10 Years in Tanzania

On July 4, 2001, we arrived in Tanzania for our first term. We praise the Lord for all that He has done the last 10 years. Below are some highlights of what He has been doing recently: Neema is a young lady who has been very faithful to our ministry over the last several years. She has a real heart for evangelism. She was recently married to a great Christian young man and is now living in Arusha. We will truly miss her and her faithful service in the church. We were able to see 2 other couples united in marriage in the church. Pius and his wife Anna and Paul and his wife Paulina had been married tradionally but wanted to recognize God in their marriage and get legally married in the church. We had a small ceremony and reception during our normal Sunday service.
The construction on the new classroom building for the Truth Learning Center is complete. We still need to do painting, electrical work, and have desks and other furniture made. Recently we have seen 11 students accept Christ as their Savior through the ministry of the school.

The construction on the Timothy House Boys Home is continuing. Please continue to pray that the construction goes smoothly and stays on schedule. Pray that God would bring us the right young men for this new ministry.
Rich and Rose are two of our Bible Institute students who have recently finished the first stage of the program which focuses on basic Bible knowledge and service in the local church. They will continue in the next stage which teaches more in-depth Bible doctrine and focuses on leadership in the local church. We now have 18 students who are studying in Bible Institute at the Truth Baptist Church.

Christopher was saved early in our ministry in Katesh. We have seen him grow spiritually and witnessed how God is using him.  He has taken a step of faith to move with his family to the village of Basotu in order to live closer to this ministry and better minister to the people there. We had a special service, offering, and prayer for him as we sent him off to do the work of the Lord.

In May we celebrated both of our birthdays (Steve and Natalie) and also our anniversery (14 years) by spending a few days in Zanzibar while the kids stayed with missionary friends in Arusha. We had a great time just the two of us.

Sarah turned two years old in June and she enjoyed her Winnie the Pooh cake and presents. She is getting so big and is starting to speak in English and Kiswahili.

Caleb had his 7-year-old birthday party in Arusha with missionary friends. We surprised him with a small party and gifts. He likes anything to do with NASA and outer space.

We celebrated July 4th with other Americans in our area (Peace Corps Volunteers) and had a cookout, played some basketball, and had good fellowship. Hannah loves having company just like her mom and can talk your ear off if you will let her.

Building Buildings and Lives, Bush Adventure.

The new classroom building at the TRUTH Center is going up fast. Praise the Lord for this building project going smoothly so far and for the funds to complete it! It will be for grades 4-7 making our Christian school complete and will provide room to grow in the years to come.

The Timothy House Boys Home contruction is underway. This new ministry will target young men who are in need of housing during their secondary school years. The goal is to invest in their lives and to raise up young Timothys who will love and serve the Lord.

We are not only building buildings these days but are also blessed to see God building lives. We praise the Lord for 8 people who have trusted Christ recently and have made Jesus the foundation of their lives. Those who have accepted Christ have been through various ministries of the Truth Baptist Church such as the school ministry, our Sunday School ministry, and an outreach to the local government orphanage. Below is the 3rd grade class at Truth Learning Center, many of whom have trusted Christ as their Saviour.

Every year the missionaries of the Baptist Bible Mission of Tanzania get together for a week of fellowship, preaching, and strategic planning. This year we had a small group because of several missionaries being on furlough but we still had a great time.

This huge (12 feet long) snake was killed near the place we were having our team meeting. It is the largest snake we have seen in the wild.

I was pleased to hear that hunting season was extended to the end of March this year! After driving 4 hours into the bush from Arusha I was able to hunt Eland, Wildebeest, and Gazelle. There were so many animals that I could have shot them all from the same standing position. The area in which I hunted was in traditional Masai land at the base of the volcanic Mountain of God. (Visible in the picture behind me.) The Masai in this area are in desperate need for water and the young herders that you see in the picture were so thirsty they were drinking the bone marrow from the wildebeest's lower legs as we were field dressing it.

The kids (Hannah, Sarah, and Caleb) continue to grow and be such a blessing. God has blessed us with children who are obedient and who bring joy to us every day. It is hard to imagine what life would be like without them.

Back in Tanzania January-February 2011

We arrived back in Tanzania for another term of service on December 31st, 2010, just a few hours before the New Year 2011. The following are some highlights of our first two months:

A missions group from Liberty Baptist Church in Canton, OH, ministered alongside local believers in the village of Basotu doing evangelism. Local tribal dancing gathered a crowd and the gospel was given.

The missions group also ministered together with local believers in Katesh in a children's outreach. Over 800 children received the gospel one afternoon. The group also ministered in two orphanages. The theme for 2011 for the Truth Baptist Church is "2011 . . . Going Forward Together". It was a blessing to see 3 people go forward in their spiritual lives following the Lord in believers baptism. Maria is a young lady who was saved at our youth meeting. Caleb was also baptized and gave a short testimony in Kiswahili.

2011 looks like it will be a year for building. We have 3 building projects starting this year. Below is the new classroom building for the Truth Learning Center. Construction is also starting on the Timothy House Boys Home and also the Basotu village church building. (More pictures coming soon.)

Hannah and Sarah showing off their smiles. Hannah is losing teeth and Sarah is getting more!

Back in the USA!

We arrived in the USA in April, 2010 for "furlough". This is a time of rest, relaxation, and reporting to ministry partners. We have had a great time with family and friends and also seeing God work. The following are some highlights.

With Missionary Steve Saint at the missions conference at Canton Baptist Temple. Steve is the son of missionary martyr Nate Saint who was inducted into the Christian Hall of Fame during the conference along with the 4 others who who were killed in Ecuador.

There is nothing more American than riding a Harley Davidson! I was able to go on a motorcycle trip with the RPM ministry of Canton Baptist Temple. Thanks Robert!

Sarah enjoying her birthday cake at her 1 year old party at Grammys house.

Grammy and Papa (Burkholder) with their grandkids after a bike ride in Ohio.

Caleb turns 6 and parties with his American friends.

Sarah gets walking lessons from mommy. She is a now a walking tornado!

Hannah with her BFF's at day camp at camp CHOF!

Steve speaking at camp CHOF to over 100 middle school campers. There were many saved and spiritual decisions made.

We enjoyed the city of Chicago while reporting to churches in the area. We are above the city in a glass box on top of the "Sears" tower in Chicago. The city is literally below us.

Hannah and Caleb about to be drenched at a water park.


At Daytona beech in between church meetings.

While visiting a new church in Kentucky we had the chance to go to the Creation Museum. It was a great day of learning about God's creation and if you get a chance you should go.

Great Start to 2010

We had a great start to 2010 and seen the Lord bless and provide in so many ways. Below are just some of the highlights. Thanks for your partnership and prayers.

In January we had a medical missions team come. They did a mosquito net project, two health seminars, and also a banquet for the health professionals in our area. Hundreds of people heard the gospel and were shown the love of Christ.




God has provided the funds for the completion of our classroom building which will enable our Christian school to continue to grow up to fourth grade. The school now has 4 classes and nearly 70 students.

God has provided the funds to purchase additional land next to the TRUTH Center for a new ministry called the Timothy House. This new ministry will focus on reaching and mentoring young men for Christ. We also hope to use the Timothy House to train young men in ministry. More news about this new ministry soon!

The Lord blessed with another missions trip, a group of 12 people from different churches and ministries. This trip was focused on children's ministries. There were visits to three different orphanages, work done at our school, and two special outreaches to children in Katesh and Basotu. Over 1500 children received the gospel.


We were able to visit a Barabaig village (Datooga) with the mission group and it turned out to be a great day. We met with the ladies, the elders, and the young people did traditional dances. (I even had a chance to get in on some of the dancing!) We talked with them about many things, and shared with them a few gospel songs that were recorded in their own language. The Lord could be opening a door for the gospel in this area. Please pray.

Our family continues to be blessed with good overall health and safety. Hannah enjoys playing dress up with her friends, Caleb enjoys playing on the new "monkey bars" they got for Christmas, and Sarah loves putting everything she can into her mouth!

Family News

While the work and ministry here in Tanzania moves on so does our family life. Sometimes time is moving too fast. It seems like the children are growing and changing so much everyday that we are overdue to update everyone on their progress. So here goes...

HANNAH: Hannah will be 7 years old in about 3 weeks! Boy does that make her mom and dad feel old. She lost her first tooth on Sunday--she didn't get her first tooth until she was 11 months old so we weren't surprised that she was so late to begin losing them. Hannah was so excited, laughing her head off while blood ran down her chin! She is doing wonderfully in school. She is homeschooled 2.5 days a week and is in the first grade. She also goes to our school at the Kweli Centre 2.5 days a week and is in Standard 1. She loves both schools and is learning so much. She is quite the little leader of her gang of girls at the Kweli Centre. It will be a rude awakening next year when we go to the States and she's not the novelty that she is here!

CALEB: Caleb's big news is that he can now ride his bike without training wheels! Every Monday is Steve's day off and he spends the afternoon playing with the kids. Steve suggested two weeks ago that they take off Caleb's training wheels (Caleb is 5) and we were surprised Caleb went for the idea! He did so great, and was very proud of the bumps, bruises, and cuts all over his legs. He will be amazed when we are in the States next year and he can ride on pavement instead of rocks and dirt--it will feel like glass to him! He also is doing well in K-5.

SARAH: Sarah is now 5 months old and weighs a whopping15.5 pounds! She has started eating cereal and bananas now, so we expect her to continue to fatten up. We wish she would sleep through the night, but it's hard to get frustrated with such an adorable child!

NATALIE: I continue to work at the school 2.5 days a week, and homeschool Hannah and Caleb the other days. I'm thankful for my sister-in-law, Tricia, who is a great help to me at school so I don't have to carry the load alone. The Kweli Centre is Sarah's second home, and she even has her own bed/playpen there. She's like the school mascot! We are still trying to have ladies meetings at church each month, and I teach Sunday school and Bible club once a month too. I am looking forward to going to Morogoro and Dar-es-Salaam for Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping in a few days! It's hard to believe the holidays are almost upon us again! The kids are excited about getting out the decorations this weekend.

STEVE: Steve continues to do more than I thought humanly possible--preaching, teaching, traveling, dealing with government things, communicating with supporting churches, etc., yet still makes time for his family. He carries a heavy load, but does a great job and we are so thankful for him.