Tanzania Friday - Jeff

Friday was a later start for us.  A few of us went to a local hotel where I met with a local Tanzanian businessman who knows a number of our CLC members. Hours flew by as I got insight into how things are done in East Africa. Culture, politics, business, were some od the topics. It was an eye-opening conversation.  

Later that afternoon we made our way toward Mount Kilimanjaro to stay at the local YMCA in Moshi. We were able to visit a congregation that some of the CLC members helped build their church.  Ended the night at the YMCA with some great discussions. Was another good day.

Jollyboys Backpackers Pictures - Noah

First Day Teaching in Livingstone - Noah

Greetings once again from Zambia!
After a travel day from Lusaka to Livingstone yesterday, we started our teaching today. Happy Dollies was the first school we taught at with 30 kids in attendance. We then walked over to Eliflo Pre and Primary school where we were able to teach 110 children. We then hurried over to Simjemma school to teach the 100 children there at 11 am since the children only have a half day on Fridays.
The children were all very active today and answered our questions well. All of us are getting quite comfortable with our lessons as we have taught them just short of 25 times now. We found that we have taught just shy of 1500 children, with a few days a teaching to go. The fields are ripe for harvest. Praise be to God!

We are staying at Jollyboys Backpackers here in town. It's a very nice place with a pool, (Fletcher and I have made use of it, we have been the only ones brave enough to dare go into the water) and a "conversation-pit". Our rooms are little A-frame thatched cabins with two beds. They are pretty cute and let good airflow throughout the night.

In Christ,
Noah Sydow

Visiting Christians and making connections - Sam Radermacher

(Note: this was meant to be posted on Wednesday, but we've had slow internet since).

One of the greatest blessings (along with teaching all the wonderful kids, of course) is having the chance to meet with the local members at the churches here in Africa. We have already met so many wonderful Christians who remain unwavering and dedicated in their mission to serve Christ. It is truly a blessing to make these once-in-a-lifetime connections that will last beyond this life, into eternity in heaven.

We were invited to the home of Pastor Samson Otieno, who continues to faithfully serve his congregation despite many earthly setbacks. As his physical eyesight and youth have faded, his zeal for the Gospel remains as strong as ever. I am reminded of Job's words of confidence that, at the last day, our very bodies shall be made new and we will see God "with our OWN eyes," and not the eyes of some other body. Oh "how my heart yearns within me!" Pastor Samson finished our visit by singing some beautiful Swahili hymns for us, leaving us all encouraged and thankful for our uplifting visit. 

We also had the pleasure of visiting the home of Mama Anna Segala. She gave us a tour of her farm and garden, and we learned the inspiring story of how the Lutheran church in Mois Bridge began about 15 years ago. Anna had been visiting her son in Phoenix, AZ when she decided to attend Holy Cross Lutheran Church, looking for a welcoming, confessional group of Christians who preached God's Word faithfully. She brought that saving Word back home to Kenya where the rest is history. Just looking around at the congregation and facilities, it is obvious how the LORD has worked through her and her family to further the work of the kingdom these past years. 

As we make our way into Uganda, please keep us in your prayers! We are so thankful for the wonderful fellowship we have, both back home and abroad, as we carry out the work of our Savior, Jesus!

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭19‬.

Zambia Thursday - Bus from Lusaka to Livingstone - Ulrika

Mwachoma bwanji (Good evening greeting)  

Ndachoma bwino (Evening response)

The above phrases in Nyanja are useful in this part of Zambia.  Pastor Ibrahim introduces u to few phrases as we go.

Today we rose early and took the 7am bus to Livingstone.  It is about an 8-9 hour trip, and we made good time, arriving just after 3pm.  

It was exciting to see the landscape slowly change from red savanna to more green and gold slightly rolling hills and many more trees.  We saw baobab trees and more cattle, goats, and working dogs.

Once we arrived at our hostel we were delighted to learn that dinner is included for tonight.  It was a vegetable pasta dish that was a new experience for some in our group, and I am quite proud that everyone gave it a try, even if they usually don't care for that type of food.  

I feel like this hostel is quite a treat as it has very nice, clean setup, and it fosters a very friendly atmosphere.  It is helping us to rest up and prepare for the next days of teaching.  Tomorrow will likely be a half day as schools here let out early on Fridays.

Thank you all for your continued prayers, especially for the children and families that we encounter.  We pray that they grow in faith and knowledge of God's Love.

From Gary Peters in TZ

          After 9 days in Tanzania, one of my biggest impressions is the joy of worshipping with other believers. I don't know their language but we know the same savior Jesus. They gather to hear God's word just like we do. They sing and pray to our God.            

            Another big impression is how much people here live outside: walking, cooking, talking, shopping, playing. Many houses and shops have open doors. The people are about and are looking at each other, not at a phone. They are mostly friendly and trusting. That's very refreshing. 

         There are many children and they are attentive and obedient most of the time. You can see a four year old child unattended but they are being watched by the neighborhood and they are safe. 

           I come here from half a world away.  But Jesus loves these people and sends us to bring good news. All have sinned, but Jesus died for all. They have the same needs, worries, and emotions as me. Jesus helps us connect deeper than words or cultures, a communion of saints made into one family in Jesus. What a gift to experience that.

Tanzania Thursday - Jeff

Was another wonderful day.  Started out with a morning at the seminary where I was allowed to sit in on homiletics class. I enjoyed hearing the students preach and the discussion that followed. A joy to be a part of it.

From there we presented at an orphanage to a number of students.  The were so warm and inviting. Hearing them sing is so much fun.

Then I spent some time with Elisha checking out some projects he is working on before heading to a traditional Tanzanian dinner at pastor Jeremiah's house with the family. I laughed so hard I was crying.  What a privilege to fellowship with the group tonight. So thankful for our time here.

Tanzania Wednesday- Jeff

We had an awesome day.  We woke up at the monastery for breakfast and headed out to our first stop in Mbulumbulu.  22 kids and 14 adults. I believe we are getting more comfortable singing the Swahili hymns.  Was a blessing to sing and worship with them. 

 

Afterward, we headed back to the house.  We had a coffee stop and had some really fun conversations with Elisha and Pastor Jeremiah about the roles of laymen in congregations. I see correlations around the world.  As a layman, I see so many challenges with apathy.  It’s not that people aren’t willing to work, they just aren’t sure what they should do.  It seems that a great place to start is working on alignment within a congregation to get everyone on the same page with a vision.  Then work the vision as a group trusting the Lord to guide the journey.  So often we get stuck waiting for someone to tell us what to do or to do the work for us.  As you can imagine, it was a lively conversation.  How much fun. 

 

This previous conversation ties to one of my hopes learning more about the mission board work around the world.  How I, as a layman, can impact congregations regardless of where they are.  Elisha and I spent several hours talking about the local congregation and his own business. As a layman, and someone who works with business owners for a living, this was a lot of fun for me.  We are hoping to spend more time on this trip working on the plans for both.

Wednesday in Zambia- Lauren

Hello! Today was another beautiful day here in Zambia. Our group taught at 3 locations today. The first school, Kwasha Mukwenu, had around 60 kids. The second place, Paradise Holy Spirit Church, was a bonus opportunity for us, as they requested us to come. So we taught about 35 more kids there. We drove a short way to teach at a church in Shimabala. This church is one that were actually in fellowship with. Here we taught at least 250 kids, with a lot of parents present too! Shimabala was the only place today that we had a translator at. I've been surprised at how many times we teach without translators- many of the schools here teach English, so the kids can understand and answer questions well! 

It was a very blessed and fulfilling day of teaching. We are all enjoying our time in Zambia. You can tell how much everyone here appreciates having us, and they are all eager to hear the message we've come to bring. 

Here's a few extra details for those who are curious! 

Their currency here is called kwacha, and about 25 kwacha equals1 USD.

I've especially enjoyed the colors in the sunsets that are visible when nightly smog sets in. 

The weather has been cooler in the mornings, and hot and sunny in the afternoon, which is been a nice balance!

They have mango trees all over here- but they're in season around November. Bananas and oranges are commonly sold this time of year.

Tomorrow we have a long bus ride to Livingtone, where we will be teaching for a few days.Thank you for the thoughts and prayers said on our behalf, we truly appreciate it! 

In Christ,

Lauren

Tanzania Tuesday, Safari Day- Jeff

One of the other blessings of the trip is to have some days to explore. We were fortunate to have Elisha have his own guide business and vehicle to take us to Ngorongoro Crater and park.  What an amazing experience to see hippos, lions, elephants, water buffalo and many other animals up close.  We even were able to see lions stalk prey and one try too unsuccessfully take down a water buffalo. Epic! Hopefully we can get some videos loaded.

So refreshing to be able to come back to the monastery for the evening for a good meal and some dice. We have started to sign the table prayer, "Oh give thanks," in a round for our meal prayers.  We were treated by the women at the monastery to their own singing for us after they heard it. What a blessing to stay their.  Many more great discussions as we work together as a team.

Tanzania Monday - Jeff

Monday was another blessed day.  We went to the Maasai village in Essilalei. It was great to have Elisha, Pastor Jeremiah's son drive us in his Land Cruiser. As he said, we had only a light African message. lol

We presented to around 75 people from the village and also shared the Jesus film in Maasai.  I wish I could share all the videos of the singing and dancing. We will try to find a way to do that. Such joy and enthusiasm for sharing in the praise of our Lord. We also sang for them as well and joining in more dancing. We are making this more a part of each session as it has been received well.  The night ended by driving to a monasterie where we spent two nights. It is a beautiful place close to our safari day. 

Teaching in Lusaka - Fletcher

Greetings from Lusaka, Zambia 

We started the day at 9am with breakfast. We then rode in a van to the first of three schools. Our first stop was Ecole school. We taught 24 kids there. We had victor a friend of pastor Ibrahim translate into nyanja for the kids. The kids all enjoyed their tooth brushes and necklaces but Noah was the star of the show giving out hot wheels cars to each kid. Our second stop was at prabi We taught in two different classrooms to a total of 121 kids. Our final stop of the day was at pekmar. We taught a total of 191 kids in 5 different classrooms. In total we taught 336 kids today! Afterwards we took a van to Lusaka's craft market and got to see all the beautiful trinkets for sale. Our van then dropped us off at the mall where we got dinner at the Hungary lion. We then walked back to the backpackers lodge and ended the night with a devotion on jesus healing the centurions servant. 

In Christ, 

Fletcher Hughes

Another Great Day

Yesterday, Elisha (Pastor Jeremiah's son) picked us up in his Land Rover and we left for Esilalei. There is a Messai tribe there who Pastor Solomon shepherds. We picked Pastor Solomon up along the way and made our way to the village. 

The whole tribe welcomed us with singing and dancing and encouraged us to dance along with them. 

We set up under a tree for shade and proceeded to give our lessons. Pastor Jeremiah translated to Swahili and then Pastor Solomon translated to Messai. As Gary gave his presentation on Jesus is our Savior, Jeff and I showed the group his pictures, which they were very enthralled with. 

They sang us some of their worship songs and then we sang In Christ Alone for them.  We passed out the necklaces and toothbrushes to the whole tribe and had fun taking pictures with them.

Pastor Naumann set up the Jesus movie in their church/school and they watched it in Messai.

It was a little bit of a longer drive to get home so we saw a beautiful African sunset to finish another great day. 

Amy

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