It's so hard to blog.....
So hard to take the time to articulately describe my experiences over here with the emotion and passion that they often deserve. So today I'm going to cheat and take you to a couple of my good friends' blogs who are very talented writers and who have articulately and passionately described some of my recent experiences here (with pictures!).
This weekend I ran the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon in Moshi, Tanzania. It was pretty awesome, to say the least.... I ran it with a few fellow teachers, and my friend Heather blogged about it in words that are almost identical to my own experience (even down to the songs).... so just read her post and pretend like it's me saying it all, ok? ;)
Heather's Blog: Kili Half
[**especially these sentences: "Then I started to get excited. It struck me that I was in AFRICA, and I was going to do the one thing that I loved most in the world." ... and ... "I was once again overwhelmed by the goodness of God in giving me a day of health, friends to run with, and the ability to run with joy. How kind of Him to give good gifts like this that are only for enjoyment, challenge, and well-being." My thoughts and experiences EXACTLY...! :)]
*****
Before her post about the Kili Half, she blogged about the trip to Bagamoyo that she, Laura, and I took a couple weeks ago. Bagamoyo is a historic town here with a lot of slave history, just up the coast from us. Read her (short) post on it as well (and please notice her "blondes really do have more fun comment" about Laura and me on the pikipiki..... Haha). ;)
Heather's Blog: Bagamoyo
*****
Laura just wrote a beautiful blog post about her experiences at William's Village.... Read it for another glimpse into our time there (and our Saturday with them on Valentine's Day) and a sweet little story about her "favorite" little boy. :)
Laura's Blog: William's Village
[p.s. Heather and Laura are both English teachers here so they're both awesome writers .... sorry for the plagiarism, girls!] ;)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Recent Dar explosions
Another thing I haven't mentioned on here yet is the bombs that went off in Dar last week. Here are some links to articles on it (though these aren't fully updated):
BBC Article
CNN Article
I still don't fully understand the story, nor do I know if anyone does, but some bombs exploded last week (Wed. night) at the military base here which is near the airport downtown (20 km from my house). The explosions were apparently accidental.... I heard it may have been caused from the changes in temperature where they were stored because of all the power outages we've had lately (we've had horrible power problems this year; much worse than normal), but I'm not sure if that was the issue or not. Several bombs went off over the course of a couple hours. At least 30 people died, and there were hundreds of other injuries, many very serious. Although I live 20 km from the site, the bombs could be heard in my area (most thought it was thunder) and many in my area felt the tremors shake their house.
The IT guy at our school, Victor, lives 750 meters from the military base and had bombs land in his front yard, meters away from his house. There were full bombs that had not yet gone off that landed in his yard, as well as some bomb shells. I just ran into him on campus and talked to him about it, and he showed me pictures on his phone of the bombs. SO crazy. The police/military came and removed the bombs the next morning (a couple hours after they were reported I think). Apparently many bombs were found all over the city the next day; they were released during the explosion and landed in several places without going off. Thankfully he and his family are fine, but several of his neighbors died or were seriously injured (2 died the following day of strokes). He said the walls in his house have cracks in them now, though, from the explosions and that many things in his house were broken.
A cleaning lady at our school was also severely affected- her brother's legs were blown off during the blasts. Children were orphaned, thousands of people were displaced, many now homeless, there are children still separated from their parents.... the list goes on. My roommate Laura and I gave blood this weekend at a hospital downtown because there was/is a severe shortage of blood in the country (i.e. there was none at all in reserve when the explosions happened). Please keep this city and all those affected in your prayers.
BBC Article
CNN Article
I still don't fully understand the story, nor do I know if anyone does, but some bombs exploded last week (Wed. night) at the military base here which is near the airport downtown (20 km from my house). The explosions were apparently accidental.... I heard it may have been caused from the changes in temperature where they were stored because of all the power outages we've had lately (we've had horrible power problems this year; much worse than normal), but I'm not sure if that was the issue or not. Several bombs went off over the course of a couple hours. At least 30 people died, and there were hundreds of other injuries, many very serious. Although I live 20 km from the site, the bombs could be heard in my area (most thought it was thunder) and many in my area felt the tremors shake their house.
The IT guy at our school, Victor, lives 750 meters from the military base and had bombs land in his front yard, meters away from his house. There were full bombs that had not yet gone off that landed in his yard, as well as some bomb shells. I just ran into him on campus and talked to him about it, and he showed me pictures on his phone of the bombs. SO crazy. The police/military came and removed the bombs the next morning (a couple hours after they were reported I think). Apparently many bombs were found all over the city the next day; they were released during the explosion and landed in several places without going off. Thankfully he and his family are fine, but several of his neighbors died or were seriously injured (2 died the following day of strokes). He said the walls in his house have cracks in them now, though, from the explosions and that many things in his house were broken.
A cleaning lady at our school was also severely affected- her brother's legs were blown off during the blasts. Children were orphaned, thousands of people were displaced, many now homeless, there are children still separated from their parents.... the list goes on. My roommate Laura and I gave blood this weekend at a hospital downtown because there was/is a severe shortage of blood in the country (i.e. there was none at all in reserve when the explosions happened). Please keep this city and all those affected in your prayers.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Young Life Africa Rocks!
For the past 3 weeks, dozens of Young Life leaders have been in town from all over the continent (13 African countries, as well as some from Palestine) for training .... the SALT leaders (Senior African Leadership Team) were here for the first week [the leaders of the leaders, best of the best, *rock-stars*] and the Rika Tano group has been here for these past 2 weeks [more best-of-the-best (though there are still so many more best-of-the-best back in their home countries... YL leaders are all super awesome!), the up-and-coming strong leaders who have been going through intensive training here to go further the already-enormous impact they're making in their countries].... I've been incredibly blessed to be able to spend many evenings with them at the Young Life Training Center, and they are memories I will not soon forget! Definitely one of my most cherished experiences here in Africa so far, and that is saying a LOT! Oh, how blessed this time has been..... Here are some highlights:
*Hours-long nights of praise and worship in multiple African languages and styles... African drums and instruments going... African dance all night long, praising God with heart, mind, soul, and body... Such JOY!
*Late-night Glow-in-the-dark soccer on the beach! The leaders formed 2 teams: EKUT (East Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, & Tanzania) vs. the other countries (forgot their creative name).... they all wore glow-in-the-dark sticks around their necks, arms, and legs.... So much fun to watch! (and esp. cool for them since most of them had never seen a glow-in-the-dark stick before)
*Witnessing the start of ministry in some of the most hostile countries in the world (don't even know if I should mention their names so I won't).... Over these past few weeks, I have been able to watch as leaders were trained to go back to these (their home) countries to start brand-new Young Life ministry.... What an incredible thing to witness. Please pray for these brand-new ministries and that the Lord blesses and multiplies them *GREATLY*.
*Reuniting with cherished friendships from Liberia and Zimbabwe (from my previous trips there).... Such joy..... How I love these leaders! (from Liberia: James Davis & Baccus, and from Zim: Nkosi, Patson, Pierre, Sharon, & Bekhi) What a blessing to have them here in "my" home!
*Making MANY new friendships, new memories, new laughter.... SO thankful.
*Making friends in Palestine (that I hope to be able to visit sometime soon!).... one who is from Bethlehem (yes, real-life Bethlehem). I now have friends in the Holy Land that I can go visit.... pretty cool. :)
*Witnessing the awesome-ness of the Africans.... I mean, really. Not only do these leaders love God with all that they are and sacrificially and passionately love the children in their lives, but they are just plain COOL. Hilarious, SO fun, incredibly loving and generous..... and dang, can they dance! I mean, WOW, do they know how to hold a beat.... I don't know why God wired it into their gene structure to be able to *move* so well, but He DID. And it is so fun to witness and be a part of! (and Katy, you better believe that my inner Belle is loving this African lifestyle of rhythm and dance! ;))
*Praying over these incredible leaders and their ministries.... the sacrifices they have already made in their service are incredible (some of them come from brutally war-torn countries- i.e. Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone- and have experienced horrific things that we can't even imagine). Having the privilege to pray over them as they go out to make such eternal impacts is an incredible honor. Never underestimate the power of prayer.... We truly cannot fathom what is done in the spiritual realm through our prayers, and what is *kept* from being done by our lack of prayers. So please keep your prayer-muscles strong! And your knees bent. I have learned so much from my African brothers & sisters on the power of prayer.
So please continue your prayers and know that the Spirit of the Lord is moving here in Africa and it is full of LIFE, joy, peace, love, truth, and goodness.
Jesus: "I came that they may have LIFE, and have it ABUNDANTLY." (John 10:10) How true that is!
*Hours-long nights of praise and worship in multiple African languages and styles... African drums and instruments going... African dance all night long, praising God with heart, mind, soul, and body... Such JOY!
[will insert picture soon] :)
*Late-night Glow-in-the-dark soccer on the beach! The leaders formed 2 teams: EKUT (East Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, & Tanzania) vs. the other countries (forgot their creative name).... they all wore glow-in-the-dark sticks around their necks, arms, and legs.... So much fun to watch! (and esp. cool for them since most of them had never seen a glow-in-the-dark stick before)
one team lined up
one of the players (thought I don't remember who b/c it's so dark) :)
*Witnessing the start of ministry in some of the most hostile countries in the world (don't even know if I should mention their names so I won't).... Over these past few weeks, I have been able to watch as leaders were trained to go back to these (their home) countries to start brand-new Young Life ministry.... What an incredible thing to witness. Please pray for these brand-new ministries and that the Lord blesses and multiplies them *GREATLY*.
*Reuniting with cherished friendships from Liberia and Zimbabwe (from my previous trips there).... Such joy..... How I love these leaders! (from Liberia: James Davis & Baccus, and from Zim: Nkosi, Patson, Pierre, Sharon, & Bekhi) What a blessing to have them here in "my" home!
*Making MANY new friendships, new memories, new laughter.... SO thankful.
*Making friends in Palestine (that I hope to be able to visit sometime soon!).... one who is from Bethlehem (yes, real-life Bethlehem). I now have friends in the Holy Land that I can go visit.... pretty cool. :)
*Witnessing the awesome-ness of the Africans.... I mean, really. Not only do these leaders love God with all that they are and sacrificially and passionately love the children in their lives, but they are just plain COOL. Hilarious, SO fun, incredibly loving and generous..... and dang, can they dance! I mean, WOW, do they know how to hold a beat.... I don't know why God wired it into their gene structure to be able to *move* so well, but He DID. And it is so fun to witness and be a part of! (and Katy, you better believe that my inner Belle is loving this African lifestyle of rhythm and dance! ;))
*Praying over these incredible leaders and their ministries.... the sacrifices they have already made in their service are incredible (some of them come from brutally war-torn countries- i.e. Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone- and have experienced horrific things that we can't even imagine). Having the privilege to pray over them as they go out to make such eternal impacts is an incredible honor. Never underestimate the power of prayer.... We truly cannot fathom what is done in the spiritual realm through our prayers, and what is *kept* from being done by our lack of prayers. So please keep your prayer-muscles strong! And your knees bent. I have learned so much from my African brothers & sisters on the power of prayer.
So please continue your prayers and know that the Spirit of the Lord is moving here in Africa and it is full of LIFE, joy, peace, love, truth, and goodness.
Jesus: "I came that they may have LIFE, and have it ABUNDANTLY." (John 10:10) How true that is!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
A new command I give you: LOVE one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By THIS everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)
Love NEVER fails. (1 Cor. 13:8)
Happy Valentine's Day from Tanzania! :)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
William's Village
Meet Amina, about 3 years old and just the most precious, cuddly thing you can imagine. I mean, how can you not fall in love with a tiny Tanzanian girl wearing a pink frilly skirt and a lacey tank top?
This week at William's Village we read a children's story about 3 trees to the kids. It's a wonderful story (beautifully illustrated) about 3 trees who have big dreams for their life, dreams which they think are dashed until God ends up using them for even *greater* purposes in their lives. One ends up becoming the manger that Jesus is born in, one becomes the boat Jesus walks on the water to, and one becomes the cross that He is crucified on. A beautiful message that God's plans are greater than we might imagine. We had the children draw what they dream of for their life- what they want to be when they grow up or dream of for their future. (I drew trees on big sheets of paper that they drew inside of and colored, and we wrote "God has a good plan for you, Jer. 29:11" on it in Swahili.)
What an awesome opportunity to give these children the chance to DREAM. To *encourage* their dreaming and their hoping. It could be so easy to see these children's futures as void of hope or void of promise- children in this remote African village whose families struggle to survive each day and who are afforded little or no "opportunities" as we see opportunity in the West. But that is not what God sees. That is not what He plans. He tells us that His plans are for our GOOD, to give us a FUTURE and a HOPE (Jeremiah 29:11) .... and that He will even give us more than we could ever hope for or imagine. (Ephesians 4:20).
These children dream of becoming pilots, nurses, teachers, drivers, policemen, and doctors.
Lord, please continue to grow the dreams of these children. Continue to give them HOPE for their future. And then reveal Yourself to them in ways that they never thought possible... in ways that are greater than they ever even hoped for or imagined. Please pray this prayer with me for these precious children.
This week at William's Village we read a children's story about 3 trees to the kids. It's a wonderful story (beautifully illustrated) about 3 trees who have big dreams for their life, dreams which they think are dashed until God ends up using them for even *greater* purposes in their lives. One ends up becoming the manger that Jesus is born in, one becomes the boat Jesus walks on the water to, and one becomes the cross that He is crucified on. A beautiful message that God's plans are greater than we might imagine. We had the children draw what they dream of for their life- what they want to be when they grow up or dream of for their future. (I drew trees on big sheets of paper that they drew inside of and colored, and we wrote "God has a good plan for you, Jer. 29:11" on it in Swahili.)
What an awesome opportunity to give these children the chance to DREAM. To *encourage* their dreaming and their hoping. It could be so easy to see these children's futures as void of hope or void of promise- children in this remote African village whose families struggle to survive each day and who are afforded little or no "opportunities" as we see opportunity in the West. But that is not what God sees. That is not what He plans. He tells us that His plans are for our GOOD, to give us a FUTURE and a HOPE (Jeremiah 29:11) .... and that He will even give us more than we could ever hope for or imagine. (Ephesians 4:20).
These children dream of becoming pilots, nurses, teachers, drivers, policemen, and doctors.
Lord, please continue to grow the dreams of these children. Continue to give them HOPE for their future. And then reveal Yourself to them in ways that they never thought possible... in ways that are greater than they ever even hoped for or imagined. Please pray this prayer with me for these precious children.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)