We spent our halfway month on the World Race living in Singida, a town located in central Tanzania. Our ministry consisted mostly of working with small children, attending a 4 day African crusade, prayer sessions and creating a sponsorship website for over a 100 children living in the slums of Singida. Our efforts this month included playing and loving on the children who absolutely loved our affection. This month opened my eyes to how much the simple acts of love can make the biggest impacts whether you are playing with African children in Singida or living in America. Everyone just wants to be loved.
What better love is there to share than Jesus’ love? He made love and demonstrated love by sending his only son to die on the cross. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 God is love and teaches us how to love. We pray everyday before we go to see the children that they will see God’s love in us through our time, smiles, hugs and laughs. The children returned the same love to us with their urgency to hold our hands, pick them up, chase them around and hang on us like jungle gyms. By feeling their joy, no one would ever guess that many of these children go without food, wear the same clothes for days, or were born with aids. Their smiles light up your world.
Pastor Paolo, our pastor who gave us such a wonderful and sweet experience in Tanzania took in 2 children after his wife’s sister passed away, leaving the 2 children behind without a guardian. After this, God gave him and his wife a heart for all the other children in Singida who do not have providers and therefore created Greater Grace Foundation. It’s foundation where anyone can support a child to give them food, education, shelter and ultimately hope. This month our two teams set up a website for Greater Grace after interviewing and photographing over 100 kids who showed up to be sponsored. The website will enable the foundation to go global and reach people all over the world, increasing these kids chances to be sponsored. Most of these kids are under the age of 5. It has been such a blessing to be able to personally interact with these children, see the help that this community needs and witness how God is caring for them.
An extra part of our ministry this month was partaking in a 4 day African crusade that highlighted many people believing upon Jesus and accepting the gift of eternal life. Lead by an American named John Smith, he told the story of Jesus and brought God’s word to Singida in a huge way. Groups of people sang, danced and celebrated Jesus’ name. They even invited our World Race teams on stage to sing, which was a great time to take so much delight in being a Christian and represent God in front of a huge crowd. These days were incredible to see again how big God is and how he loves us. We were privileged to pray over people and talk with Tanzanians and play with more children. God has been so good to us this month!
Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glorify his name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. – Psalm 105:2-5
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. – 1 John 3:16
Visitors while climbing the big rocks : )
