Hopeful and Encouraged

May 23

Hello prayer team and friends!

This week has been amazingly encouraging. I was starting to feel a little worn out, a little irritable with the lack of comforts from home, a little discouraged in my teaching, and yes, a little frustrated wtih cultural differences. Then after i wrote the last email i started feeling built up and encouraged, so i know that i am receiving strength and encouragement from YOUR prayers! thank you!

Becka and I sat down and planned out the rest of the English course, and I am feeling very hopeful about it. I think by the end of the course the students will have been challenged, discipled, and equipped. I know that not all of them will reach an easy conversational level of speaking, but i also know that God will have fulfilled a purpose in each one of their lives. I think living on the base at YWAM will have given them really valuable fellowship and spiritual disciplines, and I think they all will have been exposed to basic English. Their experience at YWAM is so holistic, we have provided so many different ways of learning and have tended to their minds and hearts, so i think everyone will have profited from that. Their final is going to include a ten minute presentation on a researched subject, so i think walking them through this will take them steps ahead in their learning.

God also put it on my heart to make a website with teaching materials, tips, and sermons for ESL teachers! How fun does that sound? Becka told me i must be a natural teacher if that sounds fun to me! So pray that God will bring that vision to fulfillment and give me discernment on when to start on it. Also, the outreach pastor for the YWAM LA team came to check up on the DTS group that has been staying on our base, and he invited me to come teach a seminar on teaching English overseas in LA! their base is about 20 minutes from Fuller, so i'm excited to be involved with them. So please keep that in your prayers as well.

I decided not to go to Loliondo (Maasai land) this weekend because i didn't have a peace about it. So no lion hunts for me!

During my time here I have felt really excited about starting Fuller in the Fall, so if you feel so inclined please pray about this for me! The main areas I need prayer in are:
1. Financial Aid and housing
2. For God to open an obvious door for me to work in a church in Pasadena

I hope you are all well and growing in your understanding of God's love towards you daily!
God bless,
Christina

Mzungu Church, Order, Desires, and Unity

May 20

hello prayer team and friends,

Things are going well here in Arusha. Today we took our class to a Mzungu church (a Western style church: in English, lots of white people, Western songs). I met a family from Santa Barbara which was fun! They have a son at Westmont and they are on the mission field with a family from my church, Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara. It's really great to see well-adjusted missionary families. Their kids seemed really happy, really comfortable with my African students, and really open with one another. Their dad assured me they have their share of rebelliousness, but I was still encouraged to observe their dynamic.

After church a group of us went to the Maasai Market, which is a shopping area in town where the Maasai sell things they make. I was commissioned by my friend to help him buy jewlery for his girlfriend at home. I think we were successful (:

Class was challenging this week. On thursday morning my class gave way to massive confusion: everyone had forgotten the lesson i had taught the day before and were confusing one another with false instructions that they themselves didn't understand. So after calling a break to prevent my breaking down in tears of frustration, we came together and i got to disciple them on "order." I had been reading through 1 Corinthians and God applied it to my class for me. So I shared with them about using our gifts, and how God has given us each strengths in order to edify the body. But we have to use our gifts in an orderly way so that there isn't confusion: "For God is not a God of confusion but of peace." (Praise God for that!) So i encouraged them that they are each so important to the class, each is a hand or a foot or the eyes, but we need to follow order in our class so that we can build each other up. I told them that God gave me and Mama Joshua (my translator and helper) authority of the class so that we could create structure for them to learn. So they need to trust us and ask us questions, instead of confusing one another. I was encouraged by God discipling us, and i think we have been much more unified since then.

On Friday we had worship/intercession as a class. Claude, my student from New Caledonia who is basically fluent in english, taught on "desires." He had us each write down our desires for after ELS on a piece of paper and then put it in a bowl at the foot of a big wood cross he brought into the classroom. In this way, we were giving our desires back to God and trusting him to fulfill them. It was very powerful and very moving. Then God spoke through Becka, my fellow ELS teacher. She told us that God had put a burden on her heart for someone in our group who had given up on their dreams. Then she shared with us how she had walked away from the Lord for seven years, and in the process had completely given up on her dreams. When she came back, God told her that He was going to give those years back to her, that those weren't lost years. And the blessings that she had missed during that time, He would give to her! How amazing is that? God doesn't withhold one good thing from those who love Him. This concept is something I have been struggling with recently: feeling like i have all this wasted time in the past years of struggling with this sin and that sin, time that only amounted to being ineffective and destructive. But God desires good things for us. So much so, that the years we haven't been obedient to Him, He will still give in full to us! That is just beyond my comprehension.

So the week ended well. We finished another unit, and we are right on track with where we should be. Praise the Lord.

Continue to be in prayer for unity on our base. That has been the main theme God has given us in our prayer time. I have noticed disunity especially between some of the Westerners and the Africans. Our cultures are so different, and the Westerners are the ones who are out of their comfort zone, so some Westerners start thinking their way of doing things is better. Instead of just observing cultural differences, they start judging the cultures and the people within them. They complain, get frustrated with differences, and put on negative attitudes. This is so frustrating to me because this is why we came to Africa! To experience a new culture! We can learn so much from their way of doing things, even if we don't learn, or agree with, every aspect of it. This was heavy on my heart today, so this morning God showed me Phillipians chapter 2. Paul is discipling the church on not grumbling and having humility. I think Satan can use cultural differences as an obstacle, a barrier in our really connecting and gleaning things from one another. If any of you are called to travel or called to doing mission work, I would encourage you to start praying about these issues ahead of time. That God would give you a heart for other cultures, that He would open your mind and understanding to take in things outside of your realm of comfort. Pray for this even at HOME! We operate among so many different cultures in America. Even between families we have different cultures. People approach things differently, one family may communicate differently, some people live fast paced lives some are slower, and so on. Pray that differences would not hinder you in loving one another, communicating with one another, or spiritually building each other up. Cast out all judgement! Stop trying to make people like you, and stop only befriending people who have your beliefs and your customs! Consider others better than yourselves, and make yourself a servant to everyone. there's your sermon for the day (:

So, there is the update for now (: Continue to pray for PATIENCE in everything, as this a daily need. Pray that I would be encouraged, as it is easy to become discouraged as a teacher. Pray that I would have a lot of grace with myself, as i am far from perfect in what i am doing and need to continually forgive myself for short-comings. Pray that everything would be done on God's strength alone, and that I could be completely removed from the equation.

Blessings to you all at home! I am so encouraged by your love and support! Your prayers give me so much strength and such a firm backing in my ministry here.

In Him,
Christina

Preaching: John 17

May 13, 2007

I am exhausted but it has been a day full of learning, growth, and yes, more adventures.

After breakfast a group of us set out to go to a church in a nearby town. Nearby as in two hours there and one hour back. It has been raining like crazy the last couple days so all the roads were muddy with puddles. So we inched along the dirt roads to the daala daala stop. We decided that it's tradition for me to slip in the mud everytime we go out preaching becasue it's happened twice now. Fortunately not too much damage was done (: The village was three daala daalas away. Once we got there we had to hike through banana and coffee plantations to get to the church! It was absolutely beautiful. The rain made it look like a rain forest: green everywhere and huge banana trees. First we drank hot milk at a member of the church's, then we went to church to preach! There were about 100 people there and I was nervous! It was in a new church building, so the ground was still grass and the structure was cement without window panes or doors. I loved going to church inside but on grass! Their old church building was just across the way, and was about a third the size of the new one. I found out after that this was their first service in the new buidling! We started with worship then introduced ourselves, then I was introduced to preach!

Earlier this week I decided to preach on John Chapter 17. So today, I preached on having a personal relationship with God, and showed how Jesus modeled this in his prayer to the Father in the garden of Gathsemene. I told them that God doesn't call us to be good Christians, he doesn't call us to follow all of his laws, or to do good works. He calls us to KNOW HIM. And growth, obedience, and good works come out of our understanding of God's heart towards us.

Jesus didn't start his ministry until he was 33. Yet, when he was baptized by John the Baptist the Holy Spirit descended upon him and God said, "You are my son in whom I am well pleased." God was pleased with his son before he started his public ministry and before he had fulfilled his purpose on earth. Nothing is recorded in the Bible about Jesus having healed anyone, having raised anyone from the dead, or having performed any miracles before this point; but God was pleased with Him. This is because Jesus was God's son, and he had a father's heart towards him. God has the same heart towards you. He is pleased with you because you are made in His image. He loves you whatever your past, whatever your present, and whatever your future holds. His desire is to know you. And through knowing Him and understanding His love towards you, the miracles, the healing, and the growth is made evident.

I told them about how I was called to teach the Bible when i was eleven. I hadn't done anything of significance before this point! I was a kid! I had never preached, i had never lead a worship service, i was just busy growing up. But God told me, "You are my daughter, with whom i am well pleased, teach my Word." He was pleased with me as a child because I was his daughter. I didn't then, nor do i now, need to do anything to gain his love. He only desires for us to know Him more deeply, and through this he uses us, and in using us he reveals himself to us in even more intimate ways!

In verse 26 Jesus says, "I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Jesus' purpose in coming to earth and dying for our sins was to make His father's love known to us. That is the whole point: knowing God and his love towards us.

And then for some reason God put it on my heart to talk about the road to Emmaus (which afterwards i realized i called the wrong name....oops). I told them that that is one of my favorite stories in the Bible because it was after Jesus' resurrection when he was walking with two men on their way to Emmaus who didn't recognize him as Jesus Christ. But Jesus walked with them the whole way. He listened to their conversation, he asked them questions, he listened to their thoughts on Jesus. The whole time he didn't say, "hello! I'm Jesus!" Instead he allowed them to see him for who he was in their timing. He was patient with them. He discipled them: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). This is how God calls us to minister and reach people. Not to say, "Hello! Why don't you see Jesus? Why don't you recognize him for who he is?" But to walk patiently with them, to listen to their thoughts, and to let Jesus reveal himself to them in His timing.

When we understand God's love towards us, it can be made known to the people around us. They will be able to see it. It will give them the chance to walk with Jesus for a while, and start to see the Father's heart towards them.

Then God put it on my heart to say, "Did you know that God loves the little children sooo much?" There was a little girl, maybe five years old, who was smiling at me throughout the whole service. She was absolutely precious. She had a conga tied around her head like a cape because it was raining outside. Then God put the same words on my heart but for the widows and the poor. That God has such a heart for people in need, because He wants to fill that need. He knows that He can reach them.

Then I prayed.

This was the hardest sermon I've done yet (though i haven't done many!). First, it was a bigger group and the power wasn't working so the sound didn't carry well. Second, they wanted me to stand behind tables that were like 15 feet away from the benches of people! Way too far! So i walked out from behind them to get closer, and they followed me with one of the tables! They even carried over the flowers and everything they had on them. That really threw me off. I felt intimidated and less personal behind this table! Third, my translator knew very little English. He was 22 but looked about 15, spoke very quietly, and didn't know a lot of basic words. Sometimes it's hard for me to get across what i'm saying without using more specific words (i'm an english major so words are what i do best!), so having to pick less specific words made me feel like i was losing the meaning. i would say a sentence, then have to re-explain it to my translator, and by the time he finished saying it in Swahili i would have completely forgotten my point let alone what i was saying! so this was challenging. and fourth, the church was so far away and African services are soooooo long, that i was starting to check out after i was done preaching.

so i think growth and learning had to have come out of this because i was challenged. and i think God did give me a message, and i maybe it will be a word for some of you if not for the church i spoke at today. i think God is equipping me with messages that i can continue to share when i get home. maybe i'll have a "messages i got in Africa" bible study when i get back (:

after church we ate lunch at the pastor's house and that was lovely. a new DTS team just arrived this weekend from the UK. so it was refreshing to have people to talk to who not only speak english, but have the same humor (:

i hope all of your weekends were blessed. May you come to know God's heart more and more everyday, and grow in all understanding of Him,

with love,
Christina

Enkikaret and hiking through the bush

May 12

Hello prayer team and friends,

Today was full of adventure. The whole base went to Enkikaret, the Maasai village I visited my first week here where YWAM has a preschool. We spent the morning praying over the land, because our base wants to expand their buildings and vision for this area. We broke up into six groups and prayed in different areas. Then we came back together and shared the things that God had shown us. It was amazing to see how God had shown all our groups multiple things! And a lot of the things were confirmed by God showing the same thing to different groups. Enkikaret means thorny dessert. It is very dry there with lots of thorns and bush. But God showed a couple of the groups that when you look closer you can see some flowers in the bushes. They felt like God was speaking to them about Him bringing beauty to this area through His presence being made known.

In the afternoon we planted 57 trees! A couple years ago I found out about a Christian group called "Forever Gardens." They plant trees and gardens in inner city areas and villages in Africa that need food and nutrients. I really wanted to go but it wasn't part of God's plan for me at that time; so i was really excited to take part in this same vision during my time here in Tanzania.

Then we were invited to go to a mountain that Baba Choi had a vision about using for YWAM, or go home. I figured "when else am i going to go see a mountain in Tanzania...but when I'm here in Tanzania!" so i went with that group. I pictured driving to the top of a mountain for some reason, and walking around and praying for it. Instead, we hiked through the bush for an hour and up a mountain, and then all gathered on a big rock overlooking the whole bush area. Baba Choi has a vision to build a prayer house/retreat place for people to come away to the wilderness and be refreshed. It is the perfect place for it. It is so remote and peaceful. He sited some scripture where God called people away to the wilderness to pray, and he wants to follow this same model in providing a place for YWAMers and visiters to get away. I hope God calls me back to Tanzania to take part in using this facility!

Hiking through the bush is quite an experience. There are thorny bushes everywhere that grab you when you walk by, and then hook into your clothing or skin! It's a maze of low bushes and trees, and lots of dusty dirt that covers your feet, hair, and clothes. But it is amazing. It is a place like no where else I've been, and in every direction you look there is free, open land. We had a view of Mount Muru on one side and Mount Kilimanjaro on the other (it was covered by clouds, but that gives you an idea of what the view from the retreat center will look like).

So tomorrow I preach in a church that is about an hour away. I am so tired from our journey today, so pray that God will speak through me and do all the work, and that i can do as my mom says, "Go and have fun and let God do the ministry."

God bless you all,
Christina

Pizza Dinner, Cultural Lessons, and a Short Story

May 9, 2007

Dear Prayer team,

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm the, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. " Ephesians 6:10-20a

On Monday night I ate dinner at Mama and Baba Vikki's with a couple from California. They are an amazing family: their kids have gentle spirits and are very well behaved. Their youngest is named Baraka, which means Blessing in Swahili. Mama Vikki made us pizza! She said she only makes it once a year, but she knows how much American's like it so she wanted to treat us to it! She doesn't have an oven so she made it on the stove! And it was amazing. After dinner we talked to Baba Vikki about marriage customs, and the Eastern African countries uniting to form one country (this is the topic for next week's debate in class, one I think is very interesting).

Yesterday we started a section on buying things, using words like expensive, cheap, cost, and so on. I told the class that our room was now a market, and appointed four people to sell things. We had a person selling oranges, one selling avocados, one selling shoes, and one selling cows. Then the rest of the class went through the market and bargained prices in English. One person got a cow for $5! Tonight I have a special guest lined up who is visiting from the Kilimanjaro base. She is South African and teaches DTS. I'm very excited for this, as she's a very good teacher. I am also praying about having a special guest talk about HIV/AIDS. Please pray for this with me; I think it would a meaningful use of our time together. I am considering two different speakers, so pray that God would appoint the best one for this setting.

On Friday I am planning on showing "The Last Holiday" with Queen Latifah! I thought of Anna's Bible study when I picked it, and how much fun you all had watching it! I'd like to show my class a movie with an African American actress: I think it would be interesting for them to see how these cultures have come together in the states.

Yesterday's debate was "Is tea or coffee better?" I picked an easy one because they didn't have a chance to prepare for it ahead of time. Afterwards I gave a lesson on tea and coffee culture, and eating customs, in Western countries. My students had never heard of a drive through, so they thought that sounded very unusual. In Africa eating out is a sign of having money, so it wouldn't make sense to pay for food that you don't sit down and eat. I told them that my family eats out maybe twice a week, and someone said I must have a lot of money. Most people in Africa live off one to five dollars a day, so being able to eat in a restaurant twice a week sounds pretty luxurious. Since we were on the coffee subject I gave them the history of Starbucks, and no one had heard of it before. I found that a bit refreshing (: Also in Africa we don't have dessert with meals. You can buy sweets in town but it's not customary to serve them after dinner. Baba George says they make up for it with all the sugar in their tea! In order to explain table manners, I told them that Mother's in America are always telling their kids to "take your elbows off the dinner table," "don't slurp your drink, sip it," and "Cut your food into smaller pieces so you don't gulp it!" They thought that was pretty funny. I asked them if their mom's said that to them and they said yes! Some things are universal! But they don't get told to eat their vegetables because they don't have courses with their meals; it's usually all combined in a dish. And you wouldn't have to tell a Maasai to drink their milk because they love it so much!!

Today the concept of pets came up in our book. So I gave them a cultural lesson on pets! This was pretty halarious, as animals are purely food and livelihood in Africa. They couldn't believe that I let my dog sleep on my bed! I tod them that my dog at home is my mom's "fourth child" and they all started laughing. I said that people can pay $500-1,000 for a dog, and then they take them home and feed them, wash them, brush them, and give them cookies. In East Africa it's hard enough to feed yourself let alone a dog! I also told them that some people even put clothes on their dogs, and this was just over the top! One of my student's asked if dog's have savings accounts! Another asked if once someone became a Christian if they tried to change this about our culture. I'm not sure what he meant by this, but i'm pretty sure he thought there was something wrong with our Western behavior. Dogs here are like dogs in Mexico, so you can imagine how strange this concept would be to my students. The main shocker though was that dogs sleep on people's beds sometimes.

So, we are moving along nicely. The book is starting to get more interesting and my student's are starting to get more confident. I arranged for English speakers on the base to be paired with one of my student's so they can have a conversation together once a week. I think this will be really effective because it will be an informal setting and give them a break from just hearing my voice all the time!

It's been raining on and off this week so we haven't had power, internet, or water all the time. Right now we have all three though so I'm very happy! It's beautiful when it rains because all the plants look greener and the air is still hot.

And now for a short story:
My friend Becka, who is the other teacher for ELS, was living in Australia with YWAM with her husband Chris. Because of where the base was located, a car was very neccessary. She felt like God told her not to ask for a car but to let Him take care of this need. She was also aware that as a missionary they couldn't afford anything but gas to maintain a car. So she and her husband prayed and very shortly after someone gave them a car! The insurance and everything was covered, all they had to do was pay for gas. This was also during their first year of marriage, and they had gone straight into full time ministry on the mission field. She felt like they needed a vacation to spend time together, and once again prayed about it. Then, someone gave them a key their house that was right on the beach, saying they could use it for some time because they wouldn't be there. Don't you love it when God meets our needs in such tangible ways?

love to you all and God bless,
Christina

Special Guest Night

Hello prayer team!

This sunday I am preaching at another church in Arusha. I need to preach for 30 minutes (with a translator) so pray that God will give me a message!! Pray that I will have time to prepare, and that I will be divinely inspired. During the week I'm so focused on teaching and lesson plans that it's hard to change over to preparing for a sermon. So pray that I will be able to do this! Also, this church is bigger than other ones i've preached at so pray that i won't be nervous!

Last night we had our special guest, Chanel from the Kilimanjaro base, speak. Here's a story she shared:
Chanel worked in Haiti with YWAM some years ago. There is a lot of witchcraft in the form of Voodoo in this country: people wear goat heads on their heads and paint themselves in tar for ceremonies. There was a witchdoctor nearby who's wife got very sick. They called on all of the witchdoctors to try to heal her but no one was successful. As a last resort, they asked YWAM to come see her. Right before YWAM came, the man said don't bother, his wife had already died. A team of three people from YWAM decided to go anyway, and pray over her body. As they were praying for her, the woman was awakened from death. She sat up and was hungry and thirsty. Shortly after the witchdoctor saw the group again and asked them where the fourth man was? He was tall and dressed in white.

The witchdoctor and his wife came to the Lord through this experience.

Blessings to you all,
Christina

All Nations

May 6

Today i went to a church called All Nations, which was in town but held outside. At the beginning of the service all the little kids went up and did a song, complete with hand motions and dancing. next time i'll bring my camera so i can video it, it was priceless. then we went to lunch where i ordered a chicken burger but received a mystery meat. chicken has never looked or tasted like that before. hmm.

Yesterday i had my Sabbath. i have decided to make Saturday my day of rest: i am not allowed to do anything related to school, and i am only allowed to do what i want to. So i stayed on base all day and ate good bread and cheese, read, made my blog, wrote emails, talked to some people. it was very rejuvenating. People in Africa generally work everyday of the week, because they can't take a day off of attending to their animals and farms! But since YWAM is also a school we get real weekends.

the movie on friday was "The End of the Spear." it is a very powerful movie about Nate Saint and Jim Elliot, the missionaries in Ecuador who got speared to death by the tribe they were trying to reach. then their children and wives go and live with the tribe and win them to Christ. over half of it is in the tribal language though, so i don't know how affective it was in teaching English! but people had good responses to it in the questions i gave them to answer. i asked them "what is one thing you learned from this movie?" and here are some of their answers:

"The God's love. Agape love." Hyun Yi
"All things are able for Jesus." Visiter
"I'm learned is love to people." Johan
"Ministry of missionary is very difficult but God helps." Onesmus
"For God is very good." Franaeli
"The missionaries they gave life for ministries." Shadrack
"I learn that God has a powerful because most of them they got saved." Wilson
"I learned greece (grace) of God and love much." Mark

Thanks for the prayers and God bless,
Christina

"I'd Like To Go To Africa"

Earlier in my trip I read a book entitled "Foreign to Familiar" by Sarah A. Lanier. I read it in two days, so it is a quick read. It is written by a woman who is involved with YWAM and has done extensive studies on how different cultures relate with one another. She classifies them in two different categories: Warm and Cold climate cultures. Southern CA is a warm climate culture, though not as warm as Africa or Latin America! I wanted to recommend it to you at home as a quick and interesting study....because even within CA climate approaches differ. Africa is all inclusive, people are always in groups and with other people, and they are event oriented rather than time oriented. So you may be going somewhere but you always make time for a conversation or greeting someone. I have felt a lot less stress because of this! There was a poem about Africa that i came across in the book and I wanted to share it with you:

I'd Like To Go To Africa

Today
I thought
I would like
To go to Africa.

Yes, I will go to Kenya
And see if time
Has stood still
Where at least
The walk
Is on the ground
And all comes
To a sudden halt
At dusk
And sounds
Come from the voice
And travel a mile or two
And strength comes from
The family
Near to you.

Yes, Today
I thought
I'd like to go to Africa.

Sallie Lanier
May 5, 1995

Orphanage

Orphange

Yesterday I went to an Orphange about ten minutes away from the base. We weren't there long, but we got a tour of the grounds and got to spend time with the kids. It was amazing how the children just wanted to be touched and payed attention to. When we saw their rooms my first thought was "where's all their stuff?" It was a nice facility, but the kids didn't have any belongings except some shoes under the bed and an occasional toothbrush on a bed. Becka made a "mouse" out of my head wrap and made it jump on people. I think I was more entertained than the kids! it was so funny! The girl in this picture really touched my heart. She asked me what I want to do and I told her I want to be a pastor. She said, "Oh, like me!" She's eleven and is already called to be a pastor "Anywhere." I received my calling from the Lord around that age as well, so I was really blessed to see how God has worked in similar ways in our lives even in such different and far apart countries.

Entitlement

May 3, 2007

Yesterday during our class worship and intercession God showed me this passage:

2 Timothy 4:1-5
"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

I have a lot of pastors, evangelists, and people called to be teachers in my class so this was especially meaningful. and it was such an encouragment to me and my staff!

I also wanted to share with you what i am learning about entitlement. while living in Africa I have realized that i am not entilted to a hot shower, nor a shower with clean water, i am not entitled to a latte everyday from Starbucks or anyother high quality-or low quality-coffee shop. I am not entitled to a soft bed, or a bed at all. i am not entitled to personal space or private time, good books to read, teaching supplies, fresh salads, sweets, clean feet, good smells, or nutritionaly balanced meals. In short, i am not entitled to anything. Infact, i am blessed. and it is by the free gift of God's grace and hope in salvation through Him that I am given anything at all. It is a blessing that i was born in America, in Southern California none the less. it is a blessing that i went to preschool, elementary school, high shool, and a top university (go pepperdine), and now a very good seminary. it is a blessing that my country has high quality education and that my parents could afford it....and that it is the law to send children to school. it is a blessing that i have received amazing health care (go denise!), clean drinking water, and that i live in a country with sanatation laws. it is a blessing that i live in a house made of wood, bricks, carpet, tile, and other fine things. while congnitively i could have told you i am not entitled to any of this, living in Africa has made me KNOW that i am not entitled to any of these things. and i am grateful for that. i am grateful that every good thing comes from the Lord and that it is not of me...that i don't deserve these things and i haven't earned them.

it is also amazing to see how God provides for people who have nothing. when the warrior Maasai go out into the bush all they have to eat is their cows and all they have to drink is the cow's blood. in the villages they sleep on animal skin in houses made out of sticks and cow dung. they can live off the bare necessities. no one is entitled to a certain life style.

i have been encouraged by this! it liberates us from things, gives us full reliance on God, and gives us an outward mindset: that it's not all about us, it's about what God has done in our lives and how He can use these things to fufill the ministry He has given us. amen? amen.

take care,
Christina

David Jeremiah: God's Seminary

Thursday, May 3

God's Seminary

Ephesians 2:4-10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God is preparing you for the ministry that He is preparing for you. He's working at both ends of the process—in your life to prepare you for a unique role of service, and He's preparing beforehand the work He'll give you in His timing. So wherever you are right now is God's classroom for future service.

Joseph's prison term prepared him to be God's man on Egypt's throne. Moses' years in Pharaoh's court equipped him for his tasks as leader of Israel. For years Joshua served as Moses' aide, and Elisha did the same for Elijah; God was preparing them both as successors. Paul's years in Arabia were readying him for years of missionary service. Even Jesus experienced an extended period of preparation in the carpenter's shop of Nazareth.
Whatever you are right now, God is giving you experiences that are training you for future service. It may be over a long period of time or only a few minutes, but He equips us with what we need to serve Him.

Think of your circumstances today as God's Seminary.

"All there is of God is available to the man who is available to all there is of God."

Major Ian Thomas

Read-Thru-the-Bible1 Chronicles 29:1 - 2 Chronicles 3:17

Maasai Seminar: Hosea Chapter 2

April 29, 2007

hello prayer team and friends!

it has been another eventful weekend here in Arusha, and i am so thankful to God for it! earlier this week Mark told me he was preaching at a seminar for Maasai's nearby, and asked if i wanted to preach. i told him i would come to hear him preach, but i didn't think i had anything to say. he replied, "but you're a missionary in Africa!" and i thought, "oh yeah, that's why i'm here isn't it!" so this saturday me, mark, one of student's Solomon, and two of our friends went to preach at the seminar! we walked there and it was about a half hour away. the church was above a big coffee plantation (which i was especially pleased about :). it was a small room with about five rows of benches and a pulpit in front. the church was founded two months ago and the pastor said there are about ten faithful members as of now. for some reason the term "Maasai seminar" invoked an image of a big room and lots of Maasai in their traditional dress, long and lively worship, and lots of speakers. instead, it was a very humble church, and we were blessed to help in laying it's foundation. we had two people come from the village, the pastor, another preacher, and our whole team. we prayed for the consecration of the buidling and for God to protect His church. we sang worship songs as loud as we could to let satan know that God's ambassadors had arrived and we were claiming this church as HIS. then we each preached. i had figured i would preach on Daniel chapter 9 again, because if God gives even one message why not keep sharing it around? but when i was sitting on the bench i decided to teach on Hosea, on a passage that God had shown me earlier in my trip and spoke very intimately to me. so here's roughly what i said (in more eloquent English :):

In Hosea chapter 2 God personifies Israel as a woman. He says that she has been unfaithful to Him. She has looked to other lovers for provision and for her water, food and shelter. But really all along it was God providing these things for her. Because of this, God takes everything away from her. Then, in this state, he can "allure her to the wilderness" and "speak tenderly to her." He has to take it all away in order to draw her back to Him: to show her that He is the one watching over her. Then he takes the names of her gods away from her mouth, so that she doesn't even remember them, and replaces them with His name. He becomes her husband. So i told the church that i had come to tell them that God heals your past. And he does it in such an intimate way that He even removes the memories. You won't even remember the names of your other gods, because God's name will be upon your lips. i told them that whatever lies in their past is forgiven and God wants to heal it. That he is allowing us to leave it behind and move forward into the present and future with Him.

after i preached our friend Anne, from Kenya, spoke. she had planned on saying something, but while i was preaching God told her to teach on a passage in Matthew. it was the passage about the crippled man at the gate Beautiful outside of the temple. she said what i had shared spoke to her, and she wanted to expand on it. she asked us "what is hindering you from moving forward?" this crippled man was sitting right outside the sanctuary, but he was prevented from getting up and going in. what is preventing us from going in? she said the past is like something tied to our ankles, not allowing us to walk. then we went into a time of prayer, asking God to remove things from our past and to bring healing. she shared my Mom's life verse in Phillipians "forgetting what lies behind and pressing on towards the upward call of Christ Jesus."

i have to go to a coffee date but i wanted to share this wonderful day with you all. God bless,
Christina

Safari and Preaching

April 23, 2007

This past weekend was full of so many wonderful things! Friday night I played "The Gods Must Be Crazy" for our English Movie Night, and we were all laughing so hard! Before playing it, i asked some of the Africans on our base if they had seen it before, and everyone had and thought it was halarious and wanted to come too! so we had the english class, some people from the base, and a group of the little kids all watching it. it was a lot of fun! everyone thought the part with the car was the funniest. i think that kind of humor translates without having to understand english. So, you all should go rent this movie and think of me in Africa (:

The following morning my friend Damarius (who is visiting from the Der Es Salaam base, and is from Germany), Claude (one of my students who is from New Caladonia), and Mark (who says to tell you all that "a massai called mark says hello"), all went on safari!! we woke up at 5am and had breakfast together, then left the base at 6, and took a bus to Ngorongoro which is about three hours away. Mark is from that area so he arranged for his friends to drive our safari car, which made it really nice. The crater is absolutely gorgeous, it reminded me of a garden of Eden on earth. It is enclosed by mountains, with a lake in the middle, and grass with purple and yellow flowers. We saw elephants, flamingos, hipopotimus, three lions, six lionesses, an eagle, wharthogs, zebra, a cheetah eating a gazel, bulls, and probably more that i can't think of right now. it was amazing to see the animals in their natural environment, they looked so peaceful and at home. it gave me a whole new view of the zoo! the only animal they didn't have there were giraffes, because they don't have the trees they eat. i was so disappointed! on the way home we were all so tired, because we had been so excited and seen so much, then finding a taxi home took forever. so i was praying for everyone in the car, that God would encourage us and build us up. I was praying for each of our callings, because each person in our group had been so called by God and were so precious to Him. Then we saw a rainbow that was gorgeous! we all felt encouraged by that, then got quiet and tired again. so i started praying a little again, and Damarius yells "Stop the car! There are GIRAFFES!!!" so the driver stopped the car and we all piled out. we got so much closer to them than we would have on the safari! the giraffes were drinking water off the street, and eating the tress. and there wasn't just one of them, there were at least 10! they were gorgeous! they are so graceful when they run! so we were all so encouraged and thanked Jesus that he sent me giraffes!

On sunday morning I preached at the local church. it was so much fun! i love preaching! i preached on Daniel Chapter 9, and related it to praying for Africa. then i opened it up to prayer time for Africa....and everyone started praying at once, people were crying, and the voices would get really loud at parts. then the pastor got up and said that that was a message from God, and who felt touched by it? and people raised their hands. then he started a worship song "Asante Yesu" which means "Thank you Jesus" and told people to come up if they had burdens and needed prayer. About seven women came up and he asked me to pray for them. So i went down the line and laid hands on each of them and prayed for them. it was so great! afterwards the pastor told me it was short but very good (african churches can go on for 4 hours!) and asked if i would like to preach again while i am here! so pray for that...if God wants me to that He would give me another message.

Class is off to a good start this week. pray that my students will stay motivated, and that i will stay organized! this is our third week so people are starting to feel comfortable, and not as punctual (; pray that my energy level would stay high and that my teaching would be effective. there are several students who i am having a hard connecting with...they aren't picking up english and don't seem as interested in learning. pray that God would take away any and all barriors preventing people from learning. that nothing would stand in the way of each student learning and understanding.

Thank you for your prayers! and God bless!

Christina

Finish of the 3rd Week

April 20, 2007

hello everyone!

i hope this email finds you all well (: things are going well here in Arusha, we just finished our third week of class! phew! so the course is moving along nicely. i listed all the things we learned in class this week to my students today, and there was a lot of stuff! some days i feel worried that we aren't moving fast enough, but today i realized that we have covered a lot of ground. next friday is their first test, so pray for me as i prepare it this weekend. pray also for my students this next week as they prepare for it...that everyone would cement their knowledge so we can move on! we have to lay a good foundation in grammar before we can do more interesting conversations....and i'm ready to get them talking more!

the students have to speak only english on the base from 7am-7pm and while some of them are really trying to do this, some of them aren't interested in trying. pray that any barriors preventing people from learning would be removed.

tonight is our movie night! i am playing The Prince of Egypt. I'm trying to start with easy movies and move onto ones that are a little more complex. i think this should be good since everyone is familiar with the story of Moses.

i'm feeling a lot more confident as a teacher! I am so excited that God is developing a new skill in me! i'm also feeling a lot more confident in preaching. A lot of mornings i share a verse, pray for the class, or give them a "pep talk", so i am feeling more comfortable and confident in using those gifts.

I am feeling tired though, and would really like to take a hot shower instead of a freezing cold one! pray that God would sustain my energy, give me amazing amounts of PATIENCE everyday, and affirm me in what I am doing. also pray for Becka, the other teacher, because she's doing the same things i am just in another class!

Blessings to you all and thank you for the prayers.
In Him,
Christina

Teaching

April 16, 2007

hello everyone,

Class has been going really well the last couple of days. it's exciting when the students really understand something and start having fun. we've finally settled down into a structure for the class: my class is mostly the beginning english student's and Becka took the class with more intermediate speakers. we made a level three course for four students who need to be challenged more, and they will have extra assignments. we have a lot of helpers for the school, so that really helps me. i can oversee and help organize things, and then let other people carry out the plan. last night we had our "Special Guest" night. we invited two visiting DTS student to come talk to the class. this gives the students a more fun environment to listen and speak in english. the speakers talked about themselves and then then students asked questions. it was so fun! everyone was laughing a lot and we had tea and cookies. starting this week the students are only allowed to speak English! they get punished if they are heard speaking in Swahili, French, or Korean! and for the most part they are really keeping to it. the only exception is during prayer time (:

So continue to pray for me as i teach. teaching is one of the most challenging things i've done: there's so much responsibility that comes with it, and i really want my students to learn and enjoy it. i started slowing down the class today, and they enjoyed that more so i think i will continue at this pace. pray that i will be a clear and creative teacher! and pray that my preparation time would be effective.

on saturday i am going on a safari at the crater! so that should be exciting! i also really want to go with Mark to his home in the bush, so pray that God would allow that to work out if it is part of His plan for me while here.

So life continues in Arusha, Tanzania! it feels like this is just how life has always been (except that i've been spoiled with wonderful food at home and am now stuck eating ugali here!). Continue to pray also for my preaching on sunday: that God will speak through me, and that i would have enough to say for a whole half hour.

Thank you and God bless! I love hearing from you all...thanks for the emails (: It is always a joy to find mail in my inbox

Christina

Future Preaching PLans!

April 12, 2007

hello all!

things are settling down here, but we could still use prayer for the class structure! we are trying a couple different things, and trying to figure out what is the most effective.

also, i'm preaching at church on sunday! so i could use prayer in preparing and delivering the message. it is the administrative director's church, and there are about 20 people who attend the service. it's walking distance from the base in a one room building. i really liked it there, and the pastor asked if anyone wanted to preach, and i did!

that's all for now,
God bless,
Christina

Daniel Chapter 9

April 11, 2007

hello prayer team and friends,

the past couple days i have been really experiencing life in a third world country. we didn't have power for two days, we still don't have running water, and we have had heavy rain on and off...making things muddy, and well, wet. but life has managed to continue inspite of it, though i am badly in need of a shower! last night my english class had our movie night, in which we watched The Lion King! I didn't realize how many Swahili words were in it, but they were all laughing during the song "Hakuna Matata!" The Masai in my class were laughing at Rafaki and the lions, which made me laugh too (they're used to killing lions, not watching them fall in love and save Africa from famines!). We had to watch it using a generator, which took about an hour and ten people to figure out and set up. So while we were waiting we sang African worship songs in the dark. It's beautiful how they can make an entire worship session out of clapping, pounding and knocking on tables, and singing. There is no need for instruments in Africa! Several days this week I came into class and all my students were already there, worshiping and praying together. That blesses my heart beyond words! Africans pray all at once, so I would walk into a room full of voices earnestly seeking God. Absolutely beautiful.

During study hall a lot of my students have been going ahead in their work books, and one of them told me that she doesn't want to miss ANY activities. They are very commited to learning English! So pray that I will live up to the task of teaching it to them. Everyday this week I felt relieved at the end of class, like God had faithfully led the class for that day: one day at a time, and through God's power. And it has to be God's power because I have never done this before! i feel terribly ill-equiped but I know God is still using me, which is very humbling.

Today is saturday, so i went to town with some friends on base and two of my students. i had my first coffee since being here (and i do love my coffee), to lunch, and some errands. Every trip to town is an all day event, with lots of people trying to get you to buy things on the street, lots of barganing, lots and lots of people and cars driving like crazy, and lots of stops because you have to go to a different store for just about everything! i'm finally getting used to it, where i can go to town and not feel completely exhausted afterwards. and i'm getting better at barganing! watch out america, i'm going to bring all the prices down!

I really can't even tell you how amazing my students are, they are teaching me so much. Visiter was one of the students who came to town with me today; she is a social worker for a church/school that is funded by compassion international. She knows some english, and is so eager to learn more. if you feel called to pray for my students by name, pray for her. i think God is raising her up to do great things. Pray also for Mark, because he is called to evangelise to all the Masai villages in his region. This is a big task, and one he is fully capable of fulfilling. He has malaria right now, so pray for quick healing (it takes about a week to get over....it's interesting because people get it all the time, you just have to catch it in time.)

i'm also realizing that teaching english here involves a lot of discipleship: spending time with the younger girls, reading one-on-one with people, eating meals together, encouraging them and getting them excited. pray that God would continue to give me opportunities to disciple my students, and that he would continue to give me the energy to do it!

Earlier this week God showed my Daniel chapter nine, and I realized how much it applies to all of you in your prayer ministry. In it, Daniel is reading the books and realizes that there will be 70 more years of desolation in Israel. 70 years! Another lifetime of war and harship. Daniel is so saddened by this that he fasts, puts on sackcloth and ashes, and prays to God. His prayer goes from verse 4 all the way to verse 19. He earnestly asks God to forgive Israel for her sins and to show her people mercy. I love Daniel's humility in this passage as well, because he confesses Israel's sins as well as his own, putting himself at fault just as much as his nation even though we have seen what a godly life he has lead. While he is praying, the angel Gabriel comes to him and tells him that at the beginning of his prayer a word went out and God sent an answer. Even though Daniel's prayer was extensive, God heard him at the beginning. God sent Gabriel to give him insight and understanding into what was going on. Gabriel tells him it is because he is "greatly loved." God didn't send Gabriel to take the situation away, He sent him to help Daniel understand His sovereignty. I thought this could encourage you all because of God's receptivness and reponsivness to prayer. That Daniel didn't even have to pray for 15 verses, God heard him in the beginning. God's responsiveness isn't always in the form of radical change, or retracting his plan, but instead, may be in giving us understanding and insight into His sovereignty. This was also encouraging to me, because Daniel was one man representing an entire nation, and God heard and responded. We spend time each week praying for peace in Africa, and praying that God will raise up godly leaders for this nation. Even though we are few, God still hears our plea on behalf of an entire nation. So know that God is sovereign, and both receptive and responsive, because YOU are greatly loved by your creator.

Thank you for your prayers and God bless,
Christina

Claude and Mark's Stories

April 10, 2007

hello prayer team and friends!

i love teaching! it's so much fun and i am so blessed by my students! today they took an assessment exam and then i met with them one-on-one to assess their verbal english abilities. it was so great to meet with them individually because i got to ask them more questions about themselves. a lot of them have families at home, and some of the men totally lite up when i asked about their children. i asked them what their kids' names are and how old they are, and then i would get excited about their answers which made them just beam. it was a lot of fun. afterwards, two of the helpers and i took them down the road and treated them to sodas...which is a big treat here, everyone loves fanta and coke. each one of them thanked me, saying "thank you teacher, God bless you." they show teachers a lot of respect and respond well to kindess.

i have two student's stories that i want to share with you all:

Claude is from an island off of Australia where he is part of a tribe. He did his DTS (discipleship training with YWAM) in France. While he was there God gave him a dream, where he saw a group of people dancing and worshiping God from a different culture. They had on clothes that were different to him, and the Holy Spirit was there with them. Then God put it on His heart to come learn English in Africa. The first day the students were here we attended worship in the prayer hall, and he looked around and realized this was the fulfillment of his dream. He is one of my most enthusiastic students.

Mark is a Maasai. Last night he told me about the lions he has killed (so that makes two lion killing students!) He showed me pictures of him in his Maasai clothes, with his family, and how after killing lions they wear the manes on their heads. that was a side note (: Today he shared his testimony with me because i asked him how he became a Christian (his english is very good, but he has a very strong Maasai accent.) His story is as follows......

A missionary came to his village/tribe and was preaching everynight. After one of the services Mark went home to go to bed, and while sleeping God gave him a vision. He heard knocking and God call him by his Maasai name, three times. When he looked there was a bright light and a big man dressed in robes and light. The next day he went to the missionaries and received Christ as his Lord and savior! He went home and told his mom that he became a Christian and was going to cut his hair. The Maasai's hair is a sign of being warriors, and it would go against their culture and beliefs to cut it. But Mark was putting away the witchcraft that the Maasai follow and embracing Christianity. His mother told him he had to leave, that his father would kill him if he did this. So Mark went and lived in the bush for a month. Another group of missionaries came to a nearby village and told Mark about YWAM. One of the men was from Kenya, and he payed for Mark to come to DTS here in Arusha! Since then, Mark has been reconciled with his family but he is still the only Christian. He is now a preacher/evangelist and out of his whole region he has 30 people in his congregation. Pray for Mark and his ministry! He wants to learn English so God can teach through him.

The Maasai have many beliefs and rituals that go against Christianity and basic Western beliefs. They are one of the hardest groups of people to reach because of this. One of their beliefs that isn't as heavy to share, is that the women don't believe in pregnancy because they can't see the baby! so if you were to tell a Maasai woman that you are pregnant, they wouldn't believe you, because you don't have a baby with you!

I'm sure i'll have many more interesting stories about my students to come. Thank you for your emails, it is such an encouragment and joy to hear from you at home. and thank you for your prayers.

God bless,
Christina

First Day of School

April 9, 2007

hello prayer team!

my students have arrived! i am so blessed by who God has brought here to learn English. We have people from Arusha, several from Kilimanjaro, three Masai, and many more. There are 25 total. I believe four of them are pastors. Yesterday we had base orientation and today we had class orientation. Some of the guys came dressed in coats and ties for their first day of school. When I was leading the class I was looking out on all these bright faces! They are so excited to learn English! One guy told me I should discipline them with work duty if they don't speak English around the base! Another woman asked me to help her read a book in ministering to street children. So I think they really do want to learn. Most of them speak a little English, but pray that they will understand and that it will come easily to them.

Tomorrow I will proctor an assessment exam to find out their level of English. This will involve a written test that I was given and a 2-3 minute one-on-one conversation. I'm excited to spend time with each of them individually!

Things are going well on the base. Two of my friends here, who were doing the Bible school, are leaving tomorrow. Even though i've only known them a week I feel like i've known them forever, so I'm sad to see them go. The girls are throwing them a surprise going away party tonight...which involves fruit, candy, and soda from town.

I am living with a woman from Korea and she made me Korean food for dinner! It's so fun experiencing new cultures while being in Africa! God's not limiting my cultural experiences to the country i'm in, but expanding it through the many countries represented here on base.

It's also amazing to meet people who have been working on the mission field for years: people who are called and have dedicated such a major portion of their lives to serving others. I have so much respect for them. Knowing I am only here for three months makes everything a lot easier to adjust to and work within, but being in another country indefinitely really is a big sacrifice.

Another interesting wedding detail: after weddings the cars drive through town in a really slow procession. The lead car is an open jeep with guys standing up in the back playing horn instruments!! It's a wedding parade! Do you think we could get away with that in Point Loma for Ashley's wedding? Maybe some dancing down the aisle too?

Please also pray for my students who are away from their families for this course. Many are making a lot of sacrifices to be here....personal and financial. Pray that this will expand their ministries, give them more opportunities, and bring glory to God.

A final tid bit: One of my students, Solomoni, is a Maasai and my friend Hannah asked him what he does at home. He told her that he and his friends kill lions! Then they keep their tails to dance with. He is such a gentle and respectful man....but he kills lions!

Thank you for your prayers, and I hope this finds you all well,
God bless,
Christina

Tanzania Wedding

April 7, 2007

Hello everyone,

It has been a busy weekend here in Arusha, starting with the YWAM Bible school's graduation then followed by a wedding and Easter Sunday. The graduation was full of singing and dancing and was here on base. The wedding was the most interesting because it was so different from our weddings at home! First of all, everyone is invited. I don't even know Collins (the groom), but I was still invited because it is a celebration that the whole community gets in on. Second, it is extremely laid back. I think it's safe to say that they don't have any rehearsals, and definitely don't have a wedding coordinator. Someone asked Collins what time the wedding was and he said, "I don't know, I think 12 or 1, i'm getting there sometime after 12." Gammy, are you dieing? But everyone showed up, and it seemed to start on time. The ceremony begins with lots of music and dancing and the pastors saying some things and praying. Then they call in Collins, and he walks down with the best man and an aisle full of people dancing and singing behind him, trailing out the door. Collins has to do this REALLY slow dance all the way down the aisle (I kid you not, it took about 10 minutes). Then they call in the bride and she walks down with her dad, followed by the aisle full of dancing people, dancing really slow. Then she stops half way, and Collins has to come get her!! Doing the slow dance!!!!! Her father gives her away and they walk up together and sit on a bench facing the pulpit, where the pastor preaches to them. But it's all directed to Collins! About how to be a good husband and have a good marriage (stuff that should really have been covered in premaritial counseling!). At one point he said, "And your marriage is not about having kids. Even if she can' t give you children, you are still married. Even if she can't give you a male child you are still married." They take their vows, but there are all these people standing around up front, kind of in their face! Including the pastors who are saying the vows into the microphone really loud and in their face. They get to kiss but it was really awkward and uncomfortable for them. They are both shy (so this is not the best country for them to get married in!) but also Tanzanians don't show any affection in public, so it was probably weird for them to kiss in front of everyone. It's taken me a long time to figure out who's married because the couples don't even really talk to each other in public. But all in all, it was a huge, joyful celebaration. Then we came back to the base to have the reception. Chairs were set up in the main hall and the couple had a table in front. People brought them their gifts, the bride's family gave them four goats which they brought down the aisle of the hall to the couple! And YWAM came dancing down the aisle to give our gifts as well. Lots of dancing and singing! Then we all ate outside.

So that was quite the event.

Today I went to church and there was more singing and dancing! It was three hours long and it was an Easter talk but they didn't have any special ceremonies related to the holiday. They were really big on tithing at this church which was interesting to me since it's such a poor city.

So now you know all about Tanzanian weddings! Some of the students have arrived for the English school, and the rest come in tomorrow. We will be doing registration and orientation tomorrow and then class orientation on tuesday. So please pray for the students and the staff as we start our journey together!

Thank you for the prayers and God bless,
Christina

Africa Tid Bits

April 7, 2007

Habari prayer team!

i have now had three full nights of sleep and i am feeling much better, so thank you for your prayers in these areas. Mama Joshua, one of my helpers, and i got all the school supplies in town yesterday and the rooms are being prepared for the boarders. Pray that things work out with my classroom, because i can't use it until three days into the class. So pray for our temporary location when the class begins. Continue to pray for my prepartion and teaching!
And here are some interesting Africa tid bits:

------the bus system is called the Daallaa Daallaa. It looks like an old VW van and they literally squeeze over 20 people into it. Yesterday i counted 24 adults in my bus! People are sitting, standing, and there is a guy hanging out the window (and sometimes the door) trying to get people to take the bus. Even when we are completely packed he still trys to convince people to jump on! The gas prices are so high, especially in comparison to their economy, so that may have something to do with it.

------Collins, an African missionary on the base, is getting married today (and we are all invited!). For wedding gifts, people buy him whatever they want, and it is more about what they want to give than what the person actually needs. There is no organization to it, so Collins has gotten three big beds already, complete with mattresses and head boards! Both sides of the families decided to get him one. In the same way, he may get two full sets of forks but no knives, and all different prints of plates. His apartment is already full with stuff....half of it stuff he doesn't need!

------The Masai school is on holiday for a month so the school is closed. But the Masai don't have a concept of time so the teachers have to come back once a week so the kids don't think the school has shut down completely. To them everyday is the same, so even when they are on holiday they go to school and are confused when no one is there! When it happens day after day, for the extent of a month, they think they are done! They can play! It is ineffective to try to communicate this concept to the parents as well, because they don't have a calendar or keep track of months either. Sounds kind of nice doesn't it?

-------It is not uncommon to see men holding hands with men, or walking with their arms around each other. There is a much stronger sense of family and community here.

-------Yesterday I ate lunch in town and one of the women ordered fried fish. It was an entire fish, head, eyes, tail, dipped in batter. Not all that appetizing to us Westerners.

------All the women's clothes are made out of colorful fabric: skirts, shirts, head wraps, shawls, dresses. The women use matching fabric to carry their babies on their backs. They tie it in front and the fabric securely holds the child in the back. The little kid's legs stick out the sides which is really cute. The babies look really content when they are traveling like this. Maybe I can talk Ashley into carrying her baby in African fabrics (;

Tonight is the Bible School's graduation and tomorrow is the graduation, so I will tell you about those ceremonies shortly.
Thank for you for the prayers and God bless,
Christina

First visit to a Maasai Village

April 6, 2007

hello everyone!

the days have gone by so fast so far! yesterday i went into the town of Arusha with an African couple from the base, their one year old Joshua, and a German DTS student. It was much more crowded than i had pictured, people everywhere, cars all over the place, people selling things on the street. a YWAM couple is getting married this weekend so we had outfits made for it. there are fabric shops everywhere and women sitting outside on the sidewalk with their sewing machines taking measurements and making the clothes. i'm having a skirt and top made out of black fabric with big bright green flowers on it. i like the idea of having clothes made to fit you exactly! too bad it's not this easy at home!

this morning i had breakfast with Baba Choi, the founder of the Arusha YWAM base. He is Korean and is here with his family. He had me and four other new people over to his house. we had mangos, pineapple, pears, tangerines, oranges, bananas, toast with honey, tea, avocados, pumpkin...all fresh and without chemicals!! some of the fruits are called the same as ours but look and taste really different. for instance the oranges and tangerines are green on the outside. everyone is very welcoming and it feels like a real family community on the base.

after that I accompanied John and Baba Choi to the Maasai land where YWAM has a preschool. The Maasai are a Tanzanian tribe that you can recognize by their bright red and purple plaid fabrics. they walk with walking sticks and herd cattle and goats. they live off of their animals so they move to wherever there is food for them. they build houses called bomas to live in that are round with sticks for roofs. i got to go inside one and i wanted to live in it! half the hut is their bed, so that gives you an idea of how small they are. the bed frame is made out of sticks and then they normally cover it with animal skin to sleep on. the women build the huts, the men are used to sleeping on the ground when they are out with the animals at night.

the maasai land is expansive and flat with flat African trees, bushes on the ground, herds of goats and cows, and Masaai wandering around but very spaced out. you can easily spot a Maasai in the distance because of their bright colors. there is a main road going through the land with obscure dirt paths leading off of it. we would be driving along and then John would suddenly turn off onto a rocky dirt path and drive on it for a while and then we would be in a maasai village, or where one of our schools is. i was very impressed that he knew the land so well.

on our way back we gave a man a lift who has seventeen children! he was very proud of that fact, which i imagine he should be. (i have since discovered that is a small family in comparsion. My friend Mark's dad has 70 children and quite a few wives. They have big families to get help with the cattle....since the cattle represents their entire economy).

it's easy to make friends here because of the YWAM community. there are students and volunteers around my age from all different countries. we worship together twice a week and will go to church off the base together on sundays. a lot of people speak english but there's still a big communication gap with Swahili some of the time. i found out that i am the MAIN english teacher for ESL. that was surprising. and that it is MY school, in the words of John, the director. i decide when the classes meet and what we do. considering that i have never taught english before, or anything in a classroom setting for that matter, i could definitley use prayer for this! i know i can do it, and that i will grow and be challenged and it will strengthen my faith, but the prospect is a little fightening. as of now i know two Swahili words. so many interesting emails to come!

thank you again for your prayers. i'm trying to stay awake all day today so i can sleep tonight! last night i heard wild dogs barking...it sounded like they were eating an elephant they were so loud and mean sounding. then this morning i found out they are Baba Choi's two german shepherds that he brought all the way from Korea. so some things aren't as exotic and dangerous as i might let my mind think!

So continued prayer for the time change, and prayer for preparing my English school!

God bless,
Christina

April 3, 2007

hello prayer team!

i arrived succesfully to tanzania late last night and am now here on the ywam base in arusha. it is beautiful and the people are so nice! they sang me an africa rendition of jesus loves you to greet me at their worship time this morning. please pray for me as i adjust to the time change! i am so tired but haven't been able to sleep well at night.

God bless,
Christina


hello mom and dad,

i made it to arusha! i got in after 12 last night. my flight from nairobi was late coming into kilimanjaro so they left our bags there. when we got to arusha they said, oh you're bags will come in some time tomorrow. i think that is very african because they were so laid back about it, and so slow in taking down our information! and people on the base say that too, oh we'll get to you later. it's really funny. SO, james said they have my bags and are going to try to bring them to town in arusha. i met a girl in the airport who is now in arusha as well, she's from washington state, and she lent me $50 for my visa because i didn't know it was cash only. so that was amazing. three of the ywam guys picked me up at the airport, they had a sign for me and were really nice. then we drove about an hour to arusha. it was on a bumpy road with lush green on either side...and then scattered houses and kioskes. at one point a cow meandered onto the road, and the driver acted like it was no big deal, just swirved for it. the ywam base is off the main road, then winding around in the jungly kinda stuff, and then through a gate. it's a whole little village...two big dormintories, a dining hall, prayer and worship building, classrooms, a small lawn in the middle. it's really beautiful. i haven't explored all of it yet. i share a room with a woman from korea who is on staff, who i haven't met yet. in the morning they ring the bell for "tea" which consists of white bread, a big pot of margarine, and milk tea. the tea was good. there is a DTS group here, and a girl from Nigeria took me on as her friend. there are people from around Africa, candada, england, a couple from california, washington, france, amsterdam. i think i am going to be eating a lot of rice and beans while here, which i like. it rained last night but it's not cold. not hot either. my room has a tin roof so the rain was loud! the ground isn't muddy either, i think cause it rains a little on and off. i'm going to meet with the director today, i think to plan out what i'm doing. so that will be good. and i think i have stuff to prepare for my class. so. i'm in africa! i'm really tired and going to take a nap, but i'm here safe and i really like it so far. we had worship this morning, and it was beautiful. there was a one year old running around and screaming the whole time. he was adorable and loud. last night one of the guys told me, "this is home and i hope it feels like home." and today john told me "this is your family." there's a bible school that sara, the girl from Nigeria is in, and it sounds really intense, in a good way. ok, i'll write more later and see if i can get a phone card. love you both and hope you are well

love
toe

March 31, 2007

ello Mom and Dad,

i just had a real english breakfast, with a whole pot of tea, which should help with staying awake. i slept from 7:30pm to 12 am, took half a sleeping pill and slept until a little after 8 this morning. i'd say i'm doing impressively well with the time change (; as soon as i get the guts up i'm going out in the cold to see windsor castle! it's so cold!! my b&b is oh so english, it has a little garden in the back (which i will inspect later), very small and narrow rooms, and is tall. it's very charming. i'll talk to you later

love
toe