Giving Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving in America and I find myself sitting in our SIL office in Tanzania, reflecting on how blessed our family is.  Even though Thanksgiving in Dar es Salaam is quite different, I know that God has brought us here for this time. 

Here, it is summer, not the traditional autumn season when we celebrate Thanksgiving.  But I am thankful for the green lushness that is appearing as a rainy season has begun.  New life is sprouting around us, and it is a gift.

Here, Thanksgiving is not celebrated, as it is an American holiday.  Today is business as usual.  Everyone is at work and school and there is no 4-day holiday.  But I am thankful for the people from the many different countries that I am blessed to be surrounded by.  I work with people from around the globe who all have a heart for Bible translation, how amazing is that?!?

Here, we have no family to celebrate with and we miss them so much!  But God has blessed us with close friends, even though our time here has been short.  I am so thankful that God has provided friends for each person in our family that we can enjoy spending time with and that we are able to celebrate Thanksgiving with today.  (And yes, we can get turkey here, though it is not common!)  J

Here, almost everything is different from what I am used to for Thanksgiving.  But I am thankful that God is my constant, never-changing rock.  So although I am surrounded by the unfamiliar, I know I can count on Him, leading me step by step down this unknown path, with the promise that although His ways are not my ways, and I may not always understand them, His plans are for always for good—not just for me, but for all of us who know Him.  And I find that the biggest reason to give thanks on this day.

Sunday Drive...Tanzania Style

Last weekend we were blessed to be able to travel with some friends to Mikumi National Park.  The park is about 4-5 hours from where we live in Dar.  The main road actually runs through the park, and often you can see animals just off the side of the road.  Driving through the park itself, we had an excellant guide who really had an eye for spotting animals off the path.  If it hadn't been for him, we would have missed the lions, leopard, and lizard.

The Clendinens and the Stamps traveling through Mikumi National Park

The giraffes really seemed to like to pose.

We saw this guy before we even entered the park.

I love these baobab trees that are all over Tanzania!

There were many elephants throughout the park, we even saw some babies.

One of the highlights for me...you can't even see the smallest cub hiding behind the mother in the center!

Desperate Cries

Craig recently returned from Mbeyatown, Tanzania, which is where a large part of SIL’s work is taking place. While there he was able to help with some of the training for our Tanzanian staff.

On Sunday, as Craig walked about a half mile from the guest house up a dirt road, he could hear music. He veered off the road to a rustic building and the music grew louder. He walked inside a very humble building and there were about 30 people worshipping and praising God.  Craig was touched by the fact that not only was the praise so intense and heartfelt, but the women were on their knees, on the hard concrete floor, crying out to the Lord. Their cry was desperate and passionate.

After the services, Craig had a chance to talk with Pastor Joey, who has pastored this little church in Mbeyatown since 2002, and, his story was similar to Craig’s.  Joey, a Tanzanian, was a trained engineer who received his degree in engineering in Dar es Salaam.  As a successful engineer, he had his own consulting firm in Mbeya.  Then God interrupted his comfortable world. The Lord told him to serve full time in ministry. You can imagine what his family thought when he told them he was going to leave his well-paying job to serve SIL as a volunteer and then start a church…they thought he was crazy. (We know several of our friends thought we were crazy when Craig walked away from the practice of law to serve in ministry!)   

Pastor Joey’s little church started out in a small rental house right next to the mosque in town.  However, God had also provided Joey another piece of property across the street from the mosque.   Joey decided to use this property to build the church. Well, the folks at the mosque were not too happy, and complained to the local government about the church being built, and Joey was forced to take down everything that had been constructed. Since then, they have been working with leaders in the town, and now after 8 years, they expect to receive a permit to begin construction!  The pictures you see are the present location of the church.  Joey and this little church trusted God and persevered through the tough process of obtaining the permit! Pastor Joey took Craig over to the property and he was blessed by being able to pray over it. 

We can all learn from Pastor Joey and this humble church that desperate prayer can bring perseverance for the joy of the cross.  We thank Pastor Joey for sharing this story and for his work in helping advance Bible translation in Tanzania. We are sure Pastor Joey would appreciate your prayers as the construction process begins. (Already, a theft has occurred of a portion of the building materials.  Fortunately, however, the police investigated and were able to recover all of the materials for the church.)

What obstacles do you face in your life? Are you on your knees crying out to God? We know that our perseverance does not come from the strength of our own hands, but in our desperate cries of dependence…while on our knees, often from the hard concrete floor.