Tanzania Recap #2

 

Just a few days later we were in a bus heading to the Dhaiso village of Bewetti. As we got closer, I got so excited. I couldn't wait to see what God was going to do in response to our showing up. 

When we got to the village, the village leader said he didn't know if we would be good for his village. But Pastor Alfred reassured him that we w hiould be better than he might think. 

That first day we went to examine some property to purchase for a future church and missions center. The land that we felt like God wanted us to buy is so beautiful. It's on the side of a mountain in Tanzania overlooking the village and has so many large trees. 

For hours we prayed for the land and the people and worshiped God. It was great. 

The next day we returned to see what we could do. The village leader invited all the kids to come out and play with us. We ended up playing with about 50 kids. It was so fun. I tossed a ball around and we showed them how to do a dance. 

Also we were working on purchasing the property. This was very key to establishing a center for future teams to come and work with the Dhaiso. God granted us a lot of favor. After a few days we were able to buy the property! God is so good. 

our team on the mountain. 

Our daily routine was something like this. Arrive in the morning and climb the mountain to the property. Worship God and pray for His heart for the day. Then we would split into two teams. One would work on clearing the land for our Easter service. The other team would go into the village and do house to house visits. And almost all the time we were surrounded by kids. They would follow us everywhere and help or just be with us. 

One day we had an impromptu kids ministry on the mountain. We got to teach them a dance, do a craft, and I got to share the story of the parable of the sower. 

We got to meet this lovely lady on one of our house visits. I felt like I could see God smiling down on her and so happy with her. I got to share Gods delight with her. 

We visited this man and God healed his hearing. 

While we were working with the Dhaiso, we had the opportunity to go to a school and perform some skits and songs. It was super fun. 

Easter on the mountain! 

I had so much fun being a part of kids ministry. Telling stories, playing games, blowing bubbles, and loving on these cute kids. 

On our last day with the Dhaiso, I was carrying some rocks for us to use as boundary markers and I fell spraining my ankle. While the pain was so bad, it was amazing to see how the Dhaiso and my team rallied around me. They took care of me well and helped me when I couldn't put weight on my foot. Their love and care touched something deep inside me. It healed old wounds and demonstrated Gods love to me so beautifully. 

From there we headed to Tanga for a day of rest before heading to our final Tanzanian destination. 

When I chose the parable of the sower, I didn't know how much it would speak to me. I feel like we encountered all of these soils. We encountered hard hearts that our words weren't able to penetrate the walls around their hearts. We encountered those who received us with joy, but they have many fears that are choking out the Gospel. As for the good soil, only time will tell. It seems there were several people there that God had been preparing. 

For me, my part was to scatter seeds. God enabled me to do that. I am confident that He will continue the work that we have started through Pastor Alfred and others who know about the Dhaiso. Water for the seeds is coming. 

To be continued...