Sex attacks blamed on bat demon

What a great start to a blog, especially a missionary blog. Actually, this title was taken directly from a BBC article appearing on their website Feb 21, 2007. Aside from the mildly humorous yet tragically terrifying details, this article reiterates a very stark reality we in the U.S. don't encounter very often - and that is the dark world of witchcraft and the occult. As the article states, Tanzanians regularly encounter the occult in many forms. The rural areas more so than the urban ones, but the animism of the occult is rising in the cities - especially as rural growth is fueling one of the fastest observed population growth rates of any city in the world (over 4.5% per anum). As our family enters Dar es Salaam, TZ we expect amazing things from our Lord, but we know it will not be without a "battle". Christianity is on the decline in TZ, despite the rising tide most every else in Africa. Jesus is getting lost in the internal church battles and sometimes stifling atmosphere of current Christian dogma. As our team seeks to plant a church in Dar, we fully realize the protective prayer necessary to fulfill our visions and complete the tasks Jesus is asking us to do. I can't emphasize enough, faithful prayers are necessary.
Please join us as regularly as possible to pray and seek god for the next steps as we prepare to leave for Tanzania, as well as when we're there. We expect great things from God, and so far he has asked us to be available - so we are. Peace.