Saturday. 14February2015
Still we keep on thinking, somebody else will go- while the world that's dying urgently needs to know. If we will lovingly compel, we'll storm the very gates of hell...WHO WILL GO?
Go into the world, take His love into the world, the time is right, the fields are white, there's work to do before the night; so we'll go into the world, take His love into the world...He is calling you and me into the world.
Be the great commission, go out and plant the seed, laboring together in time we will succeed. His love was meant for us to share, to every people everywhere...WHO WILL GO?
Go into the world, take His love into the world, the time is right, the fields are white, there's work to do before the night; so we'll go into the world, take His love into the world...He is calling you and me into the world.
How will they hear that there's a God who loves them? How will the blind regain their sight? How can the lost find hope unless we tell them? We are to be a salt and light. Look to the fields you'll see the harvest teeming, servants of God we must obey, all of the world will know that there's a God who loves them, if we'll only point the way.
Go into the world, take His love into the world, the time is right, the fields are white, there's work to do before the night; so we'll go into the world, take His love into the world...He is calling you and me into the world."
This song has been running through my head nonstop since this past Sunday when we spent time learning it. The call loud and clear- will we be willing to answer the clear call of God?
It's a lazy Saturday on our mission compound. The day started late, and the rain poured down in torrents. We splashed through deep puddles with soaked khanga's wrapped around our shoulders, all ending up at the main house for a lovely brunch together. The rest of the day was spent in various activities- intense games of Take One, singing, talking, and eating junk food dug out of totes. (It IS Valentines Day, you know- chocolate really does need to be on the agenda sometime! :) Eventually I got antzy and needed to get out of the house, so I wandered out to Kilabuni and sat in the corner of Zanobi's shop and sipped on hot sweet chai and piping hot maandazi. Ahh, "nimeshiba" (I'm full!) I told Zanobi as he plopped hot pots of ugali and meat in front of me. "Kula!" (Eat!) he demanded. Yes sir, so I ate.
I returned to the house, greeting neighbors along the way and sat rocking little Lemi for awhile. He's about 2 years old, and is one of the sweetest, cuddliest little fellow I've ever had the opportunity to meet. Regina said that while I was gone in Zanzibar, she would ask him where Kim was, and he would get this goofy little grin and giggle cutely. I was thrilled to hear that he remembered me, as he's been one of "mine" for awhile now. He'll see me coming down the trail from quite a distance away and will come running as fast as his short slightly-bow-legged legs will let him- straight into my arms. And he usually won't leave for awhile. He melts my heart every time with his many kisses and soft, tender heart. Then I wish all over again he would have parents who actually care for him. But he doesn't. Lemi and his older sister Doto, have to fend for themselves most of the time. Their Mother is an angry woman who constantly looks miserable and their father is the choir director at the Catholic church...but is also a drunk and doesn't treat his wife and family well at all.. Pray for their little family- Mama and Baba Velo and their two young children.
I thoroughly enjoyed having Deb spend a few weeks here in Ivuna with me, and then later the arrival of the rest of her group- Beth, and Lora. It was so much fun to show my friends what my life in Africa consists of! On the 28th, we four girls loaded up on a lorry and headed to town, and the next day, on to Zanzibar! We spent a lovely week on the beautiful island. We enjoyed each other's company, the beautiful warm sunshine of the tropics, the gorgeous beaches, lovely Stonetown history and shopping, a spice farm tour, as well as connecting with the ones ministering the Gospel there. It all came to an end on the 4th of Feb with a ferry ride, last good-byes in the airport in Dar es salaam, then the girls caught their flight to Entebbe, Uganda, and I caught mine to Mbeya, Tanzania. I spent a day in Mbeya shopping for our team as well as catching up on some sleep and emotional stability. It was wonderful to return home to Ivuna, and to be welcomed so warmly by the rest of my team. I feel blessed to be part of a team that I can be excited to return home to.
Since then, life has been getting into a normal routine - of sorts. Beka and I have been working together in the clinic- and it's been a blessing. I've been learning a lot from her by way of furthering my language abilities, and slowly, slowly I build my Swahili vocabulary and confidence to use it. Language learning recently has been an extremely growing experience for me. I've been finding myself involuntarily comparing my abilities with the abilities of the others (who, by the way, have all been here longer then I), and then sliding down into some kind of grumpy despair thinking I'm not worth a penny since I can't communicate as well as everyone else. Yeah, I know it's not true, but it's been a very real struggle the last month or so, and I'm learning so much about trusting God in every detail. Meanwhile I work on language exercises, read Bible stories in Swahili, and anything else that seems as if it will lend itself to building my vocabulary and fluency in this language that I'm learning to love.
Yesterday morning Beka and I worked with a young girl by the name of Esta, who claimed she was 17 and still in school. She came to us wanting medicine to do an abortion. Her big, watery, miserable eyes sunk deep into my heart as we sat there pleading with her to not kill her unborn baby. We shared with her the consequences of sinning against God. We explained to her what stage her 10-12 week fetus was in. We found the heartbeat with our doppler. We pled with her to think about what she was doing, and to choose life for this child. Tears overflowed as she told us she was kicked out of her home by her parents and "had" to get this abortion. We prayed for her, offered her a place to stay with us, and continued to make her accountable before God. In the end, she still acted like she wanted the abortion and walked away from our clinic. My heart has been so burdened for her and I wonder what decision she made. I pray that our words would be sinking deep into her heart and that the Spirit of God will continue to strive with her.
The other day I told Beka that I'd really like to go down to the girls dorm at the secondary school, but was feeling a bit nervous about going by myself, so one evening we wandered down there and talked to some of the girls for awhile. A few weeks ago we had gone down to the school to preach and we had sang some songs in English, and the girls remembered these songs and begged to learn the songs better. So Friday afternoon I grabbed a song folder and "braved" the big school property alone. I was feeling a bit nervous as I walked up to the dorm, but the excitement of the girls as I came quickly took away all thought of trepidation. I hung out there for awhile, teaching them songs (There Is a God, and Bind Us Together- complete with the motions!) and thoroughly enjoyed my interaction with all of them. I'm looking forward to interacting with them some more and pray that God will use me to challenge their lives. They have been doing a very good job at stretching my Swahili and giving me a drive to learn more so that I can communicate better. :)
It's hard to believe the Lapp family only has one week left with us here in Ivuna. We have thoroughly enjoyed their interaction in our lives and the blessing they were to us. It seems like this year has been full of nothing but good-byes, and it makes me long even more keenly for Heaven where we'll all be together and will never have to say good-bye again! "Let us pray for each other, not faint by the way- in this sad world of sorrow and care. For that Home is so bright and it's almost in sight, and I trust in my heart you'll go there."
I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for your prayers.
blessings from my hot African village...
kim
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