St Stephen is supporting missionary James Hargrave. Here is his latest update from Tanzania. Please remember James in your prayers.

Dear friends,

Wamefika!  They have arrived!

On Friday, July 9th I was joined here in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by  
Felice Stewart, Katie Wilcoxson, and Michael Pagedas.  We will be  
together for the time being as we all work on learning Kiswahili.  It  
has been a delight having them here, and I'm enjoying showing them the  
ropes of life in Tanzania's biggest city. Of course there are always  
hiccups, but so far they have been thankfully minor.  It has been a  
delight to play "host" for a change, after months of being the  
"guest."  Please continue to pray for us as we begin to learn how to  
work together as a team.

The week after the newcomers' arrival, we received a visit from Father  
David and Ethan Rucker.  Ethan is a good friend from the Orthodox  
Christian Fellowship at the University of Florida.  It was a special  
joy to welcome him to share in our lives here for a few days.  I am  
grateful that he will be able to relate first-hand his experiences of  
life in Africa and the life of the Church here to my friends and  
supporters back home at St. Elizabeth's in Gainesville as well as OCF  
at UF.

Ethan's dad, Father David, is the Associate Director of OCMC and thus  
my boss.  It's nice to have a job like mine where you look forward to  
visits from your boss.  Fr David concelebrated Liturgy with Fr Petros  
at St Paraskevi Cathedral, and on Monday he sat in on our language  
studies.  His greetings from the US, and his words of encouragement to  
us, were a great affirmation of God's work, by your prayers, here  
among us as we continue to learn the language and the culture of this  
land.

Many other things have happened since I last wrote.  My dad was in  
Tanzania for much of June in his capacity as agricultural consultant  
for ECHO (http://www.echonet.org) as they are organizing an  
agricultural conference in Arusha next year.  After concluding his  
business in Arusha, he came down to spend several days with me in Dar  
es Salaam.  It was great to have Dad around and to show him what life  
in the city is like.  He's been speaking Kiswahili since I was very  
young, and so now that I'm learning the language we were able to get  
around together in the local language-- pretty cool.

And I am beginning my fourth month of language learning.  The more I  
understand of the world around me, the more I'm aware of how very  
little I understand.  But lately, every now and then, I'll see  
someoen's face light up in appreciation of my effort to speak and  
behave *their* way, rather than expecting them to know *my* language  
and culture.  It's a nice feeling.

God willing, at the end of this month I will be able to join the OCMC/  
Finland Teaching Team in Mwanza!  My goal for the two weeks of youth  
camp will be to participate with the Team and learn what it's like to  
be on a short-term team, so that I can be in a better capacity to  
facilitate future Teams.  It would also be my first opportunity to  
meet His Eminence Jeronymos as well as the faithful of the Church that  
I have been asked to serve.  I would then return here to Dar es Salaam  
and continue with Kiswahili language study until the time comes for me  
to move permanently to Mwanza.  The final approval for this visit just  
came today, so tomorrow I will be looking for a plane ticket to Mwanza  
on Saturday.  Please pray that, if it is God's will for me to join the  
Team, he will provide the necessary transportation.

In the meantime, I thank God for continued good health and strength as  
I continue learning how to speak, live and act in Tanzania. I know  
that many of you are praying for me, because I am being well-cared for  
here.  Thank you for your prayers, as well as for your friendship and  
encouragement.  Please keep in touch.

By your prayers,

James Hargrave


It is foolish to think about God and forget that you are in His  
presence.
-- Anthony of Sourozh