Marked…and Better Off Dead?
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…
The Baobab
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…
Living in the Light of Epiphany
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…
Prepare the Way
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…
Next Thanksgiving
Since we have sold our house and moved in with family in Salina, KS, we were able to share a typical Thanksgiving day with our daughters and the Hageman family. There have been many years when we have celebrated the day far from extended family, or have invited other friends to share the day with us who were also not able to be with loved ones in a traditional manner. But what about next year?
All In The Family
Our daughter, Kiera, has been studying mass communications and journalism at the University of Kansas. Recently she showed us her portfolio of work, which she is readying for summer internship applications. As she is hoping to use her talents to serve the church, we suggested she add something related. Kiera promptly invited us to record a promotional video for our mission work in the studio at KU, as we were passing through doing our network building visits.
Something Inherent
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.
The Holy Spirit works in wondrous ways!
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.
Here Am I Send We
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!
Receive Our Newsletter
Get connected to the mission in Tanzania by signing up for the monthly newsletter! Be sure to click the box “Sign up for news and updates”. We can't wait to hear from you!