Tanzania Hope 101

Archive for the ‘2010 Trip’ Category

Here we are in our last couple of days in the Kigoma region.  I think we have all learned a lot about ourselves, kids, and our perceptions of American culture, Tanzanian culture, and God’s culture.  I am discovering that there is a difference – a major difference. 

Obviously, by no means are the first two perfect, however, they are very different.  I’m not going to try and describe the differences between American and Tanzanian culture (the list would turn into a book!).  But I do want to talk about what I have learned about God’s culture. 

The things that I have learned about God’s culture are only things that God has taught me.  One of the things I have learned (and will continuously be learning is) how important it is to put the Gospel before myself. Last Friday was “evangelism day”.  We were going to a small village close to Kigoma that the Kneppers have been working on for a couple of years, and it is 90% Muslim. They have been building relationships and forming partnerships with the community. They have created a pre-school there, a sewing center/school, and a baking center. 

Well, on this day we had been preparing to go door-to-door to share the good news. Connie Knepper has been leading a woman’s Bible study on Wednesday afternoons, and so she invited all of the women (probably around 40) to come on Friday to go door-to-door.  So not only were the wazungu (white people) going door to door but the nationals who live in the village went as well. 

We went in the morning to pray and discuss along with the nationals what evangelism looks like and effective ways
to go about doing it.  When we first got there I thought in my mind that there would be more men to evangelize, but initially there weren’t.  I didn’t feel that it made sense to witness to a lot of women.  Then Colby (Anabelle wasn’t with us) was hungry and then I justified in my mind that I wasn’t needed, so I took Colby home after being there for 3 hours.  When we got home I just didn’t feel right about it.  Then Connie came home said, “Wow, there sure is a lot of men out there.”  Well that was difficult to swallow, especially when she wanted to know if “there was anyone that wanted to go BACK to the village.”  I still didn’t feel good about staying home so at the very last minute (literally as she was driving away) I jumped in the car. 

When we got to the village I was paired with a translator that has only been speaking English for 3 months.  We had been given a Bible to give to a man that had asked for it earlier in the day from someone else.  So we stopped at his house and we gave him a Bible.  He and two other men were building some furniture and we gave him a Bible and asked if he had any questions.  We answered some of their questions and then there was this young man and woman (brother and sister) that had been sitting off to the side listening to our conversation.  We asked them if they had any questions and they wanted to know what we were talking about.  So I asked if they had heard of who Jesus was and they hadn’t.  I then shared the Gospel with them and asked them if they had any questions.  They did and so we talked about them. 
They said they wanted to know more and were interested but were fearful of their father – who was Muslim.  They said they would be hated and kicked out of their family if they made such a choice.  Then they told me that I could talk to their father and convince him about our faith and he was in the back of their house.

After looking at my translator and swallowing hard I said that I would.  We went back there and I met their father.  He was this gentle older man and who was in his Muslim garb, but was very friendly.  I explained to him what I was doing and I asked him if I could share who Jesus the Christ was.  He was very opened to it and after discussing it with him for a while I asked if he was ready – and he said YES!!!! Bwana Asifiwe!!!! Praise the Lord!!!  Then this gentle old man took off his Muslim hat placed it on the ground and then wrote his name in the dirt.  He then crossed his name out, looked at me and told me that he needed a new name.  Then 3 of his Muslim daughters who were not listening because they were off to the side doing work came over and asked if they could hear about Jesus.  Then they received Jesus, as well.  A son and another daughter heard the message but rejected it. 

Later on we walked down the road and two more woman heard about what we had done and wanted to know about Jesus.  They received the Lord as well and they are all now in God’s hands. God did not have to use me, but for some reason he decided to use me.  I don’t know why.  This happened on Friday and it has taken me several days to process  this event.  I am just so thankful that I had an opportunity to experience God’s grace up close and personal.  I could have stayed home on Friday, but I would have missed out on this story.  Instead I was part of this family’s salvation story. 

Thank you Lord  for teaching me about the importance of your Gospel.  Thank you, God. 
By the way this older man is now named Timothy.  Pray for Timothy.  
In His Grace,
Eric

Africa has been pretty cool so far.  I have seen a lot of animals.  I saw some zebras and lots of goats at the beach and around Kigoma.  Last week we helped run a camp for kids.  We also visited a destitute camp.  The people there looked kind of weird but we went there to cheer them up.  My mom, grandma, and Mrs. Young put nail
polish on their nails. 

We also went swimming with an orphanage.  They were really nice to me and the rest of the kids.

Yesterday the 4th of July was my birthday.  I turned 8 years old.  On the morning of my birthday Emma, Mrs. Young, my mom and I got to fly into a big village on a helicopter.  It was AWESOME!  Emma and I were really surprised and excited to fly in the helicopter. 

When we landed in the village we looked out the helicopter window and there were a few kids who showed up at first but when we got out of the helicopter there were hundreds of kids running at us.  They crowded around us and followed us around wherever we went .

I went to church in the village and my translator Victor and I read some Bible books to the hundreds of children.  After church I got Victors email address because we are friends now.  Victor was a great translator.  The children listened and liked looking at the pictures in the books we read.

After church we went home in the helicopter and Dr. Len flew us over a big river. We were inches above the water.  The people on the shore were waving to us.  It almost felt like we were water skiing on the river.  Then he did some tricks with the helicopter that made my tummy feel a little funny.  It was a great birthday present!  I got my own deck of cards, a monkey sculpture that I can hang, a compass, a flashlight and some books for my birthday.  We had cupcakes and played games to celebrate my birthday and the 4th of July.  It was a lot of fun. 

Overall, I am having a great time in Africa but I am missing my home and my dog Samson so when I get home I would like to see my friends. 

Now a note from Bahbo and Bebe (Grandma & Papa Suehowicz). Bahbo Bill has fixed some doorknobs and been photographing all of the day camp activities. He also went on the boat to sand some of the wood; however, there wasn’t the right sander available. Later that day, he and Bebe Carla along with a few other team members went for a boat ride. The boat will be such an amazing vehicle to get down the lake to reach the unreachable villages. Tomorrow he will be fixing a broken chair.

Bebe Carla taught a bible lesson on Ruth to 50 Kamala women today, Wed., June 30. There is no water at this village; one of the poorest villages I have ever seen. God has given these women such a hunger for the Word and a love for their neighbors and families. After the lesson, I asked the group if anyone needed prayer to please come up for prayer. I do not know how many I prayed for because they all came up quickly. I and two other team members from another team prayed for each one separately. I asked each woman her specific request and through my translator, Phoebe, we layed hands on each woman. There is so much fear, worry, anxiety, and sickness in these women. They have such faith and perseverance through adversity and trials. I gave each woman a package of flower seeds to remind them to grow in Christ. Oh how I was blessed by these women. Tomorrow afternoon I will be teaching another group of women in another village. I pray for the anointment of the Holy Spirit as together we study the Word.

We are all well here; tired, but well–each day a new experience in what God is doing here where Hope of the Nations is truly giving the people in this region hope for eternity through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today we visited a Destitute camp where Hope of the Nations along with some other missions organizations have set up a place for people with serious flesh-eating diseases such as leprosy.  This group of people are shunned from the general public.  They are the somewhat “quarantined” from society here.  We came to sing, pray, and just love on the people.  The night before we visited the camp we had a “discussion” with our kids about the camp.  We tried to prepare their little minds for what they would be seeing in the morning.  Shelby began by telling the kids we would all be going to a “Desitute” camp in the morning.  Immediately Joshua replied, “Toot?  I like to toot!”  After verbally preparing the kids for the types of disease they would encounter the next morning Anabelle looked over at me and said, “I don’t want to go to the freaky place.”  Oh the joys of our lovely kids!  Never a dull moment with the Young’s and Collins’ kids.  Overall the kids did great at the destitute camp and Anabelle only had one minor crying meltdown of which she recovered fairly quickly after getting over herself.  J  When we came back to the mission house for lunch we reflected on the experience.  Eric had a great insight that he saw being there.  He said he believed that the destitute camp and the people there were the people that Jesus would have been seen sitting by and touching while he was here in the flesh.  It felt good to touch them, sing to them, pray for them and paint the nails of the women (if they had any left).

After lunch Shelby, Faith and I and the kids (minus Anabelle) headed out to an orphanage for boys.  We came with bars of KuKu soap and Chai biscoots.  The kuku soap is orange and comes in long bars which you cut with a knife to give out to each boy.  The Chai biscoots are like tea cookies and the kids loved them.  At the orphanage we handed out soap and headed on a mile or longer walk down to the lake where they could bathe and play.   Along with 31 boys ages 5-15 we walked down through a village called Ujijui.  The boys and Emma did great interacting with all of the orphan boys.  Once again we were blown away by the kind hearts and respect that the African people displayed.  On the walk down to the lake we passed by many homes/mud houses, a large tomato garden, some roosters, goats and cows.  The cows actually walk right into the lake and to get water.  When we got down to the lake our kids tore off into the water and had the time of their lives swimming with the boys.  The water is amazing and the waves were like that of the ocean with a beautiful breeze keeping us cool.  As I watched Colby swimming in the lake I was talking with one of the older orphan boys who has grown up in the orphanage.  He spoke some broken up English.  I was talking to him but keeping a close eye on Colby as he was out in the water pretty far from the shore.  I think it seemed strange to the boy talking to me that I was so fixated on making sure Colby was doing o.k.  in the water.  He leaned over to me and said, “You must really love your son.” I agreed as my heart just broke knowing that this young man has grown up with out an earthly mother and father.    Of all the things I have experienced in Africa thus far I have to say my heart was really moved by spending the afternoon with these orphans.  The Lord loves them just as passionately as he loves you and me.  They walk with the Joy of our Lord just as we are called to.  Though they live without an earthly father they have hope in the knowledge that they are a dearly loved child of God and that together we will dance one day in the heavens.   There grateful hearts and steadfast faith is amazing and wonderful and was an overwhelming encouragement to us.

Anyway, after swimming and playing with the boys we headed back up the hill.  Joshua ended up on the shoulders of a few different Tanzanian’s as the hill was much more difficult to go up than to go down!  Half way through the walk Colby told me to “stop”!  I stopped as he shared with me that he was really tired and really thirsty and that we need to pray for energy to be able to make it up the hill.  I prayed for him.  Next thing I know he is running up the hill in a mad dash.  I was out of breath trying to keep up with him.  When I got to the top he said, “Mom, God supercharged me!”.  It was good to see him encouraged by the Lord.

Overall, we are having a wonderful time.  I am exhausted but so glad that we are able to experience God in this way here in Africa.  Thank you again to everyone who has been praying for us.  We know your prayers are being heard by our Lord and we are thankful for each of you!

Emma’s Baptism

Today we rejoice with Emma in her baptism.  Let us tell you the story so you too can rejoice with her. Today is the third and final day of the Kid’s Club camp and as part of the camp, the participating children are encouraged to make a public declaration of their faith in Christ through the celebration of baptism. Along with three young women, Emma decided she was ready to be baptized in Lake Tanganyika.

So here is how the story becomes an amazing connection between Lodi and Kigoma. The pastor who baptized Emma is Dismis, who was one of several men who recently graduated from Bible College upon completing the church history class that our very own Pastor Dave Glass taught. The completion of that class meant that Dismis was ready to take on the roll of being a pastor for Hope of the Nation. So, the idea that he baptized our precious daughter completes a special circle between Kigoma TZ and Lodi CA. It amazes me the way in which God makes what seems to be a huge geographic distance, seemingly nothing.

Back to the baptism. Although you will get to see it on video later, let me just paint a picture for you.  There were about 60 boys and girls ranging from 8-15 watching the baptism, and while each of the four girls waded into the lake towards Pastor Dismis, the kids sung the most beautiful worship songs in Swahili. Then when the pastor spoke, the crowd quieted down to listen.  Then as each participant rose out of the water, the crowd exploded in worship surrounding each person and hugging them. It was awesome to see Emma get embraced by her new friends as they celebrated her declaration of faith through baptism.

Tomorrow we are off to spend time with families at a Destitute Camp and then to swimming and bathing the orphans!