Lisa Newland

Christmas is a great chance for we missionaries to get together and remember who we are as Americans! :-) Wednesday the Brouwers invited me over for a traditional turkey dinner!! (Their oven wasn't big enough so I got to cook the 14lb turkey!)

Yumm!!!!

Over the years, Tammy has been able to collect some nice Christmas decor from other missionaries. We had a beautiful table!

Tammy and I

Abby and I

Saturday after Christmas we were invited to the Eads house along with 2 other missionary families for a good-ol' potluck and white elephant gift exchange! :-)

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Christmas day, we had a glorious celebration! Three churches (Fumagira, Igekamaja, and Mayoka) met together at Igekamaja to celebrate Christ's birth.

A truckload of over 100 people from Fumagira, arriving for the celebration.

John and Yohana, the "dynamic duo" from Fumagira, leading the singing.

3 choirs each sang several special Christmas songs that they had written for this year's Christmas. Choir from Fumagira:

Children from Igekamaja quoted Psa 23, 100, and Jn 1:1-3.

Mariamu, Ngamba, and I taught "children's church" with over 100 children.

57 baptisms this year!

Afterwards we were all served HUGE plates of rice and beef. We missionaries donated by purchasing the cow. Other church members brought rice and beans. The ladies of Igekamaja started cooking early Christmas morning.

Yes, I missed my family this Christmas, but counted it a great privilege to be apart of this African celebration of our Savior!!

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Christmas 2009

“And Mary said, ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior… For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name.’” Lk 2:46-49

Greetings from Tanzania this holiday season! The One whom Mary magnified is still alive today, still mighty, still doing great things! Life is always so busy this time of year. Do you have a moment to pause and magnify Him with me?

He who is mighty is doing great things here in Tanzania!

~ He is opening doors for new churches in new villages. Mayoka, a brand new church plant had 120 in attendance last week!

~ He is strengthening existing churches. TX has their own building now after 5 yrs of meeting in an abandoned house, and Igekamaja has established a weekly visitation program.

~ He is convicting hearts of sin and bringing many to repentance through the faithful witnessing of many Tanzanian believers. This Christmas service, 60-70 new believers will be baptized.

~ He is designing trials perfectly to strengthen believer’s faith. Our city church went through some purifying fires, but the pastor and his wife have grown deeper in their dependence on their God, and have started a weekly all night prayer meeting to seek His will and strength.

~ He has provided children’s teachers for many of the churches and they are growing in their love for the kids and in their teaching skills. Ngamba teaches with such enthusiasm and calls me each week to give an update.

He who is mighty is also doing great things in my heart!

~ He is drawing me to a deeper place of rest, dependence, and growth in my prayer life.

~ He is pruning away branches of self-effort and self-confidence that have grown strong and ugly in my heart.

~ He is sustaining me daily through His alive and powerful Word.

…And what greater work has our God done, then humbling Himself and becoming one of us, becoming flesh to rescue us?!? My soul magnifies the Lord!!

Wishing you a Merry and blessed Christmas season!

Lisa Newland

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Huge praise: We had 2 weeks of Bible college. 50+ students the first week and 21 students the 2nd week. I got to do a lot of grading and some errands for Bro Greg Wagoner while he was here and the last day I got to teach!! The emphasis this session was Christian Education, so the last day I did a seminar on teaching children- how to prepare a Bible lesson, teach a memory verse, games to use for review, etc. God's grace carried me through. Though I made many mistakes, I think they understood my Swahili... and we had a lot of fun in the process!!

Osgar: please pray for Osgar's salvation. He is a shop owner in town- Africa's version of Staples. Osgar is an Indian, about my age, with wife and daughter. He's a nominal muslim, but open to "all faiths." We've both enjoy chatting (between costumers who come in and out). Yesterday we had a good long chat about God and religions. I got the chance to share that I've been praying for him, that I respect him but that I believe with all my heart that there is only one truth- only one way. I asked him, if he's right and there are many ways- I'm fine... but if I'm right, then he's in big trouble after he dies. I loaned him a dvd on a talk about stars and our great Creator. Pray that God would do His amazing work of convicting and that He would draw Osgar to Himself!!

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