Roads in Africa can be a bit bumpy. Most roads are dirt and the ones that are paved have a series of speed bumps every few kilometers. Swerving around people, cows, and bicycles is also very common. So when I had to sit in the back of the suburban on the way to our project in the bush, I decided my best option was to close my eyes and wait until it was over. We bumped and swerved and bumped some more. Then, the car stopped. I joyfully assumed we had arrived but when I opened my eyes I realized we were lost. The driver said, “I think we missed our turn.” Oh really?! What helped you figure this out, the fact that we are driving though a corn field or the big healthy tree directly in the “road?” We found some locals who directed us back to the path and we made it to our campsite just in time for morning tea.
The day continued without trouble. In fact the entire week flew by without even a hint of the bumpy road we began on. Our ministry was four days in a Tanzanian village called King’Ori. We had planned door to door ministry in the mornings, seminars in the afternoon, preaching in the evening, followed by film ministry until around 11 at night. We quickly learned that any down time would be consumed with the adorable children who always seemed to be hovering around our tents.
The day continued without trouble. In fact the entire week flew by without even a hint of the bumpy road we began on. Our ministry was four days in a Tanzanian village called King’Ori. We had planned door to door ministry in the mornings, seminars in the afternoon, preaching in the evening, followed by film ministry until around 11 at night. We quickly learned that any down time would be consumed with the adorable children who always seemed to be hovering around our tents.
And I loved it. Honestly the children were the cutest kids I had ever seen. When we made house visits I felt as though our words were actually being received and that relationships were being formed. It was a huge blessing to have the afternoon seminars; many of the people we visited in the morning would attend and we were able to continue building a friendship (as well as hook them up with a support group in the church). Our night ministries were always interesting. Hearing my new teammates preach was a unique way to get to know them better. And the numbers for the film ministry were outrageous- we had about 150 the first night and over 300 on our last night! I didn’t even know there were that many people in the area.
On Sunday we attended a church service outside under a tree. The people worshipped with such joy and energy. I couldn’t keep myself from smiling. I also had trouble stifling giggles when I realized that a chicken had been placed in the offering bucket. It wasn’t the only chicken I saw that day. My team received two chickens from women with whom we had prayed during the week.
After the church service we packed up our tents, through our packs in the van and tucked our chickens under the seat. We said a quick prayer of thanks for an amazing week and asked for safe travels (especially for the poor chickens). It was hard to leave but we were exhausted and knew it was a long bumpy trip home.
