Newsletter February 2012

2012 has started out with a bang!!  I passed out without warning on the morning of January 1.  I fell on my face and side after rising in the morning.  The clinic of Oloirieni Community Clinic investigated on Monday morning and nothing showed up in my blood.  I had thought malaria.  The tests came back negative.  I went for further tests and it was discovered that I had Grave’s disease, a problem with my thyroid.  I am on medicine and I seem to be doing better.  Pray that the Lord will help the doctors in regulating my medicine so I can continue to function normally. Thank you for your prayers.

     Translating and publishing material and tracts for adults and children has kept me busy over the last few months.  I am doing a children’s version in Swahili of a discipleship course.  Our older children need more Biblical materials for them to grow in their relationship with Christ. 

     I am mentoring a young Christian but she is not a good reader and gets frustrated.   Pray for Hafsa that she will continue to study and read God’s word.  She is growing slowly but surely. 

     School at the Bible Baptist Academy is flourishing!  We have almost 250 students this year and over 25 staff members.  We have up to grade 6 and next year will be grade 7, which is the last grade before secondary school.  Our primary school is bulging at the seams!  We need additional land close by the school for a pre-primary wing.  Pray with us as we continue to seek God’s will in this. 

     I am amazed how God protects and provides.  Thieves have been bothering others in our area.  We discovered missing things here at my house, but I have not lost anything of big value.  Pray for God to continue to protect my home and my property here in Arusha. Also, Satan has been trying to discourage me in financial areas, but I am trusting God to continue to thwart Satan’s attacks.  Pray for me and for my ministry here, as I continue to serve the Lord and witness to the unsaved.

     Thank you for the faithful support financially and faithful prayers!!! God bless!

 Joanne Foltz                                                                         

Missionary to Tanzania since 1997

P O Box 191, Springfield, MO 65801                     joannefoltztanz.blogspot.com

our worship of our KING

Yesterday I was in church on my knees acknowledging the Creator of the world and worshipping Him.  I was next to a young Islamic lady who I have been praying for her salvation for a long time.  She was not on her knees but had her head bowed. 

I thought to myself, "just recently millions of worshippers were on their faces before their god, who is not even alive.  I had a question. . .when was the last time we were on our faces or even our knees, thanking God that He is alive and that He reigns???"  It moved me to worship the Lord more and pray for the salvation of this Islamic friend.  Her heart is softening, she is asking questions, she is coming once and a while to church Sunday morning. 

Have you recently been on your face or knees, asking for the salvation of Muslims you know?  or a neighbor?  or a friend? or a family member?  We need to be on our faces, because the time is now.  We are not promised tomorrow.  We need to be praying, witnessing and living a godly life. . . all to honor our Great Creator and God, who is alive!!!

when you woke up this morning. . .

"What if when you woke up this morning, you had only the things you thanked the Lord for yesterday."  This was a comment on Facebook from one of my friends. It made me really think.  What did I thank the Lord for yesterday??? electric, fuel for the generator, my bed, my hot shower, my food, my family , my salvation. . . my sending church and supporting churches, my lady friends here in the Bible Baptist Church, etc.  It made me re-evaluate my thanks.

We are to be thankful for all things, even the tough things.  Sometimes and many times, that is the most difficult but necessary. 

Did you thank the Lord for things yesterday??  what if they were only the things available to you today?  how would you have fared????  

Let us be thankful and be thankful for all things.  God is our provider and knows what we need and what will make us stronger and what will give us pause.  Make sure that "pause" is for a time of prayer!

It has been one of those days

I don't know if I got out of the bed on the right side, but this day has been a little stressful.  It was to be a day off from the school so I could get some things done personally.  Well, it didn't work out that way. 

Electricity schedule is out the window.  My generator is limping along because the workman promised to return to check it out; that was last week.  The computer guy returned the third time this morning to make the computer work in the ministry room after he was supposed to fix it the first two times.  I had meatloaf in the oven half done when the power turned off.  I had to go to the school for two hours which I had not planned on.  Things at the school office have sprouted legs and were no where to be found.  Then in the afternoon, they reappeared!!  Traffic is a bear now a days and today was no exception.  I had "learners" in front of me most of the time or two motorcycles trying to come down my side of the road, expecting me to move to the left.  I do not move to the left so we had a stalemate a few times.  And the day was not over yet.

I am not complaining although it sounds like I am.  It has been a hard day but God is good and faithful.  He loves me even though I get hot under the collar at traffic.  I do trust Him only to keep me safe not the police here.  I trust Him only to guide me and comfort me.  I trust Him only to love me even though I may not be loveable at times.  God is patience and kind.  I need to be more like Him.  I do pray that He keeps on convicting me when I am impatient with others.  I pray that He continues to guide me when I try to take the reins from Him. 

Tanzania can be a stressful place to live but I am happy I am here in God's will for my life and ministry.

I best thing that happened today was my friend, Mama Glory, made me mtori, banana and beef soup!!

My long trip home to Tanzania

I have heard of people sitting on the tarmac for hours in the plane at an airport but now I empathize with them. I am now one of them.  It was only  three and one half hours but I thought we might have to stay the night at the airport or go through unloading, loading again, and then wait again.  Well, we did have to refuel since we used up a lot of fuel and I was really hunger when they finally gave us a snack of cold, and I mean cold ,like ice . . . wraps with a cookie.  I had opted to not eat in the airport knowing that we would get a hot meal on the flight.  I was really hunger and wondered how the rest of the flight would be.

 Really, after we started, the flight was long but uneventful. We did have to wear our seatbelts alot, even though I wear mine all the time anyway.  We had turbulance quite abit of the flight.

 I had a lady across the aisle who was not well and was needing a friend.  I hope I gave her good advice and gave her some hope.  She was going to miss her connecting flight to Bangladesh.  She was from the city where my sending church is from, Gainesville, Virginia.  We had lots to talk about and I had opportunities to share my faith.  She said she would write me an email when she arrived home.  Paveer is her name.  Pray that she will accept the hope of Christ.  She is truly a needy soul. 

I have been able to shower, eat, get some strong coffee, freshen up, and catch up on emails during this time in Qatar.  I still have a trip of 5 hours to  Nairobi and then 5 more hours to Tanzania by car.   Long trip!!

 It has been a good trip though very long.  I am glad most of it is over though, although I still have four hours of waiting for my next plane.  Oh, well!!  I need to make my "to do" list for Arusha for my arrival at HOME.

 Thank you , Lord, for your provision and protection of the last few months and last few days!  I am keeping my guardian angels busy! 

Newsletter June 2011

Dear faithful praying friends, May/June 2011


As I write, I am getting ready to return to Tanzania after a busy, but rewarding 3 ½ month furlough. I have traveled over 8000 miles by car and have visited many of my supporting churches in Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and a few new churches. God has been so faithful to keep me safe as I traveled by car and one trip by plane to Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Thank you for your prayers!!! I will be leaving from Kansas City, Missouri on June 16 and traveling to Tanzania. Pray that my trip will be blessed and that I will arrive safely.

During my furlough, my twins graduated from Baptist Bible College Springfield. Nathan, my youngest son, received his B.A. in Missions and Bible, Megan received her B.A. in Missions and Bible with an Associate in Business, and my daughter in law, Tiffany, received her B.A. in Missions and Bible with a minor in Elem. Ed. I am so proud of them and pray that God will continue to bless them in their ministries in the future. Nathan and his wife, Tiffany, were approved as missionaries with the BBFI and have started their deputation for the field of Tanzania. To contact them for a meeting, call 804-370-1396 or visit their website Foltzwagen.com. Megan, my daughter, was married on May 14th to Jeff Jones, who is a youth pastor. She will be joining her husband for ministry in Arkansas as they serve the Lord together. I am pleased and blessed to have children who love the Lord and want to serve Him. 3 John says that “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” God is faithful!!

The ministries in Tanzania are gearing up for youth camp in June. We are having three youth camps back to back with a total of 1500 young people from high schools in Arusha/Moshi area, the central area around Morogoro, and from the capital city, Dar es Salaam. Pray that many young people will come to know that they need a Savior and that they will respond to the Gospel given at camp (pictured at right). Last year we saw 200 get saved at our December camps. This year we are having camps in June and December for unsaved highschoolers.

My car has arrived!! I thank the Lord for His provision of a newer (used) reconditioned vehicle for me. It was ordered from Japan just before the tsunami. It arrived safely at port in Dar es Salaam and was delivered by my teammates to Arusha. Thank you all for extra funds to pay for this “new” used vehicle! To God be the glory!!

Joanne Foltz

Almost done traveling for this furlough

I have been from MO to Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Arkansas, and back to Missouri.  I have one more trip to Rhode Island and Massachusetts and then back to Missouri.  I have driven over 8000 miles so far and I am not done yet.  Thank you all for the prayers because I know God has helped me keep alert and safe because of the faithful prayers.

I am with my family, most of them, in Missouri since this week is a whirlwind of activity.  My son and daughter in love are getting approved by the BBFI as short term missionaries to Tanzania on Wednesday.  Thursday, my twins and Nathan's wife are graduating from Baptist Bible College with parties afterwards with extended families and friends.  Friday is my daughter's wedding rehearsal with a flurry of activity.  Saturday is the big day for Megan and Jeff Jones.  They are getting married here in Springfield MO and they will be living in Arkansas where Jeff is a youth pastor in a church in Springdale. 

I praise the Lord for His provision and His guidance over the last few months.  I miss my ministries and the people in Tanzania and know that He will continue to strengthen me as I go back on June 16th.