Two Months In Country

First I must apologize for not adding to this sooner. I would give a bunch of excuses about how busy things have been here since we moved, but that really is no excuse. Many of you have been very busy as well, but yet you have prayed earnestly for us. I know this because the first two months in country have doubtlessly been full of challenges, but in spite of them things have gone exceptionally well. After spending a few weeks setting up our home here in the midst of severe power outages, we had several weeks of language school. We were anticipating being placed in the beginner Swahili course, but because of some study in Swahili while still in the States, we were able to skip the beginner course and move directly into intermediate. Not only were we able to learn at a much more rapid pace, but it also enabled us to save several thousand dollars of tuition fees. We have also had the privilege of learning from a number of veteran African missionaries about various cultural challenges and differences with African ministry.

Starting this week, now that language school is over for the time being, I will be joining with Rodney Myers as we focus on evangelism in one village in particular. Please pray for several items as we labor to plant a church in the village of Ndotu. First is a man named Stefano. Rodney has begun discipleship with this man already, but his work schedule has recently kept him away from Ndotu for almost 2 months. Second, is a man named Edgar and his fiance Verdiana. They both, after several weeks of Bible study, recognized that they were on the wide road that leads to destruction, repented of their sins, and trusted in Christ for salvation. Please pray for them that they would obey the commands of the Lord with regards to marriage. Third, please pray that the Lord would prepare the hearts of many in that village to receive the Gospel of Christ. This leads me to my last request. We have recently felt the great frustration of having a wonderful message to tell, but minimal ability to share it. Would you pray with us that we would quickly be able to grasp the language of Swahili and be able to communicate this life saving treasure to those who are lost.

On the family front, the kids are adjusting well to life here in TZ. They have made a number of friends and seem to be increasing in their Swahili every day. Thankfully we have not had to deal with any Malaria or other serious illnesses in our time here thus far. The kids have already enjoyed seeing monkeys of every sort, giraffe, zebra, cape buffalo, a black mamba (thankfully killed by our dogs), and some of the most beautiful (and noisy) birds you could imagine. The picture above is taken at Arusha National Park, which is just a few miles down the road from our home. We went on a safari there for Christmas Eve.

Thank you for your prayers

Aaron & Nicole Shipe

He is God, Even of the Housing Market!

Praise the Lord!! We went to closing yeterday afternoon and settled on our former home. Thank you for your prayers, and now it is time to give thanks and praise to God for His abundant provision! He has guided and superintended every step of the way to make this possible! Thank you for your labors in prayer for this. Truly God is good and faithful to answer prayer.

God's Continued Provision

We are nearing our departure for Tanzania, and God is faithfully opening doors in preparation for our arrival. Two things that needed to be accomplished before we arrived in Tanzania were the sale of our home in Maryland, and the purchase of a reliable 4x4 vehicle in Tanzania that would seat at least 8. At this point, it seems that both of these requests have been answered. Two weeks ago, our home went under contract with a proposed closing for the end of October, and just two days ago, Rodney Myers was able to acquire for us a very good Toyota Land Cruiser (pictured above). Everyone I spoke to recommended this vehicle for it's reliability and durability, but finding one with low mileage and "gentle" treatment for a reasonable price was very tricky. We praise God for His faithfulness in continuing to open doors at just the right time! Thank you also for your prayers to this end! Please continue to pray that the home would sell without any complications.

Yours for Christ,

The Shipe Family

I am just about to board a plane to Ethiopia and then to Tanzania where for the next two weeks, I will be making plans for moving to Tanzania this fall. Our partners, Rodney and Lynn Myers, have been making plans for us so that we can purchase a reliable used 4x4 vehicle, get our residence visas, arrange for housing, and prepare for a thousand other details that need to be thought through before we leave. Thank you for your faithful prayers for us. Please continue to labor for us in prayer that we would be wise in our preparations, and that God would fill us with His grace so that we can be the most effective missionaries that God would have us to be. Thank you

A Mountain Top Experience

Dear Prayer Partners,

This morning at language school outside of Denver, CO, I had the privilege of hiking to the 9,063 foot summit of Mt. Herman with two fellow missionaries. While gazing out from the summit in the early morning, with the sun just peeking above the horizon, we sang together I Sing the Mighty Power of God. The second verse says, “while all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care and everywhere that man can be Thou God art present there.” What a delight it is to remember that we are “ever” in the care of our loving Father, and to know that no matter where it is God leads us—whether in our neighborhood or around the world in some foreign country—God’s care and power are not diminished! He remains the Almighty God no matter when or where we roam.

As we look towards Tanzania, it feels many days like we are on a train that is rapidly gaining steam. Truly things are progressing as we prepare to move to Tanzania this fall. Our support has reached 90%, the children’s passports are being processed, and the next 3 years of homeschooling curriculum has been purchased and packed. Beginning August 17th, I will be traveling to Tanzania for two weeks seeking to purchase a reliable vehicle, arrange housing for the first year, and acquire resident visas from the Tanzanian government. I also hope to discern whether it would be more cost effective to send a container or purchase all items in country. As you can see, much has been accomplished, but much still remains to be done. We truly thank you for your labors in prayer for us, and covet them now more than ever.


Praises:
1. For several great meetings and increased support!
2. For safety in our travels!
3. For 4 professions of faith!
4. For growth in our efforts to learn Swahili!
5. For increased interest in our home.


Prayer Requests:
1. For the TZ government to grant us resident visas.
2. For wisdom about 2 acres of land that has been made available to our teammates very near the Datooga.
3. For our home to sell.
4. For the remaining 10% of our support.
5. For a Tanzania woman who will come along-side my wife in that first year to help her learn the language and the culture.

Every Man Heard Them Speak In His Own Language

John 3:16 in Swahili "Maana Mungu aliupenda ulimwengu hivi hata akamtoa Mwana wake wa pekee, ili kila amwaminiye asipotee, bali awe na uzima wa milele."

Acts 2 recounts the miracle of the day of Pentecost where the disciples proclaimed the message of faith in Christ for salvation. On that day, the "unlearned" disciples were miraculously and instantly empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak in at least 15 different languages. That sign-gift of the Holy Spirit fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 28:11-12, and enabled the Gospel of Jesus Christ to spread to many peoples very rapidly. However, for missionaries since the cessation of the sign-gifts, the process of learning a language and translating the Bible into another language has been one of the greatest challenges to proclaiming God's salvation cross-culturally.

Recently we received word that the translation of the New Testament into the Datooga language has been completed. For the first time the Datooga people can hear the Word of God and the message of salvation in their own language!! Although there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done to proclaim His salvation among the Datooga people and establish indigenous churches, we rejoice in God's faithfulness to bring them His Word. This exciting development makes us that much more eager to get to Tanzania and get started.

Prayerfully, we are making plans to move to Tanzania this November. We have rejoiced in God's continued faithfulness to bring in our support. Currently we are around 84% of our needed support and are praying for God to bring in the remaining 16%. We want to personally thank each of you that have given and prayed to bring us to this point. We pray that God will richly reward you for your willingness to sacrifice for His glory among the Datooga. Thank you.


Praises:
1. For several great meetings and increased support!
2. For safety in our travels!
3. For God's faithfulness to call young people into missions!
4. For growth in our efforts to learn Swahili!

Prayer Requests:
1. For continued growth in learning Swahili, especially as I take a language
course in Denver this summer.
2. For our home to sell.
3. For the remaining 16% of our support.
4. For God to use use us as we minister in churches to call men, women, boys,
and girls to follow God's will for their life.
5. For a Tanzania woman who will come along-side my wife in that first year to help her learn the language and the culture.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The past few weeks have been exciting weeks as we have just begun full-time deputation. Our prayer all along has been to be in Tanzania by the end of 2010. Over the past few weeks, we have seen a significant increase in our support level, making it look all the more likely. At the beginning of 2010, we were around 53% of our needed support; that has increased to about 66-67% of our support. We know that many of you have been praying earnestly for us, and we want to express our deep appreciation for your labor in prayer. This, however, brings several new prayer requests into focus. First, would you please pray for us as we labor in earnest to learn Swahili so that we will be able to "hit the ground running" when we arrive in Tanzania. Second, would you pray for wisdom as we begin to make moving plans and seek passports and visas for ministering in country. Third, would pray for the sale of our home. We intend to put it on the market this Spring. Fourth, would you pray for our partners, Rodney and Lynn Myers and family. They are returning to Tanzania on February 3rd with only a short-term housing situation worked out. Please pray that God would provide affordable housing in an area that would enable the most affective ministry among the Datooga people.

Thank you again for your prayers. I am reminded of what James says in James 5:16 "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."