I'm no longer the same! :)

"I'm no longer the same, (I'm no longer)
I'm no longer the same, (I'm no longer)
He has changed my life,
and has given me a new name,
I'm no longer the same!"
    ~ sung by the St. David's school kids

Back home safely, yes, but not back to life as it was. Our time spent living simply in the Word and with so many wonderful, humble Christians in East Africa left me feeling very blessed. Daily "necessities" are sometimes not necessary anymore, or at least not taken for granted. I somewhat expected to more greatly appreciate clean water and certain foods, but one thing I didn't expect was new-found appreciation for education. Many very bright grade school children are not able to continue on to even high school, due to lack of money. I almost feel selfish being in my 3rd year of college already when most of the teachers have only done 2 years, if any. So I will certainly put forward my absolute best effort in all my classes to come, with the same attitude that the Etago kids had - that education and gaining knowledge is a great privilege. But essentially, God is enough for anyone.

I hope to go back to Etago someday (sooner rather than later! ;) ), with new, more obscure Bible story lesson plans (they already knew very well all the stories we taught), crafts, dozens of fun songs with actions, and all their names memorized, with the hope that I just might be able to teach them more than they could teach me. But I somehow wouldn't be surprised if that was reversed yet again. ;)

Please pray for blessings to all our fellow Christians in East Africa, and visit them as well if you can! They treat their visitors very well :)

To God be thanks and glory,

~ Gretchen

By the grace of God...all the 2012 CLC Mission Helpers to East Africa have arrived safely in Chicago. Cars and planes will take us to our families!

Heading to the Airport

We head to the Istanbul airport in about 15 minutes. A 12 hour flight will take us home to Chicago. Prayers for a safe flight are much appreciated.

In Christ,
Pastor O.

Made it to Turkey

The CLC Mission Helpers made it safely from Nairobi to Istanbul, Turkey. We will be here for a 1 1/2 day layover. We are staying in a youth hostel about 2 blocks from the famous Hagia Sophia mosque. We rest and relax this evening and then see the sights tomorrow.

Sunday

Hello from Team Etago,

Yesterday was our last day at our location. We were privileged to bring the word of God to a prospect church near Emesa. They were formerly part of a different synod, but have expressed interest in joining our synod here in Kenya.

On these weekends we have been teaching the 7 C’s. These lessons start from Creation and go to Judgment day. Essentially, they are the history of the world through the eyes of a Christian. God has blessed us in that at every church we had been at the children have already learned about God’s plan for the world. They are able to intelligently answer our questions and recognize the lessons we are trying to convey. It is wonderful that these small children know about their Savior and God’s plan for salvation.  It truly is comforting to know that not only our redemption has been taught, but also deeper Bible truths.

Yesterday the Lord presented us a different sort of opportunity. As I mentioned before, this church has expressed interest in joining our synod. Our group and a couple of our Kenyan pastors went to this church. We met with the leaders of the church and spoke to them about their beliefs and our beliefs, discussed the role of men and women in the church, the proper attitude of a Christian, the proper outlook of a leader and many other things. We continually turned towards Scripture and referenced our thoughts with the Bible and many of the men there quite clearly were given some new things to think about.  Afterwards, we started with our 7 C’s lessons, not really knowing what to expect. As we started presenting our lessons something incredible happened. Throughout every lesson, from Creation to the Flood to Christ to Judgment day, every eye, both young and old was on us. It was a very different experience for us. We asked the children if they had learned a lot and they responded with an emphatic, “Yes we did!” (or the Kisii equivalent of it).

After the lessons, we were invited once again to the secretary’s house and had ugali, black night shade, and goat. The “mamas” there thanked us for coming and told us that they also had learned much during our lessons. We were given Swahili names and begged to stay in Africa or to send people to them every year. We realized how much our visit meant to these people, who wanted to learn the truth of God’s word. We are grateful to God for this opportunity to bring our message and fellowship to this new congregation.

As we were writing the first part blog, Wickliffe just walked in with Boston and said hello. These boys are in standard 8 at the school. Wickliffe is a very intelligent student who is near the top of his class. Unfortunately, he comes from an especially struggling family and might not be able to continue on to high school next year due to finances. He is one of those students who has shown a great aptitude for learning and has displayed his knowledge both of school and the Bible during our lessons. He has some minor health problems and can’t afford to do anything about it. He is determined to improve his living conditions, and his dream is to become an engineer and see America, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Wickliffe is just one of many students who has a background of hardships yet perseveres and keeps his trust his God. Please keep him and all the other students here in your prayers.

Today we had to leave Etago to journey to Nairobi. Some of our group along with a number of the school children began the morning with hiking up the hill across from school and watching the sun rise. The same group of children stayed with us until we were leaving Etago, and a couple even ran down the hill after us as we were driving away. Our hosts were kind enough to drive us to Kisii where we were then able to catch a bus to Nairobi. The goodbyes in Etago were difficult, but as several people reminded us, this is not the end, but rather the beginning!

Now we are in Nairobi, reunited with the other mission helpers, and ready to share our inspiring stories with each other over the next few days as we make our way back to the states.

In the Lord,
~ Team Etago

Safely Back in Nairobi

All three teams have arrived safely in Nairobi. After wonderful meals of hamburgers and pizza, we spent a couple of hours in devotion (Psalm 105 remembering God's promises and faithfulness), hymn singing, prayer, and rejoicing in God's goodness, grace, mercy, and blessings as we all shared stories from our time in Kenya and Tanzania. We wrapped it all up around 11:15 pm. It was wonderful to hear how the Lord encouraged each mission helper and the marvelous things He has done! God is Good!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; 

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 

Glory in His holy name...

Remember His marvelous works which He has done...

For He remembered His holy promise...Psalm 105:1-3a, 5a, 42a

What a privilege it has been to work along-side these faithful and gifted servants of our Savior. Thank you Lord for all you have done!


In Christ,
Pastor O.

Team Tanzania is Back in Nairobi

After an 6:00 am departure from Moshi, TZ and an 8 hour bus ride...Team Tanzania (Lucas Brown, Ashley Elliott, Randy Wittorp, Jessica Ohlmann, and me) made it safely back to Nairobi today (Sunday afternoon). We are waiting for the other two teams to arrive this evening. Later tonight we will join in worship as we rejoice over the blessings the Lord has bestowed on us over these past few weeks here in Africa. It will be fun and encouraging to hear all the stories of what God.

Now it is time for a good hot shower, nap, and a good supper!

We leave for home (with a 1.5 day layover in Istanbul) late tomorrow night.

In Christ,

Let this be a beginning, but never an end

“Life is an opportunity—benefit from it; life is beauty—admire it; life is a dream—achieve it; life is a challenge—face it; life is a duty—complete it; life is a game—play it; life is a promise—fulfill it; life is sorrow—overcome it; life is a song—sing it; life is a struggle—accept it; life is a tragedy—confront it; life is an adventure—dare it; life is luck—make it; life is too precious—do not destroy it; life is life—fight for it. Be blessed.” ~One of the teacherS here in Etago

These words were heard being read by Loren as Gretchen and I were in the middle of an interview with one of the teachers. They fit so perfectly with the things we had heard about the lives of some of these teachers that my heart couldn’t help but be humbled by the things surrounding me. These last two days have been especially humbling and eye opening, that I thank the Lord for the privilege of having spent them. ~Life is an opportunity; life is beauty.~

Thursday noon, Gretchen and I interviewed all of the teachers, asking them different questions about their lives, and there was one that especially pulled at my heartstrings as I listened to the selfless love that he poured out. This teacher, Nicholas, is twenty-three years old, has been teaching here at the school for two years, and teaches 7^th and 8^th grade science; 7^th grade Swahili; and 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th grade Christian Religious Education. He lives in a small, poverty-ridden house with his six brothers, four sisters, and his father who had a stroke that is causing much difficulty. Nicholas is the 4^th born child, but the oldest son, so he takes care of the family for his father. Almost half of his monthly wage, which is less than 30 American dollars, is used to pay for his father’s illness, while the rest goes to his siblings’ school bills and what they can afford for food and other needs. Nicholas is also a very intelligent man—having gone to “computer college,” driving school, school for plant operation and road construction, and two years of school for teaching. Seeing his accomplishments, it is obvious that Nicholas is smart and could be working for more wages—but he chooses to teach here at the school. He chooses to work for 11 ½ hours Monday through Friday for 10 months of the year and make far less than what a person making minimum wage in the United States would make in a month, and he chooses to use all of that money for the rest of his family. What a selfless, respectable, Christian example. Nicholas has chosen to use his talents to help the children at this school get an education not only for their lives here on earth, but for their eternal lives. Nicholas has chosen to put the needs of others before his own, and to do the Work that the Lord has set out. Philippians 2:3 “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” ~Life is a challenge; life is a duty.~

The 7^th and 8^th grade children have school from 8 am to 4:30 pm (like the others), with a break of 2 ½ hours, only to come back for class from 7pm to 10pm and stay overnight. The 5 male teachers here teach all of these 11 ½ hours, and some stay overnight with the children. For many of the children here, it is a wonderful blessing to be able to stay at the school. Many of them come from extremely poverty-ridden homes and families that cannot feed them or support them in their education, so the school allows these underprivileged children to live at the school for all ten months. The teachers selflessly allow these children to live here for free and go to school here for free, and they even provide them with what they can afford for food, which is more than their families can do; and the other school children who come from more privileged families and who are able to pay for school and live at home, bring what they can of food in order to help provide for the other, less-privileged children. This love for one another that is shown so abundantly here at the school is extremely humbling and heart wrenching. ~Life is a tragedy; life is a song .~

Gretchen and I also interviewed the 8^th graders today, who will be graduating at the end of this month after taking a test in the coming week. Some of these children are those who live in struggling families, and are unsure of how they will be able to pay for secondary education after this. Another story that especially pulled on my heartstrings was that of a boy who is 13 years old and living with only his mother. He has no siblings and no father, due to the fact that his mother had him out of wedlock; and the two of them continuously jump from rental house to rental house when he is not living at the school. The teachers told us that this boy has very much potential—aspiring to be a doctor—but sadly after graduation, he will not have the funds to move on to secondary education since he has no father and a struggling mother, barely getting by on rent. If this boy’s mother dies, he will have nowhere to go—no one to support him. He would be alone completely in the world, and as we found out from some of the other children, sudden death is not uncommon here. A few of the children’s parents have died of malaria, and another’s parents died in a car accident. ~Life is a struggle; life is a dream.~

These children are so determined and driven for their education and to make their lives better that it makes me look at my life and appreciate it so much more. God has blessed me with the opportunity to go to high school easily, when these children look at secondary education as a goal. God has blessed me with a home and a family that provides me with food and clothing, when some of these children don’t have a home or parents, food, shoes, or many clothes. I looked at one of the children’s feet today and saw toes popping out of the front of what used to be tennis shoes; and when we handed out those baseball uniforms, the smiles and excitement in the children’s faces was unreal, just like when they were given toothbrushes. They all gripped their toothbrushes so tightly and waved them around in joy, that I was afraid they might lose circulation in their hands. God has blessed me with so many things in life and has given me so much more than I deserve. I thank the Lord for the opportunity he has given me to come on this trip to learn what I have and join in fellowship with these strong believers in Christ. The blessings I’ve received on this trip have been more than anything I could ever want or need—more than any physical blessings I could hold onto. I have surely learned more here than I have taught, and I will miss these children all the more for that. ~Life is too precious. Be blessed.~

Today was our final day with the kids, and after their beautiful morning songs and a few devotions from Loren, Matthew, and another teacher here, it was spent fully on playing with the children, talking with them, tickling them, letting them pet our hair and make it look “smart,” and taking picture upon picture with them. Many of the children and teachers told us not to leave—to live in Kenya, get married in Kenya, raise a family in Kenya, and the like. It was so hard to say goodbye, especially when one of the teachers had some of the children from each class say a pleasant goodbye to us and had each of us say one to them. When all of the children were dismissed, another teacher—one that we worked with for much of the time we spent here—came up to us and gave a very wonderful goodbye speech, thanking us for the messages we have brought, the fellowship we have shared, and the work we have done. He ended his speech by saying, “let this be a beginning, but never an end.” ~Life is an adventure; life is life.~

God’s light is clearly being shown through these people and their selflessness, and I can assure you that they have done much more for us than we have done for them. Please pray for these beautiful people, that they may continue on with their work here, and that these families may be blessed, not only with earthly blessings, but especially with the grace of God and a strong faith so they can smile out any storms they may face.

Matthew 6: 25 & 34, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” ~Life is a promise.~

“Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience, and both are essential in life. Keep going.”

~Christiana

“Let this be a beginning, but never an end”

"Life is an opportunity—benefit from it; life is beauty—admire it; life is a dream—achieve it; life is a challenge—face it; life is a duty—complete it; life is a game—play it; life is a promise—fulfill it; life is sorrow—overcome it; life is a song—sing it; life is a struggle—accept it; life is a tragedy—confront it; life is an adventure—dare it; life is luck—make it; life is too precious—do not destroy it; life is life—fight for it. Be blessed." ~One of the teacher here in Etago

These words were heard being read by Loren as Gretchen and I were in the middle of an interview with one of the teachers. They fit so perfectly with the things we had heard about the lives of some of these teachers that my heart couldn't help but be humbled by the things surrounding me. These last two days have been especially humbling and eye opening, that I thank the Lord for the privilege of having spent them. ~Life is an opportunity; life is beauty.~

Thursday noon, Gretchen and I interviewed all of the teachers, asking them different questions about their lives, and there was one that especially pulled at my heartstrings as I listened to the selfless love that he poured out. This teacher, Nicholas, is twenty-three years old, has been teaching here at the school for two years, and teaches 7^th and 8^th grade science; 7^th grade Swahili; and 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th grade Christian Religious Education. He lives in a small, poverty-ridden house with his six brothers, four sisters, and his father who had a stroke that is causing much difficulty. Nicholas is the 4^th born child, but the oldest son, so he takes care of the family for his father. Almost half of his monthly wage, which is less than 30 American dollars, is used to pay for his father's illness, while the rest goes to his siblings' school bills and what they can afford for food and other needs. Nicholas is also a very intelligent man—having gone to "computer college," driving school, school for plant operation and road construction, and two years of school for teaching. Seeing his accomplishments, it is obvious that Nicholas is smart and could be working for more wages—but he chooses to teach here at the school. He chooses to work for 11 ½ hours Monday through Friday for 10 months of the year and make far less than what a person making minimum wage in the United States would make in a month, and he chooses to use all of that money for the rest of his family. What a selfless, respectable, Christian example. Nicholas has chosen to use his talents to help the children at this school get an education not only for their lives here on earth, but for their eternal lives. Nicholas has chosen to put the needs of others before his own, and to do the Work that the Lord has set out. Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." ~Life is a challenge; life is a duty.~

The 7^th and 8^th grade children have school from 8 am to 4:30 pm (like the others), with a break of 2 ½ hours, only to come back for class from 7pm to 10pm and stay overnight. The 5 male teachers here teach all of these 11 ½ hours, and some stay overnight with the children. For many of the children here, it is a wonderful blessing to be able to stay at the school. Many of them come from extremely poverty-ridden homes and families that cannot feed them or support them in their education, so the school allows these underprivileged children to live at the school for all ten months. The teachers selflessly allow these children to live here for free and go to school here for free, and they even provide them with what they can afford for food, which is more than their families can do; and the other school children who come from more privileged families and who are able to pay for school and live at home, bring what they can of food in order to help provide for the other, less-privileged children. This love for one another that is shown so abundantly here at the school is extremely humbling and heart wrenching. ~Life is a tragedy; life is a song .~

Gretchen and I also interviewed the 8^th graders today, who will be graduating at the end of this month after taking a test in the coming week. Some of these children are those who live in struggling families, and are unsure of how they will be able to pay for secondary education after this. Another story that especially pulled on my heartstrings was that of a boy who is 13 years old and living with only his mother. He has no siblings and no father, due to the fact that his mother had him out of wedlock; and the two of them continuously jump from rental house to rental house when he is not living at the school. The teachers told us that this boy has very much potential—aspiring to be a doctor—but sadly after graduation, he will not have the funds to move on to secondary education since he has no father and a struggling mother, barely getting by on rent. If this boy's mother dies, he will have nowhere to go—no one to support him. He would be alone completely in the world, and as we found out from some of the other children, sudden death is not uncommon here. A few of the children's parents have died of malaria, and another's parents died in a car accident. ~Life is a struggle; life is a dream.~

These children are so determined and driven for their education and to make their lives better that it makes me look at my life and appreciate it so much more. God has blessed me with the opportunity to go to high school easily, when these children look at secondary education as a goal. God has blessed me with a home and a family that provides me with food and clothing, when some of these children don't have a home or parents, food, shoes, or many clothes. I looked at one of the children's feet today and saw toes popping out of the front of what used to be tennis shoes; and when we handed out those baseball uniforms, the smiles and excitement in the children's faces was unreal, just like when they were given toothbrushes. They all gripped their toothbrushes so tightly and waved them around in joy, that I was afraid they might lose circulation in their hands. God has blessed me with so many things in life and has given me so much more than I deserve. I thank the Lord for the opportunity he has given me to come on this trip to learn what I have and join in fellowship with these strong believers in Christ. The blessings I've received on this trip have been more than anything I could ever want or need—more than any physical blessings I could hold onto. I have surely learned more here than I have taught, and I will miss these children all the more for that. ~Life is too precious. Be blessed.~

Today was our final day with the kids, and after their beautiful morning songs and a few devotions from Loren, Matthew, and another teacher here, it was spent fully on playing with the children, talking with them, tickling them, letting them pet our hair and make it look "smart," and taking picture upon picture with them. Many of the children and teachers told us not to leave—to live in Kenya, get married in Kenya, raise a family in Kenya, and the like. It was so hard to say goodbye, especially when one of the teachers had some of the children from each class say a pleasant goodbye to us and had each of us say one to them. When all of the children were dismissed, another teacher—one that we worked with for much of the time we spent here—came up to us and gave a very wonderful goodbye speech, thanking us for the messages we have brought, the fellowship we have shared, and the work we have done. He ended his speech by saying, "let this be a beginning, but never an end." ~Life is an adventure; life is life.~

God's light is clearly being shown through these people and their selflessness, and I can assure you that they have done much more for us than we have done for them. Please pray for these beautiful people, that they may continue on with their work here, and that these families may be blessed, not only with earthly blessings, but especially with the grace of God and a strong faith so they can smile out any storms they may face.

Matthew 6: 25 & 34, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." ~Life is a promise.~

"Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience, and both are essential in life. Keep going."

~Christiana

With Jesus in the Vessel

July 26, 2012

Hello once again from Etago!

As Christiana described in her last blog, singing is essential and especially wonderful here. Recently one of the teachers taught everyone a new song – “With Jesus in the Vessel.” The simple, yet meaningful lyrics, “With Jesus in the vessel we can smile out the storm as we go sailing home” is a perfect theme song for the school kids here, as well as any Christian. Kate mentioned in her blog how incredibly joyous all the children are at the places they have been privileged to teach, and our team here in Etago has discovered the same. Most if not all of the many many songs we’ve been blessed to hear our children sing are about redemption, salvation, eternal life in heaven, and praising God. “With Jesus in the vessel…”

The children here do not have nearly as many earthly things that we might consider “necessities.” At the end of the school day it’s common to see a couple broken shoes left on the ground, and students showing up barefoot the next day. Terrible diseases such as AIDS are so prominent here that with lack of medical resources, many easily lose friends and family members, as one student’s sad poem reminded us. Yet despite all their hardships of life, laughing, singing, and smiling remain constant every day. “…We can smile out the storm…”

Persevering, sailing on to better days, and ultimately heaven, is what these children strive for. They certainly use their gifts and talents to the glory of God, and this is clearly shown in the great success of the school. In 2011, the school was ranked 24^th in their district of 143 schools. In 2012, out of 131 schools, standard 8 was ranked 29^th, standard 7 ranked 8^th, and standard 6 ranked 28^th. The Lord has truly blessed this group of young children.

Last Sunday, we traveled to the CLC church in Omotembe, Kenya, and were able to join in their worship service filled with dancing and singing hymns, some of which were Kisii hymns that we are actually getting to know quite well now! J We then presented our ‘Seven C’s’ lessons to the eager and attentive children there. The afternoon was quickly filled with stops at a few homes, many hilarious conversations with our Kenyan brothers and sisters in Christ, and a very interesting car ride back to Etago in the refreshing Kenyan rain. J Thankfully, the rain stopped in time for Jennifer, Christiana, and I to help our host mother prepare supper, which includes (but is not limited to) rolling out chipati, milking a cow, and entertaining our hosts’ 5-month old son.

Monday and Tuesday we were back at school, finishing up our Bible lessons with the story of Jesus’ ascension and doing origami-type crafts. Also on Monday, the infamous blue baseball pants, among other sports uniforms as well, were distributed to the school kids, who all changed into them right away. The place was instantly transformed from a traditional Kenyan school with kids in pink and blue uniforms to a hillside full of several very energetic sports teams. J

Yesterday, our team and our hosts roadtripped to Lake Victoria. We were even able to get a ride out on the lake in a large motorboat (only after our friend in the Kenyan Navy refused to commandeer the unused ferry we found ;) ). Being in the boat, we really couldn’t help but sing “With Jesus in the Vessel.” Our time in Etago is coming to an end shortly, but we still have a couple days to teach and celebrate in the Lord with our new friends here.

Bwano Asifiwe,
~ Gretchen

Korogwe Tanzania = More Opportunities

Today (Wednesday,7/25) we will hit the road again and head further south to the Tanzanian coast on the Indian Ocean. Team Tanzania will teach another 200-300 students  at a primary school here in Korogwe this morning and then find a bus heading south to Tanga. This is where Pastor Michael Gondwe lives. We will meet his family and visit a local congregation tonight and then tomorrow we will travel by bus again an area near to the most south/eastern border of Kenya near the city of Horohoro where Pastor Gondwe has started his most recent congregation.

Korogwe Tanzania area Primary School

The past two days have taken us to several schools and homes in the Korogwe area where we have had the opportunity to teach primary school children the simple Gospel message. By the time we leave today we will have taught several hundred children in three different schools in six classrooms and four homes. While many of the children we are teaching have already heard the Good News of Jesus...we are all especially excited that we have been able to teach many Muslim children as well. You can always identify the girls from Muslim families because of the head-coverings they are wearing. I was told that there are probably more Muslim boys in the classes than girls because many of the little girls are not allowed to attend school.

While some of the Muslim children do not respond and make their non-participation obvious in the classes (especially among the older children), there are many who listen attentively and even ask and answer questions.

What a privilege to be able to plant the Seed of God's Word in the hearts of these precious little children for whom our Savior died and rose again.


For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Please join us in praying that the Lord will bless the truth that has been proclaimed...that these children will be led by the Holy Spirit to repent of their sins and rejoice in the forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life that is for them by faith in Jesus!

In Christ,
Pastor Ohlmann

"This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."--Psalm 118:24

There is a children's song, that many of you are probably familiar with, which uses this verse for its basis. It has been one that runs through my head as I am waking in the morning. Each day is filled with so many blessings and oppurtunities to spread the Good News to vast numbers of eager hearts. 

I cannot rememeber the last time I have had as much fun as I did today. We celebrated (and are still celebrating) Tom Tom's 21st birthday...African style! We went to Holy Cross School for the morning. It amazes me how excited the kids still are to see us. I figured that after awhile they would get used to us being there and we would lose our novelty. But the opposite seems to be happening. As Mwangi (our driver) makes his way up the large rocky hill to our school, we know we are close when we start to hear excited shrieks of joy. We can hardly get out of the van because they are packed so tightly against the door jumping up and down, smiling their beautiful smiles, and waving enthusiasticly. While the kids might show their excitment more openly I can assure you that we are more excited to see them every morning than they are to see us. (Or it's at least a tie.) 

We spent the morning doing all sorts of joyous activities. From playing volleyball, football, hopscotch, duck-duck-goose, chasing bubbles, styling hair, snuggling,  coloring pictures, to running away from the  crazy leaping monkey (Jordan), there is never a dull moment. The students made a circle around the birthday boy and serenated him with a joyous birthday song. Then the kids taught us all sorts of Swahili songs and dances. Their joy is contagious and you can't help but to grab someone's hand and dance around. These kids are the happiest kids I have ever met. They have so little, yet they are content. Being around them is very humbling and makes me realize how much I take all that God has given me for granted. Many of them don't have shoes or a lunch to eat, some don't have parents to go home to. Yet they are so joyful. They are filled with the joy of their Savior and sing and dance with all their hearts to glorify Him. These kids are teaching me so much more than I am teaching them. 

This afternoon we went to two different schools in the area and taught our lessons. The first was a primary school (1st-8th). The kids were very eager to here the message we brought to them. There was one kid that answered every single question that we asked the group. He was extremely intelligent. Tom shook his hand and told him he should become a pastor when he grows up after we finished out lesson. 

Next we went to a Secondary School (High School). Today I was faced head on with one of my worst fears- public speaking. We entered the auditorium where over 600 students had gathered together. I was shaking I was so nervous. I took a deep breath, said a little prayer, and carried myself to the front stage to begin our lessons. This experience enforced in me how much I have nothing to do with the message that God gave these students today. I am simply a vessel through which the Holy Spirit is carrying  out His work. 

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5,"And I brethern when I came to you, I did not  come with excellence of speech or of wisdom  declaring to you the testimony of God. For I am determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with  persuasive  words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of Power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the  power of God." 

As we go through our daily lives we have to fight off Satan's lies with these words of God. Satan contiually tries to fill our minds with doubt and tries to convince us that we are to weak to do the work of God. We must remember that the Holy Spirit is giving us the words to say and He is the one doing the real work. It is not about the messanger, but rather about the message that we bring. 

2 Corinthians 12:10,"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

 --Kate Oster

New Scenery, new faces, new children to spread the Gospel to!

Greetings from new (green) scenery in Korogwe, Tanzania!

Today we left Makanya and headed on to Korogwe.  Now in a hotel with a shower, FINALLY we have settled in and are ready to continue our work looking forward to the many children we will see tomorrow. 

Since we were without internet for the entirety of our stay in Makanya, we have much to blog about.  We arrived in Makanya on the 18^th.  It was an interesting change from the cities we had stayed in previously.   During our four days in Makanya we had the opportunity to teach our lessons to a preschool/kindergarten class of nearly 130 children and to travel to some public schools.  Pastor Ibrahim gave a short message to the children in the primary school and Pastor O. talked with the older students about God’s grace.  

Some things that we learned during our stay in Makanya

--The HIV/AIDS percentage in the Makanya area is over 70%.

--The Makanya area is currently in a 3 year drought.

--There is a large population of Muslims in the Makanya area.

--The stars in Africa are absolutely insane.

On Saturday, Pastor O. was in charge of a seminar for the elders and pastors in the area.  Seeing as we had no plans for the day, we put our hiking shoes on and headed up into the mountains (large hills…mountains have snow on them year-round).  We got to see the city from a new point of view.

On Sunday Randy had the privilege of preaching….3 times!!! Of course the choirs were amazing (both the children and the adults).  We were called on to sing 3 hymns in front of the church.  The church service lasted over 2 hours, and immediately following the service Randy was gifted a chicken (we ate that kuku for supper). Next, we loaded 19 people into the Dala Dala, plus four on top, and two on a motorbike.  We headed out into the bush to visit a Maasai village.  Randy preached again and Pastor O. baptized a little girl.  We feasted and headed even further into the bush to another, even smaller and more traditional Maasai village.  Randy preached his sermon for a third time and Pastor baptized three more children.  After the service an elder in the congregation stood to thank us for coming and tell of the needs of their church (this is common in the churches that we visit).  But this was different.  Even though this village did not have water (they use donkeys to bring the water in from Makanya...a 4-5 hour walk) and many of the children were hardly clothed, the elder asked for two simple things: a hymn book and a Bible so that they could worship the Lord.  At first, it didn’t sink in that this was all that they wanted.  Their love and desire to serve and worship their Savior were incredible.  Without a single Bible or hymn book they still sang their praises to the Lord.

It’s a real struggle to express the emotion and the reality of the things that we saw there and everywhere we’ve been.  We have been uplifted and reminded by Paul’s words to the Romans.

“…for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit” Romans 14:17

In Christ,

Ashley, Lucas and Jessica

PS - a quick Happy Birthday to Tom Tom up there in Kenya!

Blessings Abundant

Hello All,

I am blessed to inform you that Team Milimani is faring very well. We are heading into our final week here. A week from today we will head back to Nairobi, meet up with the rest of the groups, spend a day in the city, then head on home stopping in Istanbul along the way. Our spirits could not be higher. It seems that the more time we spend in the fellowship of our Kenyan brothers and sisters, the harder it is to think about leaving. 

We were privileged to once again join in the worship of our triumphant Lord this morning at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Pastor Gurath preached on Habbakuk 2:1-4. A sermon focusing on the God given faith on which we place our trust. I was once again honored to preach the Children's sermon. Which involved the story of the Tower of Babel and Pentecost. The theme was that the Gospel has no language barrier. Pastor Gurath, Kirsten, Jordan, Kate and I also sang two hymns: "Tis Good Lord to be Here" and "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah." The latter was difficult to get through. Strong songs and weary singers leads to weepy eyes. 

Tomorrow is picture day at Emmaus Lutheran Hill School. We will take individual pictures of all the students and document their present information and circumstances. We are looking forward to seeing all of those smiling faces for one more week.

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

God is Good,

Tom Naumann 

July 21, 2012

Jambo,

Tukosalama hapa katika Etago, Kenya.

Mungu, alitubariki sana.

Watoto wamefurahishwa na mafundisho yetu. Tumefundisha mengi ambayo tulikuwa tumejiandaa nayo.

Tuko na uhusiano mzuri na waalimu. Mungu ametujalia kufundisha neno lake.

Tunamshukuru Mungu kwa kutujalia nafasi hii.

Tafadhali mutuombee sisi pamoja na ndugu zetu walio hapa Etago.

In Christ,

Matthew

(Written with the help of one of our Pastors here in Etago)

 

Beautiful

Matthew about said it all! We have been very blessed here in Etago, with friends, fellowship, children who continuously put smiles on our faces, random happy strangers, and the most wonderful families we could ever have to take care of us.

Friday morning, Gretchen, Jennifer, and I all began our 1k walk down to the school, slightly late, but TIA (this is Africa), so time is irrelevant here. When we were about a block or two away from the school, we could already hear the joyous voices singing our favorite song—"Boom to the Lord." Every word was heard perfectly from that far away, and we even sang along as we continued on into the school, where the sound was indescribable. These children love to sing and they put their entire heart and soul into every song. It's incredible--the joy in their faces, the enjoyment in their body language as some of them tap their feet to the beat while others throw their entire bodies into it, and the sound. The sound is so loud I can feel my eardrums shaking. It's amazing. It's beautiful. I could sit there all day, listening to those children sing. Fridays are my favorite day for this reason. They sing for about an hour every Friday morning for a special program that they put together, sharing so many wonderful songs with us. There is really no other way for me to describe it but beautiful.

This Friday, after the children were done singing their songs, we Mission Helpers sang "What a Friend We Have In Jesus" and "Rock of Ages" with a few of the teachers here. After school on Tuesday and Thursday we sat for about an hour each day, just flipping through song books, singing a few songs in the Kisii language and a few in English, picking a couple to sing for the program on Friday. It was so fun, just sitting around, enjoying fellowship with this group of people, praising God with song. The teachers also sang a very nice version of "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus" for the program on Friday. It was…you guessed it, beautiful.

We went to a church today (Saturday) to teach our seven C's lessons, and afterward we shared in fellowship, singing, games, and just each other's company. We listened to a group of them sing a very African song with a guitar and the occasional African "yodel" if you can imagine that sound in your head. Only one word could describe this song—beautiful.

Singing is definitely one of the favorite ways, if not the favorite, for people to worship and express themselves here. The joy is imminently shown upon their faces, through their body language, and most definitely through the force and strength they put in their vocal chords. The words touch their hearts as well as the hearts of those who listen, clearly showing the Lord's hand working here in East Africa.

These voices, the Work happening here, the love that our Savior has given us—beautiful. Bwana asifiwe—in song, in prayer; in all things.

~Christiana

Our Host Mother - Our Hero!

7/21/12

Jambo!

Thursday started out as a pretty average day here in Etago.  We separated into our two teaching groups (Christiana and Matthew with the older children, and Gretchen and I with the younger children) and taught our lessons as usual.  After our lessons, though, while all the children were outside for recess, we prepared a surprise for them – toothbrushes. Lots and lots of toothbrushes. We got one ziplock bag for each grade, filled them with the appropriate number of toothbrushes, and gave them to the teachers to hand out to the children.  And the children loved them!  It wasn't hard to get the children to pose for a couple pictures. J

Friday was business as usual for team two.  We woke up, went to school, listened to the children sing for us, sang for the children, and then separated to teach our lessons to the separate age groups.  After lunch, we four teachers got together and taught the children (two or three standards at a time) how to make "God's Eyes" out of shish kabob sticks and yarn.  You can expect plenty of pictures of how those turned out later. J

Later that night, as the three of us girls were going back to our hut after supper, I happened to notice a rather large five-legged spider.  Christiana was, thankfully, willing to kill it (with my shoe, probably because it's the biggest), but our host mother seemed to think the whole ordeal was really funny, especially the part where Christiana wasn't sure if the spider was dead or not, and I jumped onto my bed, bruising my shin in the process.  Later, we spotted what appeared to be a huge wasp flying around our room.  Naturally, we all hide under the protection of the mosquito net on my bed.  I guess our host mother heard us screaming or something, because she came into our hut and started laughing when she saw us all sitting there, and we explained the situation.  She then laughed a little more and walked over to where the wasp was sitting and grabbed it by the wing and very casually showed us the wasp.  Needless to say, we all felt a little pathetic.  I guess we all need to be humbled every now and then.

This morning, our host told us that whatever that wasp-like thing was couldn't even sting us anyway.  Good to know, right?  Anyway, then we all packed into the car once again, this time to go to Kinuchi.  There, we taught the children our lessons that we had prepared for them and listened as they performed a few songs for us.  Halfway through our lessons, we gave the children little bags with black and white puzzles and crayons, and they spent probably twenty minutes assembling and coloring them.  Then we acted out the story of David and Goliath, which I think they really enjoyed, especially when Matthew had Christiana stand on a chair and he pulled up a little boy to show how ridiculous David must have looked.  Then, we gave out crocheted crosses to all the women in the congregation, courtesy of the women of the local CLC congregations (thanks, everyone!).

As always, any prayers for our efforts here in East Africa would really be appreciated.  So far, the Lord has blessed us with safety and good health, and we thank Him for that.  Also, please continue to pray for the church here in Etago.  I really can't stress enough how bad of shape it's in.

Bwana asifiwe!

~ Jennifer

Team Tanzania in Makanya

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Team Tanzania is doing well. We are in a small, very impoverished village with limited internet access. We have been very busy here for the past two days teaching lots of kids, encouraging pastors, and making home visits. Pastor Mshana serves the local congregation and is also employed as the director of education for this district. His wife runs a pre-school/kindergarten for 150 children. We have been given full access to all the schools in this area. Yesterday we taught upwards of 500 children. Today I will have 1 hour with the high-school students. Praise the Lord for this opportunity to proclaim His saving word that many might hear and be brought to faith!

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

In Christ,
Pastor Todd

Bloggy Bloggerton

Some of the highlights so far...

A couple of young girls from the same family had been faithfully attending our Sunday School and church services since the very founding of Holy Cross Lutheran Emmaus.  Their quiet and humble testimony has had an impact at home.  Just recently they have recruited their mother to attend church as well and give her permission for them to be baptized.  The whole family will be present to celebrate this gift of God in church this Sunday.

Conducting children's evangelism at schools in the area and getting to see some of our children from church in the school setting...and the reaction of their classmates when it's discovered that they actually know people from the U.S.

The beginning of a new dynasty.  Discovering that the parents of Baby Michael Norman Gurath have not retained any of his other family names.  I'm not sure how that will work itself out down the line, but I'm curious to see.

My former motor bike taxi man has retired his motorcycle and opened up a small restaurant.  All the business I was giving him must have provided him with the starting capital he needed.  I can now run for office, claiming that I have created jobs.

Our driver, Mwangi, is a jack of all trades.  When not behind the wheel, he smashes rocks, organizes a game of pickup football, keeps kids in line and paying attention, and rubs elbows with the passersby.

A meeting with the representative from Love Mercy water drilling division.  We have more information, and even a few solid figures as to what a borehole on the school and church property would cost. He is in the process of drawing up a few different quotations for us depending on the depth and type of materials used.

Today is set aside for a meeting with our church eldership and seminary students, we will discuss the possibilities of opening up new CLC branches in areas surrounding Milimani.

The time is going fast, blessings to the rest of the teams, and see you in Nairobi.

Pastor Gurath

Ok...So...I think...maybe...I will blog now.

Greetings from Etago.

 This is my second blog, sorry but my first blog was deleted when the computer decided to shut down.  This is just a quick note to let you know that we are all safe, healthy, and productive here in Etago.

~Loren Hansen

p.s. Rachel, and family, I love you, and I will see you soon.

Opportunities Abound

Greetings in the Name of our great God and Savior!

As night falls on our final day in Moshi, Tanzania, each of us here has much to wonder at and to give thanks for.  For the past three days we have been in and out of small Masai settlements, taking any opportunity to share the Good News of sins forgiven through Jesus Christ.

Our trek today took us over the border into Kenya to a village in the foothills of Kilimanjaro.  We had initially been told that we would be witnessing the marriage of two members of the tribe, something we were all excited to experience.  What we actually ended up being a part of was so much more.  We arrived and were treated to a customary bottle of Coke in the home of the congregation's pastor after greeting many of the children and adult members.

When we finally gathered in the small mud church building, the marriage service began.  Pastor Todd was asked to give a short sermon in addition to the pastor's address, followed by the brief wedding ceremony.  As soon as the rings were exchanged, we were then notified that there were also some children to be baptized.  Jessica and Ashley held the children as Pastor Todd performed the baptisms before the Masai congregation, each member dressed in traditional Masai robes and jewelery.  It was only yesterday evening that he had spoken at another pastor's home, giving words of encouragement following the passing of a elderly family member.

I don't think I've ever seen so many opportunities to speak the comforting words of our Savior's work of salvation in such a variety of life's circumstances in such a short amount of time.  From baptism to marriage to finally leaving this vale of tears, we see the triumph of the cross over sin and death!

Performing the kingdom work God prepares for us carries many blessings.  The strengthening of the faith of those speaking His Word and those hearing His Word of course comes to mind.  No matter where that work is done, whether here in Africa or right at home (wherever home might be), whether at the workplace or at the supermarket, God is seeking for His lambs to be gathered to Him.  The perspective which we receive in being a part of that work is yet another blessing.  God helps us to see beyond the day to day tasks and the earthly distractions to what is really important, the one thing needful.  We see the application of His Word, and are reminded of that ultimate goal, that His Word be spread.  The fields are indeed white for harvest, and laborers are indeed few.

All of your prayers are appreciated, and I hope that through these short accounts, everyone can share in our excitement as God's Word is taught here in Africa.  Thanks be to God for the opportunities we have to share the truth of sins forgiven through Jesus Christ!

Soli Deo Gloria.

Randy Wittorp