Sometimes it takes a great deal to think of how to begin some of my blog entries. This would be one of them. Thank you for taking the time to journey along. I love for you to be connected near or far to what God is doing in my life and the lives around me here in a place where many can't place on a map. And if you ask my nephew he says that I live in the computer! But, I do not live in the computer I live in the place that is dusty yet beautiful. I continue to be amazed at how God is moving in the hearts of people. And sometimes I wonderful if my heart is big enough to take it all in. A friend reminded me how that is a large challenge of life here. How exhausting it is to live in the extremes that come across our days. But, before I get ahead of myself let me explain a bit more my venture that took place last week and fill you in on what I mean.
This past week I ventured to the Matale area to observe and encourage the pre-primary schools whose teachers are involved in the Teacher Trainings. Nalepo, Oleserian, and Oltinga were on the list of visits for this trip with more to come soon. Emmanuel and Napima gathered the children as I arrived. Emmanuel teaches the pre-primary kids which is similar to Kindergarten in the States and Napima teaches the baby class which is like pre-school. The children began their day with songs. As I scan their faces I am filled with such joy and happiness. The faces could be labeled with words like orphan, malnourished, sick, needy, outcast, etc. However, instead of those words being my first response (which used to be when I first arrived) joy is what I saw instead. Living in this country I can at times be overwhelmed by the "label words" used in the previous sentence. Those words are real in these faces as well and make my heart ache. But, the treasurable part of what I continue to learn by serving here in Tanzania is the pure joy that can be found in loving Jesus. And my heart expands...
Most of the kids had notebooks and were busy writing numbers. The kids who did not have notebooks I showed the teachers how they can write with a stick on the ground instead of just sitting in defeat. The purpose was to see the teachers at work so that I can continue to support their teaching efforts. I am reminded just how basic one has to think with these precious and willing people. For example, most of the kids were writing upside down. Now that can be normal at this age figuring out letters and numbers in the early stages. But, as I watched the teacher instruct the group I saw her write numbers on the ground that are top to bottom facing her not the children. She was writing them as they would appear to her instead of upside down to her to be right side up for the kids! So, I showed her to write the numbers facing top to bottom to the kids then to stand behind the numbers as she teaches. This is one of the many examples of our challenges learning to be a teacher. Another challenge on an entire different category has to do with the little boy pictured up at the top left. What a beautiful smile! This little boy was brought to me because the teacher does not know what to do with him. He is a precious little boy who is hearing impaired. He watches diligently at the kids and world around him to figure out what to do. There are basic motions and signs that Maasai use for numbers and I explained to Emmanuel (the teacher) to use those when he is teaching. This is also a new concept but at least a beginning place. I took the little boy aside who just smiled as wide as he could. He just melted my heart. I believe that God has great things in store for this little boy but without some help he will be unable to function within this tribe very well. I spent some individual time with him working on writing but overwhelmed again by another language barrier of a different kind. But with movements and TLC I gave him what I had in that moment. And my heart expands more...
The afternoon was supposed to be spent at a school that meets in the afternoon however due to the teacher being ill there was no one there. Emmanuel went with me and we traveled up the hill from the church to ask about the status of the school. The elder of the church who is also on the board of the school met us and explained that the teacher is ill. He told me that it would be good for me to visit and that it was not far. Now this statement is a joke among us missionaries because that is the famous direction giving statement that never means "not far!!" I followed this eighty some year old man who trucked up this mountain like he was a mountain goat! Struggling to keep up I was pretty convinced he had hooves rather than feet as he kept saying, "it is not far!" Let's just say that it wasn't close and I was not about to be shown up by my elder so I kept up! I asked what was wrong with the teacher. The elder replied, "her skin is falling off." "Excuse me," was my response?! As I was huffing and puffing up this hill I could only imagine another helpless situation that I found myself. Instead of focusing how close or not so close this boma was I prayed that the spirit would give me courage, wisdom, insight, love, and just about anything else I could think! I tried not to be worried about what I might find. Thoughts of leprosy and all kinds of things went through my head but the Lord calls us to love no matter what. I also know that in many cases they do not know what to call illnesses so one is never sure. I reached the boma and we found the older woman in her mud/dung boma that was falling a part. With Emmanuel's help we were able to discuss about the school and encourage her. She does have a skin illness of some kind and said she was also suffering from malaria. But, she hoped to begin school again on Monday. Her and the elder talked for quite sometime and I know it was good for her to have someone check in on her and the school. We prayed over her and sought provision for the school. This is a community that has a great difficulty embracing school. I watched the woman who offered me a cup of milk probably all that she had who has a heart to love the kids in her village area and again my heart expands...
It was time to set up camp before nightfall. I am amazed at the beauty found in these hills that in most standards are unknown or forgotten. The moon was so bright that night I thought someone was shinning a flashlight down on the top of my tent! There is usually quite a production and very little privacy when I am out there. What can seem like being in the middle of now where it doesn't take long for people to gather. I suppose my camping parade is like TV for them! The kids who were hanging around I gave them some of the heart suckers that Miss Peggy sent! Daima was my Maasai Guard and made sure that I was well protected!! At one time this place was unknown to me. It is challenging to do life out in this area but as I looked at these faces there was a sense of home as well and yes an expanding heart...
The next day I went to Oltinga. For those readers in the Plainfield area this is the same church that the team who visited attended the Sunday they were here. As I reached the area under a tree where the church/school meet the kids sat on a long log and giraffe surrounded the area. It was beautiful! Can you believe it?! Giraffe can come to school too! The kids were quiet and ready to learn. The teacher was waiting for me because it is polite to allow the guest to talk/preach/teach etc. However, on purpose I sat in the back greeted out of respect and told the teacher to carry on. Watching him I was pleased to see some of the lessons that we talked about in our last training session in January. Sometimes it can be easier for the teachers who have no education at all to embrace the things that we talk about in our training sessions rather than to be locked into the ways of the not so great ed. system. This is an area that is even more poor than the village area visited the day before. All the kids are malnourished but I can now pick out the kids who are even more who helplessly tried to keep their eyes open. There are the kids who have conjunctivitis and parasites so bad the flies flock to feast covered eyes. Though those things tug at my heart over all I was encouraged about what I saw and how hard these teachers and churches work to improve the school. I have some frustrations as well for how long it takes to train, teach, and empower people. But, the schools have improved a great deal in the last year and that is very exciting to see! More and More my heart expands...
On the way home my thoughts go in so many directions! I don't live in the computer. I live in a place where hunger is real. Death and illness can be around any corner for any age. A place that is hot, dusty, and where water is hard to find. I live in a land of hard labor for either gender and all ages. I live in a place where giraffe come to school. Where joy spreads wide on many faces. A place where lives are being transformed and people are loved by God. Even as long as this post is getting I still am unable to paint the picture. One the way home my heart is not sure of the emotions that fill it. The human side has a hard time seeing the things that fill my time but the spiritual side rejoices for my brothers and sisters and the things they teach me. Sometimes I wonder if my heart is big enough to take in all these things! But, on the way home I sing to the God that loves me and so my heart continues to grow to love as He does.
This past week I ventured to the Matale area to observe and encourage the pre-primary schools whose teachers are involved in the Teacher Trainings. Nalepo, Oleserian, and Oltinga were on the list of visits for this trip with more to come soon. Emmanuel and Napima gathered the children as I arrived. Emmanuel teaches the pre-primary kids which is similar to Kindergarten in the States and Napima teaches the baby class which is like pre-school. The children began their day with songs. As I scan their faces I am filled with such joy and happiness. The faces could be labeled with words like orphan, malnourished, sick, needy, outcast, etc. However, instead of those words being my first response (which used to be when I first arrived) joy is what I saw instead. Living in this country I can at times be overwhelmed by the "label words" used in the previous sentence. Those words are real in these faces as well and make my heart ache. But, the treasurable part of what I continue to learn by serving here in Tanzania is the pure joy that can be found in loving Jesus. And my heart expands...
Most of the kids had notebooks and were busy writing numbers. The kids who did not have notebooks I showed the teachers how they can write with a stick on the ground instead of just sitting in defeat. The purpose was to see the teachers at work so that I can continue to support their teaching efforts. I am reminded just how basic one has to think with these precious and willing people. For example, most of the kids were writing upside down. Now that can be normal at this age figuring out letters and numbers in the early stages. But, as I watched the teacher instruct the group I saw her write numbers on the ground that are top to bottom facing her not the children. She was writing them as they would appear to her instead of upside down to her to be right side up for the kids! So, I showed her to write the numbers facing top to bottom to the kids then to stand behind the numbers as she teaches. This is one of the many examples of our challenges learning to be a teacher. Another challenge on an entire different category has to do with the little boy pictured up at the top left. What a beautiful smile! This little boy was brought to me because the teacher does not know what to do with him. He is a precious little boy who is hearing impaired. He watches diligently at the kids and world around him to figure out what to do. There are basic motions and signs that Maasai use for numbers and I explained to Emmanuel (the teacher) to use those when he is teaching. This is also a new concept but at least a beginning place. I took the little boy aside who just smiled as wide as he could. He just melted my heart. I believe that God has great things in store for this little boy but without some help he will be unable to function within this tribe very well. I spent some individual time with him working on writing but overwhelmed again by another language barrier of a different kind. But with movements and TLC I gave him what I had in that moment. And my heart expands more...
The afternoon was supposed to be spent at a school that meets in the afternoon however due to the teacher being ill there was no one there. Emmanuel went with me and we traveled up the hill from the church to ask about the status of the school. The elder of the church who is also on the board of the school met us and explained that the teacher is ill. He told me that it would be good for me to visit and that it was not far. Now this statement is a joke among us missionaries because that is the famous direction giving statement that never means "not far!!" I followed this eighty some year old man who trucked up this mountain like he was a mountain goat! Struggling to keep up I was pretty convinced he had hooves rather than feet as he kept saying, "it is not far!" Let's just say that it wasn't close and I was not about to be shown up by my elder so I kept up! I asked what was wrong with the teacher. The elder replied, "her skin is falling off." "Excuse me," was my response?! As I was huffing and puffing up this hill I could only imagine another helpless situation that I found myself. Instead of focusing how close or not so close this boma was I prayed that the spirit would give me courage, wisdom, insight, love, and just about anything else I could think! I tried not to be worried about what I might find. Thoughts of leprosy and all kinds of things went through my head but the Lord calls us to love no matter what. I also know that in many cases they do not know what to call illnesses so one is never sure. I reached the boma and we found the older woman in her mud/dung boma that was falling a part. With Emmanuel's help we were able to discuss about the school and encourage her. She does have a skin illness of some kind and said she was also suffering from malaria. But, she hoped to begin school again on Monday. Her and the elder talked for quite sometime and I know it was good for her to have someone check in on her and the school. We prayed over her and sought provision for the school. This is a community that has a great difficulty embracing school. I watched the woman who offered me a cup of milk probably all that she had who has a heart to love the kids in her village area and again my heart expands...
It was time to set up camp before nightfall. I am amazed at the beauty found in these hills that in most standards are unknown or forgotten. The moon was so bright that night I thought someone was shinning a flashlight down on the top of my tent! There is usually quite a production and very little privacy when I am out there. What can seem like being in the middle of now where it doesn't take long for people to gather. I suppose my camping parade is like TV for them! The kids who were hanging around I gave them some of the heart suckers that Miss Peggy sent! Daima was my Maasai Guard and made sure that I was well protected!! At one time this place was unknown to me. It is challenging to do life out in this area but as I looked at these faces there was a sense of home as well and yes an expanding heart...
The next day I went to Oltinga. For those readers in the Plainfield area this is the same church that the team who visited attended the Sunday they were here. As I reached the area under a tree where the church/school meet the kids sat on a long log and giraffe surrounded the area. It was beautiful! Can you believe it?! Giraffe can come to school too! The kids were quiet and ready to learn. The teacher was waiting for me because it is polite to allow the guest to talk/preach/teach etc. However, on purpose I sat in the back greeted out of respect and told the teacher to carry on. Watching him I was pleased to see some of the lessons that we talked about in our last training session in January. Sometimes it can be easier for the teachers who have no education at all to embrace the things that we talk about in our training sessions rather than to be locked into the ways of the not so great ed. system. This is an area that is even more poor than the village area visited the day before. All the kids are malnourished but I can now pick out the kids who are even more who helplessly tried to keep their eyes open. There are the kids who have conjunctivitis and parasites so bad the flies flock to feast covered eyes. Though those things tug at my heart over all I was encouraged about what I saw and how hard these teachers and churches work to improve the school. I have some frustrations as well for how long it takes to train, teach, and empower people. But, the schools have improved a great deal in the last year and that is very exciting to see! More and More my heart expands...
On the way home my thoughts go in so many directions! I don't live in the computer. I live in a place where hunger is real. Death and illness can be around any corner for any age. A place that is hot, dusty, and where water is hard to find. I live in a land of hard labor for either gender and all ages. I live in a place where giraffe come to school. Where joy spreads wide on many faces. A place where lives are being transformed and people are loved by God. Even as long as this post is getting I still am unable to paint the picture. One the way home my heart is not sure of the emotions that fill it. The human side has a hard time seeing the things that fill my time but the spiritual side rejoices for my brothers and sisters and the things they teach me. Sometimes I wonder if my heart is big enough to take in all these things! But, on the way home I sing to the God that loves me and so my heart continues to grow to love as He does.
Click to view more pictures of the trip.
Prayer Points~
- Emmanuel, Napima, Paulo, and Kai who are the teachers in these areas that I visited. May God continue to give them wisdom and love as they teach in these bush areas. May they be open to be empowered in new ways of thinking but most of all to love a generation who is the hope of this nation.
- May these kids grow in knowledge that will be a good foundation as a Maasai Momma, politician or doctor. May they know the love of Jesus that no matter the number of days here on the Earth they will have the hope of eternity!
- That God gives me a heart to give and receive all that fills each day. For wisdom as I continue to try to be a helpful resource and to empower these teachers to make a difference in the lives of the young in their village area.
- Unfortunately this past weekend I took my turn with the flu. The worst is over but hoping for a quick rebound!
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