We are all caught up with blogs!
Today was the last day of the English Club. Some of us shed some tears as we have really bonded with our students. To see the progress that these guys have made in only five days is amazing. The hugest gift that we walk away with is the privilege of having met such amazing kids while being here. On Monday, the Football Club (which is the host of the English Club) will be having a "goat roast" in honor of the CA team. We are sad to report that we met the goat we will be eating. As it stood there staring at us, I asked myself, "I wonder if this poor goat knows what's coming his way?" Sad.
Well, we are busy packing tonight as we will be leaving early tomorrow morning for an overnight safari. They say it would be a shame to come all this way to Africa and not enjoy God's creation in the bush by way of a safari and so we will listen to conventional wisdom and truly enjoy His creation!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28
Today we tried to post a new blog but the internet was down. I guess this is par for the course here in Africa. So, our apologies!
This morning we got to go with Living Waters on home visits again. This time the visits were much more sobering. One of our visits was with a woman named Adela; she is 24 years old and living with HIV. She has three kids including a beautiful 8-month old boy who lights up the room. Adela is not married but has a boyfriend who is married and has another family. When he found out that Adela had HIV, she asked him to go get tested. Up to this day, he refuses to get checked. We find that this is the case with many people here in Arusha. As we have conversed and fretted over the situation, one can somewhat understand why some people choose just not to know whether or not to get tested. There is such a stigma with having HIV and very little hope of having a long life that many people would rather not know that they are positive. No one in Adela's family knows that she has HIV. Other than her boyfriend, the only other person who knows is a neighbor who has been faithful to maintain Adela's secret. As we heard her talking about this, I wondered how alone she must feel to not be able to share with others her disappoint, her fears, her despair. She too was a believer. She shared with us how she had been raised Muslim but had become a Christian. I wonder if she came to faith in Christ because it was in Jesus where she was finding hope and joy in the midst of such a challenging situation.
The last visit was to a woman named Hilda. Though we were sitting in the same room as Hilda, we never got to see her. She was so ashamed of having HIV that she covered herself with a bedsheet and did not let us see her. Based on what we could make of her body frame, we could tell that she was skin and bones. It was so devastating to see that this woman was wasting away and eventhough she had access to the grace and love of God her shame kept her from the very thing that could make the last days of her life more bearable. We prayed for her. I'll be honest with you, as we were praying I wondered if anything would come of the prayers because the situation seemed so hopeless. Yet this is where I was reminded that God makes a way for us to still pray and ask Him to fill in the gaps of our unbelief.
Today as the English Club was going, Kim and Sally got to do a seminar with a group of teachers from the local school. While they felt challenged by the task ahead of them, at the end of the time with the teachers, they felt like they were able to connect with them and encourage them.
Our teachers-in-training are taking over more and more of the teaching in the afternoon classes. It is so much fun to see them teach the very same stuff that they were taught earlier that day! Some of them have some amazing teaching gifts! We are so excited to see that this one-week course will live on after we leave.
Tonight we had dinner at the Borden home. Did we mention how much we love them? They are an amazing family! Byron and Lisa have the hugest hearts and just being around them makes you feel at ease and at home. Between the Russells and the Bordens, they make a powerhouse set of families that is impacting this city.
This morning we got to go with Living Waters on home visits again. This time the visits were much more sobering. One of our visits was with a woman named Adela; she is 24 years old and living with HIV. She has three kids including a beautiful 8-month old boy who lights up the room. Adela is not married but has a boyfriend who is married and has another family. When he found out that Adela had HIV, she asked him to go get tested. Up to this day, he refuses to get checked. We find that this is the case with many people here in Arusha. As we have conversed and fretted over the situation, one can somewhat understand why some people choose just not to know whether or not to get tested. There is such a stigma with having HIV and very little hope of having a long life that many people would rather not know that they are positive. No one in Adela's family knows that she has HIV. Other than her boyfriend, the only other person who knows is a neighbor who has been faithful to maintain Adela's secret. As we heard her talking about this, I wondered how alone she must feel to not be able to share with others her disappoint, her fears, her despair. She too was a believer. She shared with us how she had been raised Muslim but had become a Christian. I wonder if she came to faith in Christ because it was in Jesus where she was finding hope and joy in the midst of such a challenging situation.
The last visit was to a woman named Hilda. Though we were sitting in the same room as Hilda, we never got to see her. She was so ashamed of having HIV that she covered herself with a bedsheet and did not let us see her. Based on what we could make of her body frame, we could tell that she was skin and bones. It was so devastating to see that this woman was wasting away and eventhough she had access to the grace and love of God her shame kept her from the very thing that could make the last days of her life more bearable. We prayed for her. I'll be honest with you, as we were praying I wondered if anything would come of the prayers because the situation seemed so hopeless. Yet this is where I was reminded that God makes a way for us to still pray and ask Him to fill in the gaps of our unbelief.
Today as the English Club was going, Kim and Sally got to do a seminar with a group of teachers from the local school. While they felt challenged by the task ahead of them, at the end of the time with the teachers, they felt like they were able to connect with them and encourage them.
Our teachers-in-training are taking over more and more of the teaching in the afternoon classes. It is so much fun to see them teach the very same stuff that they were taught earlier that day! Some of them have some amazing teaching gifts! We are so excited to see that this one-week course will live on after we leave.
Tonight we had dinner at the Borden home. Did we mention how much we love them? They are an amazing family! Byron and Lisa have the hugest hearts and just being around them makes you feel at ease and at home. Between the Russells and the Bordens, they make a powerhouse set of families that is impacting this city.
Wednesday, August 27
It is daythree of the English Club and in some respects the novelty of it all has worn off. Yet, there is still a level of excitement that we see in the students. We are really beginning to see who are the students who have a knack for English and who are the ones who are struggling. The beauty of it all is that we see students helping each other out as they learn. One week seems so short to try to teach these guys all there is to know about the basics of English. We are also beginning to see that aquiring the language is providing these guys more than an opportunity to possibly get better paying jobs. We see that this is another way to build up their self-esteem. Most of these boys come from very poor families and the possibility for them to see that they have what it takes to learn another language is so empowering. What an awesome way to remind them that they are ones who are "fearfully and wonderfully made!"
So, I am not sure if I mentioned that of those who are being taught in the morning, there are six who have been pre-selected to continue the English club after we leave. So, in between the morning class and the afternoon class, we meet with these six and have them prepare the afternoon class with us. We also have lunch with them as a way to build relationships and have some fellowship with them. It is so interesting because several of these students are Muslim, so they are getting to interact with us in a unique way. Some of them are asking some interesting questions of us. The group of six teachers-in-training join us in teaching the afternoon class, which has kids who are under 15 years old. Some of the classes have tykes that is under 8 years old. They are so cute!
As one half of the CA team teaches in either the morning or the afternoon, the other half has been helping Tammy with preparing to take those amazing ornaments that were sold last year. So, for those of you who have been waiting all year to buy ornaments, get ready! There are some new designs that you will love! It is so much fun to be a part of helping Tammy with this project, especially since we were able to meet some of the ladies who made the ornaments. The team is even proposing that they be the ones to help sell them after the services at CA! That would be so cool!
As we have been here for a week, we are seeing how busy Peter and Tammy's lives are. They have so much to do! It is amazing how they are walking in their giftings but at the same time to see the amount of work that they do reminds us of how much we need to be praying for them.
So, pray for them with us!
So, I am not sure if I mentioned that of those who are being taught in the morning, there are six who have been pre-selected to continue the English club after we leave. So, in between the morning class and the afternoon class, we meet with these six and have them prepare the afternoon class with us. We also have lunch with them as a way to build relationships and have some fellowship with them. It is so interesting because several of these students are Muslim, so they are getting to interact with us in a unique way. Some of them are asking some interesting questions of us. The group of six teachers-in-training join us in teaching the afternoon class, which has kids who are under 15 years old. Some of the classes have tykes that is under 8 years old. They are so cute!
As one half of the CA team teaches in either the morning or the afternoon, the other half has been helping Tammy with preparing to take those amazing ornaments that were sold last year. So, for those of you who have been waiting all year to buy ornaments, get ready! There are some new designs that you will love! It is so much fun to be a part of helping Tammy with this project, especially since we were able to meet some of the ladies who made the ornaments. The team is even proposing that they be the ones to help sell them after the services at CA! That would be so cool!
As we have been here for a week, we are seeing how busy Peter and Tammy's lives are. They have so much to do! It is amazing how they are walking in their giftings but at the same time to see the amount of work that they do reminds us of how much we need to be praying for them.
So, pray for them with us!
Tuesday, August 26
Today was the second day of the English Club. We can tell that the students are really starting to pick up more English. It is so encouraging.
The morning class keeps growing. Liz and Joanne have taken on a group of about 15 guys, all over the age of 15 and Tim (with Jaime's occassional assistance) has taken on a group of five. Tim is teaching in a room the size of a walk-in closet. But the guys are loving it!
While Tim, Joanne and Liz taught in the morning, the rest of the crew went to visit people who have been infected with HIV. with an organization called Living Waters, whose focus is obviously to minister to people who have been infected with HIV through home visits and through running an orphanage with kids who have HIV or have been affected by this ravaging disease. Wild Hope got connected with Living Waters through a series of God-ordained events and now both organizations partner on an occassional basis. Living Waters also ministers to elderly folks who are considered shut-ins. Living Waters is run by an amazing Christian woman named "Mama Dora." She is a powerhouse! To be with Mama Dora is to be with a person who so amazingly reflects the passion and the love of Jesus.
So, we got to visit several people today. The first is a woman named Eliamani. She has three children. The two oldest live with her and the youngest, she gave up to Living Waters orphanage. Mama Dora mentioned to us that Eliamani has not seen her child since she gave her to Living Waters because of the pain of seeing the child but knowing that she can't care for her. Eliamani's husband passed away several years ago. She was the third of three wives that her husband had. In Masaai culture it is common for a man to have more than one wife. So, all three wives were infected with the virus. Because Eliamani was the "last" wife, she was being mistreated by the others. So, Living Waters stepped in, provided conflict resolution and has brought peace to this very distraught family. As we talked with Eliamani, it was evident that she was a Christ follower. She was so full of peace in the midst of such a difficult situation. As we prayed with her, we felt the love and presence of God fill her little mud hut. it was so powerful!
Later on we walked over to the homes of two "bibi's" (grandmas) and spent a few minutes chatting wtih both of them. One grandma cared for 9 grandchildren. WOW! The other was a blind woman who basically say outside of her hut. Both were so sweet and welcoming.
Later that evening, we had dinner at the Russell home. Their house is so warm and inviting! We had a yummy meal prepared by Tammy and then spent some time in prayer and worship. Every night that we have come together for prayer and worship, it has been so incredible. I don't know if it is Africa or what but there is a presence of God that one feels that is unlike almost any other place I have been to. We look forward to more evenings like this with the Russells and the Bordens!
The morning class keeps growing. Liz and Joanne have taken on a group of about 15 guys, all over the age of 15 and Tim (with Jaime's occassional assistance) has taken on a group of five. Tim is teaching in a room the size of a walk-in closet. But the guys are loving it!
While Tim, Joanne and Liz taught in the morning, the rest of the crew went to visit people who have been infected with HIV. with an organization called Living Waters, whose focus is obviously to minister to people who have been infected with HIV through home visits and through running an orphanage with kids who have HIV or have been affected by this ravaging disease. Wild Hope got connected with Living Waters through a series of God-ordained events and now both organizations partner on an occassional basis. Living Waters also ministers to elderly folks who are considered shut-ins. Living Waters is run by an amazing Christian woman named "Mama Dora." She is a powerhouse! To be with Mama Dora is to be with a person who so amazingly reflects the passion and the love of Jesus.
So, we got to visit several people today. The first is a woman named Eliamani. She has three children. The two oldest live with her and the youngest, she gave up to Living Waters orphanage. Mama Dora mentioned to us that Eliamani has not seen her child since she gave her to Living Waters because of the pain of seeing the child but knowing that she can't care for her. Eliamani's husband passed away several years ago. She was the third of three wives that her husband had. In Masaai culture it is common for a man to have more than one wife. So, all three wives were infected with the virus. Because Eliamani was the "last" wife, she was being mistreated by the others. So, Living Waters stepped in, provided conflict resolution and has brought peace to this very distraught family. As we talked with Eliamani, it was evident that she was a Christ follower. She was so full of peace in the midst of such a difficult situation. As we prayed with her, we felt the love and presence of God fill her little mud hut. it was so powerful!
Later on we walked over to the homes of two "bibi's" (grandmas) and spent a few minutes chatting wtih both of them. One grandma cared for 9 grandchildren. WOW! The other was a blind woman who basically say outside of her hut. Both were so sweet and welcoming.
Later that evening, we had dinner at the Russell home. Their house is so warm and inviting! We had a yummy meal prepared by Tammy and then spent some time in prayer and worship. Every night that we have come together for prayer and worship, it has been so incredible. I don't know if it is Africa or what but there is a presence of God that one feels that is unlike almost any other place I have been to. We look forward to more evenings like this with the Russells and the Bordens!
Back online!
Our apologies for not posting sooner. But things have been quite busy...So, to try to capture the last few days, we thought we would chronicle the events of the last few days by date. So, enjoy the next few posts!
The Team
The Team
Monday, August 25, 2008
Firsts...
There is always a first time for everything. Do you remember the first time you rode a bike or stayed at home all by yourself, or had your first job? For some on our team, the last two days there have been many firsts!
Yesterday, many from our team had their first transcultural worship experience. We got to go to church, Tanzania style! Our team was split up into two groups; one team went with Tammy and the other team went with Peter. Both of the churches are near where Wild Hope has purchased land and in the near future will have their ministry center. So you may be wondering, "What is church like in Tanzania? Let us tell you.
There is no trouble finding parking because most people walk. So, if you are tired of not finding parking at CA, just come to church here! The services are very lively, filled with wonderful worship and very expressive praying. It is interesting, because people start off having very serious looks on their faces, but when they start to worship, their demeanor seems to change. Don't plan on being out of the church within 90 minutes. Services here are longer than in the US. There's a lot to be thankful for, lots of worshiping to do, and lots of preachin' to be done! Both teams had the opportunity to have every person share in their respective church services. We are sorry to state that one of the teams when asked to share a song, got up and sang "This Little Light of Mine" (sorry, Tommy!). We are pretty sure we won't get invited there again. All in all, it was a wonderful experience to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ from another culture.
Today, some in the group experienced teaching English for the first time as we began our English Club! So, here is the lowdown. Peter and Tammy are working with a group of kids and young guys who are a part of the soccer team called Nyota (which means "stars" in Swahili). Their goal is to encourage and share the love of Christ with these guys. So, this is the platform by which we are running our Club. So, this week we will be teaching kids in the community some English, with the hope that this will help increase their self-esteem, help them develop, and eventually give them an opportunity to be employable when they start to look for employment.
We split up the CA team into two groups. The morning group (Liz, Joanne, Tim, and Jaime) taught eighteen students who are 15 years old and above. The afternoon group (Kinda, Annette, Christine, and Oliver) taught over sixty kids who were under 15 years of age. Both groups were led and coached by Kim and Sally! We have been preparing for this English Club the last couple of months and Kim and Sally have put together a wonderful curriculum. Our goal is to get many of these kids speaking more English so that they get comfortable with the language. At the same time, we are training six of the older guys to continue the English Club and keep teaching the kids.
This being the first day started off a little slower than we planned. Yet, it was to be expected! If you have ever been on an outreach you know that NOTHING runs as expected and that the only thing you should expect is change! So, we did just that. Our time with the students was great. Some of them surprised us while others needed extra help. Yet, what was so encouraging was to see these kids be so willing to learn. We are excited to see them grow this week.
The morning team also got to visit the home of one of the Nyota boys who had been in our class that morning. He is a Muslim guy who lives in one of the poorer parts of town. We got to visit with him and his dad and were even invited to pray for them. It was such an eye-opening experience to be in a such a challenging environment, yet we prayed for the presence of God to fill that house.
Please pray for the following:
Yesterday, many from our team had their first transcultural worship experience. We got to go to church, Tanzania style! Our team was split up into two groups; one team went with Tammy and the other team went with Peter. Both of the churches are near where Wild Hope has purchased land and in the near future will have their ministry center. So you may be wondering, "What is church like in Tanzania? Let us tell you.
There is no trouble finding parking because most people walk. So, if you are tired of not finding parking at CA, just come to church here! The services are very lively, filled with wonderful worship and very expressive praying. It is interesting, because people start off having very serious looks on their faces, but when they start to worship, their demeanor seems to change. Don't plan on being out of the church within 90 minutes. Services here are longer than in the US. There's a lot to be thankful for, lots of worshiping to do, and lots of preachin' to be done! Both teams had the opportunity to have every person share in their respective church services. We are sorry to state that one of the teams when asked to share a song, got up and sang "This Little Light of Mine" (sorry, Tommy!). We are pretty sure we won't get invited there again. All in all, it was a wonderful experience to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ from another culture.
Today, some in the group experienced teaching English for the first time as we began our English Club! So, here is the lowdown. Peter and Tammy are working with a group of kids and young guys who are a part of the soccer team called Nyota (which means "stars" in Swahili). Their goal is to encourage and share the love of Christ with these guys. So, this is the platform by which we are running our Club. So, this week we will be teaching kids in the community some English, with the hope that this will help increase their self-esteem, help them develop, and eventually give them an opportunity to be employable when they start to look for employment.
We split up the CA team into two groups. The morning group (Liz, Joanne, Tim, and Jaime) taught eighteen students who are 15 years old and above. The afternoon group (Kinda, Annette, Christine, and Oliver) taught over sixty kids who were under 15 years of age. Both groups were led and coached by Kim and Sally! We have been preparing for this English Club the last couple of months and Kim and Sally have put together a wonderful curriculum. Our goal is to get many of these kids speaking more English so that they get comfortable with the language. At the same time, we are training six of the older guys to continue the English Club and keep teaching the kids.
This being the first day started off a little slower than we planned. Yet, it was to be expected! If you have ever been on an outreach you know that NOTHING runs as expected and that the only thing you should expect is change! So, we did just that. Our time with the students was great. Some of them surprised us while others needed extra help. Yet, what was so encouraging was to see these kids be so willing to learn. We are excited to see them grow this week.
The morning team also got to visit the home of one of the Nyota boys who had been in our class that morning. He is a Muslim guy who lives in one of the poorer parts of town. We got to visit with him and his dad and were even invited to pray for them. It was such an eye-opening experience to be in a such a challenging environment, yet we prayed for the presence of God to fill that house.
Please pray for the following:
- Energy for the team as the days of teaching can get long
- Strategy and innovation in teaching
- For Kim and Sally as they coach us
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Masai Lunch, Indian Dinner
Only here can you be having lunch in a Masai hut and that evening be eating an Indian dinner on the streets of Arusha. Today has been simply out of this world or out of a National Geographic magazine.
As we were planning for this outreach, one of the things that the Russells wanted us to experience was to go to the Masai villages where CA has invested. In recent years, CA helped build sleeping quarters for the teachers who are educating the Masai children, so they wanted us to see that. They also wanted us to meet some of the artisan women who are the ones making those amazing bead ornaments.
Our day started at 7 a.m. as we departed from our hotel and jumped in the the Russell's and Borden's Land Rovers as we made our way to remote Masai villages that are on the border of Tanzania and Kenya. As we left Arusha town, the city was just coming to life with the predictable weekend activities of a town in Tanzania. Within 90 minutes of our trip, we turned off of the paved road and onto a dirt road leading to the middle of nowhere. As we drove into the bush we began to see gazelle, giraffes, and a variety of other wildlife that I have no clue what they are called.
After about two hours of driving through these dirt roads, we came around a corner and found these Masai women, dressed in their traditional garb jumping up and down as they greeted us. They were on their way to a traditional Masai ceremony but knew we were coming today and so they wanted to be the first to welcome us. It was amazing to see them! It was like being in the middle of a movie!
A little while later we came upon the Masai village where there was a community school and where CA had helped build those teachers quarters. As we arrived, we were immediately swarmed by dozens of beautiful children. They sang traditional Masai songs (no clue what they were singing) as they welcomed us into their community. The three teachers (all male) who teach all 212 children who attend school there were present to meet us. It was so incredible to see the dedication and commitment of these men to the children of the community. We were able to share greetings and encouraging words with them and them with us. We also presented them with school supplies, a soccer ball (it was a huge hit!) and hackey sacks for them to play with. Kindra, Tim and Chase (Russell) went out with the kids played soccer. I think Kindra kept them busy! Oliver played with a bunch of other kids with the hackey sacks, kicking up tons of dust everywhere! Tammy and the rest of the CA gals did face painting with the kids. You should have seen them, they were beaming with pride! Later we went over to the teachers quarters and spent some time listening to James (the area pastor and community leader) share his heart and vision for the community. We also prayed for the completion of the quarters, as they are not quite done.
From there we went over to a well that is being dug up in the search for water. As you can imagine, water is life in Africa. The water from this well will be used for the school and if there is water left, it can be used by the community. They have dug about 48 feet and are close to finding water. One of the reasons we went over to the well was to pray for the Lord to get them to the water as soon as possible. So, Jaime and Peter climbed down all 48 feet to the bottom of the well and prayed with the two guys digging. It was a scary climb down and a tiring climb up! As Jaime and Peter prayed at the bottom of the hole, the rest of the team prayed at the top. We prayed with a sense of expectation and excitement!
From there, we went to a traditional Masai village, where our new friends showed us how they lived. They had prepared a typical Masai meal of beans, potatoes, rice and chibatti (a Masai version of a tortilla...yum!). That experience in and of itself was out of this world. Here we were sitting in these Masai huts eating a meal with our hands (OK, some of us cheated and used spoons). It felt like we had jumped back a few centuries or millenia and yet the spirit of hospitality and Christian brotherhood were so present. It was amazing!
Lastly, we drove over to James's house where several of the artisans were waiting for us. Some of them had walked over four hours from Kenya over to the Masai village. They came with bags filled with ornaments that hopefully will sell out at CA! Hint, hint! It was so amazing to meet these ladies whose lives have been completely transformed through this project. It was so great to hear the stories that have come out of this project and to see people begin to become self-sustaining.
We quickly left the Masai villages because we still had a bumpy four hour drive ahead of us and we for sure were going to be driving in the dark. Most of us were super tired after such a fun and exciting day but we couldn't end the day without going to Kahn's, the Indian version of Tijuana's taco stands! We had yummy Indian food as we reminisced about the amazing events of the day.
Tomorrow we are off to church visits. We are looking forward to worshipping with brothers and sisters in Christ in another language!
For those of us who were feeling a little under the weather, we are feeling better. Thanks for the prayers!
Please pray for the following:
- That as we are at the churches tomorrow, that we would share God's heart with the people
- For our preparation for the coming week of teaching English
- For the Russells, as hosting us can be exhausting
We love you and bless you all the way from Arusha! Asante sana (Thank you very much)!
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