Journal Entries

I hope you have enjoyed the last few posts I have been able to write.

Within the next week I hope to post 3 journal entries from my journal on outreach. I do not have it with me currently otherwise I would post them now. But, be expecting them soon!

The Final Month

My last month in Africa…. I can’t believe it is already here. I write this post with mixed feelings. There is a part of me that is ecstatic to go home and to be able to see each of you again soon, and yet there is this other side of me that is not ready for this divine adventure to be over.

Thankfully, I DO have another month here in the great continent of Africa! Thank you again in all you have done to allow this to be possible for me. Words cannot express my gratitude. So, here is an idea of what I am doing this month.

Monday mornings I start my ministry week with base worship. This is the glorious time when the staff and students of the base meet together to worship our King. After this I walk to the New Vision School (a primary and secondary school YWAM founded) to work in the library. Then later that afternoon I walk some of the Tumaini kids (the orphanage founded by YWAM) and staff kids back to the base. Once we get there I help them with their homework. Once our session is completed, I head home. This is either a 5 min piki piki ride (motorcycle) or a 20-30 min walk, it really depends on if I feel lazy or not. :P At home I am able to relax and help my absolutely amazing roommate cook dinner! Ahh yes, one of the finer things of life…. Being able to cook for yourself. Haha I have missed this liberty the last 6 months. After dinner Nuru (obviously my roommate) and I have an English session. See, just one of the many reasons why I love this girl is because she is in fact Korean. :D So, I am helping her perfect her English and we are enjoying every minute of it. Patience is key on both ends of the deal. So, this is what both my Monday and Fridays look like.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays are a different story. These three days I am staying in Engikaret! Good ole Masai land. Here, I am able to help Nick (one of the YWAM staff) teach the adults two different languages. One class is learning English and another is learning Swahili. This is quite the task for me considering I know very very very little Swahili, but I’m up for the challenge.

Prayers appreciated!

Thank You For Your Prayers

I just want to say thank you for keeping my in your prayers these last 6 months. As I look back on my journey so far, there are many times I am especially grateful. Here are some of those times:

Walking through the parts of Uganda where Kony and his soldiers were, looking into the eyes of innocent children and I knowing that if it were a few years ago these children would have been his victims.

Holding a child that is HIV positive, she looks into my eyes and flashes a giant smile. This same disease killed both of her parents, now she and her little sister are orphans.

 I felt the darkness and heaviness of witchcraft in certain areas of Mwanza. The men run to a life of drunkenness, the women turn to prostitution.

Seeing both children and adults possessed by demons.

The days when I felt homesick and a little lonely.

Times when walking down the streets I saw people with no limbs just lying on the side of the road in hopelessness.

I could go on with the different devastations I have seen. I wanted to write this post to simply raise your awareness. There is a different life beyond what we are used to in America. Please continue to pray for me here and pray for the people of Tanzania!

A Typical Day

Every day was different and each church we went to had different things they wanted us to do, but I will give you an idea of what a day was like on outreach. The mornings started off with prayer at 6 or 7. We would meet as our group together to spend time in worship and then in prayer. (We would usually stay together, but where we would stay varied from week to week. Sometimes we would stay in the pastor’s house, a member’s house, the church, or a school.) After that was usually breakfast, not always, but most of the days we received breakfast. On a good day this would consist of chai and bread. The most bizarre meal I was served for breakfast was chai, moldy bread, beans, and old spaghetti noodles. But hey, you eat what you get. Haha After breakfast we would meet once again for a time of Praise and Worship. Then, our day really began. We would have door to door ministry from about 10 until 12 or sometimes even 1. We would later return to have lunch. This meal would range anywhere from rice and beans, or ugali with cabbage to a single sweet potato, or even nothing. Then we would have down time where we could rest and sort of explore the location of where we were that week. Sometimes, we would have work duty during this time. This would be something like slashing, cleaning, or hoeing. Later that evening we would hold either a seminar, which is a teaching for the church, or an outdoor open-air crusade, which was preaching the gospel to anyone that would stop and listen to our service. At both of these events we would be in charge of the praise and worship, skits, and of course the preaching. I was privileged to be the teacher at one of the seminars. What a thrilling experience! After that we would return to our place for the week to eat dinner. This meal was similar to lunch.  Actually, we had this meal very late during the day. Once, we had good ‘ole plain pilau (I am attempting the spelling), which is I guess there version of something like dirty rice, at 11:30 pm. It’s funny because my friends and I had already gone to bed when one of our leaders came in the room to wake us up and tell us that dinner was ready. J Ahhh, T.I.A, This Is Africa.

So, that was a typical day on outreach. Each day varied, but each day was definitely full of surprises. Haha Literally, everyday had its own adventure… Some examples: a bat in our mosquito net, being chased by drunks, swimming in Lake Victoria, casting out a demon, or driving over a rickety dangerous bridge. So many memories.

Pole Sana

No, that doesnt say pole as we would read it. It is pronounced more of pole -eh, and sana is sahna. Anyways, Pole Sana! That is I am sorry in Swahili. Incase you couldnt guess.

I am SO sorry my blog posts have been scarce. After returning from outreach our final week in DTS was quite busy and hectic trying to get everything squared away for graduation. But now….. I am graduated! YAY!!!!! It was a long, exhausting 5 months but I did it and it was worth every challenge, every smile, every tear, and every bit of laughter.

After this week, I was with my uncle in Uganda. There we were very busy traveling and visiting different churches, schools, and projects that I was unable to get online. And following that exciting week with my uncle I was in a part of Tanzania called Moshi in the Marangu/ Simbete district working at the Home for Children. And guess what? No internet there either! :) But now, here I am back in Arusha and I have internet! So, I will catch you up to speed on my outreach, the orphanage, and how I am now currently ministering.

So get ready for several blog posts!

I'm Alive!

I’m in Arusha! We survived Mwanza. Lol  I have endured bed bugs, fleas, fire ants, mosquitos, and spiders biting me while I was asleep.( Thank goodness they all weren’t at the same time!) I have survived several cramped dala- dala rides (sitting in of course the most uncomfortable positions) along with two 12 hour bus rides. I have skipped countless meals, and when I did eat it was small. I have completed my apprenticeship in slashing and hoeing. And, I was chased by drunks and called “Mzungu!” by so many children I felt like an alien.

But let me also tell you this. I got to swim (and bathe) in Lake Victoria! I have seen gorgeous sunsets and I have been able to climb many hills to find a captivating view. I have proclaimed the Word of the Lord! I was able to preach on two Sunday morning services and I was able to teach at one of our seminars. Also, I helped cast a demon out of a child by the power of the Holy Spirit! And I have discovered deeper, more radical love for my Lord.

You see, many people are familiar with Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” But have you ever focused on the few verses above that? It reads, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” I have learned the discipline Paul is writing about.

Well everyone, my five weeks of outreach have been completed. When we were busy the days went by quickly, but on the days we didn’t do much, they seemed to last forever. I cannot believe there is only one week of DTS left.

 (Well when I first wrote this there was only a week left)

I survived!

Outreach is completed. It was a trying 5 weeks, but absolutely worth it. I have experienced so much during outreach, and I have grown closer to the Lord and I am more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I will post more in depth blogs later today, but I wanted you to all know I am alive and well!