Change Something

“God has given each person a unique set of passions. Your heart breaks for things my heart doesn’t necessarily break for. I am passionate about issues you are not necessarily passionate about. Ask yourself the question, what breaks my heart? And everything in not an appropriate answer. I understand the world is full of injustice. I understand you want to eradicate world hunger, homelessness, poverty, abortions, sex trafficking, and every other injustice in the world. But trying to eradicate every injustice on earth means you won’t have an impact on any of them. Find those areas that really stir your emotions and your passions, and want to pour God’s transforming power into them…

God hasn’t called Christians to change the entire world, but he has called us to change something.”

-Frank Powell

The house is coming along, the roof is FINISHED! We are going to cut back on some things to finish later on, so that we can move in before the rains hit! We built an outdoor toilet, until we can get water put inside we are going to use the outdoor one.

 

We now have a new village chief! There had to be two elections. The first one the current chief cheated in and got everyone drunk so they would vote for him. Someone in the village went to district to complain and then we had a second election. The second election a new chief was voted in! This is very exciting news for Sunrise! The new chief has been very helpful to us in the past, in fact he is the one who helped us to get the cow! 

Two weeks ago we had a family meeting to introduce Aiden and I to the family, again, but with more people. Instead of paying a bride price for me, they are going to give us gifts. They decided that the family will get together in April, after harvesting their crops, to give us gifts or money. We already have two avocado trees to plant, lots of corn for ugali (the staple food of Tanzania), and a goat. I have no idea what we are going to do with a goat, but hey we are getting one! Eventually I would like to have chickens so we can have eggs, but that will be in the future! As well as a nice garden space! 

The kids are doing excellent as usual. They are going to their homes on December 6^th! Many of them have already said they will come visit us so we better get our house done! I love the idea of a full house for our first family Christmas! 

 

Elia, Aiden, & Ima

Ziada carrying Aiden in traditional TZ fashion.

Aiden talking during picture time,

Shedrack, the little boy I have been telling you all about, is doing so well. He is running and laughing a complete turn around. The kids’ father has also made a turn around; taking medications and not drinking anymore. Nicky and Atu, are blossoming here. Nicky is picking up lots of English and Atu has fit in quite well with Halima and Sesi, our two youngest! 

There are lots of babies at site now! Seven to be exact! The cow finally had her baby, a girl! As well as one of our rabbits had 5 babies! (And then of course there is Aiden.) Sunrise just keeps getting bigger!

We had two family “help on the farm” days. We were planting corn! We are all finished, well planting at least. I even put Aiden on my back and worked the hoe! SO very Tanzanian! 

Unfortunately I have some bad news for this blog as well. A couple of my very good friends, Tumpe and Jose, lost their sister. Her name was Wini, and she was a friend of mine as well. When I first got here Wini had a son who was 2 years old that died and that was the first funeral I ever went to. She also has two daughters; one is six years old and lives with her grandmother, and the other one is only a month and a half. The baby was sent to kipengere, the baby orphanage about 30 minutes from here. Apparently Wini had been having really bad headaches for around a month, the doctors believe it was malaria. (She was living in a different region then we are in.) It was the first funeral that I cried at here. I have been to a lot of funerals here and while I have felt for the people who lost loved ones, this time it was personal, I lost a friend. My roots are growing deeper here, this isn't just a place that I live in, its home.

 Last Sunday Gerusa and I took some of Wini’s family to kipengere to see the baby and to sign all the paperwork. She is such  a tiny little girl, and it was so wonderful to get to meet her, as well as all the other little babies and toddlers running around. They were very taken with Aiden and Aiden with them. Please be praying for her family and the little ones she leaves behind. 

I will be heading to DAR on December 1. Aiden has his 6month check up! 6 months already! He is now able to roll from tummy to back, roll side to side, he sticks everything in his mouth, laughs, holds his own bottle, is almost sitting up, and working on eating right now. He likes to wake up extra early in the mornings. Two days in a row he was up before 4am. The second morning after sifeli woke up around 6, he took Aiden for an hour and a half so I could get some extra sleep. Thank you hubby!

“Insecurity robs us of the confidence it takes to become great at what we’ve been made to do.”

-Kyle Reid

I feel a bit like my life is on hold, like I am waiting until the house is finished and we move in to start my life. I know it’s silly and life is happening now but It feels like I am waiting for this big change to give myself permission to start living. There are so many things I want to do with the time I have been given in Tanzania. There are so many things I feel called to and I want to be able to step up and do them to the best of my abilities. I want my focus to be on Jesus, and I want to bring him to this hurting village; not only to the women but the men too. At times I feel hesitant to take that next step, I let myself get in the way; my fears, my expectations, my doubts, and insecurities. As much as I want to move into our own home, I also dread it too. I dread the constant visitors that I know will come with us living in the village. Where is this attitude coming from? I love these people, and I want to reach out to these people, how can I do that if I am dreading them? Where is the Jesus in that? I think what is hardest about all of this is not having good Christian support here in Tanzania. I know that so many of you are praying for me and I could never thank you enough, (as a good friend of mine put it, “the OR prayer squad”) but there is a need for close friendship here too. So pray for someone to come this way, and pray for me as I work on my attitude adjustment! 

“A successful Christian journey can be marked by changing one life as much as changing thousands.”

-Frank Powell