The missionary life takes many twists and turns. A good philosophy for a missionary is found in Ecclesiastes, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Recently, I found myself in Zambia picking sweet potato leaves for lunch. (Maybe I’ll go back later to pull the potatoes themselves.)

While we are on a farming theme, here is a snapshot you never expected to find in a missionary newsletter. In Malawi, the familiar "pot-rack, pot-rack" of the guinea fowls woke me every morning with a sound that took me back to my childhood. This fellow in Zanzibar was hoeing
with all his might, getting ready to plant cassava. I think he shares my Ecclesiastes philosophy.
Yes, I love gardening. I love guinea fowls and I like to watch a farmer with a hoe. But what I really love more than anything is investing in teachers who will cultivate the spiritual lives of Africa’s children.

Thanks for all you do, to help me harvest this huge, valuable crop! It’s Been An Amazing Year!

WHEW! This year has been packed with new (and varied) experiences. Now it is time to stop for a while and reflect on what has happened. As I take the time to consider where I have been and what I have done in the past 12 months, I stand amazed. In fact, "It’s just amazing!" has become a phrase I catch myself overusing. But what else could I say? I know from where I have come. I know who I am. I know what God has done in my life, and this past year has been nothing less than AMAZING. There is just not another word to describe it!

Here are a few of the high-lights:
March: SENEGAL, on the West coast of Africa. Training seminar for about 20 teachers, in a
country where the faith of Islam is prevalent and the Church of God has only two congregations.
May: ZANZIBAR, on the East coast of Africa. Training seminar for 13 teachers, also in a country dominated by Islam. We have only a few churches on the island of Zanzibar.
September: MALAWI, teacher workshop and addressing the national convention.
October: BOTSWANA and GHANA, training teachers and speaking to leadership meetings concerning the importance of emphasizing children’s ministries.
November: KENYA, ten days of teaching Principles of Teaching to 70 students from 8 nations of East Africa.
To everything there is a season.
The only thing in our lives that never changes is the fact that changes are inevitable. A big change is happening in my life and I am both excited and apprehensive about it. After having had my base of operations in Eldoret, Kenya for three years, I am in the process of moving to Lusaka, Zambia.

In Eldoret -- I have shared a home with three (sometimes four) single missionary ladies. In Lusaka -- I have rented a small house in which I will live alone.

In Eldoret -- I take turns cooking and cleaning the kitchen. In Lusaka -- I’ll be cooking for myself.

In Eldoret -- my home furnishings were jointly owned by all of us in the house. In Lusaka -- I will purchase furniture on my own.

In Eldoret -- I can walk to town for errands and shopping. In Lusaka -- I will need to have a vehicle.
Some things, however, will not change. - I’ll continue to serve as Children’s Ministry Coordinator, Africa for Church of God World Missions. I’ll continue to train teachers across the continent. I will continue to depend upon your support, whether it be spiritual, emotional or financial. And, I will continue to be grateful for all you do to help enrich and enlarge the Kingdom of God in Africa!

December 2011

Contact Information :
The best way to communicate directly with me is by email at: wanedabrownlow@yahoo.com
or send a message on FACEBOOK: Waneda Brownlow
To send support, write to:

Church of God World Missions
PO Box 8016
Cleveland, TN 37320 USA
Account Number 065-0834
(Please include my name and account number on all correspondence with World Missions.)

I will be in the US February 1—March 24.

My cell phone number is 813 404 3108.
Mailing address: 2312 Long Green Court, Valrico, FL, 33596
For Your Information:

Driving in Rwanda is like driving in the US. Coming into the country, it is necessary to switch
sides of the road. This can be disorienting as traffic patterns are reversed.

The first Christmas song I heard this year was Jingle Bells, as I ate lunch looking over Lake Victoria in Kampala, Uganda. The idea of a one-horse, open sleigh in Uganda (a tropical country) was just a little strange. The herb rosemary is commonly used in cooking in Rwanda where it is known as "the" (TAY).

Lake Malawi is the second deepest lake on earth. Bujagali Falls near Jinja, Uganda, on the Nile River has been covered by water in a reservoir behind a hy-dro-electric power dam. Bujagali Falls was a well-known white water rafting site, attracting rafters from all over the world.
Parents in many African nations are known by the name of their first-born child. In Kenya, I am
therefore called Mama Mary.

Prayer Requests
Petitions:

Peace for African nations with volatile political situations.
Freedom to spread the good news in nations closed to Christianity.

A general awareness of the importance of children’s ministries in Africa.
Thanksgiving:
Smiling children whose teachers have received training.

Thousands of miles of safe travels this year.
The blessings of good health, strength and energy for
ministry.

I saw this sign in Malawi. At first, I laughed. Most of us have forgotten at least one of these items as we departed from a restaurant or a tourist attraction. I thought the sign was a funny way to jar the memory of the traveler. "Check your belongings. Make sure you have every-thing." As I
continued to think about the sign, I realized that although we would never actually leave our children behind, we do sometimes forget they require our constant, loving care. Working in churches across Africa for the past three years, I have sometimes been thrilled to see demonstrations of tremendous love for children. However, I have more often been dismayed by the obvious lack of concern for children on the part of many pastors and congregations. In general, the church has not yet recognized the value of children. The needs of children
continue to be seriously neglected by the church. In the Church of God (and in other groups, when I am invited), I try to spread a passion for ministry to children. To date, leaders and teachers in 16 African nations have been exposed to this passion. I hope they have also been infected with a desire to bring the children of Africa to mature discipleship in Christ. We must "check our belongings," ensuring we have remembered to care for our children. Yes, the
sign in Malawi is funny. It does its job by making us laugh. Really, though, forgetting children is not funny. It’s a tragedy that requires immediate response. If you want to participate in bringing the children of Africa to Christ, please tell me. Contact information is listed above.

Teachers in Moshupa, Botswana

The Gift of Prayer For Our Missionaries

As we enter into the Christmas season, Church of God World Missions encourages everyone to pray God’s blessings on our missionaries. What greater gift could we give our missionaries than to pause to lift them up in prayer? If you have a personal relationship or acquaintance with one or more missionaries, pray specifically for them. If not, please pray in general for
all our missionaries. Let the following list guide your prayers for them.

• Love God with all their hearts, souls, and minds.
• Be humble and submissive in spirit to the Lord.
• Be diligent and consistent in spiritual disciplines of Bible study and prayer.
• Be protected physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
• Know wisdom, understanding and leadership from God.
• Live pure and holy lives in thought, word and action.
• Be bold in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
• Be able to rest in the Lord, to trust His faithfulness when feeling overwhelmed by the
  needs around them.
• Have favor in the eyes of local governments for open doors to the Gospel.
• Be strong and courageous, especially in hostile environments.
• Reflect the love of Christ in all relationships.
• Experience a special touch of the Lord’s presence in times of loneliness.

Thank you for the gift of your time. Thank you for the gift of your prayers for our missionaries. Thank you for the gift of your prayers for those in the world who don’t know Christas Savior. © 2011 Church of God World Missions
December 16, 2011

Vision In Affliction

Church of God missionary Neil Lawrence tells of his recent bout with vision loss while serving in Kenya.

On August 6, during our 154th Gospel Meeting I woke up in the cab of the truck with my vision having turned milky white. During the next three days the milkiness turned mostly black, as if it were night with no lights around. I was with our Gospel Team, Eagles’ Wings, boosting the Hima Church of God in western Uganda. Though my eyes were aching, I went ahead and taught a seminar in the church and preached outdoors where 100 people were saved. After the meeting ended, the Team broke down the equipment while I traveled south to an old Anglican hospital to have my eyes checked. They were not able to diagnose the problem. We made the 2-day journey back to Eldoret. For the first time ever, I could not drive the truck. Francis, our technician, had to. I coached him while I was seated in the passenger seat basically blind. By the time I arrived at the Eldoret hospital, Jennifer led me by the hand into the doctor’s office where he confirmed I was below “legally blind.” Two days later while in the hospital, my vision digressed to PL (perception of light without accurate projection), one small step away from total blackout. God Speaks in the Midst of Darkness. If I was not convinced that the Lord is sovereign, that Jesus is standing next to me always, and that His purposes are being accomplished in me and my family, then I would be full of despair. But God has spoken in the midst of this affliction of darkness. When I first woke up blind far from home, fear began to grip me. I immediately asked God to heal me, and bound the enemy’s work against me. I thought, “How ironic. I have been assigned to speak on The Recovery of Vision for the Church’ at the Kenya Church of God National Convention in two weeks and now this?” Then the Lord spoke to me, “This affliction is your ‘stepping stone’ to the next level of ministry you have been praying about for years.” During my first night in the hospital, fear again began to surround me. Jennifer was also greatly distressed and could not sleep at home. But God began to speak to her so many things that she had to write them down. The Lord said: 1. “Tell Neil he is not a victim, but a victor.” 2. “Neil needs to literally speak peace to his fears.” 3. “Neil will recover enough of his sight to be able to speak on ‘vision’ at the National Convention.” 4. “Waiting upon the Lord is not passive, but an active process.” She called me at 4:00 a.m. and told me what the Lord had said. When she hung up, I immediately prayed out loud and grasped hold of these words from the Lord. The fears disappeared and God reminded me of the scripture Jesus quoted when He began His ministry, “…the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news…and the recovery of sight to the blind,” (Luke 4:16). Over the next 17 nights, the Lord would wake me, stir my spirit, and give me the message on vision. Jennifer helped me type it and put it on Power Point. I delivered the message and ministered with Eagles’ Wings at the National Convention. Even though I was still physically blind, my spiritual sight was alive. Medical Condition: After the convention was over, my vision started to darken, so we returned to the States for better testing. After one month in Kenya and two months in the States, my vision seems to have plateaued at 15/200. I have been diagnosed with “optic neuritis,” which is inflammation of the optic nerve. Most cases are reported in women, and is caused by an auto-immune disorder such as MS (multiple sclerosis). Many times, as in mine, the cause is unknown. Ninety percent of the time it affects only one eye, but my case is again atypical because I am equally impaired in both eyes. For the last 90 days I have only seen in shades of black. I see no color. I can see objects up close and somewhat in the distance, though not with clarity. I can only see very large letters on the computer. Vision of 15/200 means that what a person with normal vision can see at 200 feet, I can only see at 15 feet. In typical cases, people can recover much of their sight within 3-11 weeks as the inflammation reduces. Some vision can still be recovered six months, or even up to 12 months after an episode. Medically speaking, there is a correlation between how much vision is lost and to what extent the vision can recover. My loss was very severe. Hope for the Future: My trust is not in medical experts, but in “The Great Physician.” The Bible says, “The Lord sees in darkness,” (Psalm 139). The Lord speaks to us in our darkest moments. He who is Light never ceases to shine. We are waiting for complete healing of my eyesight. And even if it doesn’t come soon, we are planning to return to Kenya in the new year to continue leading many blind into the light of the Gospel. We are extremely grateful to the church in Kenya, the States, and other parts of the world who have supported and encouraged us during this affliction.

Neil and Jennifer Lawrence

Missionaries to Kenya

Project Number 060-0064