"We wish you a wonderful time here in Tanzania, many of you this is your first time in this country. We know that you will be safe here, we hope that you will learn and grow from our culture here and bring back what you learn to your home country." says the Woman to my right.
I sit in this small room, 12 of us around a table. Pastor Mlay Costa is sharing with us the schedule for the month for Team HoBo here, just outside Moshi, Tanzania. His heart is so kind, he shares with us the churches needs. He shares with us the permission to speak into anything here. This is all after he gave us a 3 hour tour around the entire area of where we are staying.
(Road into Tanzania)
**
I'm tired, I've been on the bus for 20 hours or so at this point. I'm hungry. B squad enters the Tanzania border and something inside of me jumps. I am super pumped. I look ahead of me and see a beautiful mountain. I look around and start to see that the landscape around me is looking quite similar to what I thought Africa would look like, I see BUSH! It's what in Asia we call 'Same Same but different.' The ground outside of the bus is kind of dry, kind of brown. A brief time after I see something gigantic. One of Gods most beautiful creations… Mount Kilimanjaro! The worlds tallest free standing mountain. I see the dirt outside the bus, on my feet, but I look to the top of that mountain and I see mounds of Snow. I've seen Snow in Africa! (quite far away.)
**
Mount Kilimanjaro
As we close our meeting with Pastor Mlay we all stand from the table. Slowly we all put our arms around each others shoulders and our Translator begins to pray. "Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ…"
Something right then and there slapped me in the face with Joy. It is something that has been on my mind recently but hasn't really HIT me. I have my arm around a Kenyan man who is living in Tanzania all connected through one single thing. Often we think, what is similar between this 24 year young American man and this 30something year young African Pastor. I guarantee if you dissected our lives they would look Quite Different! Our hobbies, our living situations, our homes, foods we eat. But we are here hanging out worshiping, loving, praying to Jesus! Jesus, that I am completely giving my life to, living in Tanzania is the same Jesus that Everyone I am praying with is…obviously I know this, but it's wild. There is this huge world, but millions of people know the same Jesus! It is so encouraging to have been to 10 countries, in 3 continents living life and pouring out my heart to Jesus with millions of other hearts!
I'm not alone!! The struggles I face, I'm not alone! The victories that are had, I'm not alone! I have a body of Christ all over the world, who I can walk with, I can cry with, laugh with, shout with, pray with, celebrate with! How blessed am I? This world is Big, but Jesus is Bigger, the family of believers is bigger then anything I can walk up against. The Cross that my Savior Jesus died on is bigger and more powerful then anything that comes up against me. He raised from the dead in Victory over death. Fear is a Liar. I will continue to walk hand in hand with those who walk faithfully with our God! Those who put there faith in Jesus, will never be put to shame. Come walk in my large Family.
"Faith isn't just a get out of hell Free card. It's the most vital building block of your relationship with God. And it's the only real foundation worth establishing your life on." Steven Furtick – Sun Stand Still
I share the Same spiritual DNA with everyone in the family of believers.
