I am now sitting at my desk in good old western PA. I made all my connections, but the airlines made it a tight squeeze. I arrived at the departure gate in JFK just as they were calling out for boarding. The arriving plane was late from London, and JFK was my first stop in the US. I had to get through immigration, retrieve my bag, pass customs, re-entry through security, and find my gate. After all that, we waited in the plane for an hour. But before I knew it, I arrived in Pittsburgh. Trish picked me up.
I am trying to dig out from mail, messages, receipts, and laundry. I should be reorganized soon. The trip was very rewarding. The reports I've received have been encouraging and showed it to be well worth it (see the earlier posts). I find these kind of trips to multiply in terms of influence. While we were able to pour into these leaders, they can then take it to their respective churches. Yet, there is much to do and so much more training is needed. Maybe some day, the opportunity I will be able to go back or for one of you to go!
Thank you again for all the faithful support!
Pastor Joe
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Leaving
August 11, 2008
We have made it out of Goma. It was to be the most difficult part on the way home, but we had no problems. Now, we have a nice leisurely nine hour lay over in Nairobi airport. I have window shopped every store. I think I will read some.
On our way to the airport, our translator, Simeon, reported feedback from some of the pastors who attended our Goma institute. Many of our lessons addressed forgiveness. One pastor said he had bitter relationships with several people in his church. He was able to reconcile with all of them. I taught on the qualifications of an elder in First Timothy 3. I applied it to all of us. Simeon said they had no idea of the high standards set for leaders. They were not discouraged but challenged to grow. They especially mentioned being above reproach and husbands of one wife. I explained to them that this is beyond the issue of divorce. It means that we are to be a “one woman man.” Many men may have only been married once, but they have wandering eyes and are not one women men. When I heard these stories, I felt ragged around the edges – just tired out. But, they made me feel that all the time, expense, and effort was more than worth it.
Thank you to all who prayed and supported me here in Africa. You have just as much stake in this as I do. I just got on the plane. You did the support and battle in prayer.
Pastor Joe
We have made it out of Goma. It was to be the most difficult part on the way home, but we had no problems. Now, we have a nice leisurely nine hour lay over in Nairobi airport. I have window shopped every store. I think I will read some.
On our way to the airport, our translator, Simeon, reported feedback from some of the pastors who attended our Goma institute. Many of our lessons addressed forgiveness. One pastor said he had bitter relationships with several people in his church. He was able to reconcile with all of them. I taught on the qualifications of an elder in First Timothy 3. I applied it to all of us. Simeon said they had no idea of the high standards set for leaders. They were not discouraged but challenged to grow. They especially mentioned being above reproach and husbands of one wife. I explained to them that this is beyond the issue of divorce. It means that we are to be a “one woman man.” Many men may have only been married once, but they have wandering eyes and are not one women men. When I heard these stories, I felt ragged around the edges – just tired out. But, they made me feel that all the time, expense, and effort was more than worth it.
Thank you to all who prayed and supported me here in Africa. You have just as much stake in this as I do. I just got on the plane. You did the support and battle in prayer.
Pastor Joe
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Leaving soon
August 10, 2008
I am about to finish my last full day in Africa. We had trouble getting to our respective churches to preach, but I made it in time. I spoke in a church led by one of the Institute leaders and preached on the believer’s uniform: love, from John 13. It went well except that my translator had some difficulties. I had to repeat myself more than half the time or speak very slowly and clearly. I have become spoiled by the translator at the Institute. His name is Simeon, and he is very skilled. One of the church members spoke English with me later. He sensed that I did not think the message went out clearly, but he assured me that the church understood the main point.
As I head down to dinner tonight, it became clear that God has been answering many prayers and has helped me the whole time through. Adjustments and frustrations have been minimal in terms of culture. We all have been well taken care of by the national pastors.
I will make one or two more entries until I get back to Pennsylvania. The most stressful part of the trip should be the Goma airport itself. Once the wheels are up, the rest of the trip should be downhill. I will be in Nairobi most of tomorrow waiting for my flight to London. From there I will go to New York and then to Pittsburgh. Oh, I did have two moments that were “just like home.” The other night, a thunder storm blew through that looked just like the ones in PA. And about 3:20 in the morning, I happen to wake up to hear a rumble. Yes, we had an earthquake just like in CA. It was minor and short – no damage.
Take care,
Pastor Joe
I am about to finish my last full day in Africa. We had trouble getting to our respective churches to preach, but I made it in time. I spoke in a church led by one of the Institute leaders and preached on the believer’s uniform: love, from John 13. It went well except that my translator had some difficulties. I had to repeat myself more than half the time or speak very slowly and clearly. I have become spoiled by the translator at the Institute. His name is Simeon, and he is very skilled. One of the church members spoke English with me later. He sensed that I did not think the message went out clearly, but he assured me that the church understood the main point.
As I head down to dinner tonight, it became clear that God has been answering many prayers and has helped me the whole time through. Adjustments and frustrations have been minimal in terms of culture. We all have been well taken care of by the national pastors.
I will make one or two more entries until I get back to Pennsylvania. The most stressful part of the trip should be the Goma airport itself. Once the wheels are up, the rest of the trip should be downhill. I will be in Nairobi most of tomorrow waiting for my flight to London. From there I will go to New York and then to Pittsburgh. Oh, I did have two moments that were “just like home.” The other night, a thunder storm blew through that looked just like the ones in PA. And about 3:20 in the morning, I happen to wake up to hear a rumble. Yes, we had an earthquake just like in CA. It was minor and short – no damage.
Take care,
Pastor Joe
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Last day of teaching
August 9, 2008
Last day for the Goma institute. Everyone is feeling better, but my throat is still sore. I have no fever, congestion, or any other symptoms. I should be OK.
THE NEXT PARAGRAPH WILL DESCRIBE CONDITIONS AND STORIES FROM AN ORPHANAGE. IT MAY BE HARD FOR SOME TO READ.
While I taught yesterday, our other team members visited an orphanage. The violence in the outlying areas has left many children without parents. The woman leading the orphanage started it when she had a three month old herself. An injured baby was brought to her. The baby was found trying to nurse from his mother who was killed earlier in the day. The orphanage houses around 140 children. Two teenage girls live there with their own children (one had triplets). They had been repeatedly raped over months. They were able to escape, but struggled with having children of rape. They were able to receive counseling to accept and love their children. Another young boy bears a scar from his mouth to ear. He was maimed by a rebel with a machete as a baby. He also lost his hand. While the political structure has calmed down, there is tension. It is like a feud. No one knows how the conflicts have started; they just know they are to fight one another. The orphanage children simply live there with no plans for adoption. There is not even a procedure to find them homes. And, governments (US included) complicate the process or make it prohibitive. Over the past two weeks, I have taught on the depravity of man. We really are wicked. When we see our depravity more fully, we see how amazing the redemption of Christ really is.
I just finished the last institute course. We covered the doctrines of the church and end times. Throughout this week, we have stressed the personal lives of the pastors. We did not do this by design – it just happened. So, part of church doctrine is church leadership. We went through the list of elder qualifications in First Timothy 3. The concepts of being above reproach and managing your household well hit home. I give them a real life example of a pastor who did not keep his life above reproach. It cost him almost everything. Then I gave some practical ways to keep our lives that way. It’s been a good week, but we are only starting to just now to bond with the students. I think the language barrier has contributed to this.
One of our teachers, Doug, brought his college age son, John Michael. Some of the pastors brought their daughters. They gathered their courage, made a line, and each had their picture taken with John Michael. Very cute. None of them wanted to have their pictures taken with us old guys. Go figure.
I handed out some candy to my little friends who entertained me this week. I was very popular for a few moments. Most of the same kids were not there, but I had to take the opportunity. I had our translator teach me how to say, “Be kind” in Swahili. Go “mooa-wamah” one to another.
Pastor Joe
Last day for the Goma institute. Everyone is feeling better, but my throat is still sore. I have no fever, congestion, or any other symptoms. I should be OK.
THE NEXT PARAGRAPH WILL DESCRIBE CONDITIONS AND STORIES FROM AN ORPHANAGE. IT MAY BE HARD FOR SOME TO READ.
While I taught yesterday, our other team members visited an orphanage. The violence in the outlying areas has left many children without parents. The woman leading the orphanage started it when she had a three month old herself. An injured baby was brought to her. The baby was found trying to nurse from his mother who was killed earlier in the day. The orphanage houses around 140 children. Two teenage girls live there with their own children (one had triplets). They had been repeatedly raped over months. They were able to escape, but struggled with having children of rape. They were able to receive counseling to accept and love their children. Another young boy bears a scar from his mouth to ear. He was maimed by a rebel with a machete as a baby. He also lost his hand. While the political structure has calmed down, there is tension. It is like a feud. No one knows how the conflicts have started; they just know they are to fight one another. The orphanage children simply live there with no plans for adoption. There is not even a procedure to find them homes. And, governments (US included) complicate the process or make it prohibitive. Over the past two weeks, I have taught on the depravity of man. We really are wicked. When we see our depravity more fully, we see how amazing the redemption of Christ really is.
I just finished the last institute course. We covered the doctrines of the church and end times. Throughout this week, we have stressed the personal lives of the pastors. We did not do this by design – it just happened. So, part of church doctrine is church leadership. We went through the list of elder qualifications in First Timothy 3. The concepts of being above reproach and managing your household well hit home. I give them a real life example of a pastor who did not keep his life above reproach. It cost him almost everything. Then I gave some practical ways to keep our lives that way. It’s been a good week, but we are only starting to just now to bond with the students. I think the language barrier has contributed to this.
One of our teachers, Doug, brought his college age son, John Michael. Some of the pastors brought their daughters. They gathered their courage, made a line, and each had their picture taken with John Michael. Very cute. None of them wanted to have their pictures taken with us old guys. Go figure.
I handed out some candy to my little friends who entertained me this week. I was very popular for a few moments. Most of the same kids were not there, but I had to take the opportunity. I had our translator teach me how to say, “Be kind” in Swahili. Go “mooa-wamah” one to another.
Pastor Joe
Friday, August 8, 2008
Dragging along!
August 8, 2008
We are starting to drag. Some of our team is sick but ok to continue. Overall, we are just tiring out. There are two days left of the institute, we preach on Sunday, and fly out on Monday morning. We have an eight hour layover in Nairobi. We are considering seeing some of the town, but it may not be worth it once we pay for a transit visa and a taxi. We will likely hang out at the airport.
If you see Trish, wish her a happy anniversary. We’ve been married for 21 years today. And, it’s a double anniversary. One year ago, the Olkowski’s arrived in Pennsylvania. We are grateful for our new friends and church family at Zion. Our launch team has been a blessing to us. And, we miss and appreciate our friends and family in California too.
Our doctrine studies included man, sin, and salvation. I did not cover this next point in Zambia, but I addressed the idea of our value just as a creation of God in his image. Everyone has intrinsic value. Doug followed up in his lesson as well along the similar lines. It was a good one-two punch. We also were able to discuss temptation and avoiding sin.
I briefly taught the ideas of free will and election. No problem! We did enjoy looking at all the accomplishments of the cross and what it did for us. Part of me does not understand why someone rejects all that God has done for us through Christ. But another part remembers how my excuses seem to make sense. I have not desire to go back to the old way of life. The pastors took detailed notes to study later.
Our illnesses are percolating. Our leader, John, is back at the hotel with some anti-biotic with some kind of flu. John Michael was sick yesterday. My throat is getting sore (it might be from dust and pollution). We are almost done though.
I’m so glad I’ve come, but I’m missing home too. Hope you all are well.
Pastor Joe
We are starting to drag. Some of our team is sick but ok to continue. Overall, we are just tiring out. There are two days left of the institute, we preach on Sunday, and fly out on Monday morning. We have an eight hour layover in Nairobi. We are considering seeing some of the town, but it may not be worth it once we pay for a transit visa and a taxi. We will likely hang out at the airport.
If you see Trish, wish her a happy anniversary. We’ve been married for 21 years today. And, it’s a double anniversary. One year ago, the Olkowski’s arrived in Pennsylvania. We are grateful for our new friends and church family at Zion. Our launch team has been a blessing to us. And, we miss and appreciate our friends and family in California too.
Our doctrine studies included man, sin, and salvation. I did not cover this next point in Zambia, but I addressed the idea of our value just as a creation of God in his image. Everyone has intrinsic value. Doug followed up in his lesson as well along the similar lines. It was a good one-two punch. We also were able to discuss temptation and avoiding sin.
I briefly taught the ideas of free will and election. No problem! We did enjoy looking at all the accomplishments of the cross and what it did for us. Part of me does not understand why someone rejects all that God has done for us through Christ. But another part remembers how my excuses seem to make sense. I have not desire to go back to the old way of life. The pastors took detailed notes to study later.
Our illnesses are percolating. Our leader, John, is back at the hotel with some anti-biotic with some kind of flu. John Michael was sick yesterday. My throat is getting sore (it might be from dust and pollution). We are almost done though.
I’m so glad I’ve come, but I’m missing home too. Hope you all are well.
Pastor Joe
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Goma continues
August 7, 2008
We are now in day three of the institute. Yesterday, I was able to send out an emergency email. There is a cultural and spiritual resistance to renouncing the idolatry in Africa. There was quite a stir. We will see how things go today.
A huge thunder storm came through last night. Lots of thunder, lightning, and heavy rain. I was warm and dry, but I had to wonder how the residents living in shacks and lean-tos faired.
I will teach on the Holy Spirit and angels & satan (hopefully). Besides the doctrines themselves (deity, work in believer’s lives, gifting, etc.), I want to apply the truths themselves. I will record later how it goes. (Later) The lessons went very well. I was able to discuss at length the concept of begin filled with the Spirit. There are quite a few questions about sanctification and when a believer sins. They understood how we cannot live the life on our own. We need the Spirit to live the life. I also covered angels and demons and how to be aware of satan’s schemes.
We are challenging them to formally renounce practices of the old life. We actually burned some cult books that some of the leaders were involved with. The pride among the leadership is thick, so it means much for them to take a stand. What will others think? Sounds just like home! It seems like this resistance is cracking though.
Hope you all are well.
Pastor Joe
We are now in day three of the institute. Yesterday, I was able to send out an emergency email. There is a cultural and spiritual resistance to renouncing the idolatry in Africa. There was quite a stir. We will see how things go today.
A huge thunder storm came through last night. Lots of thunder, lightning, and heavy rain. I was warm and dry, but I had to wonder how the residents living in shacks and lean-tos faired.
I will teach on the Holy Spirit and angels & satan (hopefully). Besides the doctrines themselves (deity, work in believer’s lives, gifting, etc.), I want to apply the truths themselves. I will record later how it goes. (Later) The lessons went very well. I was able to discuss at length the concept of begin filled with the Spirit. There are quite a few questions about sanctification and when a believer sins. They understood how we cannot live the life on our own. We need the Spirit to live the life. I also covered angels and demons and how to be aware of satan’s schemes.
We are challenging them to formally renounce practices of the old life. We actually burned some cult books that some of the leaders were involved with. The pride among the leadership is thick, so it means much for them to take a stand. What will others think? Sounds just like home! It seems like this resistance is cracking though.
Hope you all are well.
Pastor Joe
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Second day teaching in Goma
August 6, 2008
Second day at Goma! Many like to hear about the weather. I was expecting hot and dry climate in both cities. But, since I’m in a different hemisphere, it’s winter here and dark by 6:00PM. Both cities have been cool and unusually dry. I was comfortable in short sleeves, but the nights have been cooler. Yesterday, it rained quite a bit. It hope it’s dry today, for my laundry is hanging on a clothesline. So far, so good, but it’s overcast.
There is a contingent of children who meet us every day at the institute. I have no idea what they are saying. They love having their picture taken. I video taped them being silly and then replayed the tape – big hit. They enjoyed what I call “Stupid finger tricks.” Ask my kids if you don’t know what they are. At least the African children liked them. They also like shaking hands. They have runny noses, filthy hands, and often have them in their mouths. Jesus touched lepers, so I suppose dirt, snot, and spit won’t hurt.
Your emails and blog comments have been very encouraging. It makes me wonder how many missionaries I can write but don’t. The contact relieves our minds of what is happening at home. Drop those missionaries an email!
Our teaching time has been cut. They are starting later and ending earlier than planned. This means I have not had a chance to teach Romans. We will see. I may just give an overview. And don’t forget that we need to be translated. That takes more time too.
Today, I covered Jesus in Theology. We started with his deity & humanity, his laying aside of his glory, his death & resurrection, and his return. Besides the teaching, there was some good application moments. When I discussed the kingship of Christ, I mentioned how the kings of Israel were to be spiritual leaders primarily. If the king followed God, the people followed God (and visa-versa). Church leaders bear the same responsibility. When a leader falls, it hurts more than just the leader. The other point to bring home is the home we have from the resurrection. The disciples were crushed, broken, and scarred the Friday of Jesus’ death. But God is the God of Sunday morning. Not only does the resurrection give us assurance of future life, it gives hope in difficult situations. If God can turn Jesus’ death into life, just think what he can do in the struggles of our lives.
We had a battle today in Doug’s spiritual warfare section. He challenged the pastors to abandon the idolatry that still exists in DRC. Many have kept practices from the animist ways. It causes a stir. A group of pastors finally came forward to express their commitment to renounce the idolatry from Satan’s kingdom. Some cracks were made, but there is much work to do. Keep praying.
By the way, add six hours to EST (nine for PST) if you’re curious what time it is for me. Our institute meets from 9:00AM to 4:00PM. Do the math.
Pastor Joe
Second day at Goma! Many like to hear about the weather. I was expecting hot and dry climate in both cities. But, since I’m in a different hemisphere, it’s winter here and dark by 6:00PM. Both cities have been cool and unusually dry. I was comfortable in short sleeves, but the nights have been cooler. Yesterday, it rained quite a bit. It hope it’s dry today, for my laundry is hanging on a clothesline. So far, so good, but it’s overcast.
There is a contingent of children who meet us every day at the institute. I have no idea what they are saying. They love having their picture taken. I video taped them being silly and then replayed the tape – big hit. They enjoyed what I call “Stupid finger tricks.” Ask my kids if you don’t know what they are. At least the African children liked them. They also like shaking hands. They have runny noses, filthy hands, and often have them in their mouths. Jesus touched lepers, so I suppose dirt, snot, and spit won’t hurt.
Your emails and blog comments have been very encouraging. It makes me wonder how many missionaries I can write but don’t. The contact relieves our minds of what is happening at home. Drop those missionaries an email!
Our teaching time has been cut. They are starting later and ending earlier than planned. This means I have not had a chance to teach Romans. We will see. I may just give an overview. And don’t forget that we need to be translated. That takes more time too.
Today, I covered Jesus in Theology. We started with his deity & humanity, his laying aside of his glory, his death & resurrection, and his return. Besides the teaching, there was some good application moments. When I discussed the kingship of Christ, I mentioned how the kings of Israel were to be spiritual leaders primarily. If the king followed God, the people followed God (and visa-versa). Church leaders bear the same responsibility. When a leader falls, it hurts more than just the leader. The other point to bring home is the home we have from the resurrection. The disciples were crushed, broken, and scarred the Friday of Jesus’ death. But God is the God of Sunday morning. Not only does the resurrection give us assurance of future life, it gives hope in difficult situations. If God can turn Jesus’ death into life, just think what he can do in the struggles of our lives.
We had a battle today in Doug’s spiritual warfare section. He challenged the pastors to abandon the idolatry that still exists in DRC. Many have kept practices from the animist ways. It causes a stir. A group of pastors finally came forward to express their commitment to renounce the idolatry from Satan’s kingdom. Some cracks were made, but there is much work to do. Keep praying.
By the way, add six hours to EST (nine for PST) if you’re curious what time it is for me. Our institute meets from 9:00AM to 4:00PM. Do the math.
Pastor Joe
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