One of the first days we got to Tanzania, my team and I went
to use internet in a hot, stuffy internet cafe with the biggest computer monitors
I have seen in a decade. Seven mzungu
women walking through the crowded markets draw plenty of attention, so when a man outside the internet shop tried
to talk to us, we didn’t really notice.
But then Elizabeth got roped into a conversation and before we knew it,
Jon was leading us down the road to his shop full of art and jewelry. “Just come and see,” he said. “And I will make you a good price, because to
me, you are not the girls from America, you are the girls from Tanzania.”
to use internet in a hot, stuffy internet cafe with the biggest computer monitors
I have seen in a decade. Seven mzungu
women walking through the crowded markets draw plenty of attention, so when a man outside the internet shop tried
to talk to us, we didn’t really notice.
But then Elizabeth got roped into a conversation and before we knew it,
Jon was leading us down the road to his shop full of art and jewelry. “Just come and see,” he said. “And I will make you a good price, because to
me, you are not the girls from America, you are the girls from Tanzania.”
And so it began.
Jon continually pursued us for the rest of our time in the
country. He took us to meet his friends
and paint together on massive rocks that jutted out of Lake Victoria and he
took Elizabeth and Amanda to play soccer with local youth and he insisted on
having some of us over for dinner and then gave us gifts of paintings and
bracelets with our names on them.
country. He took us to meet his friends
and paint together on massive rocks that jutted out of Lake Victoria and he
took Elizabeth and Amanda to play soccer with local youth and he insisted on
having some of us over for dinner and then gave us gifts of paintings and
bracelets with our names on them.
And then there was Moses.
Moses grew up in a Roman Catholic home, but he only truly
gave his life to Jesus a month ago. One month ago. He is a member at Pastor Celsus’s church and
he took us on a safari through the Serengeti without charging us for his guide
services. “I know that your journey is
long and you have little money, so this is what I can do for you.” Mind you, this is the man who spends his day
working with orphans and troubled youth and helping albino Africans seek
medical attention. He does not have a
steady source of income, yet he spent his days with us and told us that he
would not take any paying jobs until we had left, because we were “doing Jesus’
work” and he wanted to be involved. He
had us over for dinner and cooked us delicious food, he roamed the villages
with us and translated as we evangelized, he baked us a cake on our last night
in the country, and then got up at 3:30 am to accompany us to the bus station
when we had to leave. “We will never
forget you,” he said. “Please don’t ever
forget us.”
gave his life to Jesus a month ago. One month ago. He is a member at Pastor Celsus’s church and
he took us on a safari through the Serengeti without charging us for his guide
services. “I know that your journey is
long and you have little money, so this is what I can do for you.” Mind you, this is the man who spends his day
working with orphans and troubled youth and helping albino Africans seek
medical attention. He does not have a
steady source of income, yet he spent his days with us and told us that he
would not take any paying jobs until we had left, because we were “doing Jesus’
work” and he wanted to be involved. He
had us over for dinner and cooked us delicious food, he roamed the villages
with us and translated as we evangelized, he baked us a cake on our last night
in the country, and then got up at 3:30 am to accompany us to the bus station
when we had to leave. “We will never
forget you,” he said. “Please don’t ever
forget us.”
And even Celsus and his wife Rachel opened up their home to
us on many occasions. They prepared us
an incredible dinner one night and then gave us each a pair of earrings. “You have loved us so much by coming,” Rachel
said, “and we love you for that.”
us on many occasions. They prepared us
an incredible dinner one night and then gave us each a pair of earrings. “You have loved us so much by coming,” Rachel
said, “and we love you for that.”
I read the book Radical
by David Platt a few weeks ago and he talks about the importance of spending
time out of your native cultural context.
He relays the story of one of his first trips abroad, when he went to
Sudan to work with a church. A woman in
his Louisiana congregation questioned it.
“Why would you spend all that money to go to the country for two weeks
when you could just send the check?” she
asked and Platt struggled with it for a while.
Until he got to Sudan, that is.
One of the men that he worked with thanked him for his time and
basically said, “The people who send money love us. But the brothers who come -they’re the ones
who are physically with us. And that is
different.”
by David Platt a few weeks ago and he talks about the importance of spending
time out of your native cultural context.
He relays the story of one of his first trips abroad, when he went to
Sudan to work with a church. A woman in
his Louisiana congregation questioned it.
“Why would you spend all that money to go to the country for two weeks
when you could just send the check?” she
asked and Platt struggled with it for a while.
Until he got to Sudan, that is.
One of the men that he worked with thanked him for his time and
basically said, “The people who send money love us. But the brothers who come -they’re the ones
who are physically with us. And that is
different.”
This Race has shown me a lot of things. It has shown me a lot of who God is and a lot
of who I am because of that. I believe
now, more than ever, that living in America is a blessing and not a problem – I
don’t feel like less of a Christian because I cannot wait to get home to the
States. But I also know that I will always do this. I will always get up and leave for bits of
time and go spend time with the
brothers and the sisters all over the world, because that is how I can show
them that I care. That is how I can show
them that I love them, that Jesus loves them, that they are not forgotten, that
they are seen and worthy of pursuing.
of who I am because of that. I believe
now, more than ever, that living in America is a blessing and not a problem – I
don’t feel like less of a Christian because I cannot wait to get home to the
States. But I also know that I will always do this. I will always get up and leave for bits of
time and go spend time with the
brothers and the sisters all over the world, because that is how I can show
them that I care. That is how I can show
them that I love them, that Jesus loves them, that they are not forgotten, that
they are seen and worthy of pursuing.
Don’t get me wrong giving is crucial and I want that to
define my life also. I think it goes
without saying that I am eternally indebted to all of you who have so generously
supported this journey for me. Please
don’t stop supporting missionaries – me, my team- and squad-mates, and all of
the other servants who God has put in your path. But maybe you should go too. Maybe you should get up and go. Not for eleven months or three years or the
rest of your life necessarily. But maybe
a week? Maybe two weeks? Maybe
eleven months or three years or the rest of your life? I don’t know… but God knows the plans He has
for you and how He desires to use you
to reach all nations. That’s His whole idea, you know… that His children go out
into the nations and tell other people about their Dad. It’s the perfect plan, but it requires
individuals like you and me to get up and leave for a while.
define my life also. I think it goes
without saying that I am eternally indebted to all of you who have so generously
supported this journey for me. Please
don’t stop supporting missionaries – me, my team- and squad-mates, and all of
the other servants who God has put in your path. But maybe you should go too. Maybe you should get up and go. Not for eleven months or three years or the
rest of your life necessarily. But maybe
a week? Maybe two weeks? Maybe
eleven months or three years or the rest of your life? I don’t know… but God knows the plans He has
for you and how He desires to use you
to reach all nations. That’s His whole idea, you know… that His children go out
into the nations and tell other people about their Dad. It’s the perfect plan, but it requires
individuals like you and me to get up and leave for a while.
I walked around Tanzania last month seen as a girl from
Tanzania and it was hard to leave all of our new friends. But this month, I get to be the girl from
Rwanda. And next month, I’ll be the girl
from Uganda. And this journey will
continue, long after I get back to the States, because this is the life that
the Lord has designed for His children.
Tanzania and it was hard to leave all of our new friends. But this month, I get to be the girl from
Rwanda. And next month, I’ll be the girl
from Uganda. And this journey will
continue, long after I get back to the States, because this is the life that
the Lord has designed for His children.
So where are you from right now? Are you the man from Mozambique? Are you the woman from Ukraine? Are you the boy from the Philippines? The girl from Ecuador? You could be… it just requires a little
listening for the Lord and a tiny bit of faith and you could be on the
adventure of your life before you know it.
listening for the Lord and a tiny bit of faith and you could be on the
adventure of your life before you know it.
Just something to think about.
