As I sit here and think on our month in Tanzania, I am reminded of just how much the Lord did in and through me. It’s been a crazy month! I really have not shared much of what we’ve been doing in our day-to-day lives here, so I am going to attempt to catch you up on where I am physically and spiritually in my next few blogs.
It’s hard for me to know what’s normal and what’s not anymore, and it’s hard for me to know how to describe to you what’s really going on here. I forget that you (my family and friends in the States) aren’t accustomed to the lifestyle I’m living. I forget what it’s like to have running water and electricity that works without fail. I forget what it’s like to have hot showers rather than cold bucket baths. I forget what it’s like to have air conditioning in my home and how nice it is to regulate the temperature in my car. (I haven’t even driven a car for five months!) I forget what it’s like to have public toilets in abundance and to not question whether or not there will be toilet paper in the stalls. I forget how nice it is to drive on paved roads with no potholes. I forget what it’s like to use a washer and dryer. 
I don’t tell you these things to make you feel guilty; I am simply attempting to relay to you what has become my normal. I have recently realized that I’ve made the switch. I don’t know when and I don’t know how, but this has become my life. I am a missionary; that’s what I am! I live with the people I am ministering to, and my “job,” if you will, is to wake up, ask the Lord to give me strength for another day, and go love on His people in whatever way I know how.
My typical day here has been going for a jog at sunrise with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the backdrop. I eat breakfast with my team/family and spend thirty minutes with them in prayer. I then spend alone time in prayer and worship, seeking to find intimacy with the Lord. At some point I hop into the back of Mr. Kimathi’s blue van, and he takes us to our ministry destination for the day. We go, we preach the word of God, we sing worship songs, we love the people, and we pray for them to be healed and delivered. Sometimes we face demons, and sometimes we face broken hearts. It’s always hot and sweaty, we never quite know what we’re doing, and it always requires that we give everything we have and rely on the Lord to do something.
However, I love it. I absolutely love what I do! I love that my job title is to set the captives free; to bring healing; to loose the chains of bondage; to set the people free!
So what am I doing here? Every day looks different, but every day is the same. I am learning to rely on the Lord for absolutely everything. I am learning to obey him at his word and step out in blind faith. I am learning to love at all costs and to lower myself so that He can be lifted up and his power can be made manifest in me. I am learning my identity in Christ. And I am learning that THIS is what it means to truly LIVE!
