Kwa Heri

My journey here is coming to a close. Darling reader, leaving is completely and utterly bittersweet… Thank you for believing in me. For walking with me. For praying for me. For loving on me through all the struggles, joys, changes, and growth. I’m looking towards my next steps with excitement as I begin yet another chapter of life in returning home...

As my literary kindred spirit said,
“My future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don’t know what lies around the bend, but I’m going to believe that the best does… I wonder how the road beyond it goes—what new landscapes—what new beauties—what curves and hills and valleys lie further on.” (Anne of Green Gables)

Tutaonana, Africa.

Worship Seminar: teaching cross culturally

They say music is a universal language. I believe this now, more than ever. Music is something that is appreciated and valued cross-culturally. I would also suggest to you, Darling reader, that the gospel is also cross-cultural. I suppose I knew this as I left my home and came to live here, but to experience it in action is a different story. God is so good. I can’t say this enough: thank you for walking this journey with me and being a part of the ministry as you support me financially and in prayer. I’m forever grateful.

 Last week we held a Worship Seminar for local musicians in the area churches. We taught them music theory, voice lessons, sound and tech classes, elements that go into a Worship Service, how to read and write music, and they picked a workshop of choice: choir leaders, bass, piano, or guitar. In all of this, we did so prayerfully and carefully so as to keep everything we taught culturally relevant and not based upon a western culture’s church service and music style.

I also got to lead a few Bible classes on Worship and proclaim the gospel to them. I was so thrilled to share my heart for worship with them. Along with their classes, we had 2 chapel services each day. We (the teachers and translators) began by running the services for the first few days.

leading a chapel service

It was a challenge to imitate their styles and use their language, but we wanted to display culturally applicable services that ran smoothly and incorporated all different elements of worship. We also wanted to encourage them to think outside the box. For the last two days of the seminar, they got a chance to plan and lead their own services. It was great to see them applying all that they had learned.

Working with the students was such a blessing. There were maybe only about 25 people there, but they had a thirst to learn that was inspiring! Because there was so few, they each got their own instruments to practice on and got more one on one time with their teachers. Since I had the large group voice class, I didn’t get much one on one teaching time, but they were such good sports in trying everything I taught! I started with posture and some breathing exercises. Then I taught different warm ups and vowel shapes. At times they seemed like little kids, giggling at all the funny hand motions and exercises I had them try! I loved it. We worked through a sight reading piece throughout the week as well. For some of them it was their first time seeing a piece of music, because they do everything by ear. Because of this we had to start with all the basics.

One of my favorite parts of the voice class was teaching them a Solfege exercise that they “performed” to all the teachers. Standing in front of them and getting to direct them was such a breathtaking experience. Their faces were just beaming with pride as they sang with gorgeous dynamics, great posture and breath-control, and held their very own music that they could now read. Be still my heart, I could hardly bear it!

Jodi testing one of her piano students

Jeff and his guitar students

Jenna teaching bass

A memory that I will forever cherish was when we wrote the melody to the hymn, “Jesus Paid it All” on the chalkboard. We didn’t tell them what the song was, but asked them to try singing it. They were just learning how to sight read notes, and timidly began trying to sing. About halfway through the song, all of a sudden they recognized the Hymn. Their eyes filled with clarity and huge grins broke out on their faces. Simultaneously they burst into the rest of the song with newfound confidence and gusto using that unique blend of harmonies that I will dearly miss when I return home. Darling Reader, I wish you could have been there for that moment.

It’s hard to believe I’m leaving in a few weeks. It’s so bittersweet. Brook, Shaina, Denise, and I will be busy packing up our things along with preparing Brook’s house for furlough. We also will get to attend three weddings before we leave! What fun! Please be praying for us as we wrap up our ministries and prepare (physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually) for the return home. On Sunday Brook and I will formally say goodbye to our home church as we begin our long journey home the following Sunday. I know it will be tough to say goodbye to my choir and to the many local friends I’ve made!

Camp Rukwa: a change in me

such a gorgeous view!

Well, the last week of camp is done. I have to say, the past three weeks have been quite a ride. I have been humbled and inspired, torn down and built up, frustrated and encouraged, emptied and filled up, all throughout these few short weeks.

Dancing during gathering time

Swahili version of "Duck, Duck, Goose"... yes, please.

This week we were in the Rukwa Valley, If you recall from previous months, I got a chance to visit the missionaries down in the Valley towards the beginning of my time here. I had only pleasant and warm memories of the valley from my first stay, so naturally I was thrilled to go back down for another visit. The kids this week were so full of life and energy. I’ve never seen so much dancing and enthusiasm. This was a such an encouragement to us to keep going, as we and the translators and other full time staff were exhausted and many of us sick.

Guys taking a little nap in the truck.
They had a delighted audience of village kids watching!

Fixing the Ugali, Beans and Greens at meal time. yum.

We took a hike on a break and got a bit lost. We were exhausted by the end!

As far as our living conditions go, this week we didn’t stay in the village. One of the missionary families is in America at the moment, so we got to stay in the house and have beds, showers, “normal” toilets, and best of all, a much needed daily morning cup of coffee! Yes, darling reader, believe it or not, I had been living without my precious coffee the first two weeks.
Reflecting upon this experience, I have as if there has been a change in me, but I’m having a hard time articulating exactly what those changes are. I suppose I have learned to appreciate the material blessings God has given me, and yet at the same time I now know that I could live without them. The material things which seemed so valuable to me before don’t seem so valuable anymore in comparison to things like community, relationships, and fellowship.

Another thing. This week the campers seemed to just have a thirst for learning… At one point, while I was teaching one of my daily classes this thought was heavy on my heart:
In the inexperienced hands that held the paintbrush I handed them, I saw an artist. In the eager expression of the young man watching a water filter being crafted, I saw an inventor or engineer. In the mouths that asked continual questions about the human body and how it works, I heard the voice of a doctor or nurse. In the energetic feet that danced and the clear songs that seemed to burst out from deep inside of them, I saw the makings of a performer and musician.
Given an opportunity and the right resources, I believe these young people could reach that potential. I hope I was able to give them a glimmer of hope, and inspiration to strive for a bright future so that they work hard through their education and work.
But above all, in the hearts that were desperately seeking for love, I saw one who could be eternally filled with the love of Jesus Christ.
11 young people made the choice to be eternally filled this week.
To God be all glory and honor.

 Nathan, Ryan, Shaina and I. We made it!

Here's Shaina's blog with more pictures and stories! Friday we begin our journey to Dar to drop off Nathan and pick up Denise, who will be helping with the worship seminar.

In Christ,
em

Camp Mkunda: changing lives

This past week we were in the lovely village of Mkunda for camp. What a turnout! We had around 95 youth in attendance. Village life was different here, in some ways more comfortable, and in other ways more difficult than our experience last week in the village of Ngoma. I won’t share to much about that aspect of our week, although Shaina goes into more details about village life in her blog .

Skits with the translators. This one was about the effects of gossip!

Henry invited us into his home to meet his family. They are truly wonderful. I was so touched by their hospitality!

We visited an adorable old man that does iron forgery. So cool.

Thank you for your prayers this past week. God was truly working in the hearts of the campers this week. I’m amazed at all the little ways he intricately designed His plans for camp this week to honor and glorify His name. Darling reader, I have wonderful news: at least 14 people came to know the Lord this week! Praise the Lord! Be praying for these new members of the family of God as they return back to their villages and home churches. May they grow in the knowledge of God’s Word, show the fruit of His Spirit, and share the good news of Christ’s love.


Guys cabin doing their personal devotions

Along with that, I truly believe God was working in the hearts of the campers with the True Love Waits theme for sexual purity. It has been humbling for me teach about HIV and AID’s, a big issue here in TZ. Although it was a difficult topic and it wasn’t the easiest for me to answer some uncomfortable questions, I have become so passionate about enlightening these campers and encouraging them to pursue sexual purity. Here’s one story of God’s providence and a life changed:

memorizing scripture.

One of our counselors was going through one of her true love waits sessions and in her group was a young women who already has a child out of wedlock. Convicted of her past mistakes and burdened with the insecure future ahead of her, she asked if any man would ever accept her as a wife and take her child as his own. God’s hand was so upon this situation that this counselor had gone through the exact same situation in having a child out of wedlock and is now happily married with several children to a godly man. She shared her testimony of the many difficult years of waiting and raising her child without a father until she she met her future husband. For the first time in this young woman’s life, she was given hope for her future. May God give her the endurance and faith to pursue sexual purity and raise her beautiful child to love the Lord.

On a lighter note, this week several members of my choir attended camp. I was thrilled to have some familiar faces and get to know them better in a non-choir rehearsal type environment. Each night at camp we have a big evening service. Most of the village shows up and it’s full of singing, dancing, preaching, and skits from the campers.

Shaina and I looking out of our room window!

Village kids sleeping at the evening service... so precious!

Since it was such a big camp this week, the services lasted for around 3 hours each night. We definitely struggled to stay awake the entire time. Shaina and I were often huddled together in layers of Kongas, surrounded by curious village kids (we didn’t mind that so much because they kept us warm!).Each night my choir personally came and invited me to sing with them for the service. Not that I’m so great or whatever (as you’ll soon see) but they get a certain level of respect from the other choirs by having a Mzungu (white person) in their choir... Anyways, I was honored that they personally asked me to join them, and so naturally I couldn’t refuse. They assured me the dance steps were quite easy… yeah. right.
The first night, the M.C. called my choir up and I joined, nervously looking around me as the huge crowd started whispering excitedly at the sight of me onstage. The song began, and I caught on OK. This was one of the harder dance songs, but they stuck to the choreography we had practiced in the past so I survived, until… a spontaneous dance break. oh. no.
Now, around here there are some dance moves that are all the rage among the locals. For most of these, I’m pretty sure God created white people to be fully incapable of ever successfully imitating these “moves”. Well, wouldn’t you guess, darling reader, that it was one of these moves that my choir decided to freestyle. Although I was mortified at the situation I had been trapped in, I realized it was all or nothing, and braced myself to throw down some totally awesome white girl moves.
With my whole heart, I made a sad attempt to imitate them and the crowd just erupted with screams of laughter and shock. I can’t blame them, for I can imagine how comical the scene must have been. Although it was super embarrassing, in retrospect I had a great time and I gained a certain sense of camaraderie and humor with my choir members that I never would have had without that unfortunate experience.

Farewell, Mkunda. Kapenta, brace yourself... Camp is coming to you!

Camp Ngoma: life in the village

Last Monday, we traveled to the village of Ngoma for our first week of camp. What a wonderful and stretching experience!

Road to Ngoma

The whole week was basically a cultural overload for me emotionally, spiritually, and physically. I’m still trying to process it all. How can I begin to describe all that I learned, felt, and experienced? In a material sense this was probably one of the hardest weeks I’ve ever been through. I’ve never been so happy to see an actual toilet, sleep on an actual mattress, take a shower with running water, and eat “normal” (non- Ugali) food in my life…

Last night we were reflecting on the week and Ryan said some things that hit me to the core… He said, "My life is not my own. I have given my life to God. Therefore, I am called to serve Him. Serving Him is certainly not boring… there is much joy and blessings from it, but

it’s a sacrifice."

I was definitely feeling the weight of this sacrifice this week. Yet, God showed me his blessings through getting to know the campers. I got to teach, eat, talk, dance, sing, play, learn, read God’s Word, and simply do life with them for an entire week.

The village kids teaching me how to make rope out of Sisel plant!

Shaina and the girls at game time.

We did a skit with the translators for each chapel service.

Nathan sharing the gospel in his class.

This game involved a lot of running, throwing, and catching... Not my forte.

Girls hard at work during my craft class!

One evening I had some time off and I started walking through the village, watching daily life functioning all around me.

I passed a young boy cutting firewood, women humming to themselves while cooking over a fire with a baby on tied their back, some children laughing and playing in the dirt with garbage as toys, men chatting over a local board game, and a grandma with the most beautiful weathered face sitting outside her door taking in the cool evening air. How I wish I could have sat down and listened to her, for I’m quite sure that each deep wrinkle held a wealth of stories about life here in the days past… In the midst of living in such extreme poverty, I found that though they may not have material gain, but they are rich in so many ways that matter in this life and in the next.
To immerse myself in village life was something I really wanted to do... Having done it for a week has just shattered my outlook on life and turned my perspective upside down. And to think that I still have two more weeks to go. What new challenges, blessings, and lessons will God reveal to me next?

Village of Ngoma.

Please pray for the team next week. we will need God’s strength to pick ourselves up and do this all over again. May we be overflowing with the love of Jesus Christ and the fruit of the Holy spirit.

Goodbye, Ngoma... Next stop, Mkunda!

P.S. Here's Shaina's blog. You should definitely read it. She's great about giving some awesome details and stories in her posts!

Staff Training

This week we had staff training for all the counselors that will be helping out at camp. Over 30 people traveled to the TGBI compound (where Brook lives) and we spent several days teaching them all the activities, games, and lessons that we’ll have at camp. What a great time of fellowship. If this week was a little taste of what camp will be like, I’m so excited for what the next three weeks will hold. for the sake of time,I’m not going to say much about staff training, but I hope the pictures help show all that we did! 

Game time at Staff Training

Henry did an great job translating some really difficult content for my immune system class.

Staff picture

The translators and us looking "swagga fresh" as they like to say...
 new words for them!

Camp is finally upon us, and it’s quite hard to believe. I’m in the middle of all the crazy preparations and it still doesn’t feel like we are really going to head out tomorrow. I covet your prayers, darling reader. These next few weeks will be a stretch for us, but I’m confident that the Lord is going to do some amazing things! Here’s an overview camp:
-We will be living in the village. That means sleeping on mats on the floor, bucket baths, sketchy outhouses, and Ugali for food. It sounds a bit daunting when I write it all out, but I’m really looking forward to immersing myself in village life for a few weeks!
-The theme of camp this year is Tunda la Roho, the Fruit of the Spirit. There will be chapel times throughout the day and evenings where various people will be preaching on Galatians 5:22-23, and the students will be looking at different bible stories in their personal devotions to look at how each story applies to the fruit of the spirit.
-Purity is a major focus on the rest of camp. It’s a God thing in how that worked out, because we didn’t originally try to make it all coordinate. The counselors are going through “True Love Waits” sexual purity curriculum with their campers, Ryan (another addition to our team) will be teaching how to make Water filters from drinkable water out of supplies readily available here, Shaina is teaching a class on water borne illnesses, I’m teaching a class on an overview of the immune system and how it works, and Nathan is sharing the gospel in his class.
We all have one more activity to teach throughout the week that’s more hands on. I am doing a painting craft to help them share the gospel with their friends. The female campers will learn how to make friendship bracelets and how to cook Chapatis (kind of like thick tortillas). The guys will learn how electricity works and how to apply it to their homes using basic supplies, and do soccer drills.

counselor's learning my craft!

The rest of the days are full of group games, skits, and lots of music and dancing, of course. Our days will be jam packed with events so if you could pray for strength and energy, as well as continued good health, we would so dearly appreciate it. Also please pray that the Lord would soften the hearts of the campers so that they would be receptive to the gospel message. I can’t wait to share with you, darling reader, the many stories and experiences we’ll have in the next few weeks!

Also, be sure to check out Shaina's blog. She shared some great stories from staff training!

blessings,

Em