I have come to the sad realization that I am terrible when it
comes to the business of “Blogging”. I don’t know if people even want to read
this. My Mom has some kind of “motherly
blog-reading obligation” towards me…so she has no choice. This post might be a
bit of a “novel” since I have been very quiet in recent weeks.
Many things have changed. The Fournier family has returned from
furlough and my Kibidula Mom (Nanette) has returned from Canada after taking
Joiya to school. It’s great to have her and the Fournier’s back, not to mention
the fact that their return included dried papaya, dried cherries, tortilla
chips, salsa, a tootsie roll pop…and a MASSIVE bag of MnM’s. My Kibidula family
knows me all too well J
Lucas, the young man who was visiting me for a month, returned to
Switzerland. He made a stop in Zanzibar before he left and he got robbed as he
got off the ferry in Dar es Salaam. They took his backpack with his camera. I
felt so sorry for him. The two of us had lots of fun though. He invited me to
travel with him to the Ruaha National Park, offering to pay for the fuel. I
would not have been able to afford it otherwise, so I really appreciated his
offer. We saw some hippos, giraffe, crocs, and the usual overdose of impala and
other critters. We saw no lions but had two close (and scary) encounters with
elephants.
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| Closer than I would like to be... |
The trip to the Park made me think
about things. I was excited at the thought of seeing lions, maybe even lions
making a “kill”. We often gaze upon scenes like that…and strange enough, we see
what appears to be “the beauty of nature”…when in reality, it is the result of
sin…death. God never intended for His creation to destroy itself. Death was not
part of creation until sin entered this world. All things were in harmony. I
longed to be in heaven as I watched a group of vultures stripping the remains
off some bones…the lion’s previous victim.
Isaiah 11:6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah 65:25 “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the
lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in
all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.”
I can’t imagine the peace and love that awaits us…
Now, back to Kibidula. I was sent to the Morogoro region to
do some work for our One Day Church project (ODC). I had to take pictures and
GPS coordinates of 20 churches that were built in the mountains and valleys
surrounding the town of Morogoro. I spent several days on the road; some places
might not even have qualified to be called “roads”. I slept at a church elder’s
house in Morogoro while visiting the surrounding churches. As I moved further
into the mountains I had to sleep over in villages. I was glad to find a “guest
house” in one of the villages. Space was limited though and I had to share a
bed with my guide, Kulu, an elder from that village. Tanzanians are not very
hairy, so when I turned around in the middle of the night, sticking my beard
into Kulu’s neck…he was a bit surprised to say the least. I replied by
mumbling: “beard…sorry” and went back to sleep. We got up before sunrise,
boarded another taxi, travelled several hours and then hired another motorcycle
that would take us further into the mountains. This particular motorcycle had
more metal than seat covering, and my buttocks were already bruised (no…really)
from the previous day’s travels. I found myself appreciating the hidings I got
as a child: My parents lovingly conditioned my rear end for spreading the
Gospel…what a joy! I returned to Kibidula 5 days later…still wearing the same
clothes that I left with and wasting no time to start a fire. A hot shower was
top priority!
I have started to teach at the Agricultural school. I have a
class of 30 students, ages ranging from 14 to 21. It is quite challenging, but
I am enjoying it. Please pray for me. I have no idea what I am doing and I am
really depending on God to lead me in this. I want these kids to have a better
chance in life and most of all; I want to give them an opportunity to know
Christ. I have also been presenting a Computer Literacy course for the primary
school teachers. I find this much easier than my other class and I am really
having fun with the teachers. This helped me to appreciate the privileges of
having a computer and how much easier it makes my life. Think about that for a
moment. It is such a joy to share knowledge and see how it changes lives!
Our Swahili teacher has finally arrived. He will be staying
at Kibidula for the next three months, teaching all the missionaries, including
the children, how to speak Swahili. Classes are pretty expensive and I have no
idea how I am going to pay for them yet, but I honestly couldn’t care less. God
sent me here to work for Him. In order for me to be more efficient, I need to
learn the language…which ultimately places the responsibility of paying for the
classes on God. My share of the classes, 6 hours per week, works out to around
24,000 shillings per month. To give you some perspective on the matter…my
monthly stipend is 135,000 per month. God has been faithful in providing me
with some extra money where needed. I picked up 18,000 shillings when I went
walking (not very common), and Lucas left me a nice letter and 50 dollars when
he left! Come to think of it…that should cover my Swahili classes! Isn’t God
faithful?
Well…that’s about it J
Love
ryno
Te snaaks Bosman... te snaaks! Antionette
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