March 4
Tanzania mission trip
Karutu
Lutheran Hostel
God is great!
Sunday we shared the most remarkable worship service I have ever experienced. Picture our team, Irene, Karie, Rex, Helen, Gary, Jack, Bruce and me all seated in a circle. Interspersed between various of us novice missionaries were lifelong missionaries Dave and Euni Simonson, Mark and Linda Jacobson, and representing hope for the future of their own people and country, Nanyoke and Timi. At the head of the circle, Pastor Rhodes at the folding table turned alter, under a Baobab tree that was at least 500 years old. The setting and company alone are enough to mark this as an experience not to be forgotten. But, there is more.
The service started as usual, with the handing out the bulletins. In this case, individually handwritten partial pieces of paper from Timi with the words to a Swahili hymn. Timi then taught us the hymn’s melody and lead us in singing. The resulting song of praise may not have been four part Mass harmony, but with the African bull frogs singing accompaniment and the monkeys and birds as back up singers, it amounted to a moving beginning to the service. Nanyoke then read from Ephesians 3 in Swahili. Suffer not…. After a second hymn, came the sermon. At Bethel we are blessed with a gifted leader and speaker. However, Pastor Rhodes deferred to his small congregation to present the sermon. Each and every member of our mission team spoke articulately and emotionally about how God has changed our hearts during this mission. Through a sermon filled with tears and laughter each of us opened out hearts to speak words of hope and ask for light to guide our paths…. Euni reminded us that “Tears are a gift of the Spirit.”
After sharing peace and serving Communion bread and wine with each other, we presented Bethel’s gifts to Timi and Nanyoke. First Daktari Jack presented Gray’s Anatomy to Doctor Timi, now an Intern at KCMC. Then Bruce presented Nanyoke with Bethels gift of a lap top computer and printer for medical school. Lastly, each loving made prayer shawl was presented. One each for Mark, Linda, Dave, Euni, Nanyoke and Timi (Maasai Red).
The service ended with the sending to “Go in peace to serve the lord” So we did. Thanks be to God!
Mungu Akara
Tanzania mission trip
Karutu
Lutheran Hostel
God is great!
Sunday we shared the most remarkable worship service I have ever experienced. Picture our team, Irene, Karie, Rex, Helen, Gary, Jack, Bruce and me all seated in a circle. Interspersed between various of us novice missionaries were lifelong missionaries Dave and Euni Simonson, Mark and Linda Jacobson, and representing hope for the future of their own people and country, Nanyoke and Timi. At the head of the circle, Pastor Rhodes at the folding table turned alter, under a Baobab tree that was at least 500 years old. The setting and company alone are enough to mark this as an experience not to be forgotten. But, there is more.
The service started as usual, with the handing out the bulletins. In this case, individually handwritten partial pieces of paper from Timi with the words to a Swahili hymn. Timi then taught us the hymn’s melody and lead us in singing. The resulting song of praise may not have been four part Mass harmony, but with the African bull frogs singing accompaniment and the monkeys and birds as back up singers, it amounted to a moving beginning to the service. Nanyoke then read from Ephesians 3 in Swahili. Suffer not…. After a second hymn, came the sermon. At Bethel we are blessed with a gifted leader and speaker. However, Pastor Rhodes deferred to his small congregation to present the sermon. Each and every member of our mission team spoke articulately and emotionally about how God has changed our hearts during this mission. Through a sermon filled with tears and laughter each of us opened out hearts to speak words of hope and ask for light to guide our paths…. Euni reminded us that “Tears are a gift of the Spirit.”
After sharing peace and serving Communion bread and wine with each other, we presented Bethel’s gifts to Timi and Nanyoke. First Daktari Jack presented Gray’s Anatomy to Doctor Timi, now an Intern at KCMC. Then Bruce presented Nanyoke with Bethels gift of a lap top computer and printer for medical school. Lastly, each loving made prayer shawl was presented. One each for Mark, Linda, Dave, Euni, Nanyoke and Timi (Maasai Red).
The service ended with the sending to “Go in peace to serve the lord” So we did. Thanks be to God!
Mungu Akara
1 comment:
Thank you SO much for the picture of our missionaries in Tz along with our newest set of mission leaders. I've just been looking at it all day. What an impressive group - and I love seeing the prayer shawls held so tightly by Dave and Euni.
Peace on your travels home!
Love to you all -
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