Anna's FirstServe Prayer Letter - January 7th-21st
Hello everyone, or as they say in Swahili, jambo!
Another two weeks have come and gone where God has shown His goodness and faithfulness! A lot has happened since my last prayer letter, and it has been one of the busiest times of FirstServe so far. Yet, it has been a wonderfully jam-packed fortnight full of so many blessings from Him. All to be shared with you below!!
Devotions
This week I have been reading in Luke 8, where Jesus teaches the parable of the sower. In this parable, Jesus likened the Word of God to be like a seed - a seed has enormous power in itself for the generation of life and usefulness, if it is received in the right conditions. Jesus talked about four different types of ground that the gardener sowed seed on. It has become a lot easier to visualise this parable in the last few weeks…in Tanzania, you experience all four of these in your first few steps outside the door!
The wayside soil represents those who never hear the Gospel with understanding. The Gospel must be understood before it can truly bear fruit. One of Satan’s chief works is to keep people in darkness regarding the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4 v 3-4). The rocky ground represents those who have responded to the Gospel with immediate enthusiasm, but quickly wither away. They failed because the seed lacked moisture, and therefore had no root to endure the times of temptation. The thorny soil represents those who respond to the Gospel and grow for a while, but are choked and stop in spiritual growth by competition from unspiritual things. Finally, the good ground represents those who receive the Gospel with a good and noble heart. They keep the Word, and thus bear fruit, fulfilling the purpose of the seed. The difference in each category was with the soil itself. The sower cast the same seed. You could not blame the differences in results on the sower or on the seed, but only on the soil.
This parable should be a challenge to each of us to, with God’s help, cultivate the soil of our hearts so that the Word of God has the best effect in our lives. We should ask ourselves the questions, ‘What kind of soil am I?’ and ‘How can I prepare my heart and mind to be the right kind of soil?’
Arriving and moving in
After our initial flights to Kilimanjaro airport were cancelled, we eventually arrived in Tanzania on the Sunday afternoon. We spent most of last week just settling in and getting our bearings. Rachel and I have our own guest house, which is a two minute walk to the kindergarten. I’ll attach a video to give you an idea of where we’re staying. (Apologies for the terrible quality!)
We have all sorts of lizards as housemates, which was a bit of a shock at the start! Power cuts are also quite frequent, and I’ve learned the hard way that they aren’t ideal in the middle of boiling eggs or showering!
MCCC and LCK
The centre that Rachel and I will be working with is divided into Little Counters Kindergarten (LCK) and Moshi Christian Children’s Centre (MCCC), which are currently run by Jonny and Lynsey McKinnon, who will also be our programme supervisors while we’re here. Our main role during the mornings and afternoons will be in the kindergarten being an extra pair of hands and in the late afternoons and evenings we will be organising activities, helping with homework and going to Sala with the older kids from the centre.
Swahili learning
Since we’ve arrived, Rachel and I have been trying to pick up some Swahili. Most people speak a small amount of English, but many people greet us in town or on the street in Swahili, so we have been making a valiant effort to try and learn a few words and phrases. The kids have been a massive help, mostly by letting us know when we say something wrong by laughing at us, telling their friends and only then proceeding to correct us for the next time!
Food and Culture
While I had prepared myself for a lot of cultural differences, I am still being surprised every day by something new that we’re not used to at home. The Tanzanian people are lovely and so welcoming, however, being young white females, we do attract a lot of attention on the street. Most of the time, it is completely fine, and people just stare, ask questions or beep and wave out of curiosity, but sometimes, there are people who will give hassle or try to sell us things.
I am very thankful that so far we have had no reason to take public transport. In Tanzania, there is no such thing as a full bus…there is always room for one more, so every bus we’ve seen has been bulging with people inside, hanging outside the doors, on the back of the bus, sitting on the roof, anywhere there is an inch of space. It’s quite entertaining to watch!
The biggest adjustment so far for me has been the food. It is very hit and miss, some of it is amazing and some you have to close your eyes, hold your nose and just hope for the best! The first dinner we had was ugali, maize flour cooked with water until reaches a dough like consistency and a full fish, with everything still intact! It got even better when we realised they don’t use cutlery to eat it.
MCCC Kids
Although we weren’t working for our first week, we had plenty of opportunities to get to know the older kids, ranging from ages 5 to 18, and already they are just amazing and such a joy to be around! Between dancing to Frozen songs, playing musical chairs or goose goose duck (the kids got the words a bit mixed up!) and trying to explain with my very limited Swahili what a Yorkshire Pudding is, they always have a smile on their faces!
We have also gone to their ‘Sala’ which happens in the evenings. This is basically a half hour long kids club where they sing songs, hear a bible story and recite the memory verses they have been learning. Their singing and the amount of verses that they know by heart is just incredible, and they give so much effort into everything they do.
This week Rachel and I have been helping with homework for the secondary school kids, which has put us to the test already to try and remember GCSE geography and science! Kids are really pushed in secondary school in Tanzania, they cover topics a lot more in depth than we do. So if any of you happen to know the mineral composition of an igneous rock, that would be very helpful!😂
Church
On Sunday we went to our first church service at St. Margaret Church, which thankfully was in English! We were very warmly welcomed, and after their service they had their monthly ‘Potluck dinner’, so it was a great opportunity to start getting to know some of the church members and also eat some more familiar food!
Starting work at LCK
We officially started working at LCK on Monday. The kindergarten has roughly 15 kids that come in each day, split into two classes and my role is acting as a classroom assistant and helping to set up for various activities. Most of the children are 2-4 years old and they are just lovely! Despite having only started this week, I am really enjoying the different tasks involved in the work at the kindergarten, though I couldn’t tell you the amount of times I have had to count to ten and sing the wheels on the bus in the last few days!
Prayer Points
Please pray…
As Rachel and I continue to adapt to our new role in the centre and kindergarten.
As we adjust to the new culture and some homesickness begins to kick in.
For safety while we’re here.
That through even the simplest tasks like playing games with the kids, we would show them God’s love and with our limited communication still have opportunities to share the Gospel.
Apologies that this was quite a long one, but what a blessing the last couple of weeks have been! God has taught me so much already in Tanzania, from finding joy in the simple things to trusting Him with the more complicated things. Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support throughout this year. All glory to Him!
God Bless,
Anna x
‘Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.’ 1 Chronicles 16 v 11
Jambo Anna,good luck with the grub! Great to read your update,looks like a beautiful place. Pap
Lovely to hear all your news Anna. Lots of love from Newtownards xxxx