November 25, 2008 - Johannesburg, South Africa
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
To our surprise last week we were requested to move to Johannesburg, South Africa to serve in Member Care for the Southern Region for an undetermined length of time. Since we had only been in Nairobi for 3 weeks our stakes were not down too deeply, so we said, “Yes,” and packed our bags and arrived here Nov. 17. Member Care is quite like a pastoral role as we relate to missionaries dealing with various medical issues, or different kinds of needs for their children or perhaps even as they might have a need of some conflict resolution within teams. Many missionaries come to Jo’burg for medical needs so we will be involved with hospital visitation. We are looking forward to being available to help/support any missionary as they walk their journey of ministry and need a listening ear, helping hand or support in some manner. PRAY for us in this new role that we might be good listeners, encouragers, supporters and have great discernment and godly wisdom; given by the Holy Spirit. Danny will also continue to assist our Strategy Associate in Nairobi by way of email and telephone so PRAY that he might be able to give appropriate attention to both jobs. Also PRAY for our coworker, Larry Randolph, who was in this position, as he seeks the best medical treatment in the US for prostate cancer. We know he and Dianne are anxious to return to their home and job here.
Our new address is:
Daniel Hood
BIMS
Box 1759
Edenvale, 1610, South Africa
Phones:
Danny 011-27-82-920-5393
Claudia 011-27-76-041-0094
Our email addresses of course will remain the same. We always enjoy hearing from you and thank you again for your love and support. PRAY for us that we may also find ways to share the gospel in ways that God opens before us. That is our utmost reason for being here no matter what our daily responsibilites might be.
We wish each of you a Blessed Thanksgiving; there is so much to be grateful for each and every day. Also, we ask you again to seriously pray about your gift to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Foreign Missions. It will be a tangible way to give to the One whose birthday we are celebrating. We do wish you could see and know the many ways this offering is used for the ongoing work of over 5300 missionaries.
Thank you for loving, for praying, for giving and encouraging.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
South Africa Bound
TimT has asked Claudia and me to help in the southern part as temporary Member Care. We leave Monday 17 November 2008 for Jo'berg, SA. Out Member Care folks there are dealing with health issues back in the States. We may be there three or four months. I will continue to help TimT via email, phone, etc. Please pray for them and us.
Newsletter Time
We have been in Nairobi just 3 weeks, arriving October 21, and it seems so much longer. It is definitely easier to adjust somewhat quicker to the culture when we have already spent time in Africa. But there are still many challenges to locate places and things and to begin feeling at home.
Our 3 flights to Nairobi were on time and we arrived with ALL of our 13 pieces of luggage. This was truly an answer to prayer. Leaving Isaac was one of the hardest things we have had to do but what a blessing to have had some very special time with him and to experience his love for us and desire to be with us from the very first hours of our arrival. We are so grateful for our sons, daughter-in-love and “sweet” Isaac. Though we miss them all very much we do feel that for this time this is God’s plan for us. PRAY for Janet as she is in the countdown now for the delivery date of our “little darling” girl about December 16.
We had such a busy six months in the US but feel we accomplished many necessary projects. And we are so grateful for the privilege to finish the career appointment process and now are career status. There was a lot in this process but there were many who encouraged us on and led us through the process. We are grateful to them.
We have been busy upon our arrival. Danny has gotten more into his job assisting our Strategy Associate, Tim T.; and I have been doing more to get the apartment set up. But we have attended a small Kenyan congregation and Danny preached there 2 Sundays. We hope to do some leadership development and evangelistic outreach with them in the next weeks. We also were able to share the gospel with Raj, a young Indian man we met where we had lunch. He is an agnostic but we had some very good and meaningful conversation about Jesus. PRAY for Raj and for us that we might have other opportunities to share with him and that his ears and heart might be open to continue our conversation in a spiritual realm.
We have gotten to know several of the missionaries in Nairobi and have eaten with many in their homes and with others in some group settings. It is a joy to get to know them and learn of the work here. We have several different ministry teams in Nairobi which is a melting pot for many Indians, Middle Easterners, Kenyans, Europeans and lots of other nationalities. PRAY for these teams as they seek strategy and inroads to share Jesus with folks who serve many false gods. PRAY also that their language study process can produce quality abilities as they so desire to be able to share Jesus in the heart language of the people group with whom they work. It often takes 2 years or more to become fluent enough to share the gospel easily.
After being here 10 days we traveled to Tanzania with our boss to participate with our workers there in a cluster prayer retreat. It was great to meet about 50 more of the folks with whom we will be working in our new role. Tanzania is a vast land about the size of Texas and Oklahoma. We traveled 14 hours to our destination and after the first 5 hours the roads got much better and are some of the best we have traveled since being in East Africa. However, driving is still hazardous with so many people walking on both sides of the roads and a lack of good order in the driving process. We passed nearby Mt. Kilimanjaro and saw its extremely high peaks, with snow/ice on one side, reaching through the clouds. Danny’s desire is to climb it one day. However, it takes 5-6 days, is quite expensive and he has got to find more time to do more physical fitness than he has done in past months/years to be ready. But, I certainly expect him to pursue it. The terrain is every changing throughout the country and to our surprise we saw a large herd of zebras roaming along the way. (This was a special way for Danny to celebrate his 64th birthday.) We do look forward to seeing some game parks in the future. The wildlife of Africa is one of God’s special gifts to us. We love to see them in their natural habitat.
It was wonderful to see many of you during our stateside and to speak to many others on the phone. Many of you invited us for a visit or to speak in your churches and we are so sorry that time preventing from connecting. We continue to be so blessed by the tremendous prayer support that we have through you wonderful people. Thank you for loving us and not forgetting us and for continuing to be faithful to pray for the work which God has called us to. We so depend on your prayers and you are active participators in the work that God is doing here. We happen to be on the ground but you are just as much a part through your prayers as we are.
In just a few weeks we will be celebrating our Savior’s birth. We encourage you not to forget to give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions during the month of December. The work of over 5300 missionaries is so dependent upon the monies of that Offering to do the ministry on the field. We all are being affected by the economical crisis but we ask you to not forget to give to the One Who gave His all for us. Let our largest gift this Christmas be to the One whose birthday we are celebrating. Giving to this Offering is a tangible way to give unto Christ for the work of His Kingdom.
Please continue to be in touch with us. We love to receive your emails, prayer requests and encouraging words. You are so dear to us and we love you.
Danny and Claudia
Our 3 flights to Nairobi were on time and we arrived with ALL of our 13 pieces of luggage. This was truly an answer to prayer. Leaving Isaac was one of the hardest things we have had to do but what a blessing to have had some very special time with him and to experience his love for us and desire to be with us from the very first hours of our arrival. We are so grateful for our sons, daughter-in-love and “sweet” Isaac. Though we miss them all very much we do feel that for this time this is God’s plan for us. PRAY for Janet as she is in the countdown now for the delivery date of our “little darling” girl about December 16.
We had such a busy six months in the US but feel we accomplished many necessary projects. And we are so grateful for the privilege to finish the career appointment process and now are career status. There was a lot in this process but there were many who encouraged us on and led us through the process. We are grateful to them.
We have been busy upon our arrival. Danny has gotten more into his job assisting our Strategy Associate, Tim T.; and I have been doing more to get the apartment set up. But we have attended a small Kenyan congregation and Danny preached there 2 Sundays. We hope to do some leadership development and evangelistic outreach with them in the next weeks. We also were able to share the gospel with Raj, a young Indian man we met where we had lunch. He is an agnostic but we had some very good and meaningful conversation about Jesus. PRAY for Raj and for us that we might have other opportunities to share with him and that his ears and heart might be open to continue our conversation in a spiritual realm.
We have gotten to know several of the missionaries in Nairobi and have eaten with many in their homes and with others in some group settings. It is a joy to get to know them and learn of the work here. We have several different ministry teams in Nairobi which is a melting pot for many Indians, Middle Easterners, Kenyans, Europeans and lots of other nationalities. PRAY for these teams as they seek strategy and inroads to share Jesus with folks who serve many false gods. PRAY also that their language study process can produce quality abilities as they so desire to be able to share Jesus in the heart language of the people group with whom they work. It often takes 2 years or more to become fluent enough to share the gospel easily.
After being here 10 days we traveled to Tanzania with our boss to participate with our workers there in a cluster prayer retreat. It was great to meet about 50 more of the folks with whom we will be working in our new role. Tanzania is a vast land about the size of Texas and Oklahoma. We traveled 14 hours to our destination and after the first 5 hours the roads got much better and are some of the best we have traveled since being in East Africa. However, driving is still hazardous with so many people walking on both sides of the roads and a lack of good order in the driving process. We passed nearby Mt. Kilimanjaro and saw its extremely high peaks, with snow/ice on one side, reaching through the clouds. Danny’s desire is to climb it one day. However, it takes 5-6 days, is quite expensive and he has got to find more time to do more physical fitness than he has done in past months/years to be ready. But, I certainly expect him to pursue it. The terrain is every changing throughout the country and to our surprise we saw a large herd of zebras roaming along the way. (This was a special way for Danny to celebrate his 64th birthday.) We do look forward to seeing some game parks in the future. The wildlife of Africa is one of God’s special gifts to us. We love to see them in their natural habitat.
It was wonderful to see many of you during our stateside and to speak to many others on the phone. Many of you invited us for a visit or to speak in your churches and we are so sorry that time preventing from connecting. We continue to be so blessed by the tremendous prayer support that we have through you wonderful people. Thank you for loving us and not forgetting us and for continuing to be faithful to pray for the work which God has called us to. We so depend on your prayers and you are active participators in the work that God is doing here. We happen to be on the ground but you are just as much a part through your prayers as we are.
In just a few weeks we will be celebrating our Savior’s birth. We encourage you not to forget to give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions during the month of December. The work of over 5300 missionaries is so dependent upon the monies of that Offering to do the ministry on the field. We all are being affected by the economical crisis but we ask you to not forget to give to the One Who gave His all for us. Let our largest gift this Christmas be to the One whose birthday we are celebrating. Giving to this Offering is a tangible way to give unto Christ for the work of His Kingdom.
Please continue to be in touch with us. We love to receive your emails, prayer requests and encouraging words. You are so dear to us and we love you.
Danny and Claudia
Tanzania Prayer Retreat
Our boss, Tim T., invited Claudia and me to go with him to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was a hard 14 hour trip from Nairobi, but the roads in Tanzinia were great!!! I could hardly believe it. The Prayer Retreat was a great time to meet some of our personnel. We are so blessed to serve along side these folks. Returning to Nairobi, we took two days.Preaching in Rungiri
Our first Sunday in Kenya found us preaching about 25 or 30 Km north of Nairobi. Moses is the Pastor and there were about 15 adults plus children. A fine young man was saved today. Praise God.New Home in Nairobi
While it was very hard for us to say good-bye to the boys and Janet, I was very, very hard to say good-bye to Isaac. Of course, he didn't have a clue what it was all about. BUT--- we are happy to be in our new home located on the grounds of Hampton House.
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