Monday, June 22, 2009
sex ed...?
I don’t know how you feel about having “the sex talk” with teenagers, but for me it’s just slightly awkward. One thing I never thought I would do while here is have a sex talk with the girls at MAHOTT (Methodist angel house orphanage, Tarime Tanzania—this is the abbreviation I will use from now on). To be completely honest, I was dreading the meeting and was intending on staying quiet the entire time. But, God is a comedian, and he had other plans. The meeting with the secondary girls was actually the highlight of my day. There have been some issues with some of the older girls, mainly regarding boys/boyfriends, hence the meeting/talk. Those on my team with boyfriends spoke a little bit about why their relationships work on a purely non-physical level and then the talk progressed into the wait until marriage spiel. During the course of our discussion, the girls inform us of certain men in town they call fataki’s. These men are usually older, most likely married, and wealthy and outrageously exploit young girls. They will give the girls a phone, or a new shirt, or buy them a soda in exchange for the gift of their bodies, utterly damaging their self-worth and taking what does not belong to them. Even more saddening is that some of these men are their teachers—who will give better marks if the girls sleep with them. Some of these men can be dangerous going as far as inflicting serious injury for those who do not comply. These girls are so precious and deserve to live without the fear of exploitation, and I pray and hope that you will burn with the same kind of righteous anger that is in each of my team members for the atrocities that occur. I hope that our talk with them will give them the strength to say no to these evil men if they ever find themselves in that position, and that they know deep in their soul that they are worth more than all the gold and jewels in the world. Pray for the fataki’s that they may see what they are doing as evil and let girls be just that, girls.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
life so far...
i have safely arrived in Tanzania, and have enjoyed every minute so far! Let me just tell you a little bit about life in Africa so far...
our first two days in Tanzania were spent traveling to the Serengeti and going on a safari...and can i just say it was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life. seeing God's masterful craftsmanship in creation was a truly humbling and awe inspiring time. the land is absolutely breathtaking--i feel so close to God when i am basking in His glorious creation. not only was the landscape amazing but so was the variety of animals we were so privileged to see. we saw tons of zebra and wildebeasts (they are migrating through the serengeti at this time of year), crocodiles, lots of hippos, elephants, baboons, giraffes and the best of all lions!! we spent the night in the park and at night with no lights the stars took my breath away, i have never seen so many stars in my life--our God is such an artist!! kate (one of the women i live with) climbed up on top of our van to stargaze. i loved it!
on monday we had the chance to run around town and do some errands, change money, buy water/soda, etc. and then in the afternoon (and by far my favorite time) we went to the orphanage to meet the kids again for an extended time. when we first met them it was so late we only stayed for a few minutes. they are the most amazing children, so full of life and have so much to offer in the ways of love. i spent a lot of my time with nosi, she is the youngest of the kids at angel house at the age of 4, she has quite the little personality on her! she will cling to you and climb you as if you are a mountain, it's great, and she also squeezes harder when hugging than any burly man i have ever hugged!! :) my friend holly has been in Tarime since January and has set up a pen pal program with the kids and people in the states. i feel so privileged to be a pen pal and even more excited that i have met her and will get to form an in person relationship. her name is grace and they call her gili. she is very shy but we were watching a skit and i waved at her she came to sit with me, the others who have been here since jan. were really surprised that she came and sat with me, which made me feel pretty good. she doesn't speak english so i am going to try real hard to learn some phrases so i can converse with her. needless to say, these kids have stolen my heart. i am overjoyed to spend the next 5 weeks with them!!
now i want to tell you a little bit about life in Tarime for an american...
so i came knowing and expecting to not have power and water 100% of the time--and sure enough our first night back we did not have power. interestingly enough we will not have power for another whole day and then after that for the next 2 weeks we will only have power at night (which in all actuality is only a convenience for charging our technology) going without power is so liberating and has really shown me how simple life can really be when you only have the basics--it's an adventure and i love it. also, on the "waterfront" we don't really have running water or water pressure at the moment so i haven't had a "real" shower since we left from nairobi, so about 5 days. i have learned to bucket bathe like a pro! and, yes, i think that that is liberating as well. our laundry gets washed and hung on a line in our courtyard and all around our veranda, it's kinda weird at first to see all your stuff hanging for all to see but it's fun too! also, i have had my first visit to a doctor here (don't worry i am fine, just have a small infection) but they drew blood to test as well as urine--it is interesting to have experienced a doctor's visit here.
so that is just a small taste of life so far, i really really love it and i cannot wait to see what else God has in store for me here. thank you again for all your support, love and prayers! hope to update again sometime soon!!
our first two days in Tanzania were spent traveling to the Serengeti and going on a safari...and can i just say it was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life. seeing God's masterful craftsmanship in creation was a truly humbling and awe inspiring time. the land is absolutely breathtaking--i feel so close to God when i am basking in His glorious creation. not only was the landscape amazing but so was the variety of animals we were so privileged to see. we saw tons of zebra and wildebeasts (they are migrating through the serengeti at this time of year), crocodiles, lots of hippos, elephants, baboons, giraffes and the best of all lions!! we spent the night in the park and at night with no lights the stars took my breath away, i have never seen so many stars in my life--our God is such an artist!! kate (one of the women i live with) climbed up on top of our van to stargaze. i loved it!
on monday we had the chance to run around town and do some errands, change money, buy water/soda, etc. and then in the afternoon (and by far my favorite time) we went to the orphanage to meet the kids again for an extended time. when we first met them it was so late we only stayed for a few minutes. they are the most amazing children, so full of life and have so much to offer in the ways of love. i spent a lot of my time with nosi, she is the youngest of the kids at angel house at the age of 4, she has quite the little personality on her! she will cling to you and climb you as if you are a mountain, it's great, and she also squeezes harder when hugging than any burly man i have ever hugged!! :) my friend holly has been in Tarime since January and has set up a pen pal program with the kids and people in the states. i feel so privileged to be a pen pal and even more excited that i have met her and will get to form an in person relationship. her name is grace and they call her gili. she is very shy but we were watching a skit and i waved at her she came to sit with me, the others who have been here since jan. were really surprised that she came and sat with me, which made me feel pretty good. she doesn't speak english so i am going to try real hard to learn some phrases so i can converse with her. needless to say, these kids have stolen my heart. i am overjoyed to spend the next 5 weeks with them!!
now i want to tell you a little bit about life in Tarime for an american...
so i came knowing and expecting to not have power and water 100% of the time--and sure enough our first night back we did not have power. interestingly enough we will not have power for another whole day and then after that for the next 2 weeks we will only have power at night (which in all actuality is only a convenience for charging our technology) going without power is so liberating and has really shown me how simple life can really be when you only have the basics--it's an adventure and i love it. also, on the "waterfront" we don't really have running water or water pressure at the moment so i haven't had a "real" shower since we left from nairobi, so about 5 days. i have learned to bucket bathe like a pro! and, yes, i think that that is liberating as well. our laundry gets washed and hung on a line in our courtyard and all around our veranda, it's kinda weird at first to see all your stuff hanging for all to see but it's fun too! also, i have had my first visit to a doctor here (don't worry i am fine, just have a small infection) but they drew blood to test as well as urine--it is interesting to have experienced a doctor's visit here.
so that is just a small taste of life so far, i really really love it and i cannot wait to see what else God has in store for me here. thank you again for all your support, love and prayers! hope to update again sometime soon!!
a sweet aroma...
June 12, 2009 (i wrote this our last morning in nairobi, but the internet wasn't working correctly! better late than never, right?)
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among these who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
One of my favorite things about going to the Eastleigh Fellowship Centre, is meeting with Sunny first and foremost for prayer and worship before we begin our day. He is one of the most humble men I have ever met and is so passionate about God. He is wise and has an incredible knowledge of the scriptures and it is infectious! Now, we meet in his office, which is a very small room and we all pile in to sing songs (the words are on the “overhead projector” aka paper taped to the wall!!), read scripture and pray.
This morning he spoke about us being a sweet fragrance to those around us. Are we exuding a fragrance of life or are we exuding a smell that will cause others to be turned off to us? I love the imagery and sensation of being a sweet fragrance, the fragrance of my God. I want to be a sweet aroma to God and to others by giving myself and His love away. This really made me think about how often I am not a very pleasing aroma, whether it’s because of work, or if I’m just annoyed, etc. But, we have such an impact on those around us that is it really worth letting our moods get in the way of sharing the love of God? Of course not! So I encourage you, and also myself, to think about how we can be a better fragrance to God and those around us. May you be a sweet, sweet smell to those around you!
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among these who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
One of my favorite things about going to the Eastleigh Fellowship Centre, is meeting with Sunny first and foremost for prayer and worship before we begin our day. He is one of the most humble men I have ever met and is so passionate about God. He is wise and has an incredible knowledge of the scriptures and it is infectious! Now, we meet in his office, which is a very small room and we all pile in to sing songs (the words are on the “overhead projector” aka paper taped to the wall!!), read scripture and pray.
This morning he spoke about us being a sweet fragrance to those around us. Are we exuding a fragrance of life or are we exuding a smell that will cause others to be turned off to us? I love the imagery and sensation of being a sweet fragrance, the fragrance of my God. I want to be a sweet aroma to God and to others by giving myself and His love away. This really made me think about how often I am not a very pleasing aroma, whether it’s because of work, or if I’m just annoyed, etc. But, we have such an impact on those around us that is it really worth letting our moods get in the way of sharing the love of God? Of course not! So I encourage you, and also myself, to think about how we can be a better fragrance to God and those around us. May you be a sweet, sweet smell to those around you!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
the packing has commenced!!
before actually getting down to the nitty gritty, i always feel like i need to waste a bit of time to work myself up to the act itself. like today for instance, my house looks like my room exploded alllll over. i have crap everywhere and suitcases strewn about. i want to start the packing of my personal bag which will most definitely be an event. but before i can do so i felt the need to post, hype myself up a bit.
like i said it was a total mess! but completely worth it!
last week we had a team packing party for all our supplies which was awesome! each of us (5 all together) will be taking 3 bags. eeek! also, holly had begun a project for the kids and has collected one pair of school shoes and one pair of tennis shoes for each child at the orphanage!! how amazing! and how amazing the response has been--there were so many shoes! i was overwhelmed by the generosity of her friends and family, it will be such a blessing to give the shoes to the kiddos!
now for pictures...
this was jordan's living room before the packing...
like i said it was a total mess! but completely worth it! 
i LOVE school supplies!!!
so, needless to say, we are taking a lot of supplies but that is awesome! thank you to everyone for donating items, shoes, etc.
now, i suppose i should get to getting the rest of my packing done..eeek!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
perspective...
i have not been in the greatest of moods the past couple days...just a few kinks in the road and those kinks stole my optimism. the kinks aren't the important part, but while i was at work--cursing the fact that i was there--a beautiful thing happened and knocked me off my feet. thank you God!!
i was way behind in my closing duties, just trying to get ahead so i could leave on time because i was exhausted and the folks working on the sales floor kept calling me and either asking me questions or giving me more pans to count, etc. one of the calls i was just particularly annoyed for no reason and my co-worker asked if i had gotten her note. i hadn't, so she showed it to me. apparently, a little boy had lost his hot wheels sunglasses and his grandma had called to see if anyone had turned them in because the little boy's mom had just died recently and the last thing she had gotten him before she died were those sunglasses. awww.
so i looked through the lost and found, they were there!!!! so we tried to call the number she left but her voicemail inbox was full...i took them back to the count room with me and said i'd have someone call in the morning. 10 mins later i get another call to come out and the little boy and his grandma were there to pick them up. the little boy was so so so excited...he couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 and you could tell he had been crying...he said "grandma, these are the ones! these are the ones!!!!" i smiled as she thanked us and my heart swelled.
i turned around went back into the count room and cried. (so glad my job is in an enclosed room for times when i breakdown at work! lol) here i was being upset about stupid, insignificant, FIXABLE things...and this little boy had lost his mom-and for a moment the last gift she gave him...that put everything back into perspective for me...i thank God that someone turned in his sunglasses and that i was involved in getting them back to him.
i was way behind in my closing duties, just trying to get ahead so i could leave on time because i was exhausted and the folks working on the sales floor kept calling me and either asking me questions or giving me more pans to count, etc. one of the calls i was just particularly annoyed for no reason and my co-worker asked if i had gotten her note. i hadn't, so she showed it to me. apparently, a little boy had lost his hot wheels sunglasses and his grandma had called to see if anyone had turned them in because the little boy's mom had just died recently and the last thing she had gotten him before she died were those sunglasses. awww.
so i looked through the lost and found, they were there!!!! so we tried to call the number she left but her voicemail inbox was full...i took them back to the count room with me and said i'd have someone call in the morning. 10 mins later i get another call to come out and the little boy and his grandma were there to pick them up. the little boy was so so so excited...he couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 and you could tell he had been crying...he said "grandma, these are the ones! these are the ones!!!!" i smiled as she thanked us and my heart swelled.
i turned around went back into the count room and cried. (so glad my job is in an enclosed room for times when i breakdown at work! lol) here i was being upset about stupid, insignificant, FIXABLE things...and this little boy had lost his mom-and for a moment the last gift she gave him...that put everything back into perspective for me...i thank God that someone turned in his sunglasses and that i was involved in getting them back to him.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
sucking air...
i don't know what came over me this morning at 2:15am when i decided it would be a good idea to get up at 5:30, a mere 3 hours away, and go for a run....
yep, that's right, i said "go for a run..." let me just tell you when the last time i went for a run was.....yeah, can't even recall!!! so i dragged my exhausted butt to bed and set my 3 alarms. now, it's a saturday morning...who in the world thinks--hey i think i'll go for a run at 5:30am!?!? (crazy people, that's who!) moment of truth--my alarm is going off. no, i decide, i'm too tired...the alarm goes off again and now the dogs are awake and now they want to go outside so i reluctantly drag myself out of the heavenly bed and put them out, successfully try to talk myself out of going on said run and head back to bed, ugh!! NO!! i knew i would hate myself if i didn't go and the plus was that if i went that early no one would see me running and also the glorious fact of the early morning temperatures guaranteed i wouldn't be sopping in sweat...so i get back out of bed, chug half a diet pepsi (yeah, not the greatest idea), put on my shoes and head out the door.
i ran/walked a little over a mile sucking air during the times i ran and realizing how terribly out of shape i am and how much it'd ROCK if i could run the whole time and NOT suck air...so, perhaps i will do this every morning--as much as i HATE getting up early i truly love the serenity of the early morning, watching the sunrise and just basking in God's glory, even if i am covered in sweat.
now as i type, i am chugging a glass of deliciously cold water, trying to ignore the fact that my legs feel like noodles and will most definitely HURT later today and most importantly thanking God for not letting me go back to sleep and miss the time i spent with Him and the sunrise...
now, however, it's time to go back to bed, ha! good morning and good night!
yep, that's right, i said "go for a run..." let me just tell you when the last time i went for a run was.....yeah, can't even recall!!! so i dragged my exhausted butt to bed and set my 3 alarms. now, it's a saturday morning...who in the world thinks--hey i think i'll go for a run at 5:30am!?!? (crazy people, that's who!) moment of truth--my alarm is going off. no, i decide, i'm too tired...the alarm goes off again and now the dogs are awake and now they want to go outside so i reluctantly drag myself out of the heavenly bed and put them out, successfully try to talk myself out of going on said run and head back to bed, ugh!! NO!! i knew i would hate myself if i didn't go and the plus was that if i went that early no one would see me running and also the glorious fact of the early morning temperatures guaranteed i wouldn't be sopping in sweat...so i get back out of bed, chug half a diet pepsi (yeah, not the greatest idea), put on my shoes and head out the door.
i ran/walked a little over a mile sucking air during the times i ran and realizing how terribly out of shape i am and how much it'd ROCK if i could run the whole time and NOT suck air...so, perhaps i will do this every morning--as much as i HATE getting up early i truly love the serenity of the early morning, watching the sunrise and just basking in God's glory, even if i am covered in sweat.
now as i type, i am chugging a glass of deliciously cold water, trying to ignore the fact that my legs feel like noodles and will most definitely HURT later today and most importantly thanking God for not letting me go back to sleep and miss the time i spent with Him and the sunrise...
now, however, it's time to go back to bed, ha! good morning and good night!
Friday, May 22, 2009
just a tad bit anxious...
the other day i realized that it's almost time for me to leave for africa and i kinda let myself freak out a little bit. right now the countdown is at 17 days which seems like a lot of time--but i feel like i still have so much to do and so much to get ready...
so, anxious is the word i use to describe how i've been feeling, that irritating tugging feeling on my heart. okay it's only half irritating. i've also been feeling the good kind of anxious--like i can't wait to be in tanzania/kenya!!
i love the word anxious for it's duality! yeah, i love words and yes, i'm aware that i'm a nerd. so, of course, i had to do a little "research" into the definition by taking a trip to dictionary.com. :) we all know it's basic 2-prong definition: 1: uneasiness because of fear or danger or misfortune, greatly worried...2: earnestly desirous; eager. BUT what i found out about it's origins was most interesting! it comes from the latin anxius (worried, distressed) which is a derivitive of angere--to STRANGLE, pain, or distress.
i'm sure by now you're wondering why i have gotten so excited about the fact that it derives from a verb which means to strangle. my anxiety lately has been strangling God, His power and His ability to work in my life!!! what an idiot i have been. my anxiety mainly stems from the fact that i leave in 17 days and still have about $1000 to raise for this trip to be a possibility! i also have a few bills i need to figure out how to pay while i am gone and have an expensive dental appointment to take care of--and just the normal getting everything together/packing/spending time with those i love, blah blah blah. i have been telling myself that it will all be fine, don't worry about it, nicole. put it all in God's hands and pray, pray, pray... i have been praying but i don't know how faithful i have been in giving it to God and completely giving it to God, thus relinquishing my anxiety. i don't want to strangle or choke God, i want Him to blow me away with His providence, peace, and power. why is it so hard for us to just rest in God's hands? i want to be dependent on God and NOT on myself and what i think i can do!!
right now, as i type, i am relinquishing my anxiety--casting my cares upon Him!!!!!!!! i know this is where God wants me to be and HE will get me there even if it's not clear cut to me, i have to trust Him..fully. He will give me peace!
so i will pray pray pray and trust and NOT be anxious and would ask for you to do the same!!!
so, anxious is the word i use to describe how i've been feeling, that irritating tugging feeling on my heart. okay it's only half irritating. i've also been feeling the good kind of anxious--like i can't wait to be in tanzania/kenya!!
i love the word anxious for it's duality! yeah, i love words and yes, i'm aware that i'm a nerd. so, of course, i had to do a little "research" into the definition by taking a trip to dictionary.com. :) we all know it's basic 2-prong definition: 1: uneasiness because of fear or danger or misfortune, greatly worried...2: earnestly desirous; eager. BUT what i found out about it's origins was most interesting! it comes from the latin anxius (worried, distressed) which is a derivitive of angere--to STRANGLE, pain, or distress.
i'm sure by now you're wondering why i have gotten so excited about the fact that it derives from a verb which means to strangle. my anxiety lately has been strangling God, His power and His ability to work in my life!!! what an idiot i have been. my anxiety mainly stems from the fact that i leave in 17 days and still have about $1000 to raise for this trip to be a possibility! i also have a few bills i need to figure out how to pay while i am gone and have an expensive dental appointment to take care of--and just the normal getting everything together/packing/spending time with those i love, blah blah blah. i have been telling myself that it will all be fine, don't worry about it, nicole. put it all in God's hands and pray, pray, pray... i have been praying but i don't know how faithful i have been in giving it to God and completely giving it to God, thus relinquishing my anxiety. i don't want to strangle or choke God, i want Him to blow me away with His providence, peace, and power. why is it so hard for us to just rest in God's hands? i want to be dependent on God and NOT on myself and what i think i can do!!
right now, as i type, i am relinquishing my anxiety--casting my cares upon Him!!!!!!!! i know this is where God wants me to be and HE will get me there even if it's not clear cut to me, i have to trust Him..fully. He will give me peace!
so i will pray pray pray and trust and NOT be anxious and would ask for you to do the same!!!
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~philippians 4: 6-7~
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