“It wasn’t as though Jesus went away.” I was reminding myself this fact while sitting on a rock and looking across to the east side of Iringa, Tanzania. I had recently read the last chapter of Luke and the Ascension was on my mind. As the clouds were moving westward across the sky the scene of Christ’s Ascension became vivid. “Don’t stand here just staring up into the sky. That’s not where Jesus is for you now. Go back to Jerusalem and wait for the next thing that the Lord has in mind for you to be doing.” The two messengers reproved the disciples for it wasn’t as though Jesus went away.

In recent weeks some in our churches…

This past week Shanna and I had the chance to see the vast land of East Africa. While riding in a vehicle traveling to language school over the rugged terrain filled with all the beasts of Africa we kept seeing one of the most recognizable people groups of the land. These individuals live amongst the beasts and they are Africa’s shepherds. They are called the Maasai. They are one of the tribes best known for wearing their red shukas (cloth), creating beautiful beadwork, and their cattle-herding lifestyle.

The Maasai amazed me as we traveled along the highway throughout the game preserves. Observing them while whizzing by, their shepherding skills became evident. You could tell they had a deep connection with their…

This last Wednesday I was marked…I was marked by a nasty looking ashy cross. I stood in line for the preacher to smash it into my forehead. “Remember,” he began. By the time he finished I instinctively said, “Amen.” “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” And I agreed. I said, “Yes.” and thought to myself, “I’m probably better off dead anyway.” Welcome to Lent.

Last month was Sanctity of Human Life Month. And…

Often called the "Tree of Life," the massive Baobab tree left me dumbfounded on our latest visit to Tanzania, Africa. While we were scoping out what the mission field might look like before we officially move there in April, we discovered the great Baobab. Known for its water-storing trunks and upside-down appearance this giant stood out amongst all the other trees in the Great Rift Valley near the town of Shinyanga, Tanzania…

It’s 2026!  The New Year. A lot has changed for Shanna and I this past year as we have been preparing for service in Africa. I bet if you look back on the year 2025 you may have experienced much change also. The media reminds us about the “big” stories of the past year that has forced change in people’s lives. Some that top my list were…

During these weeks of Advent the church gets to be interrupted by the Baptizer. John, the Baptizer, enters into our Advent season with the bold proclamation that the “Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). What is there to be done in order to prepare for that Kingdom? In other words, what should done in order to prepare for Christ?

It’s quite simple…Hear the Word and…

We just moved. We haven’t made the “big move”, but it was big enough. The “big move” will be in April after we are officially deployed to Shinyanga, Tanzania. This current move was only a step in that direction. After selling our house quickly and trying to decide what we were to do with our material possessions we moved from Southwest Kansas to Central Kansas to position ourselves better for the next steps.

About a year ago, we had the opportunity to go on a week-long trip to serve the missionary families in the Africa region as they gathered for their annual meeting.  It was our job to provide childcare and Vacation Bible School-style programs for the children of our missionaries during the day. At the end of the week, we were invited to a cultural dinner theatre at Ndere in Kampala, Uganda.

Hujambo! As we have come to learn that means “Hello” in Swahili. We are the Hagemans and will be sharing our story of what God is doing in our lives as we navigate the missionary life. We are your missionaries to Tanzania!