Jambo,
Faithful Readers!
This
is our last week both in Tanzania and Africa. In a few days, we’ll be
freaking out about luggage weight limits as we pack our bags and fly
to India (Upon arrival, we’ll board a bus and drive to Nepal). The
end of the race is now in sight. The last leg of our journey looks
something like this: Nepal, India, Romania, Ukraine, HOME. Our squad
leaders, Michael and Joni, will be staying with our team during our
last week here in Tanzania; we’re looking forward to spending some
time with them!
is our last week both in Tanzania and Africa. In a few days, we’ll be
freaking out about luggage weight limits as we pack our bags and fly
to India (Upon arrival, we’ll board a bus and drive to Nepal). The
end of the race is now in sight. The last leg of our journey looks
something like this: Nepal, India, Romania, Ukraine, HOME. Our squad
leaders, Michael and Joni, will be staying with our team during our
last week here in Tanzania; we’re looking forward to spending some
time with them!
This
month has proven to be a difficult one for me. I started this race
with an expectation that God would, over the span of eleven months,
morph me into a more confident person–“confident” in the
sense that I’d gain an assurance of who He says I am, and what His
plan for me is. Sometimes God is funny. And sometimes He thinks He
is, when He’s really not. Like now, for example. God has been using
the process of elimination to teach me the ways i’m fearfully and
wonderfully made. By asking me to perform a sleu of ministry events
(such as teaching, painting, preaching, taking care of children, etc)
He has shown me that i’m not a teacher, artist, preacher or nanny.
month has proven to be a difficult one for me. I started this race
with an expectation that God would, over the span of eleven months,
morph me into a more confident person–“confident” in the
sense that I’d gain an assurance of who He says I am, and what His
plan for me is. Sometimes God is funny. And sometimes He thinks He
is, when He’s really not. Like now, for example. God has been using
the process of elimination to teach me the ways i’m fearfully and
wonderfully made. By asking me to perform a sleu of ministry events
(such as teaching, painting, preaching, taking care of children, etc)
He has shown me that i’m not a teacher, artist, preacher or nanny.
Once
I started to piece together all of the things I am “not”, I
found myself being asked to do them on a more regular basis. My
original plea of “God, make me confident” soon turned into
“God, make me comfortable”. And when He didn’t, I
complained. A lot. Philippians 2.14 was ready many, many times this
month (“do all things without grumbling or questioning”).
My study bible weighs nine thousand pounds, and most of the time, i’m
angry that I brought it with me on the race. But this month, I was
glad to have it. It defines “complaint” as “expressing
discontent in God’s will”. Complaint is an expression of
unbelief (in the goodness of God’s will) that prevents me from doing
what pleases God.
I started to piece together all of the things I am “not”, I
found myself being asked to do them on a more regular basis. My
original plea of “God, make me confident” soon turned into
“God, make me comfortable”. And when He didn’t, I
complained. A lot. Philippians 2.14 was ready many, many times this
month (“do all things without grumbling or questioning”).
My study bible weighs nine thousand pounds, and most of the time, i’m
angry that I brought it with me on the race. But this month, I was
glad to have it. It defines “complaint” as “expressing
discontent in God’s will”. Complaint is an expression of
unbelief (in the goodness of God’s will) that prevents me from doing
what pleases God.
My
original thought? Just stop complaining. Problem solved. Right?
(Nope). Turns out that if you just stop complaining, you’re only
cutting the weed down from the top. In a few days, it’ll grow back
thicker and uglier than before. So…how do you pull the roots of the
problem out as well? If complaint is an expression of my discontent
with God’s will….to stop my complaining, I need to be content with
God’s will. And for a long time, I wasn’t.
original thought? Just stop complaining. Problem solved. Right?
(Nope). Turns out that if you just stop complaining, you’re only
cutting the weed down from the top. In a few days, it’ll grow back
thicker and uglier than before. So…how do you pull the roots of the
problem out as well? If complaint is an expression of my discontent
with God’s will….to stop my complaining, I need to be content with
God’s will. And for a long time, I wasn’t.
God
has brought me from “God, make me more confident“,
to
“God, make me
comfortable”
to
“God, make me content“.
Which
of these resembles your cry to God? Do you know what the will of God
is for your life? And most importantly, are
you content with it?
of these resembles your cry to God? Do you know what the will of God
is for your life? And most importantly, are
you content with it?
Romans
8.35-39, World Race Translation
Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall bucket showers, or
squatty potties, or massive amounts of rice, or heat stroke, or
mosquitoes or malaria, or power outages? As it is written, “For
your sake we sweat all the day long. We are regarded as unclean
drinking water, used to wash away the chicken poo on the walkway”.
No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loves
us. For I am sure that neither language barriers nor incorrect
currency, nor dead ipod battery, nor dial-up internet, nor
hand-washed clothes, nor potholes, nor terrifying public
transportation, nor homesickness, nor drunk security guards, nor
awkward marriage proposals, nor theft of personal belongings will be
able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall bucket showers, or
squatty potties, or massive amounts of rice, or heat stroke, or
mosquitoes or malaria, or power outages? As it is written, “For
your sake we sweat all the day long. We are regarded as unclean
drinking water, used to wash away the chicken poo on the walkway”.
No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loves
us. For I am sure that neither language barriers nor incorrect
currency, nor dead ipod battery, nor dial-up internet, nor
hand-washed clothes, nor potholes, nor terrifying public
transportation, nor homesickness, nor drunk security guards, nor
awkward marriage proposals, nor theft of personal belongings will be
able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the
creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of
God. (v 18-19)
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the
creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of
God. (v 18-19)
If you’d like to see a few photos from our time in Tanzania so far, click here 🙂
