Giving and Goats

In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” - Acts 20:35

A few Sundays ago, at a church service in one of the villages, Sue and I became the proud owners of our very own goat! While for Sue, having been raised up on a farm, this was not her first time to own goats, it was definitely the first time for either of us to get one on the way out of church.

Here in rural Tanzania, in the worship services of pastoralist peoples (like the Maasai) there is one particularly striking difference from what we have been accustomed to in the States. Here in Tanzania, just like in America, it is very natural for the people to bring their offerings in the form of their common currency. The thing is that the common currency for many happens to be chickens and goats and cows.

For these people who do business among themselves each day by trading with chickens and sheep and goats, why not bring this “currency” (as strange or humorous as it may seem to us when a cow comes down the center aisle)? And they do bring them up to the altar-- not as a sacrifice of atonement as in ancient times, but as an offering of thanksgiving to God. In fact, chickens and goats and sometimes even cows are quite generous offerings which can support a lot of good work among the people.

After the offering is blessed and dedicated to God and worship is concluded, this is when the congregation gathers outside the Church for the auction (which is how Sue and I came to have our goat). This, if you follow the steps of this process, is a fascinating way for these communal-minded people to give an offering to God, not as individuals, but as a community and in community.

First, somebody brings a goat to worship as an offering. Then, after worship at the auction, somebody else buys the animal from the Church (and not just at market value, we noticed). Here, the people have a jubilant time as the bidding ensues. Songs are sung in celebration as the offering gets larger and larger. People circle around the bidding members, singing and fanning them (lest they get too hot in the sun). Finally, after the bid is closed at an agreeable price, the one who won the bid commonly donates the animal again, this time to someone else at the auction (often times items will go to someone who has need, but also apparently visitors are targeted to be recipients of gracious generosity).

And so this is how we came to have our little goat; a goat which we, in turn, gave to the family of the pastor of the village, who certainly has made good use of the animal by feeding his family and/or the people of his village with it.

From the life that God gave to the people in the form of livestock, the people bless God in return, and then are blessed again. Wow, what a marvelous and striking image for offering? May we all inherit such a joy in giving what God has first given us so that our blessings may multiply in such a way!

An Update at the New Year

As December, 2009 came to a close, so did our time in language study—at least the formal coursework part… for now. Although we still have much to learn in order to become fluent at speaking Swahili, the next step is to immerse ourselves in the Tanzanian culture by speaking with native Swahili speakers as much as possible.

We, for the time being, are going to accompany some of the other missionaries based in Morogoro as they go about their work in the region. This will enable us to practice our Swahili and get a better picture of what is going on in the Morogoro Diocese. The eventual plan is that I will work as an educator/mentor for indigenous parish evangelists, teaching theology and Bible (among other things). A much more fluent tongue will first be necessary for this.

Learning a second language is a humbling experience. Some days we can see how far we’ve progressed. Other days it still feels like we do not understand anything of the conversations around us. It is a challenging process for sure; one that unfortunately can’t be rushed.

After language classes, we celebrated Christmas here in Morogoro, attending worship at a prison-congregation on Christmas Day, and attending a wedding the day after Christmas. For New Years we went to a beach south of Dar es Salaam for a little R&R—a necessary rest.

We hope to have more time for updates now that classes are finished, although internet access has been a continual problem. We will do our best! Thanks for checking in with us here at our blog. Keep checking in as we hope to soon post highlights from our last month.

We also hope that the promise of God’s presence (Emmanuel) touched you this Christmas Season, and that you will experience many new blessings in 2010. Heri ya Mwaka Mpya (New Year’s Blessings).

Thanksgiving

Overall, I think we have been pretty thankful for the people and things in our lives. This year, however, our eyes have been opened to see how many of the common, everyday blessings have gone unnoticed in the past; how we have failed to give thanks to God for the richness of this life.

For instance, upon our arrival here at our language school, we discovered that East African drought conditions were causing seasonal water shortages. While in America, “water faucets” have always equated (in our minds) to running water. Living here has taught us that this is not actually one of the great, universal truths of life. For the first week, without rhyme or reason, the water would come… and then be gone for as long as a day or two. We frequently would turn on the faucet hoping for water, only to find black sludge or nothing at all.

Also, here in Tanzania, every couple of days we go without electricity for around eight hours at a time while the authorities oversee rolling blackouts as a way managing the country’s limited supply of electricity. Oh, and the internet has been down here on campus for around three weeks (which partly excuses our failure to post on this blog).

Now, before you start to feel sorry for us—or think that we are feeling sorry for ourselves, it should be said that we have taken all of this in stride and have even found the blessing in our new African circumstances. For, while the power is out, we sit under the dim light of candles without television. Ironically we feel thankful for the quiet, calm of an evening with nothing to distract us from the natural rhythm of the planet. Truth be told, I think it has brought us closer as a couple: we have found much more time for the simple things like games, conversation and sleep. Then when electricity has returned in the morning we are all the more aware of the blessing and then we celebrate when we are able (once again) to check the email.

Now that there have been a few rains in the mountains we have had much better access to water, but I will always remember the joy we felt the morning that we both woke up to warm showers. Never before has a shower brought such joy.

In summary, after two months in Africa our hearts have been opened to wonder what else we have been missing—asking how else have we been unknowingly blessed? We are sure it is much.

So, today we have a new realization of our gracious God who provides so much each day. Even as we are missing our friends and families at home this time of year; even as we are missing our daily showers and continuous power, we can have thankful hearts and wish you the same.

God’s richest blessings—may our eyes be opened to see them more clearly,
Josh and Sue

Home Visit

Baptism

First Village Visit

On Sunday, Josh and I had the privilege of going to a village for worship. This was our first time to a village, so we didn’t know what to expect, but were very excited to learn more. Pastor Herb Hafermann, a long time missionary here in Morogoro, invited us to accompany him to a service. While we are finding it impossible to put into words all that we experienced, we’ll give it a try! Here is what our day was like:

8:30 – We departed the language school (our home) and began our journey. Luka, Pastor Hafermann’s driver and a builder and evangelist, drove us. We were on highway for about an hour and then took secondary and tertiary roads for about another 20 minutes until we reached the village. The roads were partially washed out from the rain, but we made it.

10:00 – We arrived at the village and were greeted by a local evangelist and a couple of the elder Maasai men who led us to sit in the old church, which was a thatched roof with no walls or floor. We sat with the men (and many chickens) and chatted while shy children peeked around mud houses or stared curiously.

About 11:30 -Tea time! The evangelist of the church poured water over our hands as is customary here before eating. We were then served tea and buns. We were amazed that the women made buns so perfectly shaped over an open fire. Only after we (the guests) had finished eating did the elder men eat and drink their tea.

People began arriving a couple of hours after we got there and gradually more and more people gathered at the church. Eventually the whole village was filled with music from the people singing.

Church began about 1:30. Women and children sat on one side and men sat on the other. The choir sang many times, we all sang hymns, had communion and there were several baptisms. Right in the middle of the sermon it started to rain. Rain came in through the “windows” of the open-air church building, and although many got a little wet, no one was upset because everyone needs the rain. It was a joyous occasion.

At this point we lose track of time entirely :) After the service, (maybe around 4?) there was an auction of the goods that were donated for offering. It was the liveliest I have seen! It is common for someone to buy something (ex. a chicken) and donate it to someone. One of the women bought me a toothbrush and toothpaste!

After the service, we walked to a lame man’s home, where he received communion. The choir came as well providing their beautiful music.

After that, it was time for pastors and visitors to eat. We were fed a meal of chicken (which we had seen being plucked earlier), rice, and beans. We have now learned how to eat rice and beans using our hands, but we have a long way to go before we perfect the technique.

After supper, we made the return trip to the seminary. We were home around 7PM. What a day!

After it is all said and done, we still haven’t gotten over how comfortable we felt in such a completely foreign place. The people were so hospitable and kind, making it easy for us to feel quite comfortable. They seemed so appreciative of our visiting. The feeling is mutual "bila shaka" (without a doubt).

Morogoro

It has already been five weeks since we sojourned south from Arusha, approximately nine hour’s drive time to city of Morogoro. Morogoro, Tanzania—our new home—sprawls along the foot of the jutting Uluguru Mountains. Morogoro is a bustling city, not at all touristy like Arusha; and without the metropolitan feel of Dar-es-Salaam. Mud houses not far outside of town, and goats not uncommon within, this town is authentic Africa.

The people on the streets tend to be courteous and friendly here. They show a general interest in visitors (wageni), but are not overbearing. Unlike Arusha, we have noticed that English is much less common and fluent, so Swahili will be a practical necessity for us to live here. Thus, we have enrolled in our second language training at the Junior Seminary where we currently reside.

(The picture is of the dalla dalla station in downtown Morogoro)