MERRY CHRISTMAS 2007

         FROM THE JACOBSONS

 

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

Merry Christmas from Tanzania.  We come to this time of celebrating the gift of God coming to us through Christ with great joy and excitement.

 

We are blessed that all three of our children are home and we are enjoying that gift incredibly.  Laura graduated from Yale in the spring and is working in New York with a women’s reproductive health advocacy group.  I had a wonderful opportunity to visit her there in early December and was like the good father, was amazed by how she has taken the city in her stride.  Sarah is a sophomore at St. Olaf in Minnesota and seems to have found a way to balance her love of the music and opportunities there with missing the international flavor of school and living in Africa.  The same trip to the US when I saw Laura, I was making my way to the St. Olaf Christmas Festival and was caught in one of the early winter storms.  After much struggle and help from my kids and Minnesota family, I got from Atlanta to the concert in time for the finale!  Katherine is with us in Tanzania but moved to weekly boarding for the International Baccalaureate.  She is doing much music, sports, and community outreach.

 

For Linda and me, it has been the year of Linda’s cancer.  Again we are so incredibly grateful that her cancer was picked up very early in routine screening and that it was curable with surgery alone.  Linda continues in her course toward a Masters in Spiritual Formation over the internet.  She has a residential course next month and is now one third of the way through.  She also continues to serve the International School on the Board and teaches piano. 

 

I am fully engaged with trying to run Selian while developing the new Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre.  We are still aiming at the grand opening the 8th and 9th of March 2008.  We are not going to be as completely ready as we had hoped but we are moving forward.  I am also serving the cause of Hospice for the continent as I am the Chair of the Board for the African Palliative Care Association based in Kampala, Uganda.

 

In so many ways, we have come through a very challenging year – with health, work, personal issues hitting with all too much frequency.  Yet, throughout, we have sensed the presence of God and have experienced His peace.  We also have greatly experienced the support, prayers, and love of you as a congregation 

 

Many of you as congregations have been able to visit us here in Tanzania.  We find these visits incredibly valuable for us and for you as a congregation.  We hope that more of you will be able to visit this year for our grand opening of the new hospital.

 

Please know that our prayers are with you as well!

 

Blessings,

Mark and Linda

 

Arusha,  Tanzania   

 

 

 

 

 

                                     Laura, Sarah, and Katherine