A Prayer for Our Work

I want to share with you a prayer that is often prayed on behalf of the team and ask you to join us in offering this prayer

• on behalf of  each family on our team
• on behalf of all of those that we partner with, expatriate and Tanzanian alike, who have devoted their lives to the betterment of the peoples of Southern Tanzania
• and on behalf of the Makonde, the Yao, and the Makua peoples who live in the Mtwara region.

Lord, on this day in Tanzania, we ask that you would give us these 6 things:

Vision– Give us vision that we might see this place as it really is: it’s joys, it’s resources, it’s beauty; it’s hurts, it’s sadness, it’s evil. Give us clear vision of the dynamics at work in the politics, economy, villages, families, and relationships around us.

Give us a clear vision of the present reality so that we may also have a clear vision for it’s future.

Give us vision to know what redemption can look like in this place: redemption of it’s land and soil, redemption of it’s rich resources in people, gas, and art, redemption of it’s political leaders, redemption of it’s diseases, redemption of it’s culture and it’s families, and redemption of it’s debilitating fatalism.

Imagination and Creativity– May our visions for this place be infused with divine imagination and divine creativity, that we would approach each day and each situation with new minds. Let us not be stuck relying only on what we know and what we’ve seen for solutions, but give us true creativity that births new ideas and third ways.

Discernment– Give us selfless discernment that we can identify the paths and ideas worth pursuing. Help us to abandon those ideas and visions which will not benefit our neighbors or are driven by selfish ambition. Help us to know what is good and worthwhile so that we can pursue it with all of our energy.

Determination– Knowing what is good, give us determination to pursue those ideas and directions with all of our energy. Help us to fight for what we know is beneficial and just. Give us resolve as we encounter the many difficulties that accompany change and development in this culture. As per the model of Christ, teach us to place the good of our neighbor, our  families, and our communities above ourselves and in doing so, to pour ourselves into our work.

Discipline– Give us discipline to finish what we start. Give us the discipline to move forward everyday. Even when we are tired, discouraged, or defeated, help us to keep our commitments to others, both spoken and assumed. Help us to feel the weight of responsibility for the community in which we live and to sacrifice our preferences and desires on its behalf. Teach us the discipline of consistency– of always doing what we know to be good, even when it seems worthless or dull.

Faith– Make us faithful people. Let our vision, imagination, discernment, determination, and discipline be built on a foundation of faithfulness. Help us to remember our dependence on you, recognizing you as the source and sustainer or all things. Humble us with our inadequacies, and empower us with your partnership.

Lord, we ask for these things for your glory and for the good of your people.

Amen.

An Ordinary Day: The Village Sinde

People often want to know what an ordinary day is like for us here in Mtwara. But, because of the structure of life here, this is often a hard question to answer. Really we have no ordinary day, but rather various types of ordinary days. There’s the Study Swahili All Day Day; there’s the Try to Study Swahili All Day but Get Interrupted All Day Instead Day; there’s the Have an Ambitious Plan but Two Simple Errands End Up Taking All Day Day; there’s the Have Meetings with Important People Day; there’s the Spend the Day in Swahili Conversation Day; there’s the Research Trip Day; there’s the Village Visit Day; and so on. Below is an example of one such ordinary day — in particular, a Village Visit Day.

…

By 9:30am we had arrived at the fish market, which was already bustling with trade and thick with the smell of salt and fish. Two large, metal, military boats were banked on shore at the edge of the market. They looked like they could be World War II era boats, old and weary, with the kind of mounted machine guns that have a crude, iron, bullseye frame through which to aim. On deck were shirtless military-men, most of whom were either cleaning or cooking Ugali for the rest of the crew. They would set sail again that day, back into the open sea.

Just to the right of these withering warships was a much smaller, simple wooden vessel, hand-built by local craftsmen trained in the ancient art of dhow-making. This was our ferry. We threw our bicycles on board and found a spot to sit. Within half an hour the rest of the boat had filled. Nine or ten other bikes were now strapped alongside our own at the front of the boat. By use of an outboard motor we would reach the peninsula in only a matter of minutes… (because of the layout of this particular peninsula, to reach the same spot by private car would take about an hour and a half, sometimes more depending on road conditions).

By 10:15 our wooden ferry slid onto the sand bank at its destination. We unloaded ourselves and our bikes, payed the ferry fee, and began our ride to the village Sinde. Though just across a thin bay from bustling Mtwara town, the Peninsula is itself very rural, with large plots of empty farmland, with buildings made mostly of mud and clay, with a greater expectation by locals to stop and say hello, and with more common use of the local dialect. Winding down thin, sandy paths we slowly made our way to Sinde, stopping occasionally to greet people, converse a bit,and get directions.

Near Sinde we met an old man who welcomed us warmly. He offered to show us around a little and then introduce us to the village leaders. As he showed us the area we talked about everything from local crops to sea-front land ownership. Soon we had reached the main part of the village Sinde, where we were quickly introduced to local leaders at a spot under a sprawling mango tree. Chairs were brought out, and the rest of our day was spent beneath this tree.

Following local protocol, we  began with lengthy introductions. First, the old man introduced us, telling where he had met us, what he had learned about us, and claiming responsibility for us as his guests to the village. Then we introduced ourselves as well, confirming what the man had said and answering further questions submitted by the men beneath the tree. Once we had answered sufficiently, we were formally and warmly welcomed to the village.

The rest of the afternoon was continued in conversation, mostly with the same small group of men. As others passed by they would stop and introduce themselves, join the conversation for a few minutes, and then move along with their day. Sinde is a village of farmers and fisherman, and it shows in the heat of early afternoon when most people are resting in the shade before getting back to work once it cools down again. Of course the tides also affect the fisherman, and most of the day’s fishing had already been finished by midday today.

Overall the conversation wasn’t very different from what you might hear in a small American town: local gossip, discussion of family life, talking about the current state of the local economy and recent developments in the area, discussion of problems in the area and what might be done to make life better here, and other such topics. There was also a great deal of talk about the weather and how the crops would be: what was expected and what was hoped for.  We mostly listened and asked questions. We were there to learn. The only interruptions came in the form of the occasional snap heard in the tree above us, at which point we’d quickly cover our heads just in time to hear the accompanying thud on the ground beside us: a ripe mango ready to be claimed and eaten.

By the end we had eaten fish and ugali at a local restaurant; we had met several interesting characters, including an 300 year old (by the look of it) Mozambican man who liked to tell dirty jokes; we had stopped by the local bicycle repairman to get our punctured tires fixed; and we had enjoyed a good day with some new acquaintances. We left with a phone number and a plan to return again soon, then hopped on our bikes and made our way along the peninsula, back onto one of the last ferries for the day, across the bay to the fish market, and reached town with just enough time to cool off with a swim in the ocean before sunset.

Another ordinary day.

Three Bridges to Islam

These are three bridges to faith in Christ that we have found to be helpful in dialoguing with our Muslim neighbors:

Torah, Psalms, Gospel.  The Qur’an commands Muslims to believe in ALL of God’s holy Books. Those mentioned in the Qur’an are the Torah given to Moses, the Psalms given to David, the Gospel given to Jesus, and the Qur’an given to Muhammad.  The Qur’an does not say “Old Testament,” “New Testament,” or “Bible;” however, those words do not have authority even though they refer to the same books.  Someone who proclaims the message of Torah, Pslams, and Gospel will be heard with respect.  Along with this, a true Muslim believes in “ALL” of God’s prophets. They do NOT discriminate any of them. If you do not listen to what the prophets say, believe it and obey it, then you are in danger of hell fire according to the Qur’an.  Most, if not all, of the prophets they believe besides Muhammad, are in the Old & New Testaments of the Christian Bible.  

Jesus is the Messiah.  It does not have to be argued that Jesus fulfills or confirms the Torah; this is already said in the Qur’an; he is called “Jesus the Messiah.”  It needs to be communicated what exactly it means that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of David. A major contention of Muslims is that Jesus was only a prophet to the people of Israel, not the true prophet for the entire world.  To a Muslim, their prophet is given last of all for the whole world.   A witness to Christ must make a case for why Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, is also the savior of the world.  Jesus as Messiah is an idea taught in the Qur’an but only filled out in the Christian & Jewish Scriptures.  Thus by preaching Jesus as Messiah one is actually preaching Islam.  Why then would he not be heard?

The Old Testament. Eventually the Bible has to be brought into the conversation. In our region here the Old Testament is consistently praised while the New Testament is condemned and doubted. This is a difficultly but not insurmountable because the first Christians communicated faith in Christ using the Old Testament prophets. Paul asked Agrippa, “Do you believe in the Prophets?” I think it wise when communicating Christ to Islam to approach the Old Testament by studying the covenants of mainly Abraham and David.  Through these two covenants we learn God’s plan to save and redeem the whole world through the Messiah, the son of David.  Are these two eternal covenants fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth? If Jesus is this Messiah, and according to the Qur’an he is, then by his own words he established another eternal covenant in his blood. Referring to the Christian communion cup, Christ said, “This is the eternal covenant in my blood, drink it until I return.”  Since Christ has not returned, his covenant is still active, and another prophet cannot rule in his stead.

–Ross Kellis

Cooking on the Swahili Coast with Sarah

Take a five minute journey with Sarah Fraser to visit a lively Fish Market, collect herbs from the Fraser garden, and mix it all up in the kitchen.

Enjoy it to the last clip! ”Bone Appétit!”

Tunashukuru (We are thankful)

Happy Thanksgiving from Mtwara!

The team got together on Sunday afternoon to celebrate. We tried to make it feel as much like a normal Thanksgiving as we could. Besides the 95 degree heat, it felt pretty authentic.

The girls were eager to start the feast!

Andrew carved the chickens.

The Frasers roasted 3 beautiful chickens.

Everyone contributed important foods to the feast, and everything was delicious.

We enjoyed our time together but not without mentioning how much we miss all of you!

We are so thankful for all of you who love and support us.

Hope your holiday season is wonderful!