Many of you might be familiar with MTV Cribs, a television program which features in depth tours of celebrity homes. Celebrities on the show generally flaunt their wealth and show off their exorbitant lifestyles.
This is my team's version, based on our ministry here in Uganda. Leave me some comments if you want to encourage me to make additional editing intensive movies in the future. Enjoy!
Hey everyone! I am safe and sound in a small rural countryside area known as "Bulucheke," 2 hours outside of Mbale, Uganda. Although our team doesn't have electricity or running water, this is shaping up to be one of my favorite months. I will post some pics/vids when we get to a big city with high speed internet.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PITCHED IN!! The rafting day was truly the most exciting non-ministry day of this entire race. Our boat got flipped twice, we went through two class 5 rapids (thats as high as they go). Aside from some people spending 20-30 seconds trapped underwater and a few scrapes and bruises crashing into underwater rocks, nobody was hurt.
God is awesome! Enjoy some of these pictures! Oh and be sure to check out the other two blogs I posted at the same time!
(So I didn't want to worry anyone back at home, but now that I am safely out of Tanzania, I figure its safe to post these stories. By God's grace, I have not suffered any robberies, but the following are two separate incidents from the other squad that left January 2010 with us. Fear not, Uganda seems pretty safe so far, but these sorts of circumstances really help me re-evaluate what's really important. The first post is from Krissy Whaley and the second is from Jillian Hensley).
With a Machete at My Throat: Life looks a little different (by Krissy Whaley)
I write this account of what happened to me 24 hrs ago to bring glory to our God; for He has delivered me from the hands of evil and spared my life. He is a God who loves me and has never forsaken me. He is the mighty protector and redeemer. Here it is my story...
It was Monday, July 19th... 5 days after teamSeven was robbed at gunpoint in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. I have been with team 7 from the day the robbery took place; praying peace over them, for joy to return, holding them as they cry and sharing precious moments of laughter together.As I poured my heart out to them, I cried out to God to help me understand, to truly feel their pain, and to understand their heart with raw and true empathy.
On this Monday, we were set out to truly relax and find peace after such a traumatic incident.We were located at a beach resort that looked like it was from a picture in a Caribbean cruise magazine, it was beautiful & peaceful. I hadn't taken a moment alone for myself in months, so I set out to run along the waterfront so I could worship God and thank Him for sparing the lives of my teammates.Moments after I began my run I noticed a man walking along the beach behind me, but I refused to be filled with fear so I continued onward.....The second time I turned the man was in a full speed run towards me.
My heart sank with fear and I realized that I had nowhere to run, no one to run to, no shelter, no weapon, just faith in the Lord and the power of prayer. The man grabbed me from behind and started to frantically grab and hit at my chest; in that moment I assumed the worst.....that robbing me wasn't his motivation. As I stopped in my panic I found a large rusted machete at my neck and face.I screamed "Oh God please, please don't kill me...take anything that you want... Take it all...."My eyes were fixated on the large blade that was threatening my life in a way that disabled my basic motor skills. He continued to pursue and hit at my chest, at which point I sobered up enough to realize that my i-pod was in his hands and that my headphones were caught up in my shirt. After he successfully retrieved my ipod he continued frantically yelling at me in Swahili; he wanted the watch from my wrist.With weak hands I took my watch off as quickly as possible and the man immediately took his machete and ran away.
I turned and ran back to the resort as quick as my legs could move me, barefoot and sobbing.A local man on the shore who witnessed the whole thing, and refused to come to my rescue yelled out to me and wave, "Good Afternoon Miss.!"He said this with a crooked smile and laughed as if I was his entertainment for the afternoon....his deceivious tone chilled my bones, and in that moment, the only words that I could muster was "Mugu Akubariki" - Swahili for "God Bless You."
I praise God that I wasn't hurt, and that an i-pod and watch was all that was taken from me. I praise God that he answered my prayers and now I know every emotion team 7 must have gone through. I praise God that he relentlessly blesses my life with amazing people and amazing experiences. I praise God with every ounce of my being for the grace and love he pours over us daily.I praise Him for every waking moment I get to serve Him and love others in the nations. I thank him for each life on the N squad....Thank you for your continued protection, as not a single one of us has been hurt in these incidents. Daily He is showing me to live vibrantly, live joyously and without fear. Thank you Jesus.
Psalm 27:1-4
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. 4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
Robbed at Gunpoint
Jillian Hensley on 7/19/2010
It's hard to know how to even begin an account like this, so I will just start by saying God is so good. His presence and protection are weaved all throughout this story. My team and I now have new reason to boast that our God has saved our lives, first spiritually and now literally. Here we go......
This past Wednesday everything changed for us. One minute I was sitting down at the table for dinner, the next I was looking at the barrels of a shotgun. After hearing some loud banging at the back door, I turned to see a mob of men storming in. It did not occur to any of us in that moment that they were coming to rob us; it just felt like they were coming to kill us. In a split second we all took off running. Some tried to get out the front door, but it was locked. Everyone scattered into the bedrooms. The man with the shotgun was right behind me and in the second it took me to get into the bedroom I fully expected to be shot in the back. I made it into the room and some of us tried to get under the bed, but there was no room. We huddled behind it and just prayed to God for protection. The men shouted for money and threatened some of our lives. I could do nothing but pray. The whole ordeal was over in what felt like an hour, but was realistically less than five minutes. They took almost everything. Only my clothes and sleeping bag were left behind.
We are trying not to think about what we have lost. All we can do is be grateful that no one was hurt and that we all have our lives. We found out afterwards that 15 to 20 men were involved in the robbery, most of whom seemed to have weapons. There is nothing we could have done to save ourselves in that situation; we were seemingly at their mercy. I have been praying all year that God would strengthen my faith. In a moment like this you really discover what you believe. Now more than ever I can attest to the fact that God is real and that I will chase after him always, even if it means my life is in danger. The more my team and I think about the series of events that unfolded that night, the more we see how near God was to us in those moments. It is almost unthinkable that we made it out without a scratch. It is easy time to be fearful, but God is doing a good work in my team, and it has done my heart good this week to watch them continue to worship God, laugh, and dance. Life is a little bit sweeter now, and we refuse to let our spirits remain downcast. They can have our computers, passports, cameras, and tents, but they cannot have our joy and they certainly cannot have our hope, which is not dependent on the circumstances of this world.
"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." Philippians 3:8-9
As my teammates and I share this story all we can hope is that it will help you draw more closely to God and that you will join us in celebrating what He has done for us. We would all appreciate your prayers as we continue to process what happened. Pray that we will move forward boldly and that we will not grow bitter, but will be filled with even more love for the nations. There is a lot of evil in the world. We already knew that; in fact, that is why we came in the first place. Don't wish for us to come home or to escape to a safer place. Instead, pray that we will have the strength to finish the work that we started. Some of us have been finding much comfort in the Psalms lately, and can certainly meditate on them with a new set of eyes.
(Since I don't have the electricity to write my own blogs, I am going to showcase some of the experiences of other people on my squad. Here is a great blog from Amanda Glenn on her experience with witchcraft and demons).
In Africa one of the most prominent issues- spiritually speaking- is witchcraft. In my experience here in Tanzania I have witnessed the effects of the Africans' involvement in witchcraft. My first encounter was a few weeks ago when we were doing door to door evangelism. Pastor took us to the home of a woman who is a member of our church. The woman called Pastor to cast out a demon that she thought was in her daughter. The daughter, "Grace", came into the room with a deep sadness in her eyes. Her grandmother played a significant role in teaching Grace to rely on witch doctors and to send demons to other people. We spent three days talking to Grace, speaking truth into her life, getting to know her story, and showing her love. Grace had a painful problem in her stomach which felt like something was moving up and down her insides. On the third day Grace returned with trinkets that she wanted us to destroy. She had been given the trinkets by the witch doctor to use for witchcraft activities. Grace accepted the Lord and the next thing I know Grace is writhing on the floor and Pastor is casting out a demon from her. Her body lost complete control, even to the point that she urinated on the floor. It took two of us to hold her legs down. A few moments later, Grace stands up, set free from the demon that influenced her. She smiled, gave us huge hugs, and returned home with her mother after offering us enthusiastic gratitude. After she left, Pastor looked at me, "Amanda, you have many questions, yes?" "Pastor, you have no idea."
[Grace]
Two weeks later we were brought to an open-air crusade meeting that we would be watching over the next six days. While we were there I noticed a line of about twenty men and women who were dancing with long robes and waving flags that said "Pray for Africa". I leaned over to Pastor and told him that I thought it would be so much fun to be a flag girl. The next thing I know I was in a bright colored robe, dancing with a flag around the crusade in a line of Africans. I loved every minute of it! At the end of the crusade we were mixed into the crowd listening to the preacher call for those who needed healing to come to the front. All of a sudden a girl in front of me fell back on top of me, writhing and flailing the same way Grace did. I stood in shock until the crowds yelled at me, "Take her to the tent! You take her!" In that moment I realized that part of my job description as a "flag girl" was also bringing demon-influenced people into the big blue tent where the demons were being cast out. I was kicked in the nose several times, clawed, hit, etc.., as I carried these individuals who were manifesting the demon that was influencing their bodies.
[Flag Choir]
At the end of the week I attended church. In the middle of the service, Pastor asked the congregation to come to the front to be prayed over. In the middle of his prayer a girl in front of me fell back rigidly on top of me. Four other men helped me carry her to the back as her body flailed and flung all over the place. At the back of the church I held Esther in my lap tightly making sure her head did not hit the concrete floor. I wiped the foam from her mouth and tried to avoid her fists. At one point she grabbed my arms so tightly I could not remove her grip without help from Lisa. After about thirty minutes, Esther was no longer influenced by a demon, and she accepted the Lord into her life.
[Esther]
I am one of the world's biggest skeptics. It was terribly difficult for me to actually accept what I saw with my own eyes. By the end of the month, however, I found so much purpose in my experience with the demon-influenced. I saw these individuals as the people that they are, not the demon who influenced them. I felt so strongly that they needed to walk away deeply loved. When people cast out demons, there is a lot of shouting and addressing the demon. I found my purpose in loving and ministering to the person inside. By the end of the month I really enjoyed caring for these people. So many times we often look at the problem in people failing to love the PERSON. I have a whole new understanding in how to love and minister people in general from my month experiencing spiritual warfare in a new capacity. Love the person.
(My teammate Ricki made an awesome summary blog of our time here in Tanzania. It gives another good perspective of our ministry, and has some great pics! Thanks Ricki!)
We
have been in Tanzania for four weeks now and we have one week left to
go. It is one of the most unique and interesting landscapes I have ever
seen in my life. We are staying in Mwanza, Tanzania which has the
nickname "Rock City". There are tons of different rock formations here
all surrounding the beautiful Lake Victoria. The place could not get
any more beautiful. I am in awe of the intricate detailing of God's
masterpieces and the way He creates each place as an original work of
art.
Prayed for healing and she got up and walked...Praise God!
This place is a
completely different experience than Kenya but it involves a lot of the
same ministries. We are working with three different churches between
thirteen of us doing door to door evangelism, preaching, open air
meetings, visiting schools, working with children, etc. I have truly
enjoyed the ministry and I feel like my growth has skyrocketed in
Africa. The Lord has been speaking to me a lot and showing me things
like never before. I am learning more and more of who He is and all
that He has for my life. I have been able to focus on specific things
and I have spent a lot of extra time in prayer this month.
Climbing "Rock City" to share the gospel.
We have been working
with another team all month and I have totally enjoyed being with
them. Some of my best friends on the race are on their team and I feel
like my growth has contributed a lot to the quality time I have been
able to spend with them and my team. I have just been enjoying the splendor of it all. I
have experienced watching God heal people this month, I have
experienced a ceiling falling in on my face and the humor of it all, I
have experienced a house full of the joy of the Lord with a strong
mother standing behind it all with the Lord holding her up, I have
experienced the Serengeti and the beautiful creation of the animals
here, I have experienced taking action for God , God has been showing
me things about my relationship, He's being speaking life into me and
more.
A normal day at church.
I am completely in awe of who He is. I
had to give my testimony at an open air meeting outside yesterday and
got to listen to Brian preach afterwards. They had brought me a chair
to sit in and I politely sat down in the chair by myself but looked
around and realized every other person was sitting on the ground and I
felt weird so, I decided to get rid of the chair and sit down with
them. I scooted off of the chair and into the grass. There were tons of
kids sitting around and I just felt alive. I
felt God everywhere. I see Him in everything. He was in the nature, the
natural landscape, I was breathing in His air, watching the children
and the people moving around and Brian preaching with a translator with
the wind blowing in my hair.
Tanzanian Baby Girl.
I saw a little girl
about seven years old walk up with a little tiny infant on her back so,
I motioned to see if she would let me hold her. She plopped her right
in my lap and ran off to play. I sat and stared at this little life God
created in my lap so, peaceful and sound asleep. Aww...how could I ask for more? I
had given this little girl a break to be a child and I was having the
blessing of feeling the love of a mother for a few minutes.
Serengeti.
My life is crazy and God is blowing my face off
but it has nothing to do with the place, it's all about my Father and
Creator. It's about seeing Him in everything and being sensitive to the
intricate detailing of who He is because He's everywhere whether I am
in Barboursville, WV or Mwanza, Tanzania He is there at the same
capacity. It's about growing so intimately with Him that you don't miss
anything He is doing. You see Him everywhere you look and experience
life through His eyes.
This is my month in a
nutshell. I have more details and experiences I would love to get on
paper and share over the next week or so. I have not had the greatest
internet this month and my mind has just been taking it all in. I will
try to write more soon and cannot thank you enough for the prayers. All
of our teams could use prayers of protection for the rest of Africa for
sure. More to come soon...
Hello Friends, Family and strangers who have chanced upon my website. As many of you know, I have a history of awkwardness when it comes to asking for favors. But I am learning how to get over myself and what seems logical to me and to just ask and see how God works.
Our entire squad is going on a white water rafting trip down the Nile at the end of the month. The trip is optional, but pretty much everyone who can swim is going. The cost is around $125 for 1 day of rafting. Apparently, the rapids are pretty intense and we are pretty much guaranteed to be thrown in the river a couple times.
So knowing that this trip is strictly for entertainment and that the money will not go towards mission work, I would really appreciate any financial help you can provide. Since this trip is coming out of my own personal account, any donations would not be made to my AIM account, but would go to me directly.
The best way to transfer money that I know of is through paypal. If you go to paypal.com, and create an account for yourself, you can send me any amount of money directly to my paypal email address "Mr.brianswanson@gmail.com." If this isn't feasible, then an alternative might be to send a check to my parents and they can deposit money to my paypal account. If you prefer that option, you can make the check out to Terri Swanson and their address is "112 Forest Hill Dr. Clayton CA, 94517".
Here is a link to the company's website: http://adrift.ug/gallery/
Sometimes, I act like a little kid. I take what little I know and assume that I understand everything. Like a 4 year old who thinks eating candy and avoiding baths will make him happy, but fails to realize how nutritious food and good hygiene are necessary for health, I am naive about my own ignorance. I believe that I am somehow gifted at making intelligent decisions, just because they make sense to me.
Lets take a step back for a minute. How did I get here? Why do I feel like I have all the answers. Is this the way its supposed to be?
God made Adam. Why? Was it so that Adam can grow food or make things for God? No. Was it so Adam could offer God advice on issues God was dealing with? Once again, no. So if God didn't make man to sustain Himself or learn from man, then why are we here? The answer is extremely simple and complex, both at the same time.
Man was made to worship God. Its that easy. All God wanted from Adam
was Adam's love. Encompassed in that love is Adam showing God his
proper respect. In order to love God appropriately, Adam needed to
know his role in relation to God. This role was pretty evident by the
fact that God laid down the ground rules. "Don't eat from the tree."
This seems like a pretty clear indication that God wore the pants and
that Adam was expected to submit to God's will. Here's the clincher
though. God's pretty smart and he knows what's best for Adam, his
creation. As long as Adam follows God's guidance, he gets to continue
living in paradise (Eden) where he doesn't have to work or experience
most of the hardships mankind now suffers. But Adam gets the bright
idea that he knows better than God, that God is not acting in Adam's
best interest. So Adam eats the apple, and the rest is history. Man
failed to submit to God, placing his own will ahead of his master's,
and Hell is unleashed, literally. Adam had it made, but he gave it all
up because he couldn't play by the rules. As a result of his
rebellion, we all must live with the consequences, inevitable
damnation. Harsh.
But thankfully, God is a good master. He gave us a second chance through sending his son as an atonement for our initial disobedience. Instead of turning away and leaving us to rot in disobedient ways, he forgave us and graciously extended his open hand to lead us again. Just like a mischievous dog, we can still return to our master. Even though we got caught up in the heat of the moment and dug through a pile of trash, God is still our loving owner. As long as we humbly submit to him, he will welcome us back with open arms. Thankfully, most dogs are have this figured out. But we as humans are overwhelmed with pride. "Why did he spank me? Doesn't he know that the dirty trash smells delicious?!? I can't believe how foolish he can be. And how dare he not let me lick my stitches. Doesn't he know how bad they itch?"
Although a lot has changed since the days of Eden, the same fundamental rules still apply. God is our creator and should be in charge of our lives. He knows what's best for us, even when we can't see it. Every now and then He's going to throw on one of those cone collars to keep us from doing something detrimental to our bodies. God wants us to be happy and leads us in a direction that will take us to that point. Sometimes however, like Adam, we start forgetting who's in charge and we try to grab the reins ourselves. We steer onto new roads and bring about new, occasionally disasterous consequences. And for what? Because we think we know better. Because we, as omnipotent human beings, think we have a better grasp on life than it's Author.
I confess that I am the greatest of sinners when it comes to this area. My whole life, I have tried to control everything. Even daily on the mission field, I find myself struggling with God for control over certain aspects of my life. I constantly forget that God has my best interests at heart and if I would just willingly surrender everything to him, he would bring about something far greater than I could ever achieve on my own.
God is good, God loves us. The sooner we can believe that and get over ourselves, the sooner we can experience true freedom.
Jambo from Tanzania! I have been here a little over a week. We have joined forces with Bill Swan's team (Team Powerhouse) and are doing a lot of evangelism this month. From preaching Sunday sermons, outdoor gospel preaching, to door to door through the slums and teaching new believer's classes and bible studies, we are pretty much in a perpetual state of sermon preparing.
The kids come running up to us and give us hugs)
I really enjoy preaching. I am finally getting the hang of having an interpreter (using simpler words and pausing a lot), So far, my sermons tend to be very testimony-based, and as a result, I am pretty passionate about the topics I discuss. I enjoy challenging my audience and bringing up sensitive subjects. I have been trying to figure out my strengths and weaknesses and, as most of you who know me already can guess, I enjoy challenging people and getting them out of their comfort zones. I also enjoy teaching people who want to grow. I am not quite sure if either are my calling, or if/how I will put them to use in the future, but its definitely something I am looking in to.
(We Preach in the Streets to Anyone Who Will Stop and Listen)
On that note, I am not a big fan of forced evangelism to people that really don't care. So many of the people we encounter treat a salvation decision as a safety precaution just to cover their bases in case Christianity is right. It really pains my heart because the local pastors are eager to jump right into salvation decisions, even though it seems clear to my teammates and I that the person hasn't really thought it through. Unfortunately, the pastors are our interpreters and they don't do a good job of communicated what they are saying or what we try to say back, so often I end of frustrated. Often I will hear the pastor use a Swahili word I know, i.e. "Jesus," and I know for a fact that I didn't mention Jesus in the sentence I asked him to translate. The end result is that I really just have to trust that somehow God is at work in all of this and accept that I can't always have everything under control. Needless to say, this is a pretty difficult lesson for me, as I am a major control freak and have a tendency to think way too highly of my own abilities.
(The Kids Love to Have Their Pictures Taken)
My prayer lately has been asking God for brokenness and He's been delivering in mighty ways. Although I have so much pride built up that the process will take awhile, I believe I am gradually being transformed.
(In Kenya and Tanzania, Everyone Loves Obama)
Although this picture is from Kenya, its a pretty good representation of an authentic meal. Our daily menu consists of a hard-boiled egg and cucumber for breakfast, beans and white rice for lunch, and then some combination of egg, meat, or potato for dinner. Our team bought some cheap bread and butter and I use that to fill up. On a good day, we also might get some watermelon or Banana.
I actually made a video and even managed to upload it to YouTube, but Youtube is down for server maintenance and it won't let me embed. I will post this for now to let ya'll know I'm alive and I will come back and add the video to this blog when I get the chance.
Remember that Safari I mentioned in the last blog. Here's Jeanne's video of the whole thing! In a few hours, I jump on a 16 hour bus ride to Mwanza, Tanzania. At some point, I want to write a blog about the personal stuff I learned this past. My growth came in the form of inner-team personality conflicts and the difference between heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom.
My heart sank with fear and I realized that I had nowhere to run, no one to run to, no shelter, no weapon, just faith in the Lord and the power of prayer. The man grabbed me from behind and started to frantically grab and hit at my chest; in that moment I assumed the worst.....that robbing me wasn't his motivation. As I stopped in my panic I found a large rusted machete at my neck and face.
