Wednesday, October 23, 2024

 Dear Cherished Interested’s,                                                                                                     October 24th 2024

Hilda has had over ten days of a bug.  Wisely she took antibiotic we acquired here where self-care is required and there are no legal impediments to such care.  She sounded not only better as she went to sleep Tuesday night Colorado, but very nearly great.  This at about 4 AM my time Tanzania.                  She has weathered well, in spite of illness, several long days and two very late evenings of Parent teacher conferences.  She met many parents, even a few she really needed to meet.

Thank You for the time and effort to pray for us.

One of our editor/translators is now in school.  She is in her thirties and this hoped for Music degree will be the second following History.  She is starting from zero with music except for a remarkable gift of pitch and sensitivity to parts in choral arrangement which pours out in her singing.  About an hour before dark last night she was here singing the TZ national anthem into my ear so I could get the tune and timing into my computer.  This for an assignment ahead. 

This is something you have done by praying too.  Thank you

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Thank you all of you who have continued to give.  I am thankful.  We did not know what to plan for.  We only sought not to leave anything unused in what we have been brought into and through by God and your praying to use even people like us.  I know many of my fellows at home would not approve of the skin of our teeth serving wherever we are.

In fact, I don’t approve entirely either, but I am still learning.  Learning that tomorrow brings more than I can do and yet, God does everything I am supposed to be part of anyway.  I only get to participate and watch.

Like children’s choir at church..  Too many littles to count..  Not a single microphone among them and yet they filled the Cathedral with sound like the grown up choir often doesn’t.  Can’t wait until they come to English service again.

Like new local ones coming to English Service.  Young little ones coming with other young little ones and caring for younger little ones with them.  Somehow choosing not to be afraid of me, even without Hilda.  Then sitting in the same pew so I can help guide them through worship.

Right now just the simple goodness of fresh hot cooked food lovingly prepared by the same chef who three years ago would leave her kitchen, come outside and help me learn the various abbreviations of Swahili names for the books of the Bible.  Hilda told them I was supposed to be fat when I get back to America..  Most often, I don’t eat supper because no one is around and I have already eaten enough before Hilda’s minions depart.    

Like bringing the occasional literally starving student to eat with us during the day.

Your prayer does things like this too.  Thank you.

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Last messages are now within the capable efforts of the editor-translators.  Hoping to have the help of some of those desperate and fearful with regards printing house that supports servants of God’s people.  We’ll see. 

Also need help here with some other issues regarding funds owed this tyrant who trusted.  Hoping to turn those debts over to a more remote mountain church near to and related to the borrowers.  That church is striving to do entrepreneurial enterprise to feed widows, shut-ins, and support educations.

Please pray, I can’t take credit for success but must strive.  You do your part please, it is amazing how willing God is to hear you.  Thank you.

Closing Africa house and returning to Hilda I pray will be easy, no matter how impossibly hard.   Deserting the loved ones there/here is extremely painful.  Perhaps, with today’s tech, it won’t be as complete a desertion as it was in the past.  We’ll see if there is interest here for connection in the face of perceived rejection. 

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

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Keep our feet to the fire, please.  Thank You!

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 –

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

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

 Dear Cherished Interested’s,                                                                                                     October 10th 2024

Carried gear for a returning theology student, with her, to her new rooming assignment on campus yesterday afternoon.  The weekend before, while filling hopefully one of the last commitments made by my huge hearted wife, had taken the stupid little truck, the two precious editor-translators and myself about 3 to 4 hours away, nearly Kenya again.  There we were close to this theologian’s home and church servicing so that we were able to pack her gear back here in the truck for her. 

Being on campus is something I avoid in the light of day, in respect of the disreputable who happen to have power and engender tremendous fear among those they are trusted to serve, with, among and to.  Large back-pack on, but only one strap of a large duffle because I am an elder who can’t carry anything, you know.  The other strap was being carried by the theologian herself.  Another large sack was in the capable hands of a daughter of the University Chaplain.  Shhhh..

Few were on campus but they are gathering.  I was greeted in Meru by the guard on duty and amazed by the students walking up to this outcast to shake my free hand with such earnest grace.  Those roots are being loosened all the time but nutrition is still lovingly getting through.

I walked myself home greeting people, working people not authority people, who want Hilda to be greeted.  The church world around needs its butt kicked.  Since Constantine converted to Christianity and shared authority structures from outside the church into the church, those authority structures are a double edged sword too often blunted on the side of those wielding power through them. 

Fear lets them.  Desperation lets them.  However, are those structures from Roman antiquity the authority that saves anyone of anything, ever?  Tired and self-oppressed beloved North America, what is our excuse?

More than the church world round needs its butt kicked, I need a good kick or two too.

So, pray for me please..  I don’t have that huge hearted wife with me here to share some of the oppression with.  The oppression born of that fear and desperation.  I look like the colonizers that were thrown out.  But seemingly everyone avoids the desert with God on the journey from enslavement to freedom; there is still addiction to desperation and fear and what colonizers used to bring that was beneficial. 

And as we have abused ourselves at home with our choice of leadership over the many years, the destructive consequence to our personal authorities and responsibilities manifest over those same many years; our diminishment at home has taken and continues to take lives here.  Who and how we are either serves the world we are part of or leaves it bereft of us and what life can build with us where we aren’t even aware.  70 times 7

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Two weekends ago, was a trip to the mountain country almost due east of here.  There three days.  Day one travel, celebrate with a bride her send-off into marriage.  Day three, gather at the church for the wedding. 

Day two was insane.  Beautiful but insane.  I did all the driving.  From remote volcanic hot-springs to power damn to sunset canoe ride on waters between TZ and Kenya in sight of Hippopotamus plural.  Then goat trail in the dark up extremely steep and abusively washed out track to the one of the highest peaks, senseless drama at the top but eventually sleep. 

All the way, God was using those travelling with me to facilitate and challenge those allegedly serving us. 

I am forever proud of the Godly editor-translators who had this journey too. 

The region had lost both their hugely beloved hands-on Lutheran bishop and their Catholic bishop on the same day to two separate car accidents.  The Lutheran bishop leaves a young family at home and a larger one through the church.  Desperation and fear..  Shutting up and listening can help, even if that is not what some may want.  

Here in these more remote places I am still introduced as pastor.  Back in Usa river, I am now introduced as Evangelist by the desperate, fearful, and politically connected.  This is like being identified as Deacon or Elder or Trustee to keep one in their place.  Those roots are loosening but nutrition is lovingly getting out to some spiritual mycelial web in places. 

Your Prayers have protected along every step which was also prepared in response to your prayers. 

I can’t take credit for Guards securing vital power infrastructure asking for and getting prayer from me.  Nor can I take credit for spontaneous bush walks given freely by one of their number.  Or a young Maasai Shepherd deciding to walk alongside me for most of that bush walk, just to speak a little Swahili with something he has never seen before, get a fist bump and run off smiling huge.

Not one asked for money or gift.  Only prayer..  they can call me anything they want. 

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Landlord’s wall seems fully erected, final pointing and coating with mortar underway.  The craftsmen wave and smile freely, enough interaction has occurred for them to know my hands have gotten dirty and striven like their own.  

Your prayer does things like this too.  Thank you.

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

Last messages are now within the capable efforts of the editor-translators.  Hoping to have the help of some of those desperate and fearful with regards printing house that supports servants of God’s people.  We’ll see. 

Also need help here with some other issues regarding funds owed this tyrant who trusted.  Hoping to turn those debts over to a more remote mountain church near to and related to the borrowers.  That church is striving to do entrepreneurial enterprise to feed widows, shut-ins, and support educations.

Please pray, I can’t take credit for success but must strive.  You do your part please, it is amazing how willing God is to hear you.  Thank you.

Closing Africa house and returning to Hilda I pray will be easy, no matter how impossibly hard.   Deserting the loved ones there/here is extremely painful.  Perhaps, with today’s tech, it won’t be as complete a desertion as it was in the past.  We’ll see if there is interest here for connection in the face of perceived rejection. 

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

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

Keep our feet to the fire, please.  Thank You!

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.

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

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 –

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,                                                                             December 30 th 2024 Hilda and ...