ANTICIPATION

(Above: Jennifer greeting the Sunday School class in Kizenga last week)

Greetings from Kigoma, Tanzania!

The past several weeks have been very "eventful"! We have several things to catch you up on, things to praise the Lord for, and things for which we are waiting in ANTICIPATION.

The biggest item that we must talk about first is the visa appointment for Grace to get a tourist visa to travel with us to the US for a furlough. We received Grace's passport in less than a week and a half! We were very surprised at how fast it was ready. We immediately schedueled a visa appointment with the US Embassy in Dar Es Salaam, TZ. We flew to Dar for our appointment on February 17, but Grace was denied her visa, as the current visa ban is without discretion nor exception whatsoever. The consular was very nice, and just reiterated that they have no authorization to give the visa, and are left with no choice but to deny her application. We were a tad disappointed, but not discouraged, and left the embassy with peace in our hearts about the decision.

We know it was the Lord's will to "knock on that door", and now we KNOW it would not open. We also had peace about going ahead with travel plan "B", which was for John, Isaac, Sam, and Katie to return to the US for 5 weeks at the beginning of March for a short visit. John will also speak at the Southeast 26-Below conference in North Carolina at the end of March.

Isaac is graduating high school in May, and will not return with us to Tanzania. Jennifer and Elaina will stay back in TZ with Grace, but upon our return to TZ, they will go for a short visit also. (Sounds exhausting! 😅) We hate dividing up our family like this, but it's all we can do for now until that door opens for us!

While we were returning to Kigoma from Dar Es Salaam, a close friend gave me a contact in the US government to reach out to regarding our situation. I did reach out, and he immediately got back to me. This actually set off a chain of events that led to me sharing our situation to a congressman, who was planning to bring our story to the federal level at the Department of State. We are supposed to hear some news sometime next week of their response, negative or positive. Please pray over this with us as it seems the story is not over yet! We know the Lord is certainly ABLE, and we will see how HE works in this matter on our behalf!

Do you remember this huge mango tree stump we had to get out of the way for the wall to go through? We were able to get the job done with 2 axes, a hot fire, and about 8 men! Not how we are used to solving problems like this in the US, but in Kigoma, it is the norm!

Although we still have work to do, we were able to burn and cut the tree down into large moveable pieces in order to bring the foundation of the wall through. This took a lot of man power and sweat, but we broke through!

Below is a map of the camp with the completed section of wall shaded in orange, and the remaining section in green. Amazing! The remaining section under construction should be completed within 7 days. The foundation is already completed, just the blocks and columns remain :) God's timing is amazing as the day of John's departure is the day the wall will officially be completed. Praise the Lord!

We are comntinuing to see the Emmaus courses bear fruit in our area. Below is a picture of the Emmaus students in the village of Ilagala who have gathered to turn in their exams and receive new courses. When we meet together, we sing a song, give a short devotion from the Word, and then exchange Emmaus courses. In Africa, it seems you must always be ready to give a short devotion or preach a sermon on a moments notice, as I have experienced way too many times. Thankfully, the Lord has had me ready!

Unfortunately, we have some bad news regarding one of our students. We learned that this young man was fishing on the river bank in Ilagala, and was pulled into the river by a crocodile and drowned. He was an exceptional student, as his grades reflect on the certificate below. We will miss him, but will see him again in Heaven. Let's pray for his surviving wife and children.

In Kizenga, we are seeing more encouragement as one of our young men, Amani, has been really growing. He is currently studying at the Discipleship School in town which is operated by Luke Johnson (fellow CMML missionary), which has encouraged him in serving the Lord. Amani is also working at Camp Nuru during the week, and returns home to Kizenga on the weekends. He is really encouraged, and is contributing to the teaching and other responsibilities at the Kizenga chapel.

Above: Amani preaching at Kizenga Chapel.

(Jennifer holding Grace, the day we brought her home a year ago.)

We are very encouraged by the fruit and progress we are seeing in all of these areas of ministry! We thank you all for praying for us, and supporting us!

We are ANTICIPATING the completion of the wall around Camp Nuru (light), an answer about Grace possibly getting a visa, the upcoming trips to the US, and the 26 Below conference. Regarding the visa for Grace, we realize it could very well be a "No". It could also be a "Yes". We know the Lord is very ABLE to open this door. If He does, we will rejoice, but if He doesnt, we know He will have a better plan moving forward, and will give us the grace needed. Thank you all for praying with us over these many matters!

~ The Kinlaws

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for the door to open for Grace to get a visa to visit the US with us.

• Please pray for Jennifer, Elaina, and Grace as they stay back in TZ while the rest of the family goes to the US for the month of March.

• Please pray for wisdom for our family as we navigate the uncertain days ahead.

• Please pray for John, Isaac, Sam, and Katie as they begin their travels on March 1.

• Please pray for the Lord's blessing on the 26 Below Conference in late March.

• Please pray for the completion of the wall at Camp Nuru! Also for the Lord's protection and provision for this big project.

• Please pray for our children, and for Jennifer as they continue in their various schooling.

• Please pray for the spiritual fruit in the Emmaus ministry, and the Kizenga Chapel.

~Thank You!~