lonely...feeling so lonely... :)

Over the last two weeks we have been making trips to the airport to drop off our team...everyone is headed back to the states.

The last three months of working with my team has been such an incredible experience. I had no idea when I came here that I would have such an awesome group of friends to spend my first three months with...God blessed me so much. They have become like family and I am very thankful for the time I had here with them...I would go anywhere in the world with this team. God brought some amazing, life-long friends into my life who have encouraged me in so many ways.

I think my favorite part about our team was watching how God brought such different people together and knit our hearts so we could really work as one. We came to Tanzania on the same day from 7 different places... Arizona, San Fransisco, Detroit, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Wisconnsin, and Louisiana. Each one of the seven of us were so different in personality, culture, future plans, and backgrounds, but we all shared a common love for Jesus and had a desire to see God work in and through us.

About a month into being here, we each took leadership of a different area of ministry, but still worked as a team to do each thing. As I look back on everything I am in awe of all that God did...here are some highlights...

1. Becky-

Becky organized all of our hospital ministry. We went into the local hospital and visited and prayed with different paitents. Every time I went to the hospitals God did something in my heart...especially when we went to the children's ward.

I wish I could put into words what I saw with my eyes during one of those visits. I realized in an entirely new way how God's heart must break everytime he sees what has happened as a result of man's decision to break relationship with Him. God knows the physical pain that those children, literally dying in those beds, are feeling and he knows the emotional pain that the mothers are feeling as they cry out to Him for a miracle... God created this world to be so perfect, but it has been so corrupted by sin. And then God has offered his Son to reconcile and make all broken things whole, but we still chose to live a part from Him. Being in those rooms taught me so much about the heart of God and really opened up an entirely new attributes that I never realized or noticed about my God to fall in love with.

2. John-

John organized all of our village ministry/outreaches. We spent a few days camping out in a Masai village. That was such a great time. We also did a children's outreach in the Njoro area (I cannot wait to show you all some pictures from that, it was great.) and evangelism in two different villages on thursday nights.

3. Meaghan
Meaghan ran all the drama (and caused it all too...ha ha, just joking Meggie Mapes) I could say so much about Meaghan, she is so talented and gifted. I am sure that the boys at the Emmanuel Center will never forget the time we spent there. They loved the dramas that Meaghan came up with and they did such a great job performing them. Some of them were involved in a drama we did as an outreach and they were all a part of "Daniel and the Lion's Den." My absolute favorite thing I have done since I have been here has been hanging out at the Emmanuel center with those boys.

4. Heather-

Heather was in charge of worship and helped Meaghan with drama. We went to the Emmanuel Center every week and taught the boys songs and dramas. It was so much fun for us and the boys at the center absolutely loved it.

5. Christian
Christian organized the ministry we did in the elementary schools. We went to sevearl schools a week (I have some pictures in a previous post) and we did Bible lessons, dramas, object illustrations, and songs with the kids. It was so much fun and this was probably where our team spent the most time...between this and the high schools. (I organized the ministry we did with the high schools. We had so many awesome opportunities to speak to hundereds of high school students about all of our testimonies and what God has done in our lives).

6. Scott--

Scott organized an International English Fellowship. I did not realize before I came here how many college student age people would be here from all over the world. There were many Europeans here serving on their gap year, interning in the hospitals, and volunteering with different orginazations. There were also several Peace Corps volunteers. We met once a week for a bible study/fellowship time and I know that God definitely moved on hearts. If I were living here full time, this would definitely be something I would want to do. It is a huge opportunity to reach people from all over the world who have never really tasted authentic Christianity.