Preaching the Word

It is so hard to believe that I have been in Tanzania for 1 week. Each day is packed with lessons from God, blessings from the students and teachers and pure joy. I can’t wait each day to get started to see where Jesus shows up. I am being “transformed by the little glories of each day” as Amy Carmichael so often prayed. And the added bonus is that these wonderful daily glories are occurring on the continent of Africa, half a world away from where I call home. I am amazed at the goodness of the Lord. He shows up to teach, strengthen, guide and confound me in ways I never thought possible. Blessed be His name!

Today was another phenomenal day with Jesus. I suppose the word got out a bit after I taught bible class yesterday, so they asked me to preach at the Chapel service for the primary school students and teachers. I love sharing God’s Word more than anything else in the world. I had the opportunity to go through the salvation story with them, remind them they were a child of God and made in His image and then impress upon them that God’s Word is to be lived out by obeying Him and giving Him praise no matter the circumstances. I ended with them repeating the phrase, “Even when I’m having a bad day, God is still good.” It was without a doubt the highlight of my day. I am so blessed that God sees fit to use me in even the smallest way clear over here in Tanzania.

There continues to be great interaction with the children. They are so thrilled with a digital camera. I take there picture and then immediately show it to them. Few of them have mirrors, so they never get to see themselves. It is so much fun to let them gather around. They will line up just to see their picture. But the excitement is not limited to kids. There is this tiny shop on the school grounds that sells sodas and such. It seems to be the gathering place. I took a picture of 2 secondary school teachers from a distance and when they saw what I did they got so tickled and beckoned me over. They wanted more pictures and their faces just lit up with joy.

The evenings continue to be a wonderful ending to a great day. We eat wonderfully, blessed meals and then do devotions. Afterward, we continue to chat and deepen relationships. And then when 11pm comes, I am zonked. I sleep with a mosquito net around my bed to avoid bites and malaria and ear plugs to keep out all the sounds of dogs, chickens and other noises from the town. It works. I have been sleeping so soundly and awaken refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Tomorrow we are visiting a village an hour away and attending a church service. I’m so looking forward to being more fully immersed in the culture. It should be an exciting day. And it will be nice to have a day off of work.

Peace to all of you. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and your love.