More tea Vicar?!

Tea at the Garden Party

Dear friends,

Just a very brief update.... We praise God that Paul got through the BAP (Bishop's Advisory Panel) and has been recommended for training for ordination. He will begin training in September based at St. Mellitus College in Plymouth. Thank you for all your prayers as he has gone through this process. Please continue to pray for him now as he is looking for the right local church where he will do a placement during his study.





Christine is enjoying her new job at the Eden Project working with the "Deep Roots, New Shoots" project, engaging Grandparents and their grandchildren in creative and educational play at Eden. It is a wonderful place to work.

We had the honour of  being invited to the Queen's garden party last week, representing CMS.We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have included some photos of the day.
 








We have also been enjoying this beautiful weather on some of the lovely beaches here in Cornwall.










Once again we thank you all for your continued support and prayers. God bless you all richly.







Lots of Love,

Christine, Paul, Daniel and Isaac.xxx

Update from the UK

Dear friends,

This is just a brief post to update you on what we are up to.

We praise God that Christine has just been offered a job at the Eden Project in St. Austell, working on the "Deep Roots New Shoots" project as a Project Coordinator.
The project works with grandparents and preschool children, engaging them in a range of activities to encourage creative play and an appreciation of the natural world. It also works to encourage volunteers over 50 to get involved with something positive. It is a part time job, working 9.30 -3.30 Tuesday - Friday. She is also teaching some piano lessons and the hours of this job will allow her to continue with this work too. Please pray as she begins this work tomorrow.

Paul has reached the stage of his BAP (Bishop's Advisory Panel), which is a series of interviews over 3 days to discern whether he will be recommended for training for ordination in the Anglican church. This will take place next week from Monday 21st to Wednesday 23rd May. Please pray for him as he prepares this week and during the process next week.

The boys co
ntinue to thrive at school and at home. Pray for them as they prepare for their end of year exams, coming up very soon. They were both confirmed recently, together with Paul, who had previously been confirmed in the Methodist Church but needed to do so in the Anglican Church. It was a lovely service and a special occasion for us all.

Isaac is enjoying busking in town as well as leading worship at church, whilst Daniel has developed a new interest in climbing.

We thank you for your continued prayers and interest in our lives.

With much love and blessings,

Christine. Paul, Daniel and Isaac.xxx

End of an Era

Dear friends,

As of 21st January we have officially finished our service with CMS. We are sad to finish what has been a wonderful journey with CMS over the last 17 years and look back with very fond memories, but we also look with excitement towards the future and exploring what God has in store for us on the next stage of our journey.

With the Mission Committee at Hart Plain Church

We thank you for your continued support both financially and prayerfully. We ask that you continue to pray for us as we look to the future, search for work, try to discern what God's call on our lives will be, and continue with the long process of readapting to life here in the UK.

Isaac with the worship group at Hart Plain Church

Walks with Molly

A big thank you to all our link churches. We have thoroughly enjoyed visiting you all and thank you for your hospitality. The pictures show our final visit just last week to Hart Plain Church in Portsmouth.

Once again if you feel moved to continue your support of CMS, as a church or an individual, we would encourage you to consider our good friends, Festo and Grace Kanungha. (more details on the last blog)

Shortly before Christmas we welcomed a new member of the family, Molly, a lovely little cockapoo who needed rehoming quickly. We have had great fun getting to know her and taking her for walks in the beautiful countryside here in Cornwall. She is very loving and fun.

We had a lovely Christmas, just on our own, enjoying family time and time with our church family. We were able to host a wonderful Christmas party, continuing a long tradition of Christmas parties in Tanzania. It is lovely to be able to continue our own traditions with our friends here in St. Austell.

Christmas Dinner

It was great to welcome Christine's sister, Linda and her family who came to visit after Christmas, and also to have a day visiting Paul's mum and dad in Cardiff at New Year.

Carols by Candlelight in St. Austell

Christine also had a lovely few days up North with her mum and a chance to meet up with old friends.

With Linda and family

Paul is continuing to explore the possibility of ordination with Truro diocese, and God willing hopes to begin training in September.

With Rachel

For the time being he is doing some part time teaching work at St. Austell college and supply teaching around the area. Christine has been applying for a few jobs. Some exciting opportunities have come up but we are waiting for responses. Please pray that God provides the right role for her.

More walks with Molly

We are thankful to God that Daniel and Isaac continue to enjoy and do well at school, and have made some good friends. They also love church and their youth group which is a huge blessing to them, and continue to enjoy their music.

Christmas laser light display at the Eden Project

We still miss and are very much in touch with friends and colleagues back in Tanzania. We praise God that before Christmas the Amani FM radio project was granted a "building permit". This gives them a year to build and set up the radio project before final inspection and assessment to decide whether they can be granted a broadcasting licence. Please continue to pray for this project, especially for God's provision as we search for funds for the building. Paul is continuing to work together with CAMS school in recruitment although a principal has yet to be found. Please continue to pray for God's hand in this process.

God's blessings on you all in 2018.

With love

Christine, Paul, Daniel and Isaac.xxx

Christmas Blessings!

Dear friends,

We would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and blessed new year. We pray that God blesses you richly as you serve Him


We are preparing for our first Christmas in our new home in Cornwall, UK. It will be a very different Christmas this year - instead of a Christmas day swim in the open air pool at Dodoma Hotel we will be huddled up keeping warm! We are enjoying the different traditions on the run up to Christmas, at church, at school, and in everyday life.

inTune Choir

Christine has joined a choir called "inTune" choir - very different to Kikuyu Gospel Singers who I miss very much, but a lovely group of ladies and great fun to sing with.The picture shows inTune singing at the Padstow Christmas festival.

Isaac's band

Isaac also did a wonderful job performing with his school choir and his band in the school "winter concert". The picture shows his band with friends, Harry and Bryn.


A huge thank you to all our link churches who have given us a warm welcome as we have travelled around the country visiting you all. It has been hard work with so much travelling but we feel very loved and appreciated.
These three pictures show us ministering at different link churches.

We thank all these churches and all the individuals who have supported us and prayed for us over the years and ask that you continue to support us until the end of January when we will officially finish with CMS. We have a few more churches to visit in January and very much look forward to seeing you.

We are enjoying worshipping at our home church Holy Trinity St. Austell. It is wonderful to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones and to see the work that God is doing in the church and in St. Austell. It is exciting to be part of a process of developing a vision for the church. Paul is part of the development vision team, working with others to shape the future of the church. Daniel and Isaac are loving the youth group at the church and have developed some good friendships there. Christine and Isaac are also involved in leading worship and it is great to see Isaac developing his ministry in that area.

We praise God that Daniel and Isaac have both settled in really well at school and we thank you for all your prayers for them. They have both had a really good first term and got good reports. They both love their music, Daniel really enjoying his new drum kit and lessons.  Please continue to pray for them as they develop academically and in their new friendships.

With Grandma

We are thoroughly enjoying life in Cornwall and the opportunities to walk and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

Paul's dad's birthday

We spent half term with Christine's mum here in Cornwall and were also able to visit Paul's parents for his dad's 80th birthday celebrations in October. 

Daniel enjoying beautiful Charlestown

Paul is teaching at the local sixth form college one day a week whilst he continues to proceed with the discernment process in preparing for ordination training which he hopes to start next year if he is successful in the selection process. Christine is also looking for employment. Please pray that God opens doors and provides opportunities for us .

Paul is also continuing with assisting CAMS school in Dodoma to search for a new principal and other staff. They are as yet to appoint a principal and we ask for your continued prayers for this.

The Kanungha Family

As we look towards the end of our time with CMS we ask that you consider continuing your support of CMS either as a church or as individuals. If you would like to transfer your support to other mission partners please consider our dear friends Festo and Grace Kanungha who are serving in Kilimatinde, Tanzania together with their boys Zephania and William. Festo is the headmaster of a secondary school in Kilimatinde and Grace manages a nursery school and a new primary school which are a connected to Festo's school. Kilimatinde is the village in which Paul and I served back in 2000-2003 and Paul worked with Festo at the school. Grace is a good friend of ours from St. Austell. Please pray for them and if you would like to transfer your giving to them please contact CMS and they can help you with this.

With much love and blessings
Christine, Paul, Daniel and Isaac.xxx

All Change!

Dear friends,


So we haven't written a blog since February! That is just an illustration of how busy a time it has been finishing off our ministry in Tanzania and beginning our new life here in the UK! We have now been back in the UK for 2 months and are starting to get used to life back in our old home in St. Austell, Cornwall.

At a link visit, The Avenue Methodist Church

We have begun our tour around our supporting churches, having visited 2 so far, and are looking forward to seeing the rest of you over the next few months. We want to say a huge THANK YOU to all those churches as well as our many friends and family who have supported us financially and prayerfully over the last 10 years in Dodoma (and for many during our previous time in Kilimatinde too).

Enjoying Cornwall

We would be grateful for your continued support as we continue our work with CMS until towards the end of January, and for your prayers as we adapt and begin to settle in to our life here in Cornwall. God bless you all for your love, support and encouragement.
So, a brief look back at our final few months in Tanzania ... It was a busy time, finishing off our work and handing over responsibilities, saying the many goodbyes with friends, churches and different groups of people who have known and loved over the years, packing up and preparing for the move.

Farewell at Christine's Office

Christine finished off at work with an evangelists training seminar in Zanzibar in March, and a final conference of Mission and Evangelism Coordinators in May. You can read about these events on Mission and Evangelism Department blog http://actmission.blogspot.com. Christine then handed over responsibility to Rev Paul Mahiza who is the Provincial Youth Coordinator but will now be taking on both roles, and finished her time with a lovely office farewell party.

Farewell at the University

Paul was able to pass on his work at the university to various colleagues although has been finishing off writing and marking some exams from here in the UK. He also handed over his responsibility of principal of CAMS school to the deputies as the search for a new principal continues.

Holiday in Zanzibar

Please pray that a new principal to take the school forward will soon be found. After many interviews and several offers of the post they are yet to appoint someone. Again Paul's time at the university and at the school was recognised by farewell events .

Isaac's birthday Party

The boys has a good last few months. Isaac celebrated his 11th birthday in March and had a lovely party with all his friends. Daniel finished the Easter term at school as "Knight of CAMS" coming runner up in the school chess tournament which was a great event at school coming out of the chess club which Paul initiated. The whole school became very excited about chess and the tournament.

Isaac's final certificates with his teacher and friend Rayyan

At the end of the school year Isaac received a certificate at the standard 6 graduation and also received a "principal's award", a special award which one person in each class receives each year.

Holiday in Zanzibar

We were also able to have a wonderful family holiday in Zanzibar in April before becoming too busy! It was a lovely time and hopefully a memorable holiday for the boys.

Kikuyu Gospel Singers in Kahama

Kikuyu Gospel singers Video Shooting

Christine was very busy with the Kikuyu Gospel Singers choir, recording our second video in March and then going on a trip to Kahama in June to visit another choir and work with them in outreach. We also had yet another farewell party from the choir. The video is on sale if anyone would like it, and we will be travelling with it as we visit our link churches. 

John in the recording studio

During our last few weeks Christine went to the recording studio, yet again, to record a few songs with our friend John for his solo album.

With friends in Kilimatinde

With Grace and Festo and family in Kilimatinde

We had many more parties and farewells with friends and were able to have a final trip to Kilimatinde to say goodbye to Grace and Festo and our other friends there, and Christine and Isaac had a trip to Magugu, near Arusha, to visit our friend Edmound and spend some time with his church and family.

Isaac and Edmound

We spent a lot of time sorting out our house and selling, auctioning and giving away our things so that we could return with (only!) 14 pieces of  luggage! We also had to say good bye to our guinea pigs and our lovely cat, Vanilla, who are all now being well looked after by friends.

Leaving party in the garden

Our final farewell party was a big party at our home for friends and colleagues from all walks of life.
Members of the choir came to decorate the garden and many people attended including friends who travelled from a distance to see us off. It was a moving and emotional time but a wonderful way to finish well and be able to share with all these friends.

With the Vice Chancellor and Diocesan Bishop

Finally the day came to leave Tanzania and we had a wonderful send off early in the morning as many friends from the choir, missionary friends and even the Diocesan Bishop and the university Vice Chancellor came to see us off. We travelled to Dar with our dear friend Grace who then returned with the car which now belongs to her and her family.

With friends at New Wine

We had a wonderful welcome back in St. Austell, and spent a week with our good friends, Ian and Marilyn, whilst unloading all our possessions which had been stored in our attic and making our old house into a home again. We had a wonderful week at New Wine with friends new and old from Holy Trinity St. Austell, a great time of spiritual refreshment and a chance to reconnect with friends for all of us. We are very blessed to have a wonderful group of young people at the church so the boys have a great group of friends there already.

Daniel's birthday

Daniel celebrated his 14th birthday this month and had a lovely party with many of these new (and renewed) friends.

After New Wine, Isaac had a wonderful week in Edale on a camp with other Christian "Third Culture Kids" which was a great way for him to share his experiences and have a fun and refreshing time with like minded children. Daniel had a week on his own with Grandma during that time which for him was an equally enjoyable and refreshing time.

First day at School

The boys returned to school a few weeks ago, at Penrice Academy here in St. Austell. It is a very large secondary school and we had some concerns as it is so different to what they have been used to. However, they are both thoroughly enjoying the school and are very happy with life so we praise God for that.

Over the last couple of months, as well as setting up home and all that entails, we have spent a lots of time visiting friends and family and generally enjoying the summer in beautiful Cornwall. We have had some lovely days on the beach and walking on the coast path and feel very blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

Christine with Grandma

We have been able to go to some family parties, including celebrating the golden wedding of Christine's Uncle and Aunt and the 100th birthday of Christine's Grandma.

We are now focussing on visiting link churches and winding down our ministry with CMS. 

Cornwall

We are also looking for work and Paul has begun the process of preparation for selection and training for ordained ministry within the Anglican Church. Please pray that God will clearly show us His will for this next stage of our lives and ministry.
Please also pray for us all during this difficult time of adjustment and adapting to the very different way of life here. Please also remember in your prayers our friends and colleagues back in Tanzania who are also having to readapt to life without us in many ways.

With much love and blessings.

Christine, Paul, Daniel and Isaac.xxx