lived by us.

Psalm 2:7   ⁷ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.                                                                                                                                                                            Lives, so motivated by the post-resurrection change in human circumstance, that they saved infants from certain death, and raised them as their own. 

This helping to end, a slow-motion slaughter of innocents.  Ending an ancient practice of sacrificing the presumed imperfect.  Martyring life that cannot defend itself.  Seeking to stop sacrificing the hearts of mothers by demanding, those mothers throw away the child born, from the sacrifice of their time and bodies.  This is Christianity lived for people to see.  This is living images of God adopting the forsaken, just as Jesus beings us home to forever with God.

Psalm 118:24   ²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. 

This, defeating a practice of death, is itself, a proclamation of resurrection.                                                    You cannot have resurrection without death.  

Acts 22:19-21   ¹⁹ “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’  ²¹ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”                                                                             These are Paul’s words recording Paul’s own resurrection of righteous purpose.  I was not there to hear them.  Yet, I can read them, and be infinitely blessed by them.  God can turn our most horrific death-seeking into salvation for uncountable numbers of people.  If we are willing to repent, to turn from our death-seeking limits, death-seeking delusions, death-seeking lies, death-seeking dreams, death-seeking presumptions for tomorrow, death-seeking justifications for the ending of a life, ending of a relationship, here and now.     

This, defeating a practice of death, is itself, a proclamation of resurrection.                                                    You cannot have resurrection without death. 

Namugongo, Uganda, is where they were burned to death.  They were burned to death for refusing to renounce Christianity.  In 1886, on the 3^rd of June 32 young soldiers and court pages were burned to death for their faith, but as is always the case in broken human events, this was part of a larger death-seeking.  

The Martyrs of Uganda are a known group of 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic Christians.  All were people who chose to be so motivated by the post-resurrection change in human circumstance; that any cult of death-seeking that they were born into, each chose to leave behind, forever.  Their names are known. 

The Herod they faced, just under 140 years ago, is known too.  Mwanga II, the Kabaka of Buganda, sent soldiers to kill those who had chosen relationship with Jesus, relationship with forever, before any mere and jealous, human king.  This particular Herodian slaughter, like the slaughter of the innocents at the time of Jesus’ birth, happened between January 31^st 1885 and January 27^th 1887.  These young Christian martyrs of Buganda, had served the prior human king named Mwanga. 

High on the mountain’s ridgeline, up above Ugweno and not too far from Mwanga, Tanzania.

Jesus is the perfect scapegoat.  Jesus is the perfect martyr.  Jesus is the perfect crucified innocent. 

Where resources are limited, rationalization may even demand, survival of only what the most fit appears to be.  But our eyes are limited.  Our sight is imperfect.  The council we gave each other in antiquity, is likely no more nor less sanguine, than we give each other today.                                                                                            Our advantage today, is that we live in a post-resurrection world whenever it is proclaimed and lived in the lives in front of us.  Or proclaimed and lived by us.

You cannot have resurrection without death. 

Matthew 16:13-18   ¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  ¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.  ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.                                                                                      This record of events comes from a place of ancient pagan sacrifice of the innocent too.  A place called “the gates of hell”.  God among us, Jesus, takes the disciples there for this teaching interaction among them.  Among them then, and for us now.  God does not forget.  God’s heart cannot forget every precious life lovingly created by God and despised to death by mere broken human choice.                                                     These places of sacrifice become places of gathering, remembrance and worship.  Places where the post-resurrection change is physically manifest in those things and any structures those things occupy.  It is often felt that the veil between here and now and forever has been worn thin, by the toll taken on God’s loving heart with every life lovingly created by God and despised to death by mere broken human choice, even in antiquity, even in 1886, even today.

Namugongo, Uganda, is where they were burned to death.  They were burned to death for refusing to renounce Christianity.  In 1886, on the 3^rd of June 32 young soldiers and court pages were burned to death for their faith, but as is always the case in broken human events, this was part of a larger death-seeking.             The Martyrs of Uganda are a known group of 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic Christians.  All were people who chose to be so motivated by the post-resurrection change in human circumstance; that any cult of death-seeking that they were born into, each chose to leave behind, forever.  Their names are known.  Sadly, the deaths of Muslim martyrs a generation prior, are not known but their deaths are still part of this place.                                                                                                                                                                             Namugongo, Uganda, is where they were burned to death.  Namugongo, Uganda, is a thin place of death affecting the heart of God, where the post-resurrection church has erected monuments of remembrance, a basilica for worship.                                                                                                                                 And, since 1993, the Uganda Martyrs University, commemorates from within Uganda with over 30,000 and growing alumni.  Each life touched by post-resurrection truth, even in a classroom, is a life reserved for eternity with God.  This too, is defeating a practice of death. 

This defeating of a practice of death, is itself, a proclamation of resurrection.                                                                You cannot have resurrection without death. 

Martyrs can take us to the heart of God living in Jesus.  Our eternal and resurrected Jesus.  Martyrs near and far in place, and through all time, take us to God’s plans.  God’s loving plans that motivate our own lives.        This helping to end, a slow-motion slaughter of innocents in antiquity.  This helping to end, slaughter of God’s lovingly created images of God, you, me, family, friend, neighbor, enemy, to this day.  Defeating death of innocents, death of sinners, death of relationships, so separation does not win and we can come home.

Coming home is the point of the story.  Life, here and now, revealed in our post-resurrection world, as the means to understanding God’s loving intent for, forever with each of us.  Each of us no longer divorced from each other by place of birth, no longer divorced from creation, no longer divorced from our loving creator but redeemed, restored, renewed, resurrected with Christ.

Prayer: Precious heart of God, source of all creation, source of all life.  Affect our hearts too.  Wear our assurance in ourselves away.  Wear our assurance in the death-seeking of our world away.  Make us each a thin place worn thin by longing for each martyred life.  And gratitude.  Gratitude that You, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, will not let death win.  Gratitude spilling from us in worship and proclamation, here and now in Your loved, post-resurrection world, on our way to forever with You.  Amen..

 

Lord Jesus be Praised…                                 God be Praised…

May life be as Music to your Heart – May Music be as Heart to your Life – May Heart be as Life to your Music

 

 

Bwana Yesu Asifiwe…                                    Mungu Asifiwe…

Maisha yawe kama Muziki kwa Moyo wako - Muziki uwe kama Moyo kwa Maisha yako - Moyo uwe kama Maisha kwa Muziki wako