A log of my daily events while in Tanzania...
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Hey everyone..
Ahh, the bus is leaving in 45 minutes but I have more to update you on and stuff to pray for
By the way, for those of you who are looking for rainbow’s blog this morning, she told me to say that she sucks at packing so she can’t blog. Her team, however, will be returning to Dar on the way to Tanga so she will proly have internet access on Wednesday.
Alright, so as you know my team is going to Dodoma…this is going to be the capital of Tanzania shortly. We have a special job cos it’s the first time the JESUS Film will be showed in this city. On top of that, we will be working closely with parliament. On one of the days, we may be able to sit in on a parliamentary meeting where they talk about country affairs and what not. This may be the first time foreigners are allowed to do sit in the house like that so it’s such a priviledge. One of the days will be spent handing out JESUS Films to people at the parliament building. So as I mentioned when I first embarked on this trip – we are working with the leaders of Tanzania…students and ones currently working in office. Cool!
We’re all taken on our roles, and both rainbow and I (thot on separate teams) have taken on the role of JESUS Film Manager. This role basically oversees the viewing of the show. We are to train members of our team to use the equipment, as well as be able to troubleshoot should anything go wrong during the film. We were all trained on how to use the equipment yesterday…and it’s soo old school with projectors, generators, screens and the like. Im excited about this new cycle of our trip, and I pray that God would help me in this role. Both rainbow and I have taken on a pretty big role as we will be working closely with our team leaders, and will be part of figuring out what sites are appropriate for screening the movie. We’re told that we will be showing it 6 times during our trip, tho that number may change. We usually will be setting up around 5pm, and the show will start at 7pm. It’s all in Swahili, and during that time, two people will be assigned time slots to be praying. Pray that both rainbow and I will be able to handle our role efficiently relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us. Since we’ll be working closely with our team leaders, pray that we have clear communication and that no conflict will arise. My team leader is Ethan, and Rainbow’s is Andrew.
Team Dodoma will be staying in a guest house while we’re out so no worries with food….i think. Since we’re in a city, it should be fairly similar to Dar, tho the weather is quite different. It’s much cooler averaging about 20, but it’s very dry. Apparently it’s the “ugliest” of the different sites cos there’s nothing much to see (eg, mountains, caves, coast etc) but we’re all excited cos it’s a new JESUS Film site and we’re working with parliament.
Aside from that we’re heading off to R&R now. I have a feeling we’ll be playing some Survivor-esque games while we’re out there.
By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM THEE in Vancouver…I love you! And just for JON (although I already said it to him on msn) HAPPY BIRTHDAY WAY BACK ON MAY 21!
Later!
Debs
Ahh, the bus is leaving in 45 minutes but I have more to update you on and stuff to pray for
By the way, for those of you who are looking for rainbow’s blog this morning, she told me to say that she sucks at packing so she can’t blog. Her team, however, will be returning to Dar on the way to Tanga so she will proly have internet access on Wednesday.
Alright, so as you know my team is going to Dodoma…this is going to be the capital of Tanzania shortly. We have a special job cos it’s the first time the JESUS Film will be showed in this city. On top of that, we will be working closely with parliament. On one of the days, we may be able to sit in on a parliamentary meeting where they talk about country affairs and what not. This may be the first time foreigners are allowed to do sit in the house like that so it’s such a priviledge. One of the days will be spent handing out JESUS Films to people at the parliament building. So as I mentioned when I first embarked on this trip – we are working with the leaders of Tanzania…students and ones currently working in office. Cool!
We’re all taken on our roles, and both rainbow and I (thot on separate teams) have taken on the role of JESUS Film Manager. This role basically oversees the viewing of the show. We are to train members of our team to use the equipment, as well as be able to troubleshoot should anything go wrong during the film. We were all trained on how to use the equipment yesterday…and it’s soo old school with projectors, generators, screens and the like. Im excited about this new cycle of our trip, and I pray that God would help me in this role. Both rainbow and I have taken on a pretty big role as we will be working closely with our team leaders, and will be part of figuring out what sites are appropriate for screening the movie. We’re told that we will be showing it 6 times during our trip, tho that number may change. We usually will be setting up around 5pm, and the show will start at 7pm. It’s all in Swahili, and during that time, two people will be assigned time slots to be praying. Pray that both rainbow and I will be able to handle our role efficiently relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us. Since we’ll be working closely with our team leaders, pray that we have clear communication and that no conflict will arise. My team leader is Ethan, and Rainbow’s is Andrew.
Team Dodoma will be staying in a guest house while we’re out so no worries with food….i think. Since we’re in a city, it should be fairly similar to Dar, tho the weather is quite different. It’s much cooler averaging about 20, but it’s very dry. Apparently it’s the “ugliest” of the different sites cos there’s nothing much to see (eg, mountains, caves, coast etc) but we’re all excited cos it’s a new JESUS Film site and we’re working with parliament.
Aside from that we’re heading off to R&R now. I have a feeling we’ll be playing some Survivor-esque games while we’re out there.
By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM THEE in Vancouver…I love you! And just for JON (although I already said it to him on msn) HAPPY BIRTHDAY WAY BACK ON MAY 21!
Later!
Debs
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Alright, so I lied…I had to write you guys again. We found out our teams for the JESUS film cycle, and im so excited! It’s great cos we get to work with new people…aaaaand im going to Dodoma! It’s gonna be great…one of the highlights that I’m looking forward to – wearing a sweater. It’s apparently much cooler there, yay! So yeah, that’s that!
And finally, I have to blog about the wonderful day we had today. A small group of us decided to go downtown to exchange the last bit of our money, grab some food and do some shopping for cookies before the JESUS film cycle began. We were at a bank waiting to exchange money and we saw free coffee. That was the first treat of the day…the coffee was mmmm good. THEN as we walked out we saw a SUBWAY and almost freaked out!! There has not been a single north American restaurant here, not even a mcdonalds. So when we saw this, we were sooo excited. We went in and ordered…too a lot of pictures, and ate our 12” subs. Mmm, good. And we had ice cream too. Yeah, we decided to splurge cos after this we’re gonna end up eating something called “ugali” which is basially pasty rice stuff…it just looks like a blob of white stuff that you dip in a watery sauce…eeew….eeeeww. so yeah, good times with food.
Alright, and yes, this is the last post.
Love ya,
Debs
And finally, I have to blog about the wonderful day we had today. A small group of us decided to go downtown to exchange the last bit of our money, grab some food and do some shopping for cookies before the JESUS film cycle began. We were at a bank waiting to exchange money and we saw free coffee. That was the first treat of the day…the coffee was mmmm good. THEN as we walked out we saw a SUBWAY and almost freaked out!! There has not been a single north American restaurant here, not even a mcdonalds. So when we saw this, we were sooo excited. We went in and ordered…too a lot of pictures, and ate our 12” subs. Mmm, good. And we had ice cream too. Yeah, we decided to splurge cos after this we’re gonna end up eating something called “ugali” which is basially pasty rice stuff…it just looks like a blob of white stuff that you dip in a watery sauce…eeew….eeeeww. so yeah, good times with food.
Alright, and yes, this is the last post.
Love ya,
Debs
Goooood morning everyone! Wow, I got to sleep in this morning, and have no plans today, other than to relax, and work on my testimony.
Yesterday was such an emotional day. I know I already blogged yesterday, but it just occurred to me today that this may be my last day of internet for a good 10 days! Everything is closed on Sundays, and we’re leaving for Morogoro Monday morning, so yeah…today is my last chance that I know of.
So yeah, as I said, yesterday was a day of mixed feelings… actually, let me read what I blogged about first, then I’ll get back to you…. … …ok got it! So I left off at saying that we were gonna have the coffeehouse and that was it. The coffeehouse was amazing, to say the least. I was incharge of serving punch to the people who came in. we had free refreshments like samosas, fruit, cookies and the like. Who knew serving punch would be such a huge responsibility…we ran our twice, but that was a good thing cos that meant that LOTS of people were there. Yeah, there were at least 200 people at that coffeehouse, and it was sooo encouraging to see so many people come out and enjoy the entertainment. Many of our new friends came out to say good bye to us. I spent most of the nite making juice, and serving people. The entertainment was awesome. We had around 10 performances mixed in with testimonies. People really enjoyed the music. There were a couple performances by Tanzanian students which were really good. Hehehe, they were rapping! I guess they really like to rap here, but it didn’t sound bad or anything. The first performance was really cool cos they had a couple of African drums going. Cool. But yeah, the emotional part of the nite soon approached as the nite went on. Rainbow and I went to go return the 7UP bottles to mr. Kombo back in the cafeteria. Bottles are huge here…they want bottles more than they want money, cos they can reuse the bottles, so that’s why we couldn’t keep the bottles. But anyways, I brought my little envelopes for all three of them. Only mr. Kombo and george were there…bean had already left. But it really sucked to say goodbye. They were saying to us “when will we see you again? Will you come back?” george who speaks two words of English and basically only Swahili was saying to mr. Kombo “when?” it was really…really sad cos im gonna miss those guys. But mr. Kombo knew the answer and said “one day, one day I’ll see you in paradise.” So yeah, we’ll see. But after we left the cafeteria, rainbow and I were silent. Who knew that people could touch our lives in a matter of 3 weeks. Shoot, now im getting all girly and emo. Then, back in the chapel I had to say good bye to 4 really great girls that have shown such an interest and have grown so much in their faith since we arrived. I’m so honoured that God would use me to disciple and teach these girls how to have a closer relationship with Him. Cool. But yeah, I didn’t think I would cry, but I got teary eyed.
I guess for me it was also a forshadowing of what’s gonna happen in 2 and a half weeks when WE have to leave each other in Toronto…well, some in London. Yeah, im not looking forward to having to say goodbye to such awesome people. it’s so neat tho that although we are all spread out over Canada in different universities, that we are all connected into the same vision: to turn students into Christ-centered labourers who know God and impact the world day by day. God sent us to Tanzania to minister to the students at U of Dar, and He’s sending us back to do the same at SFU, UBC, Queens, Carleton, U of M, U of S, U of A, and the list goes on! What a privilege to be a missionary in your own campus and your own community; it’s where it should begin. I’ll whine more about my missing these people in a future blog, im sure of it!
But yeah, so that’s that. We’re done. I will probably never set foot on that campus again, but you know, that’s ok. Because just cos I’m not there, or the team isn’t there…doesn’t mean that God isn’t gonna be working on the hearts of the students. I’ve shared a number of stories where people have come to Christ months later, having come to the realization that this is what they need, the most essential thing to their life.. We preach, and He changes hearts. I like that.
Did I also mention that we have an amazing group of staff members who have done an excellent job of leading this team? Yeah, Chris and Gretchen Polachic from UBC, Kelly Yen from McMaster, Jen Werner from U of Saskatchewan, Archie and Cindy Kenyon from U of Western Ontario, and Ginny and Crystel who aren’t at campuses but work for the organization. We are so blessed to have them as they all are different and bring a different gifting and ability to the team. Kelly has left us this morning to go to south Africa to meet up with his girlfriend, MC, and her family, where they will be there for two weeks. I never really knew the guy cos he wasn’t on my team, but the times that I talked to him were really good. It’s cool cos he grew up in Vancouver, and well, his parents live five minutes away from me. Yeah, Burnaby mountain golf course…but I know that he’s had a profound impact on rainbow. He was her team leader. But yeah, Gretchen is another cool chick – she’s married and has lots of wonderful stories about school, relationships, and life. Good thing she’s at UBC cos I can meet up with her. Jen Werner, im sure you’ve heard me say enough about her. Crystel is my PD person and she’s got a great personality with always something crazy to say. Ginny…aww, her and Cindy are so sweet. They spent the day with me when I was sick earlier in the trip, and they’re just such godly women. And archie and chris…are just…crazy. That’s all I have to say. That’s my blurb on my staff…more for my benefit so I can read this when I get home…that was proly boring for you.
K, and finally, last last I promise. Archie asked me if I could do my testimony at Josephat’s (U of Dar staff) church this Sunday. So yeah, keep my in your prayers as I write it out and make sure that I cover all the necessary parts…and communicate it well. I don’t think I’ll get nervous, but you never know.
Alright, so that ends what I have to say. I hope you guys are all having a wonderful time back home.
Love you and miss you all,
Deb
PS: thanks all of you for taking the time to read this...i know i can be longwinded, but if you know me well, im a girl of many words, and so i remain consistent by being a girl of many...blogs!
PSS: we've also been told that the villages are a harder place to get used to. the university and the city are quite friendly, but when we're in the villages, the people are poorer, so we'll stand out as walking treasure chests. so keep our safety in your prayers as well.
Yesterday was such an emotional day. I know I already blogged yesterday, but it just occurred to me today that this may be my last day of internet for a good 10 days! Everything is closed on Sundays, and we’re leaving for Morogoro Monday morning, so yeah…today is my last chance that I know of.
So yeah, as I said, yesterday was a day of mixed feelings… actually, let me read what I blogged about first, then I’ll get back to you…. … …ok got it! So I left off at saying that we were gonna have the coffeehouse and that was it. The coffeehouse was amazing, to say the least. I was incharge of serving punch to the people who came in. we had free refreshments like samosas, fruit, cookies and the like. Who knew serving punch would be such a huge responsibility…we ran our twice, but that was a good thing cos that meant that LOTS of people were there. Yeah, there were at least 200 people at that coffeehouse, and it was sooo encouraging to see so many people come out and enjoy the entertainment. Many of our new friends came out to say good bye to us. I spent most of the nite making juice, and serving people. The entertainment was awesome. We had around 10 performances mixed in with testimonies. People really enjoyed the music. There were a couple performances by Tanzanian students which were really good. Hehehe, they were rapping! I guess they really like to rap here, but it didn’t sound bad or anything. The first performance was really cool cos they had a couple of African drums going. Cool. But yeah, the emotional part of the nite soon approached as the nite went on. Rainbow and I went to go return the 7UP bottles to mr. Kombo back in the cafeteria. Bottles are huge here…they want bottles more than they want money, cos they can reuse the bottles, so that’s why we couldn’t keep the bottles. But anyways, I brought my little envelopes for all three of them. Only mr. Kombo and george were there…bean had already left. But it really sucked to say goodbye. They were saying to us “when will we see you again? Will you come back?” george who speaks two words of English and basically only Swahili was saying to mr. Kombo “when?” it was really…really sad cos im gonna miss those guys. But mr. Kombo knew the answer and said “one day, one day I’ll see you in paradise.” So yeah, we’ll see. But after we left the cafeteria, rainbow and I were silent. Who knew that people could touch our lives in a matter of 3 weeks. Shoot, now im getting all girly and emo. Then, back in the chapel I had to say good bye to 4 really great girls that have shown such an interest and have grown so much in their faith since we arrived. I’m so honoured that God would use me to disciple and teach these girls how to have a closer relationship with Him. Cool. But yeah, I didn’t think I would cry, but I got teary eyed.
I guess for me it was also a forshadowing of what’s gonna happen in 2 and a half weeks when WE have to leave each other in Toronto…well, some in London. Yeah, im not looking forward to having to say goodbye to such awesome people. it’s so neat tho that although we are all spread out over Canada in different universities, that we are all connected into the same vision: to turn students into Christ-centered labourers who know God and impact the world day by day. God sent us to Tanzania to minister to the students at U of Dar, and He’s sending us back to do the same at SFU, UBC, Queens, Carleton, U of M, U of S, U of A, and the list goes on! What a privilege to be a missionary in your own campus and your own community; it’s where it should begin. I’ll whine more about my missing these people in a future blog, im sure of it!
But yeah, so that’s that. We’re done. I will probably never set foot on that campus again, but you know, that’s ok. Because just cos I’m not there, or the team isn’t there…doesn’t mean that God isn’t gonna be working on the hearts of the students. I’ve shared a number of stories where people have come to Christ months later, having come to the realization that this is what they need, the most essential thing to their life.. We preach, and He changes hearts. I like that.
Did I also mention that we have an amazing group of staff members who have done an excellent job of leading this team? Yeah, Chris and Gretchen Polachic from UBC, Kelly Yen from McMaster, Jen Werner from U of Saskatchewan, Archie and Cindy Kenyon from U of Western Ontario, and Ginny and Crystel who aren’t at campuses but work for the organization. We are so blessed to have them as they all are different and bring a different gifting and ability to the team. Kelly has left us this morning to go to south Africa to meet up with his girlfriend, MC, and her family, where they will be there for two weeks. I never really knew the guy cos he wasn’t on my team, but the times that I talked to him were really good. It’s cool cos he grew up in Vancouver, and well, his parents live five minutes away from me. Yeah, Burnaby mountain golf course…but I know that he’s had a profound impact on rainbow. He was her team leader. But yeah, Gretchen is another cool chick – she’s married and has lots of wonderful stories about school, relationships, and life. Good thing she’s at UBC cos I can meet up with her. Jen Werner, im sure you’ve heard me say enough about her. Crystel is my PD person and she’s got a great personality with always something crazy to say. Ginny…aww, her and Cindy are so sweet. They spent the day with me when I was sick earlier in the trip, and they’re just such godly women. And archie and chris…are just…crazy. That’s all I have to say. That’s my blurb on my staff…more for my benefit so I can read this when I get home…that was proly boring for you.
K, and finally, last last I promise. Archie asked me if I could do my testimony at Josephat’s (U of Dar staff) church this Sunday. So yeah, keep my in your prayers as I write it out and make sure that I cover all the necessary parts…and communicate it well. I don’t think I’ll get nervous, but you never know.
Alright, so that ends what I have to say. I hope you guys are all having a wonderful time back home.
Love you and miss you all,
Deb
PS: thanks all of you for taking the time to read this...i know i can be longwinded, but if you know me well, im a girl of many words, and so i remain consistent by being a girl of many...blogs!
PSS: we've also been told that the villages are a harder place to get used to. the university and the city are quite friendly, but when we're in the villages, the people are poorer, so we'll stand out as walking treasure chests. so keep our safety in your prayers as well.
Friday, May 28, 2004
good song that's really been speaking to me! listen to it if you can!!
Better Than Life
by Australia Hillsongs
Album :
Better Than Life
Words and Music by Marty Sampson
Better than the riches of this world
Better than the sound of my friend's voices
Better than the biggest dreams of my heart
And that's just the start
Better than getting what I say I need
Better than living the life that I want to
Better than the love anyone could give
Your love is
You hold me now in your arms
And never let me go
You oh lord make the sun shine
And the moon light in the night sky
You give me breath and all your love
I give my heart to you because
I can't stop falling in love with you
I'll never stop falling in love with you
I can't stop falling in love with you
I'll never stop falling in love with you
Better Than Life
by Australia Hillsongs
Album :
Better Than Life
Words and Music by Marty Sampson
Better than the riches of this world
Better than the sound of my friend's voices
Better than the biggest dreams of my heart
And that's just the start
Better than getting what I say I need
Better than living the life that I want to
Better than the love anyone could give
Your love is
You hold me now in your arms
And never let me go
You oh lord make the sun shine
And the moon light in the night sky
You give me breath and all your love
I give my heart to you because
I can't stop falling in love with you
I'll never stop falling in love with you
I can't stop falling in love with you
I'll never stop falling in love with you
Hey everyone!
I just had a wonderful time sharing with two girls the sprit-filled life! It was soo cool, cos mel and I were just walking outside heading towards the dorms, and these two girls, Stella and Doreen pop their heads our of their rooms and stella said “hi Rainbow!” and I was like “uhh, im not Rainbow, but I know her!” so they invited us up and we visited them. I asked her what rainbow shared with her and stella said “confession.” So after chatting for a bit and seeing where her and Doreen were at, we saw that they needed to hear about the sprit-filled life. They admitted that they were both Christians, but were not fully submitting their life to Christ…they were in the third circle of the satisfied booklet, if that makes it easier to understand. Anyways, when I got to the fourth point, I stopped and asked if they had any questions, and stella started asking “what about boyfriends. Can I still ask Jesus to help me, if I have a boyfriend?” that may not make any sense at first, but here, in tanzanian culture, to have a “boyfriend” means that you are engaging in sexual activity with them. If you are not, you call them you’re “special friend.” So yeah, they went on to ask us “how do we tell our boyfriends that we now want to have jesus in our life. What if they don’t listen?” they were concerned with “what if we tell them we don’t want to do “things” anymore, and they don’t listen.” It was crazy to see God convicting them of this sin right infront of us, and all we were doing was reading a book! Man, God is soo good and so powerful. So yeah, they prayed to filled with the Holy Spirit, and just before we left, stella said “I want be like you.” I was so encouraged that God stilled used me on my last day here. Praise be given to God.
Alright, so what else do I have to say….
“Roses are red, violets are blue, breakfast smells good, but not as good as all of you!” that was a poem the boys of the project read aloud for us. I love being a girl! Yesterday morning, all the girls were surprised as the boys woke up early and made us all breakfast! We had scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, fruit, CHEESE, and yogourt! Oh man, I miss the north American breakfast….IHOP anyone? It was such a sweet gesture, and the girls were definitely touched to have such awesome brothers in Christ. They’re all like our big brothers!
I was able to help lead worship again last nite. The staff were invited to the national director’s house for dinner, so it was student-led evening. There was worship, a time of sharing, and most importantly, prayer. We were able to encourage each other with our stories of people coming to Christ or learning about the Holy Spirit. One such story was from a girl on our team named Almut. She said that she encountered a girl who met a student from last year’s Tanzania team. This student had shared the four laws with her, but the girl wasn’t ready at the time to receive Christ into her life. So Almut visited her (not knowing about last year’s encounter) and the girl prayed to receive christ. So the student who shared last year with this girl was unable to see the fruit, but she was obedient to what God had called her to do – preach the word. Thru her obedience, this girl at the U of Dar came to Christ one year later! Cool! It totally reminds me, yet again, of Isaiah 55:10-11. when we feel like the preaching we’re doing is futile cos we see no fruit, keep on going.
Isaiah 55
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Tonite is our last event and sort of a goodbye party. It’s our coffeehouse and we’re praying that the students we have met in the past 3 weeks would come. It should be good, but will be a late nite. We’ll start at 7 and end around 11pm.
I have one last thing to share before I go. So I’m really gonna miss mr. kombo when I go. Infact, rainbow and I took a picture with mr. bean, kombo and george yesterday. But anyways, I’ve prepared little packages for them which each contain an English/Swahili bible, along with an English/Swahili dictionary and a personal letter and the four laws. It’s my prayer that they would read that bible and that God’s word would touch them. Chris, a member of the bigger team shared a wonderful story last nite about a muslim friend that he saw come to Christ. For a while this muslim said that he could’t be a Christian cos his muslim mother would abandon him. And for whatever reason, Chris lost contact with him for the past couple of weeks. He saw him just the other day, and the muslim friend said that God had been working on his heart, and that he decided to receive Christ, knowing full well the consequences. He said that God is more important to him than anything, and that he wants to share this with his mother. So that really encouraged me with my mr. kombo situation. I totally believe that God can work on his heart even when we’re not here. And I have to believe that I will see him again one day. Guys, this is what’s happening here in Tanzania as a result of your support – financial and prayer. Thank you sooo much for affecting the lives of sooo many Tanzanian students. Praise God for raising up labourers, AND supporters!
Oh yeah, more guys sang to rainbow and I . mr kombo rapped for us (hehe) and Julius (conductor on the bus) sang us some worship songs he sings in his church. Cute…they sang.
Aright, so this concludes our campus cycle. We’ll find out our teams shortly, can’t wait…have no clue what city im going to but will find out really soon. Dunno if I will have internet access in these cities, but nonetheless, I will send out at least one more entry before I leave for Morogoro (R&R) on Monday
Love ya guys tons!
Debs
I just had a wonderful time sharing with two girls the sprit-filled life! It was soo cool, cos mel and I were just walking outside heading towards the dorms, and these two girls, Stella and Doreen pop their heads our of their rooms and stella said “hi Rainbow!” and I was like “uhh, im not Rainbow, but I know her!” so they invited us up and we visited them. I asked her what rainbow shared with her and stella said “confession.” So after chatting for a bit and seeing where her and Doreen were at, we saw that they needed to hear about the sprit-filled life. They admitted that they were both Christians, but were not fully submitting their life to Christ…they were in the third circle of the satisfied booklet, if that makes it easier to understand. Anyways, when I got to the fourth point, I stopped and asked if they had any questions, and stella started asking “what about boyfriends. Can I still ask Jesus to help me, if I have a boyfriend?” that may not make any sense at first, but here, in tanzanian culture, to have a “boyfriend” means that you are engaging in sexual activity with them. If you are not, you call them you’re “special friend.” So yeah, they went on to ask us “how do we tell our boyfriends that we now want to have jesus in our life. What if they don’t listen?” they were concerned with “what if we tell them we don’t want to do “things” anymore, and they don’t listen.” It was crazy to see God convicting them of this sin right infront of us, and all we were doing was reading a book! Man, God is soo good and so powerful. So yeah, they prayed to filled with the Holy Spirit, and just before we left, stella said “I want be like you.” I was so encouraged that God stilled used me on my last day here. Praise be given to God.
Alright, so what else do I have to say….
“Roses are red, violets are blue, breakfast smells good, but not as good as all of you!” that was a poem the boys of the project read aloud for us. I love being a girl! Yesterday morning, all the girls were surprised as the boys woke up early and made us all breakfast! We had scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, fruit, CHEESE, and yogourt! Oh man, I miss the north American breakfast….IHOP anyone? It was such a sweet gesture, and the girls were definitely touched to have such awesome brothers in Christ. They’re all like our big brothers!
I was able to help lead worship again last nite. The staff were invited to the national director’s house for dinner, so it was student-led evening. There was worship, a time of sharing, and most importantly, prayer. We were able to encourage each other with our stories of people coming to Christ or learning about the Holy Spirit. One such story was from a girl on our team named Almut. She said that she encountered a girl who met a student from last year’s Tanzania team. This student had shared the four laws with her, but the girl wasn’t ready at the time to receive Christ into her life. So Almut visited her (not knowing about last year’s encounter) and the girl prayed to receive christ. So the student who shared last year with this girl was unable to see the fruit, but she was obedient to what God had called her to do – preach the word. Thru her obedience, this girl at the U of Dar came to Christ one year later! Cool! It totally reminds me, yet again, of Isaiah 55:10-11. when we feel like the preaching we’re doing is futile cos we see no fruit, keep on going.
Isaiah 55
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Tonite is our last event and sort of a goodbye party. It’s our coffeehouse and we’re praying that the students we have met in the past 3 weeks would come. It should be good, but will be a late nite. We’ll start at 7 and end around 11pm.
I have one last thing to share before I go. So I’m really gonna miss mr. kombo when I go. Infact, rainbow and I took a picture with mr. bean, kombo and george yesterday. But anyways, I’ve prepared little packages for them which each contain an English/Swahili bible, along with an English/Swahili dictionary and a personal letter and the four laws. It’s my prayer that they would read that bible and that God’s word would touch them. Chris, a member of the bigger team shared a wonderful story last nite about a muslim friend that he saw come to Christ. For a while this muslim said that he could’t be a Christian cos his muslim mother would abandon him. And for whatever reason, Chris lost contact with him for the past couple of weeks. He saw him just the other day, and the muslim friend said that God had been working on his heart, and that he decided to receive Christ, knowing full well the consequences. He said that God is more important to him than anything, and that he wants to share this with his mother. So that really encouraged me with my mr. kombo situation. I totally believe that God can work on his heart even when we’re not here. And I have to believe that I will see him again one day. Guys, this is what’s happening here in Tanzania as a result of your support – financial and prayer. Thank you sooo much for affecting the lives of sooo many Tanzanian students. Praise God for raising up labourers, AND supporters!
Oh yeah, more guys sang to rainbow and I . mr kombo rapped for us (hehe) and Julius (conductor on the bus) sang us some worship songs he sings in his church. Cute…they sang.
Aright, so this concludes our campus cycle. We’ll find out our teams shortly, can’t wait…have no clue what city im going to but will find out really soon. Dunno if I will have internet access in these cities, but nonetheless, I will send out at least one more entry before I leave for Morogoro (R&R) on Monday
Love ya guys tons!
Debs
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Hey everyone,
Yet another unplanned visit to the internet café, so her goes!
Bible study went great yesterday! Jen and I spent some time praying beforehand, and 3 people showed up…that was 3 people more than we had expected so yay! It was really cool cos two of the people who were there were girls that have been showing commitment since we’ve arrived. Both of them want to get involved in LIFE ministry and are excited about the vision.
So as I said before, it’s our last week here. And today during bible study, Chris (staff) shared with us a friendly reminder. In 2 Tim, paul talks about how we should be ready in season, and out of season to preach the word etc… and it’s so cool. If you think about it, we have three more days to at the U of Dar to make an impact for eternity. So keep us in your prayers that we would be able to make the most of our time remaining here.
Also, this Friday we will be having our final event – a coffee house. Flyers and posters have been distributed so hopefully people will see them and come!
And finally, yesterday before I left I went over to say hi to mr. kombo and mr. bean. And to my surprise, they gave me a bible…but I soon realized that they found it and were returning it to us. So I said “well, do you want it? It’s the new testament, it’s about Jesus.” And they were so happy. They were like “really? Ok, yes, I will read it.” So despite them being muslim, I totally believe that God’s word is powerful and can change a person’s heart, even when they’re not looking.
Deb
Yet another unplanned visit to the internet café, so her goes!
Bible study went great yesterday! Jen and I spent some time praying beforehand, and 3 people showed up…that was 3 people more than we had expected so yay! It was really cool cos two of the people who were there were girls that have been showing commitment since we’ve arrived. Both of them want to get involved in LIFE ministry and are excited about the vision.
So as I said before, it’s our last week here. And today during bible study, Chris (staff) shared with us a friendly reminder. In 2 Tim, paul talks about how we should be ready in season, and out of season to preach the word etc… and it’s so cool. If you think about it, we have three more days to at the U of Dar to make an impact for eternity. So keep us in your prayers that we would be able to make the most of our time remaining here.
Also, this Friday we will be having our final event – a coffee house. Flyers and posters have been distributed so hopefully people will see them and come!
And finally, yesterday before I left I went over to say hi to mr. kombo and mr. bean. And to my surprise, they gave me a bible…but I soon realized that they found it and were returning it to us. So I said “well, do you want it? It’s the new testament, it’s about Jesus.” And they were so happy. They were like “really? Ok, yes, I will read it.” So despite them being muslim, I totally believe that God’s word is powerful and can change a person’s heart, even when they’re not looking.
Deb
Monday, May 24, 2004
Wow, so this is our last week on campus. Four more days to tell share the Good News, and to follow up on the contacts that we’ve made in the past two weeks we’ve been here. I’ve had an amazing time, and am pumped for this last week! Today, Jen and I are gonna try and lead that study that no one came to again this week. It’ll be the same material as last time…hopefully people will show up after we’ve invited them.
Hmm, what else has been going on. Church was really good on Sunday. We went to that pentacostal church again, and a few members of our team actually did a musical performance for the church. They sang “Blessed Be Your Name” and “Give Us Clean Hands.” Went well. Also, archie spoke. That was a really goood message. Using scripture, he shared with us three kinds of relationships every Christian needs to have. Every christian needs to have a PAUL – mentor, someone to build you up in your faith, to challenge you and to help you grow in your walk with God. We also need a BARNABAS – someone to be our friend, stand along side of us, to encourage us, maybe keep us accountable, and sometime to just be there and not say anything. And finally, all of us need a TIMOTHY – someone who we are discipling, building into and sharing teach them what God has done in our life. That is the basis of spiritual multiplication – build into a few, who will also do the same….as our theme verse says in 2 Tim 2:2 “and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men, who will also be qualified to teach others.” Good stuff.
We will be finding out our teams for the JESUS film cycle by the end of this week. We have our JESUS Film training Sunday evening, R&R Monday, and we’re back out into our designated villages/towns for that following week. Im excited, but also kinda scared to be living with a family that I have never met. Granted, they are believers and im sure it’ll be fine, but I guess I don’t know what kinda food to expect, or what the sleeping/sanitary conditions will be like :| meh, should be fine.
Rainbow and I treated ourselves to a little spa on Saturday. Well, it’s a really really mini spa. Actually, all we did was put in leave in conditioner in our hair, cleaned our faces, ate some painted our toe nails, and I gave her her very first hand massage. She had never had one before and now comes into my room in a voice saying “debbbbbiiiiiee….can you pleeeeaaasse give me a haand massage?!?!” aww, what a cutie. However, she painted my toenails pink! Eek! It was suppose to be some sorta purply colour, but it turned out pink….grrrr.
Alright, well I don’t think there’s much else. Just God would continue to use us here at the U of Dar during our last week here. That people would show up for their appointments, and that God would be able to use us to follow up effectively
Oh yes, and I FINALLY saw a decent djembe yesterday…normal size, but it cose $110 US. Booo.
Love ya!
debs
Hmm, what else has been going on. Church was really good on Sunday. We went to that pentacostal church again, and a few members of our team actually did a musical performance for the church. They sang “Blessed Be Your Name” and “Give Us Clean Hands.” Went well. Also, archie spoke. That was a really goood message. Using scripture, he shared with us three kinds of relationships every Christian needs to have. Every christian needs to have a PAUL – mentor, someone to build you up in your faith, to challenge you and to help you grow in your walk with God. We also need a BARNABAS – someone to be our friend, stand along side of us, to encourage us, maybe keep us accountable, and sometime to just be there and not say anything. And finally, all of us need a TIMOTHY – someone who we are discipling, building into and sharing teach them what God has done in our life. That is the basis of spiritual multiplication – build into a few, who will also do the same….as our theme verse says in 2 Tim 2:2 “and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men, who will also be qualified to teach others.” Good stuff.
We will be finding out our teams for the JESUS film cycle by the end of this week. We have our JESUS Film training Sunday evening, R&R Monday, and we’re back out into our designated villages/towns for that following week. Im excited, but also kinda scared to be living with a family that I have never met. Granted, they are believers and im sure it’ll be fine, but I guess I don’t know what kinda food to expect, or what the sleeping/sanitary conditions will be like :| meh, should be fine.
Rainbow and I treated ourselves to a little spa on Saturday. Well, it’s a really really mini spa. Actually, all we did was put in leave in conditioner in our hair, cleaned our faces, ate some painted our toe nails, and I gave her her very first hand massage. She had never had one before and now comes into my room in a voice saying “debbbbbiiiiiee….can you pleeeeaaasse give me a haand massage?!?!” aww, what a cutie. However, she painted my toenails pink! Eek! It was suppose to be some sorta purply colour, but it turned out pink….grrrr.
Alright, well I don’t think there’s much else. Just God would continue to use us here at the U of Dar during our last week here. That people would show up for their appointments, and that God would be able to use us to follow up effectively
Oh yes, and I FINALLY saw a decent djembe yesterday…normal size, but it cose $110 US. Booo.
Love ya!
debs
Saturday, May 22, 2004
hey everyone,
soo things haven't been turning out exactly the way we had planned at all. soo far, one of our three events have happend so far in the past two days. we were suppose to have a talk on how to get better grades, how to change your sexlife, and a concert at the off campus residence. but for some reason, the first and the last events haven't happend. when we arrive to setup for the events, we find that there has been miscommunication between the school, and different representatives. rooms get double booked. today, we're at the off campus residence, and it turns out that there are NO religious activities allowed during this week (???!?) the school turned down a muslim event last week, so they had to turn us down...but they said yes before. either way, techincally, we could have proceeded with both events cos they said YES to us, but we didn't want to ruin our witness here at the U of Dar. so we're hoping that we can reschedule these events. but in other news, the sex talk went really well. cindy went thru a number of different myths that society has about sex, and tackled each myth appropriately. after her talk, we had an anonymous question time (fill out a questionnaire and put it into a box) and archie and cindy answered the questions. it was awesome to hear the student's questions. quite a few of them seem to have changed their perspective on sex as there were many "what do i tell my boyfriend/girlfriend if i don't want to have sex with them anymore." and other related questions..good times. there were approximately 100 people at the talk.
i've been making regular contact with Mr. Kombo, Mr. Bean and George...good guys.
today, as i was at the off campus residence, Mabibo, mel and i had the chance to share the Four Laws with 3 girls. and two of them prayed to receive christ! it started off really cool. there were three roommates, and two of them were catholic, and one was an anglican. when we asked them if they were "born again" they said no. and we asked "why, or how come?" and they said "we don't know why." we asked them, "would you like to know what it means to be born again?" and they said yes. i lead, as mel prayed, and in the end two of them prayed to receive christ. it was cool. so despite our events not going thru, God is still totally working in the lives of tanzanians.
our team as a whole, had a really good reflection time on why events weren't happening. and we ended up being really encouraged at the end of it. we knew that we would face opposition as we head out to spread the message of Jesus. satan is not gonna allow things to happen easily for us, so it's almost no surprise that this is happening. the way we see it, we must be doing something HUGE, so huge that we're facing opposition. does that make sense? i can't quite articulate myself well right now, but i tbink you know what i mean. the devil wants us to be bummed out and discouraged that the other events couldn't go on, but we're still totally ready to go and share more with more people. so what, two events didn't happen...but two people prayed to receive christ today...praise God.
also, i think i mentioned Emanuel before. yeah, i saw him again today at his residence. he has an exam tomorrow but he said that he will come and meet me and Gideon (UBC) in the cafeteria cos he has questions to ask us about the Satisfied booklet, and the fourlaws. can't wait!
please continue to pray for the health of the team. tho we've been here for over two weeks, many of us still feel spells of fatiuge, nausea, and dizziness. also pray for the new believers that God would ignite a passion in their hearts to continue to know him personally. pray that God would bring christians in their life to build them up after we leave. we're trying to connect as many student with LIFE ministry, so that they will not be left hanging, but yeah. for some students, LIFE ministry isn't the place where they will get involved, and that's ok. but we still want mature christians in their life to build them up in their faith.
alright, im out!
love ya,
deb
PS: i got to play the djembe today for an impromptu worship set and it felt soooo goood.....sooo gooood....Sunnybridge, we need to seriously jam when we get back!
soo things haven't been turning out exactly the way we had planned at all. soo far, one of our three events have happend so far in the past two days. we were suppose to have a talk on how to get better grades, how to change your sexlife, and a concert at the off campus residence. but for some reason, the first and the last events haven't happend. when we arrive to setup for the events, we find that there has been miscommunication between the school, and different representatives. rooms get double booked. today, we're at the off campus residence, and it turns out that there are NO religious activities allowed during this week (???!?) the school turned down a muslim event last week, so they had to turn us down...but they said yes before. either way, techincally, we could have proceeded with both events cos they said YES to us, but we didn't want to ruin our witness here at the U of Dar. so we're hoping that we can reschedule these events. but in other news, the sex talk went really well. cindy went thru a number of different myths that society has about sex, and tackled each myth appropriately. after her talk, we had an anonymous question time (fill out a questionnaire and put it into a box) and archie and cindy answered the questions. it was awesome to hear the student's questions. quite a few of them seem to have changed their perspective on sex as there were many "what do i tell my boyfriend/girlfriend if i don't want to have sex with them anymore." and other related questions..good times. there were approximately 100 people at the talk.
i've been making regular contact with Mr. Kombo, Mr. Bean and George...good guys.
today, as i was at the off campus residence, Mabibo, mel and i had the chance to share the Four Laws with 3 girls. and two of them prayed to receive christ! it started off really cool. there were three roommates, and two of them were catholic, and one was an anglican. when we asked them if they were "born again" they said no. and we asked "why, or how come?" and they said "we don't know why." we asked them, "would you like to know what it means to be born again?" and they said yes. i lead, as mel prayed, and in the end two of them prayed to receive christ. it was cool. so despite our events not going thru, God is still totally working in the lives of tanzanians.
our team as a whole, had a really good reflection time on why events weren't happening. and we ended up being really encouraged at the end of it. we knew that we would face opposition as we head out to spread the message of Jesus. satan is not gonna allow things to happen easily for us, so it's almost no surprise that this is happening. the way we see it, we must be doing something HUGE, so huge that we're facing opposition. does that make sense? i can't quite articulate myself well right now, but i tbink you know what i mean. the devil wants us to be bummed out and discouraged that the other events couldn't go on, but we're still totally ready to go and share more with more people. so what, two events didn't happen...but two people prayed to receive christ today...praise God.
also, i think i mentioned Emanuel before. yeah, i saw him again today at his residence. he has an exam tomorrow but he said that he will come and meet me and Gideon (UBC) in the cafeteria cos he has questions to ask us about the Satisfied booklet, and the fourlaws. can't wait!
please continue to pray for the health of the team. tho we've been here for over two weeks, many of us still feel spells of fatiuge, nausea, and dizziness. also pray for the new believers that God would ignite a passion in their hearts to continue to know him personally. pray that God would bring christians in their life to build them up after we leave. we're trying to connect as many student with LIFE ministry, so that they will not be left hanging, but yeah. for some students, LIFE ministry isn't the place where they will get involved, and that's ok. but we still want mature christians in their life to build them up in their faith.
alright, im out!
love ya,
deb
PS: i got to play the djembe today for an impromptu worship set and it felt soooo goood.....sooo gooood....Sunnybridge, we need to seriously jam when we get back!
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Wow, what a great past couple of days. So many things have been happening that were out of our plans, but totally in God’s plan. Yesterday, Jen and I had a number of follow up appointments, and not surprisingly, many didn’t show up. (apparently it’s quite common in the Tanzanian culture to just make plans, and not show up…on time if they do show up.) but yeah, as a result of them not showing up, Jen and I met up with some other girls we met before and were able to share the Spirit-filled life with them. It was cool. It’s so exciting to see Christians who understand to live an abundant life in Christ. It’s the only way one should live I’d say :) bv the way, if you’re reading these blogs and you have no clue what “the four laws”, the “spirit-filled life” or the “satisfied” booklet is (satisfied and spirit-filled are the same) check out http://www.greatcom.org/laws/ and you can see exactly what it is that we are sharing with the Tanzanian students.
Also, today we were able to put up two huge banners advertising our Power To Change events starting this Friday. We also placed flyers in all the dorm rooms, and will be doing more postering tomorrow. So many people are noticing the posters and keep asking us as we are putting it up “what is this power to change that you are talking about?!” many people genuinely want to know, and we want to tell them. Praise God, it’s awesome.
We were relayed some stats from our directors for last week, and it turns out that 64 people have prayed to receive Christ! These aren’t just numbers, but precious individuals who now know what it means to have a relationship with Christ.
Oh yeah, and for those of you who read Rainbow’s blogs, she sends her love. She’s tired and can’t blog right now, but will very soon. Again, she sends her love :)
Ok, where was i. Right. So remember that bible study that Jen and I were suppose to lead…not surprisingly, NO ONE SHOWED UP! There was potential for 11 people to show up, but of course, none were there. But that was alright cos we were able to hook up with a couple other guys. I am really excited about these guys, cos they work in the cafeteria. Their names are Mr. Kombo, Mr. Bean, and George. Yes, odd names I must admit, but very cool people. Mr. Kombo’s name is actually Amani (means "peace"), and Mr. Bean is Ali. And George is George. They sell us drinks, clean our tables and sell us fruit (the really good mango and pineapple!) respectively. And for some reason, my heart goes out to them the most of all the people I’ve met on campus. Mr. Kombo was born into a Muslim home…and is a muslim only because of that reason. He told me that he wants to know about Christianity so that he can choose, because he wants to know the truth. Mr. Bean is also a muslim, and george…im still working on. But I had a good connection with Mr. Kombo. It was HUGE that he was open to hearing about Christianity, cos most muslims here shut the door when you say that you’re associated with LIFE ministry here. Anyways, I was able to talk to him abit more today. If you remember from previous entries, Karl, the guy who trained us on how to share with a muslim told us first and foremost that we must “love the hell out of a muslim.” And that’s exactly what I plan on doing for the next week and a half. I just want mr. Kombo to know that I care for him, that I came from Canada, to tell him truth, and that he too can know it. Rainbow had an opportunity to share with him today, but I don’t think she knew his story as well as I did. She shared the four laws with him, and he understood it. However, he keeps bringing something like “I believe, but I can’t become a Christian because my family is muslim. They will kick me out.” And so she tried to show him some verses where God says that he will never leave us or forsake us. We expected this…when a muslim chooses to become a Christian, they really are losing everything. And so, if you guys can, keep mr. Kombo in your prayers. He has the head knowledge – rainbow shared with him…and he understands it…but as Law 4 says, it’s not enough to just KNOW these things but we have to individually RECEIVE Christ into our lives. And so, yeah….i really really wanna reach this guy…so please pray!
Also, two other girls who are really cool, Rhobi, and Upendo (means LOVE in Swahili) Rhobi wants to learn more about how to read the Bible, so Melanie and I went thru a bible study with her that teaches her about the bible, and how to read it. She’s excited, and wants to learn more, and we will be meeting up with her again next week. Also, today was suppose to be a follow up meeting with upendo, but part way thru her friend came in. we found out that her friend was a Christian, but not born again, and so upendo wanted us to share with her. We said “well upendo, why don’t YOU share with her?” and she did…IN SWAHILI!!! It was sooo cool to witness this. It was Jen, Mel and I, and we were all just sitting there, praying, and hearing Upendo witness to her friend in Swahili. The end result? She prayed to receive Christ…and we made sure that she understood. You know at the end where they ask “which circle are you?” (if you don’t, visit that website!) well, her friend was in the left, but wanted to be in the right. We asked “why” and she said “because I want forgiveness of my sins, cleansing, and to be close to God again.” Amen! She got it!
Alright, so talking about less spiritual stuff….
I had another opportunity to lead worship with Jen (staff, not the one that is on my team) and it was so much fun!! This time we had a djembe, shakers, and two guitars and God rocked the house! It’s so cute, cos Jen loves playing in E…and literally, when I saw the set list, she played EVERY song in E. I’ve never played Chris Tomlin’s “Unchanging” in E…but yeah, so being consistent in playing with E, I showed her how to play “Not Be Shaken” (which wasn’t in the worship book) and she decided that we were gonna sing it. So yeah she said “alright, im sure you know the words, let’s sing!” and we did…good times.
Ah yes, hand shakes. When I get home, I have to get used to shaking hands the North American way. Rainbow and I were joking last nite that the way they shake hands here, is like the way I used to in grade 5 when I wanted to make up a secret handshake. You know, when you shake, do a cool thing with your palms, twist a little, and end with a snappy thumb deal?! Yeah, that’s literally, how they shake hands here…it’s neat., we’ll show you when we get back :)
Mmm, I has samosas today…yum. Double mmm, I had ice cream today…
Alright, well that’s the end of today’s long winded, hyper email. Pardon any grammatical errors…I type fast…
Upendo,
debbie
PS: OH YEAH, AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM TEICHROB IN CHILLIWACK, BC!
Also, today we were able to put up two huge banners advertising our Power To Change events starting this Friday. We also placed flyers in all the dorm rooms, and will be doing more postering tomorrow. So many people are noticing the posters and keep asking us as we are putting it up “what is this power to change that you are talking about?!” many people genuinely want to know, and we want to tell them. Praise God, it’s awesome.
We were relayed some stats from our directors for last week, and it turns out that 64 people have prayed to receive Christ! These aren’t just numbers, but precious individuals who now know what it means to have a relationship with Christ.
Oh yeah, and for those of you who read Rainbow’s blogs, she sends her love. She’s tired and can’t blog right now, but will very soon. Again, she sends her love :)
Ok, where was i. Right. So remember that bible study that Jen and I were suppose to lead…not surprisingly, NO ONE SHOWED UP! There was potential for 11 people to show up, but of course, none were there. But that was alright cos we were able to hook up with a couple other guys. I am really excited about these guys, cos they work in the cafeteria. Their names are Mr. Kombo, Mr. Bean, and George. Yes, odd names I must admit, but very cool people. Mr. Kombo’s name is actually Amani (means "peace"), and Mr. Bean is Ali. And George is George. They sell us drinks, clean our tables and sell us fruit (the really good mango and pineapple!) respectively. And for some reason, my heart goes out to them the most of all the people I’ve met on campus. Mr. Kombo was born into a Muslim home…and is a muslim only because of that reason. He told me that he wants to know about Christianity so that he can choose, because he wants to know the truth. Mr. Bean is also a muslim, and george…im still working on. But I had a good connection with Mr. Kombo. It was HUGE that he was open to hearing about Christianity, cos most muslims here shut the door when you say that you’re associated with LIFE ministry here. Anyways, I was able to talk to him abit more today. If you remember from previous entries, Karl, the guy who trained us on how to share with a muslim told us first and foremost that we must “love the hell out of a muslim.” And that’s exactly what I plan on doing for the next week and a half. I just want mr. Kombo to know that I care for him, that I came from Canada, to tell him truth, and that he too can know it. Rainbow had an opportunity to share with him today, but I don’t think she knew his story as well as I did. She shared the four laws with him, and he understood it. However, he keeps bringing something like “I believe, but I can’t become a Christian because my family is muslim. They will kick me out.” And so she tried to show him some verses where God says that he will never leave us or forsake us. We expected this…when a muslim chooses to become a Christian, they really are losing everything. And so, if you guys can, keep mr. Kombo in your prayers. He has the head knowledge – rainbow shared with him…and he understands it…but as Law 4 says, it’s not enough to just KNOW these things but we have to individually RECEIVE Christ into our lives. And so, yeah….i really really wanna reach this guy…so please pray!
Also, two other girls who are really cool, Rhobi, and Upendo (means LOVE in Swahili) Rhobi wants to learn more about how to read the Bible, so Melanie and I went thru a bible study with her that teaches her about the bible, and how to read it. She’s excited, and wants to learn more, and we will be meeting up with her again next week. Also, today was suppose to be a follow up meeting with upendo, but part way thru her friend came in. we found out that her friend was a Christian, but not born again, and so upendo wanted us to share with her. We said “well upendo, why don’t YOU share with her?” and she did…IN SWAHILI!!! It was sooo cool to witness this. It was Jen, Mel and I, and we were all just sitting there, praying, and hearing Upendo witness to her friend in Swahili. The end result? She prayed to receive Christ…and we made sure that she understood. You know at the end where they ask “which circle are you?” (if you don’t, visit that website!) well, her friend was in the left, but wanted to be in the right. We asked “why” and she said “because I want forgiveness of my sins, cleansing, and to be close to God again.” Amen! She got it!
Alright, so talking about less spiritual stuff….
I had another opportunity to lead worship with Jen (staff, not the one that is on my team) and it was so much fun!! This time we had a djembe, shakers, and two guitars and God rocked the house! It’s so cute, cos Jen loves playing in E…and literally, when I saw the set list, she played EVERY song in E. I’ve never played Chris Tomlin’s “Unchanging” in E…but yeah, so being consistent in playing with E, I showed her how to play “Not Be Shaken” (which wasn’t in the worship book) and she decided that we were gonna sing it. So yeah she said “alright, im sure you know the words, let’s sing!” and we did…good times.
Ah yes, hand shakes. When I get home, I have to get used to shaking hands the North American way. Rainbow and I were joking last nite that the way they shake hands here, is like the way I used to in grade 5 when I wanted to make up a secret handshake. You know, when you shake, do a cool thing with your palms, twist a little, and end with a snappy thumb deal?! Yeah, that’s literally, how they shake hands here…it’s neat., we’ll show you when we get back :)
Mmm, I has samosas today…yum. Double mmm, I had ice cream today…
Alright, well that’s the end of today’s long winded, hyper email. Pardon any grammatical errors…I type fast…
Upendo,
debbie
PS: OH YEAH, AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM TEICHROB IN CHILLIWACK, BC!
Monday, May 17, 2004
Alright,so before I forget, Starfield’s newest CD comes out on May 18…everyone, go get it! You won’t regret it. Also, for all those Vancouverites, I believe Hillsongs United is having a worship gathering at Victory Christian Center in Surrey…if you can, go…it’ll be good!
Alright, so I begin with Sunday…quite possibly one of THE best Sundays of my life (aside from a couple of other Sundays that have past in my life). We went to the beach. Now this wasn’t just any beach…but it was a private beach, and we only paid $2US each. As Justine said “I feel like im in a postcard!” palm trees, little huts, white sand, and a turquoise Indian Ocean. It felt sooo incredible to jump into the ocean…we were all like little children running around getting cooled as the sun shone down on us. The view was just breath taking. It reminded me so much of God’s creation and Psalm 8:
O LORD , our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise [2]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [3]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD , our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
as I was lying on the sand, the words “in all the earth” really came alive. It blew my mind to think that the God I worship back in beautiful Canada, is the same God that people worship here in Africa. Which leads to my next topic…church! We went to a Pentacostal service on Sunday morning, and it was soo neat to worship with African people. They sang one song that I knew by Hillsongs “all things are possible.” Good times.
Today was a pretty laid back day on campus. We mainly did follow up on many of the girls that we met last week. Tomorrow, Jen (Queen’s University) and I will be leading a bible study for believers. We’ve sent out reminders to meet the girls for the study – so we just pray that they will remember to come. We’re gonna be doing a study on witnessing, and sharing their faith. Many of these girls are already spirit-filled and WANT to share their faith, but don’t know how. Hopefully, God will be able to use Jen and I as we lead using a book.
And finally, remember that I mentioned a little while ago? Well it stuck around for a bit after. We’ve had some light showers here and there, which has definitely cooled the temperature here.
With everyday that passes, I continue to feel more and more comfortable with my environment. Good times, good God.
Deb
Alright, so I begin with Sunday…quite possibly one of THE best Sundays of my life (aside from a couple of other Sundays that have past in my life). We went to the beach. Now this wasn’t just any beach…but it was a private beach, and we only paid $2US each. As Justine said “I feel like im in a postcard!” palm trees, little huts, white sand, and a turquoise Indian Ocean. It felt sooo incredible to jump into the ocean…we were all like little children running around getting cooled as the sun shone down on us. The view was just breath taking. It reminded me so much of God’s creation and Psalm 8:
O LORD , our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise [2]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [3]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD , our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
as I was lying on the sand, the words “in all the earth” really came alive. It blew my mind to think that the God I worship back in beautiful Canada, is the same God that people worship here in Africa. Which leads to my next topic…church! We went to a Pentacostal service on Sunday morning, and it was soo neat to worship with African people. They sang one song that I knew by Hillsongs “all things are possible.” Good times.
Today was a pretty laid back day on campus. We mainly did follow up on many of the girls that we met last week. Tomorrow, Jen (Queen’s University) and I will be leading a bible study for believers. We’ve sent out reminders to meet the girls for the study – so we just pray that they will remember to come. We’re gonna be doing a study on witnessing, and sharing their faith. Many of these girls are already spirit-filled and WANT to share their faith, but don’t know how. Hopefully, God will be able to use Jen and I as we lead using a book.
And finally, remember that I mentioned a little while ago? Well it stuck around for a bit after. We’ve had some light showers here and there, which has definitely cooled the temperature here.
With everyday that passes, I continue to feel more and more comfortable with my environment. Good times, good God.
Deb
Saturday, May 15, 2004
So for the past couple of nites, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the nite thinking that I hear rain…I wake up in the morning, and ask my roommate, Justine, “hey, was it just me or did you hear rain last nite?” and she always responds “no Debbie, I think it was just the leaves rustling.” I thot I heard it AGAIN last nite… and to my utter amazement, IT RAINED TODAY!! Yep yep, me and rainbow’s roommate, Amy (Trinity Western), (cos rainbow and Justine were out) leapt for joy and ran outside and danced in the rain!! It was like I was in Vancouver again! it’s funny cos there have been a few people that have been praying for rain. Yeah, it was such a cool and refreshing day. I went to the market again with a couple of people …in the muddy rain (but it was still good!) I finally found djembes, but they’re not very good at all. They are small, and the same price as Canada, and they don’t sound very good. But I will still be looking..otherwise, Andy, I think I’ll buy you one from Long & McQuade :P
A couple members of our team got pick pocketed today! Scary!
I had my first personal discipleship time with Crystel on Friday. (interesting note: I recognized crystel from my old church back in chilliwack, First Avenue Christian Assembly…small world eh?!) it went really well. She was able to encourage me with my “prayer issue” and I was able to open up to her about how I’ve been feeling about the trip. It’s good to have girl chat like that :)
Church and the beach tomorrow…
deb
A couple members of our team got pick pocketed today! Scary!
I had my first personal discipleship time with Crystel on Friday. (interesting note: I recognized crystel from my old church back in chilliwack, First Avenue Christian Assembly…small world eh?!) it went really well. She was able to encourage me with my “prayer issue” and I was able to open up to her about how I’ve been feeling about the trip. It’s good to have girl chat like that :)
Church and the beach tomorrow…
deb
Friday, May 14, 2004
Hey everyone,
I’ve had a great week of evangelism. I got to share the four laws with a Muslim the other day! It was pretty neat just talking to her. And she was more open to hearing about Jesus than I had expected. She didn’t make a decision then and there, but it was still really cool to be able to converse and chat with her. I love just talking to people and getting to know them.
Our team is currently doing an inductive study on 2 Timothy. Wow, he was really cool. I’ve never done this type of a study so intensely before, and it has been a good experience.
Bonding wise, I feel like im bonding with certain people on the team. It’s sorta the same way back home. I’d rather have 5 close friends than 25 acquaintances. One of them is my roommate Justine. She’s from Queens University in Ontario and she’s such a cutie. She’s really gentle and soft spoken, and is really good at remember bible verses! Another staff person that I am connecting well with is Jen from U of Manitoba. Being from Manitoba, I assumed she would have heard of my favourite band Starfield, and other favourites such as Jill Paquette, Amanda Falk, and even Matt Brouwer. Um, yeah….SHE WENT TO SCHOOL WITH ALL OF THEM! Pretty cool. We connect a lot on music and stuff…we listen to a lot of the same stuff…I think I connect well with people who share the same music as me. and of course, i can't forget, RAINBOW! she is such a cool girl! no surprise that im good friends with her sister either. rainbow's been such an encouragement to me, and a nice little reminder of home. we look out for each other, and always have great stories to tell each other about our day. we wished at first that we were on the same team, or at least roommates, but it worked out best this way cos we got to meet other people, and we actually can make time to meet up with each other...if that made any sense at all. but yeah, her passion for Jesus is contagious, i love it!
I am in at internet café at school right now. Tonite will be my first time at LIFE ministry’s weekly meeting. We’ve been inviting a lot of people out to it, and I can’t wait to re-meet them all again (I forget what they all look like L)
Well, im off.
deb
2 Thess 3: 1-5
I’ve had a great week of evangelism. I got to share the four laws with a Muslim the other day! It was pretty neat just talking to her. And she was more open to hearing about Jesus than I had expected. She didn’t make a decision then and there, but it was still really cool to be able to converse and chat with her. I love just talking to people and getting to know them.
Our team is currently doing an inductive study on 2 Timothy. Wow, he was really cool. I’ve never done this type of a study so intensely before, and it has been a good experience.
Bonding wise, I feel like im bonding with certain people on the team. It’s sorta the same way back home. I’d rather have 5 close friends than 25 acquaintances. One of them is my roommate Justine. She’s from Queens University in Ontario and she’s such a cutie. She’s really gentle and soft spoken, and is really good at remember bible verses! Another staff person that I am connecting well with is Jen from U of Manitoba. Being from Manitoba, I assumed she would have heard of my favourite band Starfield, and other favourites such as Jill Paquette, Amanda Falk, and even Matt Brouwer. Um, yeah….SHE WENT TO SCHOOL WITH ALL OF THEM! Pretty cool. We connect a lot on music and stuff…we listen to a lot of the same stuff…I think I connect well with people who share the same music as me. and of course, i can't forget, RAINBOW! she is such a cool girl! no surprise that im good friends with her sister either. rainbow's been such an encouragement to me, and a nice little reminder of home. we look out for each other, and always have great stories to tell each other about our day. we wished at first that we were on the same team, or at least roommates, but it worked out best this way cos we got to meet other people, and we actually can make time to meet up with each other...if that made any sense at all. but yeah, her passion for Jesus is contagious, i love it!
I am in at internet café at school right now. Tonite will be my first time at LIFE ministry’s weekly meeting. We’ve been inviting a lot of people out to it, and I can’t wait to re-meet them all again (I forget what they all look like L)
Well, im off.
deb
2 Thess 3: 1-5
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
My day started off great today! An African man sitting next to me started to sing to me Psalm 23! It was very cute…and very sweet.
This afternoon, I had the opportunity to go sharing with a sweet girl from Sherbrooke University (Quebec), Melanie. She’s only ever shared in French, so it was a bit of a struggle for her to share in English. But today, she was given the opportunity to share in ENGLISH!! And she was so pumped. At first she hesitated and was like “uhh Debbie (in a little French accent) do you want to do it?” and I said “oh no no…go Melanie!” so yeah, she shared as I was praying that God would use her to reach this girl. This girl’s name was Mkuki (cool!) and she was a Catholic. She had already accepted Jesus into her life, but was unsure about her assurance of salvation. She still believed that it was thru good works and deeds that she would have eternal life, but Mel shared with her that the bible says “and this is eternal life, that they may know me, the one and true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3) it’s so key to understand that. After Mel shared with her, we asked her “are you sure now?” and she said “yes, now I am, but maybe not tomorrow.” So we’ll be doing some followup to help her understand that by accepting Jesus, you have accepted his gift of salvation. Pray that she would have questions to ask, and that the Holy Spirit would help us to answer them.
Some really cool experiences follow:
I had yogourt today! Ahh, it was heaven…or close to it anyways! I had yogourt with sugar (yeah, you need sugar cos it’s basically really watery cottage cheese…don’t get grossed out..it tastes fine) with mango, pineapple, and bananas! Yep, it was so good. It reminded me of those amazing fruit salads that my bro makes for my roomie and I back home. I ate that for dinner too….mmm.
We also managed to find a stand that makes shishkabobs….i think it’s beef…if not, it’s proly goat. Oh yeah, remember that goat that was used for the weddng I talked about a couple entries ago…well, rainbow and I had our picture taken next to a roasted goat…with the head still on, holding a cob of corn between it’s mouth. I guess that’s the equivalent of our roasted pig eating an apple.
Ok, whatelse. Oh yeah, I saw monkeys today!! I saw little monkeys AND a freaking HUGE baboon. A couple of them actually. Yeah, the first one I saw WAS THE SIZE OF RAINBOW!! I was gonna take a picture but was afraid that it would come and jump on me or something. So yeah…but it was a fun experience.
Haha, funny encounter. Three other girls and I were just walking thru the residences postering (oh yeah, I have to talk about that!) and we saw a guy walking down the stairs. So of course we said “habari” (hey, or hi) and he had this weird…kinda creepy vibe. He was a “kind” Tanzanian man that we were used to seeing. So anyways, he was saying something and we couldn’t really hear what he was saying at first…but I went closer and he said “haha, can I select one of you?!” and all of us were like “uhhh, NNNNNNOOOOO!” and went downstairs. I think he must have been a muslim cos they’re cool with having more than one wife…ack!
Oh yeah postering! So today we started out poster blitz where we postered the residences and the campus with the first of our events held her at Dar. It’s a bright yellow poster that says “Power To Change.” We left it a little vague so that it would peak student interest…and it did after the first day! We walked past some of them and they already had comments like “power to change what? When? Where?” so yeah, the next load of posters detailing each event will be up in a few days. Praise God for strategically placing those posters!
I had a nice north American experience today. As I was buying yogourt, I looked over at the tv, and saw Justin Timberlake singing that annoying song with the beeps – oh wait, they’re all annoying and have beeps. But you know, it’s that REALLY dumb one…ah, either way, that was a cute reminder of North America.
Today after praying, I noticed that a little part of my calve was bleeding, so I went into my care package that a friend had prepared for me, and was gonna use a band aid she provided. Well, thinking that it was a NORMAL skin colour band aid, I ended up taking out a Tazmanian Devil band aid that was bright blue, with brown Taz on the front. Heh, turned some heads, but sealed the wound :)
Ok, I think im done. Oh yes, sorry one last thing. In regards to food and basic needs, I am financially covered with the support that was raised while I was still in Canada. The basics are covered. However, the ministry here has a desire to equip and possibly leave some materials behind for LIFE Ministry here at the U of Dar. If again, you feel like you may want to contribute a few dollars towards this, it would help with equipping the teams with Bibles, banners, and just anything extra as a gift. Send me an email if this interests you :)
Alrighty, im out!
Deb
This afternoon, I had the opportunity to go sharing with a sweet girl from Sherbrooke University (Quebec), Melanie. She’s only ever shared in French, so it was a bit of a struggle for her to share in English. But today, she was given the opportunity to share in ENGLISH!! And she was so pumped. At first she hesitated and was like “uhh Debbie (in a little French accent) do you want to do it?” and I said “oh no no…go Melanie!” so yeah, she shared as I was praying that God would use her to reach this girl. This girl’s name was Mkuki (cool!) and she was a Catholic. She had already accepted Jesus into her life, but was unsure about her assurance of salvation. She still believed that it was thru good works and deeds that she would have eternal life, but Mel shared with her that the bible says “and this is eternal life, that they may know me, the one and true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3) it’s so key to understand that. After Mel shared with her, we asked her “are you sure now?” and she said “yes, now I am, but maybe not tomorrow.” So we’ll be doing some followup to help her understand that by accepting Jesus, you have accepted his gift of salvation. Pray that she would have questions to ask, and that the Holy Spirit would help us to answer them.
Some really cool experiences follow:
I had yogourt today! Ahh, it was heaven…or close to it anyways! I had yogourt with sugar (yeah, you need sugar cos it’s basically really watery cottage cheese…don’t get grossed out..it tastes fine) with mango, pineapple, and bananas! Yep, it was so good. It reminded me of those amazing fruit salads that my bro makes for my roomie and I back home. I ate that for dinner too….mmm.
We also managed to find a stand that makes shishkabobs….i think it’s beef…if not, it’s proly goat. Oh yeah, remember that goat that was used for the weddng I talked about a couple entries ago…well, rainbow and I had our picture taken next to a roasted goat…with the head still on, holding a cob of corn between it’s mouth. I guess that’s the equivalent of our roasted pig eating an apple.
Ok, whatelse. Oh yeah, I saw monkeys today!! I saw little monkeys AND a freaking HUGE baboon. A couple of them actually. Yeah, the first one I saw WAS THE SIZE OF RAINBOW!! I was gonna take a picture but was afraid that it would come and jump on me or something. So yeah…but it was a fun experience.
Haha, funny encounter. Three other girls and I were just walking thru the residences postering (oh yeah, I have to talk about that!) and we saw a guy walking down the stairs. So of course we said “habari” (hey, or hi) and he had this weird…kinda creepy vibe. He was a “kind” Tanzanian man that we were used to seeing. So anyways, he was saying something and we couldn’t really hear what he was saying at first…but I went closer and he said “haha, can I select one of you?!” and all of us were like “uhhh, NNNNNNOOOOO!” and went downstairs. I think he must have been a muslim cos they’re cool with having more than one wife…ack!
Oh yeah postering! So today we started out poster blitz where we postered the residences and the campus with the first of our events held her at Dar. It’s a bright yellow poster that says “Power To Change.” We left it a little vague so that it would peak student interest…and it did after the first day! We walked past some of them and they already had comments like “power to change what? When? Where?” so yeah, the next load of posters detailing each event will be up in a few days. Praise God for strategically placing those posters!
I had a nice north American experience today. As I was buying yogourt, I looked over at the tv, and saw Justin Timberlake singing that annoying song with the beeps – oh wait, they’re all annoying and have beeps. But you know, it’s that REALLY dumb one…ah, either way, that was a cute reminder of North America.
Today after praying, I noticed that a little part of my calve was bleeding, so I went into my care package that a friend had prepared for me, and was gonna use a band aid she provided. Well, thinking that it was a NORMAL skin colour band aid, I ended up taking out a Tazmanian Devil band aid that was bright blue, with brown Taz on the front. Heh, turned some heads, but sealed the wound :)
Ok, I think im done. Oh yes, sorry one last thing. In regards to food and basic needs, I am financially covered with the support that was raised while I was still in Canada. The basics are covered. However, the ministry here has a desire to equip and possibly leave some materials behind for LIFE Ministry here at the U of Dar. If again, you feel like you may want to contribute a few dollars towards this, it would help with equipping the teams with Bibles, banners, and just anything extra as a gift. Send me an email if this interests you :)
Alrighty, im out!
Deb
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Praise God for another awesome day today!
Despite my feeling dizzzy yet again this morning, that didn’t stop the team from going out to share in the residences. We started our day earlier around 9:30pm. Today was just students, as the staff members had a leadership meeting I believe.
I first went out sharing with Julie (Lavelle University in Quebec) and we came across christians…again! It’s been so encouraging to see so many Christians at the U Of Dar. We went on to share about LIFE ministry and invited lots of people out to our weekly meeting on Friday nites. Many christians are excited to hear about such a ministry, and said that they will be there.
After that, I went sharing with Bexx (U of Alberta) again, and we did some followup with Amina…I think I mentioned her yesterday. Anyways, I shared with her about the spirit-filled life (but I had a feeling that she already was walking closely with God.) and she throughly enjoyed the booklet and wanted to keep it so she could share it with her roommate! Yay!
Alright, so me personally…how am I doing? I’ve really really been able to pray outloud A LOT during this trip. Each day is saturated in prayer from the moment we wake up, to before and after sharing with a person, to eating, to the time we sleep! And im not sick of it yet…praise God. That was something that I wanted to grow in prior to the trip – praying outloud. Mindy, my old bible study leader said some very profound words to me before I left…in regards to me being afraid to pray outloud, she said “debbie, that’s just silly…get over it!”
3 keythings that I think I will remember about the trip thus far….bananas, water, and God. Yeah, I’ve already eaten 3 bananas and we still have dinner to go. So yeah.
Ok, enough blabbing… oh yeah, and i think i got the comments thing working, thanks for my friend debbie (yes, i do have a friend named debbie)
Love ya,
Debs
|
Despite my feeling dizzzy yet again this morning, that didn’t stop the team from going out to share in the residences. We started our day earlier around 9:30pm. Today was just students, as the staff members had a leadership meeting I believe.
I first went out sharing with Julie (Lavelle University in Quebec) and we came across christians…again! It’s been so encouraging to see so many Christians at the U Of Dar. We went on to share about LIFE ministry and invited lots of people out to our weekly meeting on Friday nites. Many christians are excited to hear about such a ministry, and said that they will be there.
After that, I went sharing with Bexx (U of Alberta) again, and we did some followup with Amina…I think I mentioned her yesterday. Anyways, I shared with her about the spirit-filled life (but I had a feeling that she already was walking closely with God.) and she throughly enjoyed the booklet and wanted to keep it so she could share it with her roommate! Yay!
Alright, so me personally…how am I doing? I’ve really really been able to pray outloud A LOT during this trip. Each day is saturated in prayer from the moment we wake up, to before and after sharing with a person, to eating, to the time we sleep! And im not sick of it yet…praise God. That was something that I wanted to grow in prior to the trip – praying outloud. Mindy, my old bible study leader said some very profound words to me before I left…in regards to me being afraid to pray outloud, she said “debbie, that’s just silly…get over it!”
3 keythings that I think I will remember about the trip thus far….bananas, water, and God. Yeah, I’ve already eaten 3 bananas and we still have dinner to go. So yeah.
Ok, enough blabbing… oh yeah, and i think i got the comments thing working, thanks for my friend debbie (yes, i do have a friend named debbie)
Love ya,
Debs
|
Monday, May 10, 2004
Hey everyone
Today was my first day on campus and it was amaaazing! Well first of all, I have to tell you of something very serious that is happening here in Dar. Spiritual warfare is really rearing its ugly head on our students. For some reason….some reason, every time before I prepare to head out and share God with the students, my body starts to shut down. Today, during out team prep bible study time, my head became totally heavy and I couldn’t’ think straight. But my team prayed for me, and thankfully my head was cleared by the time we reached the U of Dar. This has happened to a number of other people too. Today, the majority of our team woke up feeling really tired, and dizzy. I was told by one of our staff members that Muslims pray every morning at 3am against Christians. Can you believe that?! I had no clue!! And one of our team members woke up in the middle of the nite, and heard the prayers…really scary stuff. So yeah, please please, keep us in your prayers and Satan knows that we’re out to spread God’s word and is doing everything he can do stop us.
On that note I must now share about our amazing experience on campus. I went sharing with another girl named Bexx. Our team is incharge of two residences. To make a long story short, we basically came across Christians in the dorms that we visited today…about 4. at first we were both sorta thinking “umm, God, could we get some non-christians here??” but later on,we realized that we were not ready for it. Rather, we were totally encouraged today to see believers on the campus. Many of them are not part of LIFE ministry (Tanzania version of Campus Crusade for Christ) but have attended their weekly meetings and are aware of their ministry on campus. two of the girls, Amina and Salome are actively sharing their faith with the classmates. It was so good to see that THERE ARE labourers here in the U of Dar and that God is working here in Tanzania.
Our story was a bit happier than others. David, a fellow SFU student, encountered some Muslim opposition when he went sharing. Muslims were trying to refute what david had to share, but that’s inevitable.
Please continue to keep the teams in prayers as we continue to head out and spread God’s word to the students at the U of Dar.
~~~~~~~~~~
Alright, so for the light-hearted fun stuff
I went to my first church service yesterday on Sunday. It was really cool, cept for the fact that Tanzanians clap on the WRONG BEAT of the song. I know it’s not a big deal cos you can worship God in any venue, with any instrument etc…BUT OH MY GOODNESS, it was such a distraction for me when people were clapping on the 1 and 3 beat instead of the 2 and 4. I later heard that this is normal…so pardon my clapping upon my return to Vancouver. But yeah it was cool. It was at the U of Dar in a lecture hall…different, but cool.
After that we went out to the market and I had my first bartering experience. Actually, it was kinda scary. We always had to travel in pairs…and well, I soon found out why. The moment you stop walking, crowds of men surround you with fabric, instruments, sculptures, paintings, asking you to buy them. Eeek!! But as for the actual barter experience…they charge super super high! And I offered super super low…so for the most part, we met in the middle. However, I was a little disappointed when I wasn’t able to find any djembes. T here were little ones…but those were about $30US and I could pay that for one back in Canada. So im still on the hunt….hopefully will find one soon.
Oh yeah, side note…I believe another member of our team has pics posted if you’re interested. www.ethanpark.com I don’t know how often he updates it but you can check it to see if im on there J
Some things that I am grateful for back in Canada, now that im here: running water, toilet paper, rain, crosswalks, and many more to come.
I’ve also come to enjoy the simple things in life. Well, I think I always have, but more so now. The other day I had a bottle of mango juice, and cookies and it MADE MY DAY! Praise God for the simple things in life eh?
As for my health I am doing MUCH better, thanks for praying.
Ok, I think im out for now, apologies for any sentence fragments or grammatical errors. I tried J
With love,
Deb
PS: something really cool that I’ve been encouraged during my quiet time was that I don’t need to “feel bad” if someone doesn’t accept Jesus the day I share His message with them. It’s totally cool, cos God won’t let his preached word go to waste. check out this verse in Isaiah
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55: 10-11
So yeah, don’t hesitate to share guys, cos God will use anything!
PSS: oh yeah, and our team...our mini team is incharge of running two outreaches during the 3 weeks we are at campus. one is a talk on "How to get better grades" and one about "your sexlife." both will have a gospel message incorporated to it...and well, little debbie has been asked to share her testimony regarding grades at one of the talks. not sure how this is gonna work, but it should be interesting :) will keep you updated as always
Today was my first day on campus and it was amaaazing! Well first of all, I have to tell you of something very serious that is happening here in Dar. Spiritual warfare is really rearing its ugly head on our students. For some reason….some reason, every time before I prepare to head out and share God with the students, my body starts to shut down. Today, during out team prep bible study time, my head became totally heavy and I couldn’t’ think straight. But my team prayed for me, and thankfully my head was cleared by the time we reached the U of Dar. This has happened to a number of other people too. Today, the majority of our team woke up feeling really tired, and dizzy. I was told by one of our staff members that Muslims pray every morning at 3am against Christians. Can you believe that?! I had no clue!! And one of our team members woke up in the middle of the nite, and heard the prayers…really scary stuff. So yeah, please please, keep us in your prayers and Satan knows that we’re out to spread God’s word and is doing everything he can do stop us.
On that note I must now share about our amazing experience on campus. I went sharing with another girl named Bexx. Our team is incharge of two residences. To make a long story short, we basically came across Christians in the dorms that we visited today…about 4. at first we were both sorta thinking “umm, God, could we get some non-christians here??” but later on,we realized that we were not ready for it. Rather, we were totally encouraged today to see believers on the campus. Many of them are not part of LIFE ministry (Tanzania version of Campus Crusade for Christ) but have attended their weekly meetings and are aware of their ministry on campus. two of the girls, Amina and Salome are actively sharing their faith with the classmates. It was so good to see that THERE ARE labourers here in the U of Dar and that God is working here in Tanzania.
Our story was a bit happier than others. David, a fellow SFU student, encountered some Muslim opposition when he went sharing. Muslims were trying to refute what david had to share, but that’s inevitable.
Please continue to keep the teams in prayers as we continue to head out and spread God’s word to the students at the U of Dar.
~~~~~~~~~~
Alright, so for the light-hearted fun stuff
I went to my first church service yesterday on Sunday. It was really cool, cept for the fact that Tanzanians clap on the WRONG BEAT of the song. I know it’s not a big deal cos you can worship God in any venue, with any instrument etc…BUT OH MY GOODNESS, it was such a distraction for me when people were clapping on the 1 and 3 beat instead of the 2 and 4. I later heard that this is normal…so pardon my clapping upon my return to Vancouver. But yeah it was cool. It was at the U of Dar in a lecture hall…different, but cool.
After that we went out to the market and I had my first bartering experience. Actually, it was kinda scary. We always had to travel in pairs…and well, I soon found out why. The moment you stop walking, crowds of men surround you with fabric, instruments, sculptures, paintings, asking you to buy them. Eeek!! But as for the actual barter experience…they charge super super high! And I offered super super low…so for the most part, we met in the middle. However, I was a little disappointed when I wasn’t able to find any djembes. T here were little ones…but those were about $30US and I could pay that for one back in Canada. So im still on the hunt….hopefully will find one soon.
Oh yeah, side note…I believe another member of our team has pics posted if you’re interested. www.ethanpark.com I don’t know how often he updates it but you can check it to see if im on there J
Some things that I am grateful for back in Canada, now that im here: running water, toilet paper, rain, crosswalks, and many more to come.
I’ve also come to enjoy the simple things in life. Well, I think I always have, but more so now. The other day I had a bottle of mango juice, and cookies and it MADE MY DAY! Praise God for the simple things in life eh?
As for my health I am doing MUCH better, thanks for praying.
Ok, I think im out for now, apologies for any sentence fragments or grammatical errors. I tried J
With love,
Deb
PS: something really cool that I’ve been encouraged during my quiet time was that I don’t need to “feel bad” if someone doesn’t accept Jesus the day I share His message with them. It’s totally cool, cos God won’t let his preached word go to waste. check out this verse in Isaiah
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55: 10-11
So yeah, don’t hesitate to share guys, cos God will use anything!
PSS: oh yeah, and our team...our mini team is incharge of running two outreaches during the 3 weeks we are at campus. one is a talk on "How to get better grades" and one about "your sexlife." both will have a gospel message incorporated to it...and well, little debbie has been asked to share her testimony regarding grades at one of the talks. not sure how this is gonna work, but it should be interesting :) will keep you updated as always
Saturday, May 08, 2004
Hey Everyone,
This was an unplanned visit to the internet café…so here goes
Today is sort of a free day, which is nice cos I can recuperate after that sicky day.
Oh yah, for another perspective on the Tanzania trip, please feel free to visit Rainbow’s blog http://rainbow-in-tanzania.blogspot.com/ (as her mom noticed, she doesn’t type nearly as fast as I do, so hers are a bit shorter than mine :P)
Thanks again for all your prayers…coming rather handy at this time. I was told by the rest of my team that the trip to the U of Dar went very well. I will shortly be there.
This morning we had our second session of “How to Share your Faith With Muslims” Part II and it was really good! I never really saw the importance of knowing how to share your faith to a certain group of people…I just assumed…”this is God’s word, and I don’t need to “cater” it or “water it down” for anybody. But that was the wrong attitude. I learnt thru the sessions that we should strive to be a LEARNER of Islam before we become a preacher. It’s so important that we first learn who they THINK Jesus is, or what the Bible is etc. many times what they THINK, isn’t the same as what we believe. So yah, we’ve been challenged to sit back and first learn what our muslim friend’s have to say about Islam and Christianity, then preach afterwards. We were also informed of the consequences of a student who accepts Jesus. Apparently, one their family finds out of the decision, the student will no longer be able to attend school because all funding will be cut off. Karl, the guy who taught us the sessions, told us that he had a friend who helped an individual come to Christ…but that after it happened he was essentially kicked out of his family. He had to live on the streets for two weeks where he was bitten ridiculously by mosquitos. The way it works here in Tanzania is that you don’t necessarily get help UNTIL you are in need of help. So I guess for them a cure, is better than a prevention. But yeah, one has to go thru a lot of pain and suffering to make the decision to follow the Christ. I sat there thinking in my desk “shoot, do I really wanna share this message if an individual has to lose his family, his possessions, his future as a student etc?” for a brief moment I hesitated, but soon was reminded of the verse in the bible that says “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Matthew 16: 24-25 Amen.
Alright, well I have to go, lunch is being served soon.
Oh yeah, and by the way HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO MY MOM!! AND ALL THE MOM’S OUT THERE!! IF YOU FORGOT, THIS IS YOU REMINDER!
Kwaheri!
Debs
This was an unplanned visit to the internet café…so here goes
Today is sort of a free day, which is nice cos I can recuperate after that sicky day.
Oh yah, for another perspective on the Tanzania trip, please feel free to visit Rainbow’s blog http://rainbow-in-tanzania.blogspot.com/ (as her mom noticed, she doesn’t type nearly as fast as I do, so hers are a bit shorter than mine :P)
Thanks again for all your prayers…coming rather handy at this time. I was told by the rest of my team that the trip to the U of Dar went very well. I will shortly be there.
This morning we had our second session of “How to Share your Faith With Muslims” Part II and it was really good! I never really saw the importance of knowing how to share your faith to a certain group of people…I just assumed…”this is God’s word, and I don’t need to “cater” it or “water it down” for anybody. But that was the wrong attitude. I learnt thru the sessions that we should strive to be a LEARNER of Islam before we become a preacher. It’s so important that we first learn who they THINK Jesus is, or what the Bible is etc. many times what they THINK, isn’t the same as what we believe. So yah, we’ve been challenged to sit back and first learn what our muslim friend’s have to say about Islam and Christianity, then preach afterwards. We were also informed of the consequences of a student who accepts Jesus. Apparently, one their family finds out of the decision, the student will no longer be able to attend school because all funding will be cut off. Karl, the guy who taught us the sessions, told us that he had a friend who helped an individual come to Christ…but that after it happened he was essentially kicked out of his family. He had to live on the streets for two weeks where he was bitten ridiculously by mosquitos. The way it works here in Tanzania is that you don’t necessarily get help UNTIL you are in need of help. So I guess for them a cure, is better than a prevention. But yeah, one has to go thru a lot of pain and suffering to make the decision to follow the Christ. I sat there thinking in my desk “shoot, do I really wanna share this message if an individual has to lose his family, his possessions, his future as a student etc?” for a brief moment I hesitated, but soon was reminded of the verse in the bible that says “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Matthew 16: 24-25 Amen.
Alright, well I have to go, lunch is being served soon.
Oh yeah, and by the way HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO MY MOM!! AND ALL THE MOM’S OUT THERE!! IF YOU FORGOT, THIS IS YOU REMINDER!
Kwaheri!
Debs
Friday, May 07, 2004
i spoke too soon...
looks like my body didn't react to the food, or weather as well as i thot it would. i woke up this morning with quite a bit of discomfort in my abdominal area. spent most of the day resting and was being taken care off. if you guys could just pray that whatever this is would go away, that would be lovely.
i wasn't able to go with my team to the U of Dar today for the campus ministry :( they'll be back soon, so i'll find out how that goes shortly.
hmm, there's nothing else much to write about...there's currently an african wedding going on outside, kinda neat. i heard the goats last nite that were gonna be used later for the wedding (i think they're gonna be eating them)
tonite, i'll be spending time with cindy, and another staff member ginny. i think we're gonna play some games. cindy mentioned she had the settlers of catan (!!) but that may be a little too intense for me, right now anyways.
loving you guys,
Deb
looks like my body didn't react to the food, or weather as well as i thot it would. i woke up this morning with quite a bit of discomfort in my abdominal area. spent most of the day resting and was being taken care off. if you guys could just pray that whatever this is would go away, that would be lovely.
i wasn't able to go with my team to the U of Dar today for the campus ministry :( they'll be back soon, so i'll find out how that goes shortly.
hmm, there's nothing else much to write about...there's currently an african wedding going on outside, kinda neat. i heard the goats last nite that were gonna be used later for the wedding (i think they're gonna be eating them)
tonite, i'll be spending time with cindy, and another staff member ginny. i think we're gonna play some games. cindy mentioned she had the settlers of catan (!!) but that may be a little too intense for me, right now anyways.
loving you guys,
Deb
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Mungu Karaburiki! (i think...means "God Bless You" in swahili! still practicing...getting there :P)
sweet, i have 45 minutes this time round..so here goes what comes out of head :)
these past couple of days have been intense. we've had a whole lot of training, and review that has been really beneficial to the ministry. today, we set foot out to explore Tanzania outside of the Msimbazi Center. we went downtown to pick up any essentials we may have forgotten back home in Canada.. i, just bought water (i know, who thot i would ever pay $$ for water!!) and a soap dish. we had pizza, and ice cream.
the buses here are INSANE. they're called the "dala dalas" --> they are the size of a minivan...and we fit in 24 people. thank goodness for deoderant..well, almost. yeah, 24 people squished into a 12 seater van...with incredible heat, and crazy drivers.. good times.
i've really enjoyed the Tanzania culture so far. the people here are extremely kind. they say hi to you even if they don't know you. a couple of the girls had their hair braided just cos the students wanted to. it's such a different feel than in North America. you can literally say HI to anyone, and they'll respond appropriately.
i don't think i've ever eaten as much platain (the banana looking starch veggie) as i have here. it seems to be as popular as potatoes are back home. that, along with bananas, African pop, and beef seem to be my staple food. Thank God for vitamin C, and multi vitamins...oh yeah, and thanks to my mom for reminding me every single day of my life to "take your vitamins!!"
we were also told today what teams we would be in for our campus ministry. im in a team of 9 people lead by 2 CCC staff members, one from UBC! it's an awesome team. people were assigned roles...but here's something that's different. i don't have a role. at first, i would normally feel like "hmm....im useless" but you know what's cool..i think this will be a really neat way of doing, or not doing something. i usually tend to be the person who always HAS to do something...and that's not necesarily characteristic of a leader. a leader influences, not dictates. and so i really hope that God would remind me that He can still use me, despite my not having a "role" on the team.
in other news...i helped lead worship tonite for our concert of prayer. it was totally cool!! i was just chillaxing (;P) in my room with my friend's guitar, and the worship leader walked by...popped her head in and said "do you play guitar?" she then asked me if i wanted to play with her tonite. thot that was pretty neat. i also got to play my shakers...or eggs as i called them. good times. it was ridiculous --> my contacts were getting blurry, Jen (worship leader) and i were literally dripping with sweat as we strummed crazily away at "My Redeemer Lives" but it was soooo good! the only other time i've sweated while worshipping was at the Passion Experience in seattle --> but im sure you didn't care to know that :P lol, fun.
finally, something Cindy, one of our project directors said yesterday morning, really got me thinking. she was talking about how missions is biblical...and if it wasn't, then we wouldn't be doing it, and we wouldn't be here. she shared with us some wise words from her grandfather who was a missionary...in the Toronto area i believe. he said "You don't become a missionary by crossing the seas, but by seeing the Cross." Amen. that's so true...before anyone, including myself, decides to go overseas for missions, God HAS to be the reason why you are going. Your passion for His message to be known to the world MUST be your first priority before you go. Heck, start doing missions in your own community...after all, it's about seeing the Cross, not crossing the seas. lol, i like that...i think i'll use it more often, but obviously give credit to this nice young man :)
oh yeah, i found out the swahili word for banana...ndizi. i have a number of ndizi trees outside my room, and will be sure to take a picture for you guys.
alright, well i think i've blabbed enough. tomorrow will be out first day on the U of Dar. will possibly update soon.
with love,
Deb
PS: PLEASE don't email me...i DO love to read them, but my inbox is getting totally filled, and i don't have enough $$ or time to clean it out. if you want to send an encouraging note, i believe this blog gives you the option to post a comment, just know that it will be made public, so no love letters anyone ;)
sweet, i have 45 minutes this time round..so here goes what comes out of head :)
these past couple of days have been intense. we've had a whole lot of training, and review that has been really beneficial to the ministry. today, we set foot out to explore Tanzania outside of the Msimbazi Center. we went downtown to pick up any essentials we may have forgotten back home in Canada.. i, just bought water (i know, who thot i would ever pay $$ for water!!) and a soap dish. we had pizza, and ice cream.
the buses here are INSANE. they're called the "dala dalas" --> they are the size of a minivan...and we fit in 24 people. thank goodness for deoderant..well, almost. yeah, 24 people squished into a 12 seater van...with incredible heat, and crazy drivers.. good times.
i've really enjoyed the Tanzania culture so far. the people here are extremely kind. they say hi to you even if they don't know you. a couple of the girls had their hair braided just cos the students wanted to. it's such a different feel than in North America. you can literally say HI to anyone, and they'll respond appropriately.
i don't think i've ever eaten as much platain (the banana looking starch veggie) as i have here. it seems to be as popular as potatoes are back home. that, along with bananas, African pop, and beef seem to be my staple food. Thank God for vitamin C, and multi vitamins...oh yeah, and thanks to my mom for reminding me every single day of my life to "take your vitamins!!"
we were also told today what teams we would be in for our campus ministry. im in a team of 9 people lead by 2 CCC staff members, one from UBC! it's an awesome team. people were assigned roles...but here's something that's different. i don't have a role. at first, i would normally feel like "hmm....im useless" but you know what's cool..i think this will be a really neat way of doing, or not doing something. i usually tend to be the person who always HAS to do something...and that's not necesarily characteristic of a leader. a leader influences, not dictates. and so i really hope that God would remind me that He can still use me, despite my not having a "role" on the team.
in other news...i helped lead worship tonite for our concert of prayer. it was totally cool!! i was just chillaxing (;P) in my room with my friend's guitar, and the worship leader walked by...popped her head in and said "do you play guitar?" she then asked me if i wanted to play with her tonite. thot that was pretty neat. i also got to play my shakers...or eggs as i called them. good times. it was ridiculous --> my contacts were getting blurry, Jen (worship leader) and i were literally dripping with sweat as we strummed crazily away at "My Redeemer Lives" but it was soooo good! the only other time i've sweated while worshipping was at the Passion Experience in seattle --> but im sure you didn't care to know that :P lol, fun.
finally, something Cindy, one of our project directors said yesterday morning, really got me thinking. she was talking about how missions is biblical...and if it wasn't, then we wouldn't be doing it, and we wouldn't be here. she shared with us some wise words from her grandfather who was a missionary...in the Toronto area i believe. he said "You don't become a missionary by crossing the seas, but by seeing the Cross." Amen. that's so true...before anyone, including myself, decides to go overseas for missions, God HAS to be the reason why you are going. Your passion for His message to be known to the world MUST be your first priority before you go. Heck, start doing missions in your own community...after all, it's about seeing the Cross, not crossing the seas. lol, i like that...i think i'll use it more often, but obviously give credit to this nice young man :)
oh yeah, i found out the swahili word for banana...ndizi. i have a number of ndizi trees outside my room, and will be sure to take a picture for you guys.
alright, well i think i've blabbed enough. tomorrow will be out first day on the U of Dar. will possibly update soon.
with love,
Deb
PS: PLEASE don't email me...i DO love to read them, but my inbox is getting totally filled, and i don't have enough $$ or time to clean it out. if you want to send an encouraging note, i believe this blog gives you the option to post a comment, just know that it will be made public, so no love letters anyone ;)
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Hey everyone!!
Bwana Asifiwe! (swahili for "Praise The Lord!")
Im here safe and sound in Tanzania! i managed to get access to the internet for half an hour so im typing like mad!! so as quickly as possible, i will try and relate to you the wonderful experiences i have encountered thus far...
plane rides...BRITISH AIRWAYS ROCK! service, and seating, as well as the flight itself was very comfortable. arrived in London, England and spent the day there touring Big Ben, the parliament building, WESTMINSTER ABBEY(!!) as well as Buckingham Palace, and the famous London Bridge.
close to 12 hours later we arrived in Dar Es Salaam. the heat was decent (24 degrees) with mild humidity. the toilet paper is pink, and i have to buy water :(...but God is good cos this is exactly where i am suppose to be. some really neat things have already happened as we began training this afternoon. we were taught some culture etiquette, and i had my very first african meal! they have good food..soooo goood ;) we were introduced to the campus director for Campus Crusade for Christ at U of Dar Es Salaam. a fine gentlemen he is.
some really cool things that have been happening so far: one of my project directors, Archie, started talking about God and missions...and it sounded really familiar to something i had recently started reading...he was quoting from John Piper's "Let The Nations Be Glad"...a book that a good friend advised me to read before, and during the trip. it's really cool cos we'll be analyzing some of Piper's perspectives in the next few days. on top of that, i had randomly decided to read the book of Philippians on the flight to London...and one of the directors preached a brief message on that book. it's nuts...and finally, they also briefly mentioned some content from "The Purpose Driven Life"...which i also have just completed. God had totally been preparing me for this trip, even before i knew that i was going to go!!
so far a really good thing that i've been experiencing is being completely satisfied with God. like the song "Enough" says, "all of you is more than enough for, all of me, for every thirst, and every need...you satisfy me with your love, and all i have in You, is more than enough." when i signed up for this trip i did so with the intention to lay aside my desires, and put His will before mine. and as i was in London, my good friend, Rainbow, and i had the opportunity to spend a good portion of the day in Westminster Abbey. it was such a HUGE blessing to be in that monument, surrounded with so much history and riches. but to be in a building where every intricate design, every stained glass was in reverance for God was soo neat. next to it was St. Margaret's Cathedral...it was a really neat experience to realize that God was around when all these kings and queens lived. i was at the tomb of Richard II, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Robert Browning, Geoffry Chaucer, and a memorial to William Shakespeare...but all of these people (despite their significance in history) pale in comparison to the person of Jesus. kings and queens reign, then pass...but Jesus reigns forever.
don't know when the next time will be for me to update you guys, but please continue to pray for the team. everyone seems to be getting along quite well. we will begin our campus ministry in two days. your prayers are a HUGE part of this trip, so please keep them coming!
love you guys TONS!
Deb
Bwana Asifiwe! (swahili for "Praise The Lord!")
Im here safe and sound in Tanzania! i managed to get access to the internet for half an hour so im typing like mad!! so as quickly as possible, i will try and relate to you the wonderful experiences i have encountered thus far...
plane rides...BRITISH AIRWAYS ROCK! service, and seating, as well as the flight itself was very comfortable. arrived in London, England and spent the day there touring Big Ben, the parliament building, WESTMINSTER ABBEY(!!) as well as Buckingham Palace, and the famous London Bridge.
close to 12 hours later we arrived in Dar Es Salaam. the heat was decent (24 degrees) with mild humidity. the toilet paper is pink, and i have to buy water :(...but God is good cos this is exactly where i am suppose to be. some really neat things have already happened as we began training this afternoon. we were taught some culture etiquette, and i had my very first african meal! they have good food..soooo goood ;) we were introduced to the campus director for Campus Crusade for Christ at U of Dar Es Salaam. a fine gentlemen he is.
some really cool things that have been happening so far: one of my project directors, Archie, started talking about God and missions...and it sounded really familiar to something i had recently started reading...he was quoting from John Piper's "Let The Nations Be Glad"...a book that a good friend advised me to read before, and during the trip. it's really cool cos we'll be analyzing some of Piper's perspectives in the next few days. on top of that, i had randomly decided to read the book of Philippians on the flight to London...and one of the directors preached a brief message on that book. it's nuts...and finally, they also briefly mentioned some content from "The Purpose Driven Life"...which i also have just completed. God had totally been preparing me for this trip, even before i knew that i was going to go!!
so far a really good thing that i've been experiencing is being completely satisfied with God. like the song "Enough" says, "all of you is more than enough for, all of me, for every thirst, and every need...you satisfy me with your love, and all i have in You, is more than enough." when i signed up for this trip i did so with the intention to lay aside my desires, and put His will before mine. and as i was in London, my good friend, Rainbow, and i had the opportunity to spend a good portion of the day in Westminster Abbey. it was such a HUGE blessing to be in that monument, surrounded with so much history and riches. but to be in a building where every intricate design, every stained glass was in reverance for God was soo neat. next to it was St. Margaret's Cathedral...it was a really neat experience to realize that God was around when all these kings and queens lived. i was at the tomb of Richard II, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Robert Browning, Geoffry Chaucer, and a memorial to William Shakespeare...but all of these people (despite their significance in history) pale in comparison to the person of Jesus. kings and queens reign, then pass...but Jesus reigns forever.
don't know when the next time will be for me to update you guys, but please continue to pray for the team. everyone seems to be getting along quite well. we will begin our campus ministry in two days. your prayers are a HUGE part of this trip, so please keep them coming!
love you guys TONS!
Deb
Sunday, May 02, 2004
This is just a test, incase i can't access hotmail while in Dar Es Salaam.
