our papaya.

Our new puppy, as of August, is now five months old.  Time flies.

Here is my sister, Char, with our puppy, Maya.  (Who we often call Papaya.  She comes to either one!  Teehee.)  Both are super cute.  :)

the Sudan story. (the very long version!)

I went to the interview conference with the idea in my head, placed there by God, of Africa.  It seems that God has always called my heart toward Africa, even when I cannot explain it and do not know it.  “Africa has my heart” is what I tell people.  And God made my heart.

I also went planning to make this decision, that of choosing three jobs by the end of the conference, on my own.  Just me and God.  I am easily influenced by people and have been trying hard to fight against the need to know how others feel about something.  I decided.  No phone calls or texts or emails to anyone about the choice I was making or about the jobs available.  (Thanks, though, to those who texted or called me just to encourage me and let me know you were praying.  You made my day, my week!)

I arrived a day early with 6 other people who all live pretty far from the IMB base.  It was really fun getting to know them pretty well (I mean, for 5 days!) and just hanging out with them before the conference actually started. 

When we arrived on campus, they handed us a binder of information.  So much information.  Overwhelmingly exciting.  Excitingly overwhelming.  (If that makes sense.)  I flipped to the back flap by accident and saw three job suggestions.  Three little notes saying, “Come see me first at the ministry fair, I think you’d be good for these jobs.”  I couldn’t look at them very long…too exciting.  But I noticed the countries the areas they were in: South Asia, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Next day consisted of two hours at the gym, playing everything from tennis to basketball to Frisbee and hula-hoop, with my new friends as we waited for the rest of the candidates to arrive.

At the session that night, they talked about how the decision we were making was not a right or wrong decision, but rather a right or left one.  They said over and over how they would rejoice no matter what God called us to, no matter what His will for us at this time.  Go back home.  Go to grad school.  Go to another state. Or go overseas.

They also talked about being open to ANYWHERE God would lead, even if you have a picture in your head of somewhere.

I took their words to heart.  When I finally received the job packet of over 100 jobs, I immediately crossed off the jobs for couples only and for males only.

After going through the packet at least three times with my new friends late into the night, I had checked off twenty possible jobs.  When I read a little job blurb and something jumped out at me that sounded interesting or like me, I checked it off.  And the jobs were all over the place, although there were many in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Next morning after worship, we met in small group.  Four other girls, our leader, and me!  It was great.  We shared basic information, our testimonies, and our responses to the question “why are you here?” 
Then, it was ministry fair time for my group.  Straightaway, I went to the Sub-Saharan Africa table to talk to the deployment consultant there.  I asked him about the Tanzania and Kenya jobs, but instead of responding, he asked me about my major.  “Oh, biology,” I responded in a voice that was the opposite of enthusiastic.  

“Have you considered the Sudan job?” he asked back.

I had.  It was one of the ones I checked off!  I told him so.

The Sudan job is out in a village.  Half of the job is HIV/AIDS Education (and helping with some discipleship and church planting) and the other half is home-schooling two missionary kids of a family already in Sudan. 

I explained that I hesitated when thinking about that job, because I am not a certified teacher.  Then, he introduced me to a career missionary who had just finished home-schooling her daughter for the first time.  She explained to me how easy it was to learn how to home-school; we talked for 30 minutes.  Then, we walked through the full job description together, including climate, clothing, Christian influence in the area, the language I would be learning, etc.  It sounded very me and very cool and very…right. 

So I put Sudan on my mental job list.

Later, I went back and asked him about the Tanzania and Kenya jobs.  They were essentially the same job, working with university students.  Sounded good.

So I put the Tanzania job, the only job in Tanzania, on my mental job list.

That night after a really great underground church experience with my small group, two girls and I stayed behind to look at the job books and atlases.  I looked at this huge map of the world on the wall with Rachel from my small group.  She was trying to find Macedonia.  We could not find it.  We kept thinking Greece and “isn’t it in the Bible?” but could not see it anywhere. (Turns out it was labeled F.Y.R.O.M., Federal Yugoslavic Republic of Macedonia.  Someone kindly informed us of that the next day!)

I then went to the restroom.  Yes, this is relevant.  There, I prayed, “God, if You want me to go to Sudan or Tanzania, You are going to have to call someone else too.”  You see, both of these jobs are partner jobs, meaning that they will only send two females, not just one.

I walked out of the restroom, and Rachel asks, “Do you know anything about this job?  It just keeps coming up.”  She was pointing to the Sudan job.  YES.  We started freaking out after I told her what I had just prayed.  God is so cool.  No, He is way beyond cool.

The next morning I was looking through the Sub-Saharan job book that contained all of the jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa and kept thinking, “I can’t do that one.  I can’t do this.  I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.”  Then, there was a job that looked cool.  But I still felt uncomfortable with part of the job.  I went to talk to the husband career missionary of the home-schooling mom.  He assured me that I would receive adequate training in all evangelism areas.  Ok…cool.  “Are there any other jobs you are looking at?” 

                  

“There’s one,” I told him, “But it says it would be great if you know how to cook from scratch.”  That’s right.  Real scratch.  I told him I don’t even know how to cook!  He again told me, “No problem.  They will teach you that too.  Plus, it is a great way to spend time learning the language and getting to know the women!  Just by spending the day with them as they cook!”  Interesting.

I thanked him, picked up the Sub-Saharan job book again, and sat on the floor up against the wall in that room.  And again I flip through the jobs thinking, “I can’t do that.  I can’t do this one.  I can’t.  I can’t. I can’t.”   And then I heard God.  No, I did not hear Him with my ears.  But I heard, inside my head, a direct rebuttal to my “I can’t.” 

                  

“Alyssa, I can.”

Whoa.  Bam.  DUH!  It hit me like it has hit me oh so many times before.  This life is not about me.  And I was right.  I cannot do anything well or completely.  I cannot make myself do something that I am incapable of doing, and I am incapable of doing quite a lot.  But it is NOT about me.  It is NOT about what I can do.  At all.  It is all about God and what He can do.  I am going to be walking around somewhere, and He will be the one doing everything through me.  How many times does it take God reminding me of His ability to do the impossible before it gets in my head?  Obviously, very many.

It was then that I realized that the Tanzania job was…safe.  Comfortable.  It was basically Alyssa Brown’s perfect plan.  I would go for two years with a very hoity-toity attitude.  I would go thinking, “I got this all under control.”  I would go knowing the language pretty well, the airport, the culture, the people, and how to work with university students.  I would be depending on myself and settling for what I can do, forgetting that I know God and all that I know He can do.

That’s when I saw what God wanted me to do.  He was pushing me to take a step of faith and put the other two jobs on the list after Sudan.  Putting aside the Tanzania job, I did just that. 

That’s what faith is.  It’s not just stepping off a cliff like Indiana Jones onto an invisible bridge that you are pretty sure is there.  Faith is stepping off a cliff, no matter you see or don’t see, because you are sure, certain, 100% positive that God is there. Faith is stepping off a cliff, trusting God that you are actually stepping into His hands.  Period.  It is the belief that God will do something, whether or not there is a bridge.  Faith really is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

                  

So my list?  #1:Sudan.  The other two jobs tied for second.

It was personal reflection time just as I made my decision, so I left the room to go and reflect.  I sat down on a couch away from people.  The building where I was had pictures all over the walls of people from all over the world worshipping.  Of course, the wall across from where I sat had a picture of Africans worshipping.  The focus of the picture was one woman in the middle, and the rest of the people around her were blurred slightly.  It was beautiful.  She was beautiful.  You could see her heart for Jesus being poured forth as she sang. 

I looked down from the picture and noticed Beth Moore’s Voices of the Faithful on the coffee table beside me.  The book is a collection of stories about missionaries, with a different story for each day of the year.  I thought to myself, “Well, I will just look at October 22^nd.  Just to see what’s there.” I opened to October 22^nd.  First sentence on the page?  I read the word aloud.  “Sudan.”

Uh huh.  Sudan.  The story was awesome!  It was about two missionaries who came upon a witch doctor who was performing magic.  When they approached, she was unable to perform magic.  She got angry and forced them to leave.  They did not go far but went behind a nearby house to pray.  Even though she could not see them anymore, she was still unable to do her magic.  She searched and found them quickly saying, “Whatever power you have in you is greater than that inside me.  I want what you have.”  That day the whole village of 150 people came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I was in awe of God.  I am in awe of God.  When I read “Sudan,” it was not as if I felt God was saying, “Alyssa, you are going to Sudan.”  Instead, it was more of an assurance.  “Alyssa, I hear you.  I got your back.  When you are willing to follow, I will lead you.”  Ah, my God is so good.  So great!

I recorded everything that I have written here in my journal.  At the end of the conference they told us we would hear about their final decision on our placement after Wednesday, October 27^th. 

I checked my phone on Monday and Tuesday, but I was not planning to carry it with me everywhere until Thursday.  But as I was headed back to the office on Wednesday, my phone started ringing.  Richmond, VA.  What?  I answered.

It was the deployment consultant for Sub-Saharan Africa.  “Have you still been thinking and praying about the Sudan job?”

                  

“Yes…”

“Well, that’s where we feel God wants you to go.”  I think I was screamed or talking really fast at this point.  “That’s awesome!!!”

“It is awesome!”

“Do you know who my partner is?”

“Yes! It's Rachel.”  The Rachel from my small group.

God is so good.  He leads when you ask Him and when you let Him.  He will never leave you in the dark or alone or lost in a fog of the unknown.  It is easy to think that after college, when you are without a plan, you just fall off a cliff.  But really, when you do not know what comes next and you rest in the fact that He does, there is no falling off a cliff.  And it’s not so much like Indiana Jones either, although stepping out slowly with one foot can work. 

I’ve learned that it’s so much better just to jump. 

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55:22

SUDAN.

God answered my prayer from the previous blog.

I am on my way to...SUDAN.

There is a wonderful story of how God brought me to choose Sudan, a country in sub-Saharan Africa, as my first choice during the journeyman interview conference, but I need to take time to write out all the details.  The story will be on here soon!

Thank you for your prayers.

May God cover you today with His peace and bless you beyond belief.

on my way to...

In the morning, I am headed to Richmond, Virginia for the Journeyman Expo Interview Conference.  I will be there from the 19th-23rd.  I will meet amazing people and hear amazing stories.  And then I will get to see the jobs that are currently open around the world.  Eeeeeekkk!!!!

I am so excited.

At the beginning of college, my future was written out...by me.  I had everything laid out, planned perfectly.  For the next 8 years of life.

And then, I realized that my plan was not good for me.  It was not God's best for me.  And that's because it was mine.

Sophomore year at a girls' retreat at my church at college, my pastor, Kyle, made a life-changing remark.  He said that my future is not unknown; it is just un-named.  

"...All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16

God has had the plan all along.  And by all along, I mean before there was a living, breathing Alyssa Robertson Brown.

So my future turned into this fog that only God knows.  Being blind was hard at first, but it was a real comfort knowing I was being led by the One who never sleeps, who is always watching over the earth.  He sees everything.  He knows everything.

And now, the waiting and the trusting is natural.  I can only say that it is through God that I am not a nervous, anxious wreck right now.  He has everything, including what's next for me, in His hands.

And now, as I head off to the Journeyman Conference the future instead appears in my mind as an opening book.  

I am running down the page as it is being turned

Hoping to see 

What is there just beyond all I can see

With my own little eyes.

The next page in life is coming.  I am getting closer to see where He has me planned to be for the next two years.  

I cannot wait to see what letters will form on the page in front of me this week.

Please pray for confidence and continued reliance upon Him.  

Where do I go from here?

Well, I don't know that yet.  

But I do know that I am on my way to...

There.

i will follow You.

New song by Chris Tomlin.  My theme song for life right now...

Where You go, I'll go
Where You stay, I'll stay
When You move, I'll move
I will follow...


All Your ways are good

All Your ways are sure
I will trust in You alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in You alone 

Where You go, I'll go

Where You stay, I'll stay
When You move, I'll move
I will follow You
Who You love, I'll love
How You serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow You
I will follow You

Light unto the world
Light unto my life
I will live for You alone
You're the one I seek
Knowing I will find
All I need in You alone, in You alone

Where You go, I'll go
Where You stay, I'll stay
When You move, I'll move
I will follow You
Who You love, I'll love
How You serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow You
I will follow You

In You there's life everlasting

In You there's freedom for my soul
In You there joy, unending joy
and I will follow

Where You go, I'll go

Where You stay, I'll stay
When You move, I'll move
I will follow You
Who You love, I'll love
How You serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You


I will follow You.

AMEN!!!!!

a product of work boredom.

"I CAN FLY"  By: Me

I've flown before.

I know
I know
I can't fly.
It's impossible,
right?
To fly one needs
Wings
That are aerodynamically
Sound
Shaped just right
Weighing the perfect
Amount.

But still
I've flown.

I've been in the sky
Alone
Just me and my wings
I've felt the rush
Of the wind beneath.
I've changed my direction
From north to south
I've even tasted
Bugs and butterflies in my
mouth.

But it's impossible,
right?
To fly one has to be
A member of a species:
Bird, insect, spider
Some crazy reptile,
Flying fish, sugar glider.
You have to be made
To fly
To soar.

But I've got to argue.

To fly, really fly,
there's so much more.
To fly it takes inner
Strength.
A hope and belief that
The sky can be reached.
An inner desire to feel
What it is to
Be out of this world
Off of the ground
So far away
From every sound.

You can sit and argue with me,
"You cannot fly!
You've never seen
the earth beneath
On your own
Apart from a window seat!"

But I know
That I've been
Way up high.
I know that
I have been
A part of the sky.

For you see
I have flown,
In dreams,
All on my own.
It's when I close
My eyes
And fall into deep sleep
That I spread my
Wings
And fly.

hobbits are real.

My sister had eleven pages left of the first chapter of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit when my mom began to get excited about hobbits and dwarves.

That's when my sister looked up and asked sincerely, "Are they real?"

I giggled, not intending to make fun of her thought process, but because I wanted to (and almost did) reply, "Yes. Of course."

Of course, there are such things as hobbits with furry feet that live in a beautiful and magical place called The Shire.  Of course, there are such things as wise wizards and dwarves and dragons.

Beneath and on and under and in between the pages of a book are creatures and adventures and entire worlds.  In fact...

In Cornelia Funke's Inkspell, Orpheus explains, "This book taught me, once and for all, how easily you can escape this world with the help of words!  You can find friends between the page of a book, wonderful friends!  Friends like you, fire-eaters, giants, fairies..." 

And Mo teaches Meggie that "[s]tories never really end . . . even if the books like to pretend they do. Stories always go on.  They don't end on the last page, any more than they begin on the first page . . . Isn't it odd how much fatter a book gets when you've read it several times? . . . As if something were left between the pages every time you read it.  Feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells . . . and then, when you look at the book again many years later, you find yourself there, too, a slightly younger self, slightly different, as if the book had preserved you like a pressed flower . . . both strange and familiar."

My sister was right in her thinking.  I hope she continues to believe in hobbits and learns to love jumping into the pages of books just like me.

 

 

one step closer.

I officially heard from the Journeyman Program yesterday evening!  An email was sent to me at 12:33pm, but I did not get a chance to check my email until 8:14pm last night.

The email basically gave me this exciting news....
-We have considered your application among many and have chosen you as one of the applicants to be invited to the October conference.  Congratulations!  You will receive more information soon.
-This does not guarantee that we will place you in a job position, because we are not sure if your background and experience will fit our current needs (as of October).
-We are excited to meet you, although we feel we know you so much already from your application!

Hooray!
It still hasn't hit me yet that I am one step closer to knowing what the next two years may hold for me.  I am really excited!  But I am not getting too overly excited yet, as there is still a possibility that I may not get a job.

But...
I'm one step closer.

And right now, that's enough for me.  :)

4 Things.

1) We got an English White Cream Golden Retriever puppy!
Her name is Maya.  She will be 8 weeks old on Thursday.  She really is the cutest thing you have ever seen.  Ever.

2) I am starting my first official job tomorrow.  I am going to be a receptionist with City Bank Mortgage.  I am excited to have something to do that will be a new experience and be earning me some money.  Shall I say it?  Independence, whether I'm ready or not, here I slowly come.

3) Tomorrow is also September 1st.  The first day of the month that I am supposed to hear whether or not I get an interview for the Journeyman Program, a two-year mission program with International Mission Board.  Exciting...

4) I recently babysat three adorable and fun kids!  Here is a picture of the fruits of our labor, a Tower of DVDs:

Cool, huh?  :) 

Please notice the "Air Buddies" movies at the very top; 

those were the favorites, 

the ones deserving of a place of honor.

The whole thing was all their idea. 

That's the best part about it.

children's literature.

My favorite class that I took in college was, without a doubt, Classics of Children's Literature.

As Baylor classes start today, I am sad not to be present.  It is really weird when I consider the fact that Baylor goes on without me.  The beautiful campus became my home for the past four years, and it is strange not to be there and be in class.

Because I am not in class, I have to find other ways of learning and challenging myself.  One of those ways is through books.  If you know me, you know that I LOVE to read.  LOVE to read.  The busyness of this summer did not allow for zooming through 30 or so books (as I have done in past summers), so the reading has been slow.

But, I just finished my third book of this summer, C.S. Lewis' Letters to Children.  It is a collection of letters that Lewis wrote to children who wrote to him with questions, ideas, pictures, and random thoughts.  Over and over the book reminded me of things we learned in my favorite class.  Here are some quotes that made me smile (and next to which, of course, I pencilled in a smiley face):

"A good toenail is not an unsuccessful attempt at a hair; and if it were conscious it w[oul]d. delight in being simply a good toenail."

"If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, and I hope you may always do so. I'm thankful that you realized [the] 'hidden story' in the Narnian books.  It is odd, children nearly always do, grown-ups hardly ever."

Lewis replies to a child's picture of Narnian characters:  "But what I like best of all is the 'spirit of a tree'.  It is so beautifully wavy and graceful and is moving so.  Bravo!"

"You see, I don't think age matters so much as people think.  Parts of me are still 12 and I think other parts were already 50 when I was 12: so I don't feel it v.[ery] odd that they grow up in Narnia while they are children in England."

"The first beginning of the winter always excites me; it makes me want adventures.

"If you become a writer you'll be trying to describe the thing all your life: and lucky if, out of dozens of books, one or two sentences, just for a moment, come near to getting it across." 

 "I enjoyed that imaginary world so much myself that I'm glad to find anyone who has been there and liked it as much as I did--just like meeting someone who has been to a place one knows and likes in the real world." 

Reading is delightful.  Dive into children's literature sometime, and rediscover the treasure trove there.

waiting. is. wonderful.

Never thought those words would come out of anyone's mouth.  Much less out of mine.

But as I stare at the fog, the vast unknown, that is currently my future, I can stand here today and say with confidence, "Waiting is wonderful."

Waiting is HARD.  It is hard not having a plan.  It is hard when you wait not even knowing what you wait for.  Or what you want to wait for.  It is hard when you talk to others at the same point in life as you who have a set plan, something seen and tactile.  It is hard, even after years of waiting, when the idea of waiting more seems to hit you and leads you still to tears.
But, Waiting gets EASIER. 

Waiting can be LONELY.  It is lonely when you wait by yourself.  When you rejoice in others who move forward, while you sit or stand or lie down and wait because of the absence of a light at the end of your tunnel.  It is lonely when all you can see is the small light just above the next step you are about to take.  Or the light that is above your head, meaning that each step you do take is blind or should not yet be taken.
But, Waiting can be ACCOMPANIED.


From my waiting experience, I now know that waiting is part of the plan.  I never planned on titling several chapters of my life book "Waiting," but waiting continues to be an interesting and fulfilling and wonderful experience.

Waiting is hard, but God makes it easier.  

"...All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."  

Psalm 139:16

My future is not unknown to Him; it is just unnamed to me.

Waiting is lonely sometimes, but God accompanies me as I wait.

"Be still, and know that I am God..."

Psalm 46:10

He is God, and He is here.

And I can say without a doubt that waiting. 

is. 

wonderful.

And that whenever I do find out 

whatever I am waiting for, 

I know that whatever it is 

will be well worth 

the wait.

no longer a chestnut bur.

Last night I finished Part II of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.  I had never read it before taking my Children's Literature course in my final semester.  It is so witty and beautiful and heartwarming and charming and clever and well-written and altogether delightful.  I know now why it remains a classic of children's literature.

One quote that caught my attention while reading last night was the following made by Meg to Jo:

You are like a chestnut bur, prickly outside, but silky-soft within, and a sweet kernel, if one can only get at it.  Love will make you show your heart some day, and then the rough bur will fall off. (397) 

 This short truth about love reminded me of what God says in Ezekiel 11: 19-20.

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.  Then they will follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.  They will be my people, and I will be their God.

Real love takes something worthless and gives it worth.  Real love finds the lost.  Real love rescues those who are without hope of being saved.  Love sees what no one else sees and dares to care when no one else can.

God is real love.  How often I forget that it was God who saw me as I was.  He reached out and removed the rough bur from my exterior; He cut out my heart of stone.  He saw me as me, who I am deep inside, when know one else did.  He found me where I was.  He rescued me from disobedience and darkness and emptiness and my selfish self.

He dared to love me.  He even went so far as to die in my place.  Why?  Because He loves me and desires for me to be with Him.

He saw me as a chestnut bur, and He loved me as a chestnut bur.  Even though my heart was of stone, His love was able to penetrate the walls that I put up around me.

Because of His love, His real and unfailing and unconditional love, I am no longer a chestnut bur.  I am a soft, sweet kernel with a heart of flesh.  Because of His love, my desire is for Him.  I am His.  And REAL LOVE is my God.

Africa Story #10: Summary in a Poem

Here is my final story from the trip.  And it is not a story.  It's a poem written throughout the trip of the moments and main events that happened here and there, all leading up to the end of the trip.  Thank you for praying for me while I was there, and thanks for reading these stories of all that God did while we were there!  Enjoy!

Travel was wild

'Cause part of the team

Stayed in Paris a while

Oh volcano, why'd you erupt

Problems you caused

So many people stuck.

Some went ahead

Set up the campsite

Made up the beds

Opening rally welcome

Food and early sleep and

Saw Vincent, our chum.

Got partnered up

Went to first mission point

Shared about God

Other team arrived

All showed "Jesus" film to Hadzabe

In Him alone we thrive.

Rocked the area

Outside Karatu and Lake Eyasi

No one with malaria

Here He told us to go

Sharing the cube, planting churches

That all may hear and know.

Witch doctors freed

31 churches started, 55 baptized

God met a need

His name made famous

While Americans and Tanzanians camped

Dirt on our epidermis.

A long ride in rain

Fishtailing vehicles, muddy shoes

As people pushed the van

Back in Karatu

Met up with Shanna and Justin

And what did we do?

As we debriefed

We shared all God did

And ate goat meat

A day of rest

Food, cards, talks, and shopping

As Obeja Inn guests.

Waited and waited

Vets, US team, and Keith arrived

We were elated

Final team meeting

Bag, car, and people separation

After eating.

Broke down on the road

After getting permission

Into Ngorongoro

God's at work

Many opened hearts to the gospel 

As we sat in the dirt.

Maasai on the hills

Called on His name and decided

Pray for them I will

Two days it took

Started the work of churches

Darkness shook.

Issues with transportation

God still shared and glorified

Despite miscommunication

Finally got chapati

Some to Jesus film, Col got sick

Not in the squatty potty.

Had the closing rally

After evangelizing close and having tea

For lunch? More wali!

4000 heard

And over 3000 accepted Jesus

God gave us words.

Another long drive

Out of the conservation

To Karatu we ride

Split up in hotels

We're finally all cleaned up

Col is doing well.

Another bus ride

To Arusha we go to stay

Many changed inside

Heard testimonies - God glorified

God made famous

That ain't no lie.

In these two weeks

Over 6000 entered the kingdom

And we are meek

God did it all

He moved and spoke in and through us

Though we're small.

To God be the glory

He alone deserves our praise

And we bend our knees

Tanzania changed

In May 2010, God moved again

And more call on His name!

May God richly bless you!

Love in Jesus Christ!

Africa Story #9: Forgiveness

On our last day of ministry, Tom, Ortha, our translators, Pastor Thaddeus, and I went to a village that was very far from our camp.  We drove about an hour and 45 minutes from camp on rough roads and then walked about 15 minutes to a school.  After talking to the headmaster and the staff, we were invited to talk to two classrooms (each of over 100) about Christ.  Tom and I tag-teamed it...I shared the reason we were there, he told the story of creation using the kids as characters in the story, I shared the gospel using the cube, he prayed the prayer with those who raised their hands and wanted to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. I trained kids in the evangecube and gave ones away to those who could recite it back to me, and he told the story of the possessed man who Jesus freed (again using kids as characters).  Many of the kids put their faith in Christ.

 

Then, we went to the houses just up on the hill behind the school.  I started sharing with a family, but they interrupted to tell me that they did not want to hear about Jesus.  I asked if I could pray with them; they said no.  So we left, and I prayed for them silently as we walked away.  Then, we walked for a long time.  It was gorgeous.  Hills of yellow and purple and green.  Grayish blue sky.  Slight breeze.  Small trails through the tall flowers and grasses.  Then, we walked past the school and back to the car.

 

From there we drove to where three of our team members (Keith, Kala, and Beth) spent the night.  They stayed with their village, sleeping in tents on the side of a hill, because of the long drive each day it was taking them to get there.  When we met up with them, Beth introduced me to Luca, his brother, and his cousin.  And then she told me this story...

 

Beth and Kala went to Luca's home on the first day of ministry in that village.  They were surprised when they began sharing with him and discovered that he could speak English very well.  They told him about Jesus in English, and he immediately wanted to put his faith in Christ.  He became their translator for the next three days, as it was easier to share with people directly from English to Maasai (instead of having the in between Swahili translation).

 

When Keith and Beth and Kala decided to camp out near these villages, they wanted to invite Luca, hi brother, and his cousin to stay with them in another tent.  Luca's village was over a large hill from the place they had chosen to camp for the night, and they thought it would be easier for Luca to stay the night instead of traveling such a long distance the next day to translate for them.  But a couple of the leaders from the church in the area were quick to say "no" to this idea.  They told the team that Luca was a thief, and that they were sure he would clean them out of everything they had brought to the campsite.  The team did not propose the idea to Luca.

 

The next day after sharing the gospel with another village, Beth and Kala turned around to see Luca, his brother, and his cousin.  They arrived around 2:00pm and had been walking since 8:00am that morning.  Again, one of the church leaders approached Keith and told him that this village, where they stayed the night, was one from which Luca had stolen.  Keith rushed to Beth and Kala and had to tell them that if something big happened, like a fight, they should just stand away and not interfere.

 

Forgiveness is not a concept for the Maasai.  The punishment for thieves is death.  There is no other option. 

 

Beth and Kala were nervous but tried not to show it.  No one knew what was going to happen. 

 

It was about this time that my team arrived for lunch.  Beth and Kala shared with me what was going on.  Kala, Tom, Ortha, and I walked away to take some pictures on top of a nearby hill.  When we returned, Beth had joyous news to share with us!

 

The head of the village, who also had recently become a Christian, walked up to Luca and stuck out his hand.  Instead of giving him what he deserved, he was welcoming him to the village!  They exchanged a few words, and the leader forgave Luca.  Can you believe it? 

 

And that's not the end!  After that happened, the church leaders who had prohibited Luca from camping for fear he would steal something, also walked up to Luca and asked his forgiveness for assuming he would steal.  He forgave them, telling them that he had changed because of Jesus.  He will never steal again.

 

Praise God for His grace!  Praise God for His forgiveness!

Love in Gracious God!

the little things.

One thing that I have learned about myself through the years is that I love memories.  Making them and then looking back years later and treasuring them again.  And the reason why I love memories is because they allow me to experience special moments over and over.

Like going through photos and videos from my freshman year of college.  The bathroom song will forever invoke feelings of anger and frustration and yet always remind me that the little things like clogged and overflowed toilets make for great bonding moments between suite mates and for lots of laughter.

Or like searching through my "under-the-bed" box and finding crazy and embarrassing items like my bright pink soccer goggles.  And remembering that the little things like being the only person on the undefeated team that never scored a goal on the Saturday before Mother's Day was still okay because at least I could see.

Or like spending this evening with my grandmother and my sister and my two cousins, Kels and Lina, and ending up singing songs we wrote in Puerto Rico nine years ago at the top of our lungs.  "My Little Girl," "Morning is Here," and "Because You're Special" are the little things that make me smile.

Don't be afraid to look back at memories.  I have learned that even bad ones make you a better person today.  Yes, we all have those pictures in extremely hideous outfits or ones where our smiles are just plain weird.  But, trust me, the laughter of looking back is so worth it.

The little things turn out being so much bigger when they are cherished.  I look back and come to this conclusion: it is the little things that make the best memories.

Africa Story #8: The Man with Questions

On our first day of ministry in Ngorongoro, I was partnered with Tom and Ortha. We went to a small village called Maasai Park. Tom and I started off sharing the gospel together, taking turns with one translator until my translator showed up. He did not come until later. Fortunately, we ran into the pastor of the church there in the village, the one we were helping to plant. Her name is Selena, and she speaks English, Swahili, and Maasai. She headed one way with Tom, while Bwire stayed to translate for me.

Bwire stopped at a small shop window and asked the man and woman inside if they had time to listen to what we had come to say about Jesus. The man quickly came out of the shop, and his wife listened at the window. As I shared the gospel, he listened very intently. When I got to the part of the story where Jesus rises from the dead, he smiled and was very excited!

When I finished, he told me that he was happy and excited, but he wanted to know an easier way to follow Christ. I told him that following Christ is not an easier life; it is a better one. I explained that Jesus told His followers that the reason He came was to bring life, abundant life.

Then, the man said that he was good, and he asked why he should go to church if he is already a good person. I said that it is good that he is good. "But," I asked, "have you ever lied?" He quickly responded, "No." But then, after waiting a couple of seconds, he said, "Oh wait, yes. I lied once when I was young." I explained to him that even that one time when he was young was a moment of disobedience against the Lord. And when one disobeys and sins against God, one is separated from God forever. I showed him the picture of Jesus on the cross from the Evangecube and further explained that through belief in Jesus, one can be reunited with God and forgiven of all sin.

Without hesitating, the Man with Questions declared, "Oh! I want to accept Jesus!" We prayed together, and he called upon Jesus as his Lord and Savior for the first time. He was so excited and grateful that me, an American, had come from so far away to Tanzania, to Ngorongoro, and then to Maasai Park to tell him about Jesus. As he continued, tears filled my eyes. He said that he had been waiting for such a long time for someone to tell him how to accept Jesus and follow Him the easy way (by just believing and trusting God for salvation and not by living a perfect life). He was blessed and excited!

I love when people ask questions. It means they are really processing what I am saying. God gave me words to answer the Man with Questions. Now, he no longer waits wondering. Instead, he is the Man with The Answer. He has Jesus in his heart and a full life before Him.

Love in The Answer!

Africa Story #7: Lightness

After getting permission to go into Ngorongoro Conservation, where we would help to plant and encourage churches among the Maasai people, we loaded onto a bus with all of our bags and headed toward the conservation. Just when we got beyond Karatu, our bus broke down. We were already late and had to make it into the conservation by a certain time before the gate closed for the evening. Quickly, we split up into various land rovers and threw some of our stuff on the top of the cars. The rest of our bags were to follow later on other cars. By God's grace and provision, we (and our bags) made it into the conservation just in the nick of time.

Because we were late, the little over two hours on the windy roads in the mountain to the place where we would be staying ended up being mostly in the dark as the sun set just as we entered the conservation. The curves were a little nauseating. The air was cool. The scenery breathtaking. Right now, I cannot think of a more beautiful place on this earth.

When we made it to Jehoshophat's church (where we would be staying), we unloaded our bags and tried to get situated in the church. All of the men (pastors, national missionaries, and members of our American team) slept on the floor of the church, where the chairs are normally set in place for Bible study and services. The women from the American team (aka me!) slept on the stage just behind the podium where the pastor stands. The Tanzanian women, wives of some of the men, and the cooks slept inside Jehoshophat's home.

As we waited around in the dark for dinner to be prepared (by the way, the precious cooks provided delicious, filling, wonderful meals for us everyday--praise God for them!), some of us realized we needed to, how should I say, relieve ourselves. Jehoshophat led us into his home and told us that the women could use his bathroom in his home for the week! The men had to use the outdoor bathroom, a hole in the ground outside in a dark little outhouse which was near an area that was often frequented by huge wild hogs and cape buffalos. :)

It was when I went into Jehoshophat's home that I met his granddaughter, Lightness. She was precious. I think she is 11 years old. She spoke English beautifully. After meeting her, she took my hand, and we walked back to the church together. She started telling me everything about the church. And then I asked questions. And she would answer. And then she led me up onto the stage, my soon-to-be bedroom for the next week, and showed me the drums.

I have learned that the most precious moments in life are the small ones. Memories are treasures to me, and, looking back on my life, I realize that I treasure small specific instances, those that maybe other people who were there with me may never remember.

I will never forget Lightness. She demonstrated her drum playing and then asked me to play. She would tap out a rhythm, and I would mimic her. She said she could sing too. She sang a beautiful song in Swahili and beat the drums in a rhythm at the same time. And then we pulled out a second drum, and we sang and drummed together to a Swahili song that I knew.

After a while of drumming, Lightness told me a little more about her life. I am pretty sure that her mother and father passed away when she was young. She told me that she knows and loves Jesus very much. She also told me to pray for her sister, Lovegood, who had ran away. Please pray with me for her.

This story is not too involved, but it is one of my favorites. A lot of things happened in the two weeks while I was in Tanzania, but the moments in this late evening with Lightness and the drums are ones that I will remember always. Throughout the week, Lightness would find me or I would find Lightness and would talk about our days or just sit and hold hands.

I have a friend, rafiki yangu, in the middle of Ngorongoro, Tanzania. Lightness was a light in my life, and I pray that she may continue to be a light to every one she meets.

Love in Light of the World!

Lightness and me...