A Final Note

Well, I leave on Monday for my grand adventure. I will be taking a 12 hour bus ride to Mwanza, and we will leave at 5 am! Please keep us in your prayers as we travel.

I am excited about outreach and all that I will learn and experience, but at the same time I know it will be an exhausting 5 weeks.

Again, I will have no internet, so I will not be able to keep you updated through the blogs, but I will post as soon as I return.

Know that I love you all! And I will know that I am in your prayers!

Write to you in January! 

What an amazing opportunity!!!!

Family and Friends,

I have been given the unique opportunity to extend my mission work in Africa in two different ways. The first is by making a trip to Uganda. My uncle, Dr. Robin Wilde, is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Hope in Africa (www.foundationforhopeinafrica.org) and will be travelling in Tanzania and Uganda at the end of my commitment with YWAM. Once he arrives in Arusha, Tanzania where I have been living since September, he will take me to places in Tanzania and then to Uganda! This is the country I had first considered when signing up with YWAM. My uncle is traveling there to inspect some projects his foundation has completed and we will be visiting several schools, orphanages, and water wells. We will travel all over the southern part of the country as well as the central and northern parts. It will be an exhausting week, but an opportunity for me to visit a very poor country and see what God is doing there. In fact, after this trip to Uganda, I will return to Tanzania and volunteer for several weeks at the Kim Jones House near Mt. Kilimanjaro. This orphanage was also built by the Foundation for Hope in Africa.

My uncle is paying some of my costs, but with airfare, visa and hotel, I still have some funds I need to raise. I am very fortunate to have this opportunity while I am already in Africa and hope you can help me with these expenses.

After my time at the orphanage I will travel back to the YWAM base in Arusha, Tanzania. I will be living here for another month. During this time I will be ministering to and working with the Masai people in the surrounding villages. In Isaiah 30:21 we read, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” Many people say “love is blind”, well, I beg to differ. Love is not blind, in fact it a quite the opposite. Love chooses to see, and despite of all the things you see that hurt or displease you, you still love. Some of the most powerful words in the entire Bible are found in 1 Corinthians 13. In verse 7 and 8b it reads, “[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hope all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” That is love. This is the love that compelled God to send His only Son to die for His lost creation. Love is what held Jesus to the cross. This is the love dwells within me. Love is what flew me to Africa; and love is why I am still here. I believe that I have heard that word behind me, and it is leading me to stay here in Africa a month longer.  I have fallen in love with the Masai.  This is no ordinary love, in fact it is extraordinary. This love is of God and not of me.

I have this feeling that I cannot describe. Have you ever felt the mixed emotions of joy, fear, anxiety, restlessness, and love all at the same time? That is how I know this is God calling me to this work. He is the one speaking to my heart and giving me a love for these people. Love can empower you to do crazy things. Love is the force behind me compelling me to reach these people. But in order to do this, I need your help.

Combining these two life changing experiences will cost around $1600 dollars. Your love, support, and prayers have carried me all the way to Africa and now I am asking for them to carry me just a little longer. I know God is asking me to stay here and I know that He will provide the finances and protection. I am stepping out in faith with obedience.

I ask that you would please pray about how you would like to respond to this letter. Any love offering will help and I know that God will greatly bless you for your heart and generosity. The deadline for these expenses is February, so please take the time to pray about how God would like you to respond. Please continue to pray for me as God speaks to me and shows me the plans He has for my life! I am excited to see what my future holds, and I cannot wait to see the many new things God will reveal to me during my extended stay in Africa.

Much love to you all and May God bless you!

If you have any questions, or you would like to mail me any support I ask that you would email my mom at this address: carswellmegan@yahoo.com 

Thank you and may God bless!

He Has Changed My Name and Given Me a New Song

“And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’ So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel...” 

Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Abram became Abraham; Sarai became Sarah. Saul was changed to Paul. Those are just a few of the people that God has changed the names of and given them a new identity. What if this was to happen to you? What would God speak over you? What would your new identity become? This has happened to me!

Please allow me to introduce myself. In Swahili my name is Furaha. And today, I received my Maasai name, Nengida. They both mean the same thing, but before the meaning….. a story.

If you know me, you know my wonderful humor. I have found a handful of the staff that I can joke around with and be sarcastic with. It has been quite lovely. One of the staff that I really enjoy making laugh is Vincent. He is in charge of the work duty. So, after I had been here about 5 weeks he came to me and says to me that I need a Swahili name. So, I said Okay, but you will have to choose my name. He told me that he would, but he needed a few days to choose the best one. So, days later he approaches me and simply says, “Furaha”.  I asked him what it meant, but he said he would not tell me, I would have to ask someone else. So I asked one of my friends what it meant and she looked at me and said with a great smile, “That is a great name! It means _____________”. (Gotta keep you in a little suspense) I went back to Vincent and asked him how he chose my name. He answered with this, “Because when I see you that who I see.” He also told me he had been observing my character those few days: the way I interacted with people, my personality, and how I handled certain situations. So are you ready to find out the meaning? Well…… it’s almost time for you to find out, but not quite yet.

This name has new become my identity. Furaha has become my new name. The majority of my friends call me this now, so I answer to it as if I have known this identity my entire life. A few days after I was given my new name, God and I had a conversation. As I began to pray and speak to Him, he told me that, “Vincent has echoed my words.” So God was also telling me that when He sees me, He also sees Furaha. Ok, so Furaha means joy. This is my new identity…. To be joyful, to be contagious with the joy the Father has given me.

I have found such a deeper joy; God has given me a joy everlasting. In the bad days, I still have a sense of pure joy. Not the felt emotion, but the state of mind. The first 4 verses of Psalm 40 have become a part of my testimony here, they read,

 “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.”

God has taken away the taste of bitterness, and replaced with the sweetness of His holy joy. “Oh taste and see that the LORD is good.” He has given me a new song to sing, and I will sing it all the days of my life.

Engikaret Adventure

This Sunday I, and seven of my friends, went to Maasai Land, Engikaret. We went with Bariki , one of our leaders, to visit his grandfather’s boma. When you think of an African village, and that little hut comes to mind, well a cluster of those is called a boma. These people wear, what is called a shuka. A shuka is a piece of fabric that is a mix between a large scarf and a small blanket. (Don’t worry, I will post pictures) They wear about three or four of these at one time, tying them in different ways, and that makes up their clothes. They wear no underwear. Yes, that also means no bra’s for the women. Something that every man has on him at all times is his machete. One word to describe the Maasai would be jewelry! They wear so many beautiful necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and earrings. Some of their bracelets reach from their wrist to their elbows. As for their earrings, they are pretty impressive. You know how in America some people have gages? Well, that is nothing compared to Maasai. Also, on all of their jewelry they have chains that jingle. Another thing this tribe is known for is jumping. When they dance, they jump! Which makes their jewelry sing. It is quite a remarkable thing to watch. I am trying to learn how to jump like a Maasai, there is an art to it.

            So, on Sunday I was privileged to visit Engikaret. On our way to the base in Engikaret, Bariki wanted to find some wildlife for us. So, who needs a safari when you have a Maasai! We were able to see zebras and gazelles in the wild. Not on a reserve, but yes, in the wild! Also, on the wide, African plains I was able to ride a piki piki or boda boda (motorcycle) to the zebras. It was so much fun! Once we arrived to the base, we met some of the staff there, and then drove to the boma. There, we had tea with some of Bariki’s relatives. (Chai, or tea, is a really big thing here in Africa. In every house you visit, it is rude to not offer your guest tea, in the same way to deny the tea is almost an insult to them.) Also, we were able to step inside one of the houses to see how they live. It is extremely small. There was a “bed”, the area for a fire to be used as a stove, a few shelves, and a small small window was their only opening for their source of light.

            After we left the boma, we went back to the base in Engikaret to attend “the fellowship”, the church service. Worship, lasted about an hour, which was full of so much energy and joy! Bright smiles, jewelry ringing, loud voices, and grunting sounds… that is the things you would hear. You would see the bright colors of the shukas, jewelry everywhere, dark skin with bright white teeth, you would see many children. It was quite an experience. Before we left, the women of the church gave each of us a gift. I received a necklace and a bracelet. I wear them proudly. Each time I walk and hear the jingle of my necklace, I remember this remarkable experience.

            Lord thank you for the diversity in your people!