Pressin' On

Sometimes life just doesn't go as planned.  Misinterpretations happen, goals aren't reached, a task is so huge you aren't sure where to start, or there aren't just enough hours in the day.  For me, today was a reality check.  I'll just say our meeting today did not turn out to be what we planned.  We still have a lot of work for Tanzania and we leave in eleven days.  It will all get done and it will be okay, but if you could pray for us now that would be much appreciated.  We are still putting together lessons, crafts, and translating various Bible stories into Swahili. 

With so much going on for preparations and in our own lives -- personally I have to box up my room and ship my belongings out to Washington state within this week -- it's easy to worry, stress out, or even throw in the towel.  But in this chaos there is peace.  I know it will all get done and the reality check of today was when anything stressful surfaces, what will you do?  Remember to pray and focus on the task or fester in frustration?  Complain or keep pressing onward?  We are all pressing onward as a group and that in itself is very humbling!  And it's practice for the trip.  A lot of teaching is improv and on the mission field, well, you can't really know what is around each corner.

In other news, I am so, so, so close to being fully funded!  If you haven't and God has laid it on your heart, please give today!

Itinerary!

At the absolute least, I am 80% funded!  Thank you to all of my supporters thus far!  Things are definitely coming together.  And, we have an itinerary now (subject to change, of course). 

It looks like we will mainly be tutoring kids in the basic subjects like math and English and so on, helping them with very basic computer skills (as in, how to turn a computer on and off and use a keyboard), and teaching them various games.  Right now, we are planning our daily Bible stories.  We've settled on to the story of Daniel and the Lions Den (Daniel 6) paired with the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).  We're still conjuring up craft and story telling ideas (any ideas out there are welcome!), but it should be pretty cool!

Part of story telling will be in Swahili. The younger children most likely won't know very much English.  It is my understanding that younger children are taught in Swahili, and then taught English in what we would consider middle school, and in high school everything is taught in English.  So, this "language barrier" will be very interesting.  Please pray for this!  Our knowledge and practice of Swahili is fairly limited, but we are working at it.

Preparations

Time is passing quickly and we leave in 3 weeks.  Yikes, that’s so soon!!  So, I finally received my giving report. Thank you to all of my supporters!!  You will be hearing more from me soon.   I have raised a lot, but still have $1300 more to go.  If God has laid it on your heart to give (or if you have committed but haven’t gotten around to it), please do so!  Time is running out. 

The online link to  give is: https://www.eservicepayments.com/cgi-bin/Vanco_ver3.vps?appver3=tYgT1GfNxRUldiimjHMvOcToM069aTnw4LB4dBb6Qb-1q4qJDDuf89STNCYkcYRM2evTpo0mld6BrVzd2nG0p7Zb-tA4s9hseH0bXAuuOw8=&ver=3.  Last month we found there was a glitch with the website and it required you to log-in.  Rest assured, this has been fixed.  If you choose to give online, select “Other Designated Gift” and write “Emily McLean Tanzania” in the space provided.  You can also mail a check made out to City on a Hill Church (PO Box 673, Brookline, MA 02446) and include a note explaining that your donation is for Emily McLean's Tanzania trip.

A lot of people have asked how exactly we are preparing for Tanzania.  There are two main aspects of this question.  One is learning about the culture and the other is preparing for missions.

I’ve traveled to many different countries and I quickly learned that there is such a thing as over-preparing.  Reading travel guides are great and all, but the place being portrayed in a book/your imagination is always different from what you truly experience.  Actually, I would say it is harder to adapt to a new culture if you strive to read multiple travel guides because you have expectations set in your mind and subconscious. The best way to prepare is to be aware of the major differences and be open to change.  Here are some differences our leader has taken us through:

One major difference between the African culture and ours is that in America one is often task-oriented and very to the point.  In other words, if you need something, you are direct and avoid taking up someone’s time with chatter.  However, in Africa it is crucial to not talk business or needs upon meeting someone.  You must first interact with the person and catch up on their life and basically ask how they are doing.  (Oh, and being too direct can cause embarrassment.)  If you think about it, the concept of “catching up” is kind of cool.  Often Americans are too rushed and wrapped up in themselves to reach out and listen to others.  We only talk about what we want.  Why is that?

In Africa there is less of a sense or mentality of “mine.”  It is rude to have your own side-conversation when in a group and it is not common to label possessions in a communal setting.  Much of the norm is opposite here.

Another interesting difference is personal boundaries.  If you have seen a picture of African children huddled onto one bench when there are empty ones around they aren’t cold, afraid, or scared of something.  It is in their culture to literally be close to other people.  So, unlike us, to take an empty bench when there is space next to another would be rude or, at the very least, considered odd.

Missions-wise, as I mentioned before, we are going through devotionals and praying.  Pretty soon we will be coordinating a service project or two while still in Boston.  For myself, a lot of preparation extends from my last missionary experience in Juneau, Alaska.  If you did not know, I served for two summers as a camp counselor at Echo Ranch Bible Camp.  I saw a lot of growth in myself as well as the campers there.  Truly, it was an amazing experience.  However, there were a few things I could have done a lot better.  Rarely did I offer to help or spend a lot of bonding time with other counselors.  Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t lazy, but I would only do things when asked and was often on my own.  Initiative was lacking because I was too wrapped up in wanting my own time.  Being a counselor can be very draining and there was a lot in my life I was trying to figure out when I was not with a cabin full of kids ranging from ages 7-13.  As a result of holding all the stuff on my own, I lost the chance to grow with other counselors and staff, fulfill more needs of the camp, and reach out to others.  I honestly regret it!  I think I went far with investing in my campers’ lives, but I overlooked that the other counselors needed me too.  All in all, teamwork is essential in the mission’s field and unless it is specifically a quiet time, one should be with the group.  Even if a specific job does not need to be done (like painting or digging a well) team members must be there to encourage each other, give support, and know how others are truly doing.

In closing, I would like to introduce you the kids at the Mabatini care point -- think of a care point as a place for after school care.  (We may be just working at this care point, but it could be up to 3.  We’ll find out when we get there.  As I have said in my previous entry, Africa does not always plan ahead to the extent that we Americans do.)

Here are the children’s names (please pray for them by name!):

Elphas Thobias

Amani Jumapili

Ntobi Elli

Enock Peter

Junior Peter

Emanuel Paulo

Hollo Joseph

Roza Sospeter

Janeth John

Nikiza Method

Frank Joseph

Elia Emason

Doris Jumapili

Bahati Robert

Julias Rweyemamu

Jesca Martine

Hellena David

David Jonas

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."
Numbers 6:24-26