Prayer, Praise and Oppression

Tonight, while I was janitorizing (my job), I began singing and worshipping God. I sang new songs and old songs, I poured out my heart to God while scrubbing a toilet! Suddenly, I began to pray fervently for this trip to Africa. I prayed for this trip like I haven't before. God has really been showing me how to pray through the Spirit lately. But, as this time of solitary/sanitary worship carried on I began to feel a spirit of Oppression from the "dark side." Now, part of that may have been the coyote's howl, or the other wierd noises, but nonetheless I felt it. I began to pray and praise even more desperately, depending on God completely for my "salvation" from the boogieman. As I continued to rest and hide in Him I realized that this is what He wants from me all the time. Not just when I'm scared, but when I'm a "million" miles from home in the Great Rift Valley of Africa on the base of Mount Kilimanjaro! AHA! I think I am starting to get it!

Praising and polishing in Him,
BenZ

Cultural Differences

Differences between cultures will never cease to amaze me. I was informed before my first mission trip to Romania of the differences I would encounter. Still, I was not adaquately prepared for what I would face. Going to Africa will be even more drastic.

Several weeks ago our team was able to share a meal and fellowship with Pastor Glorious, a native pastor, that we will be working with while in Tanzania. He shared stories of the people, his family, missionaries and gave us all an insight into the culture we will be living in for two weeks. These are some of the things we are to keep in mind:

• Treat God's Word with the utmost of respect. (This is one area where many American Christians fail miserably. I am guilty as well, of setting my Bible on the floor, etc. Think, though... many of these people do not have the Word of God as their very own. They respect it with fear and awe. We should too, yet we take it for granted.)
• Do not motion with a single finger for someone to come to you. That is reserved only for dogs. Instead, bend all fingers back toward you when calling to someone.
• When an older person drops or needs something, the nearest next younger person is to pick up or get what the older needs. This is not just in reference to the elderly, as we think of in America, but anyone older than you.
• Under no circumstances should the women on our team wear pants. Neither should the men wear shorts or be tieless. If we have come all this way to share God's love with the people , they will expect us to act and dress like it.
• All people greet and call one another with respectful titles. Wives call their husband's by the first name of the oldest child. My mother would say: "Father of Jaclyn" when talking to or talking about my dad. My dad would address my mother in the same fashion: "Mother of Jaclyn". Never would a child call their mother "mommy", but I would address my mom as "Wife of Tom". (For the children on the team, this will be easy. We are used to calling people Mr. and Mrs. A benefit of strict homeschooling parents! Side note: I still do not know some adult's first names!)
• Expect delays... Major, hour long delays. People in Tanzania (and most of Africa) walk wherever they go. Therefore, many people are walking 6 plus miles to come to church. And we don't start church until everyone gets there. :-) Other people are able to take the bus. But, the bus does not leave until it is full. So, it could wait two or three hours until it leaves. And we don't start church until everyone gets there. This is where flexibility applies!!! It is a very laid back society. No schedules. No routine. Approximate starting times. No appointments. Remember, Americans have all the watches, Africans have all the time!
• Absolutley no nose rings or toe rings and only small rings and earrings allowed. Muslims, generally, are the only people with extensive jewelry (extensive meaning mre than a wedding ring!).
• Do not eat fresh fruit. No fresh water. And only extremely cooked meat. They sometimes inject fruit with water so that it is heavier. Weight equals money, you know.
• If they offer you bugs, including fried locusts, bugs mixed with spices, etc., politely refuse to the host. Banana soup is fine, though.
• Dancing in church is acceptable.
• Do not try to barter with the natives, they will suddenly have a prince inflation.
• Women may, very freely, nurse in public. (Which, most of us on the team have no problem with seeing a woman nurse. Two of our households currently have nursing mothers. Yet, we are not talking in home nursing on the sofa. We are talking show all nursing in public.
• Sew up any holes in your mosquito net before you go to sleep.
• Do not tell the driver he is going to fast. Nor correct him that he is driving on the wrong side of the road. We are advised to enjoy the scenery and pray we stay alive!

This list is not exhaustive. I will add more as I discover them! I am sure that I will have a list to share when we get home!!! There are many more travel precautions we have to consider as American-Christian travelers. Probably should not shout too loud in Muslim neighborhoods that we are Christians. Also, it is generally not advised to wave a U.S. currency $100 bill in the air and other common sense reminders.

Pray that we would all be sensetive to the culture. Pray for the people we will minister to even before we meet them! Pray for the pastors of Tanzania. Pray for our health. Please pray for our safety. Pray that we will be radically changed and never be the same again! Thank you for your prayers!

Until His nets are full,

Jaclyn

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear dad, Happy Birthday to you!

Last night, we very successfully kidnapped and distracted my dad while we set up a surprise party for my dad's birthday. I was the kidnapper. He followed my every plan. Thanks to Katie, who "locked" herself out of our office, we had to go rescue her. It happened to be in the middle of Denver rush hour traffic... by design, of course. My dad was fretting about the youth group and him not being there on time. I reassured him that mom was there and she would make sure everything went well until we got there. We arrived promptly at 6:15Pm, a so called 15 minutes "late", but right on time, actually. He was greatly surprised and we had a wonderful evening.

We had titled our surprise plans as "Operation Spicy Pickle" so that my dad would not know what we were talking about if he overheard us. They decorated in green, served pickles and played a pickle game. Then they explained on the card the reason for the spicy pickle title... Tom, you are just like a spicy pickle. You may get old, but you'll never go bad.

Happy Birthday, dad! I love you!
Jaclyn

We Don't Love God!?

Hey all you millions of people reading this blog! I'm sure our zeal for this blog will diminish with time, but for now we'll post a lot.

The Apostle Paul said in Rom. 7:15 "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. NIV"

I can so identify with Paul. Why do I keep on sinning when I want so badly to honor and glorify Jesus? I have come up with the problem. It is the root of every sin. It is why I don't go out and lead the whole world to Christ right now. You wanna know why? I don't love God.
(Gasp) You don't love God?
Yeah, I love Him. I sing songs to him but I love Him like a child loves her parents. I love Him for what he gives me, not what I can do for HIM!!! If I truly loved Him with all my heart, soul, mind, strength and will I would have no problem being willing to do ANYTHING for Him. I would never blink when I felt that urge to witness, or to preach, or whatever the Spirit says to do! So, I have decided to begin to Love Him. No, not a superficial love, but I'm going to strive to love the LORD my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength!!

Help me love you Jesus,
BenZ

Worship is the Fuel of Missions

Good morning! Last night I was thinking of this new blog adventure. Ben and I are excited to have joined the blog world, for those who read and for the discipline of journaling. It will be exciting to read this blog to remember what we have thought and felt in these last weeks of preparation!

I wanted to share with you an article by John Piper that I read years ago. When we are worshipping God, our natural response will be missions. We know God, we give Him praise- we have to tell others!!! Piper said:

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists becuase worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.

Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It's the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white hot enjoyment of God's glory. The goal of missions is the gladdness of the peoples in the greatness of God. But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can't commend what you don't cherish. Missionaries will never call out, "Let the Nations be glad!" who cannot say from the heart, "I rejoice in the Lord...I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High." (Ps. 104:34) Missions begins and ends in worship.

When the flame of worship burns with the of God's true worth, the light of missions will shine to the darkest people on earth. Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak.

It is our desire to worship God. In worship, we cannot help but telling others about Him. Pray for us as we do missions, not for missions as the end, but to see God glorified as the end. We challenge you to worship God though missions however you can. From grocery store clerks to your family, they all need Jesus. This is a challenge for us as well, for sometimes it is easier to go across the world to do missions... and we forget to share right in our own neighborhood. He alone is worthy, let us proclaim it to the nations! First to our own people and then to those around the world!

Blessings,

Jaclyn

Number 1

Jaclyn just thought of number one, so without further adeu...

1. Is it bad to let a lion lick an open wound?

18 Things Not To Do (or Say) in Tanzania

Ok, well, Jaclyn's already posted like fifteen times today so I figured it was my turn. Enjoy!

18. Mmm, these malaria pills taste like that stuff in the back of the refrigerator.

17. CHARGING RHINO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

16. Jaci, what's that colorful arrow doing in your neck?

15. Where's the Bathroom? No not the BATroom!!!!

14. Speaking of bats, don't pet them if they are flying around in circles in the middle of the day they might bite you, and they have rabies!

13. Here big kitty, kitty, kitty.

12. Can you eat that?!

11. Why is my steak still moving?!

10. Time to go ELEPHANT TIPPING!!!

9. This meal is really...um...unique!!!

8. Don't eat the yellow snow...or not.

7. Wow! Big Misquitos!

6. Sir, why are you wearing a sweater when it is 102 degrees? You're cold?!!!

5. Oh, how lovely, this flower sniffs back!

4. Sir, did you know you are driving on the wrong side of the road!

3. What's your favorite pastime? Oh, eating tourists, that's, well...um...uh...bye!!

2. Never walk alone in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is not in Africa you, say? Oh-ho-ho, you've never been to Amsterdam have you?

1. Well, 18 was just a random number and I ran out of funny things to say so number one isn't gonna be funny! So, HA!

0. BenZ

How Many Shots???

Little did we realize, when we agreed to participate in this mission, that we would under go massive physical immunizations before we could go. We are going to Africa, we should have known better! We arrived promptly to our appointment, were drilled on every disease we would be exposed to, including rabies, yellow fever, polio, AIDS, Typhoid, Malaria etc., etc. The nurse recited every possible situation we should aviod, how the diseases are contracted and how to identify rabid animals. In the end, I received 4 shots, while Ben escaped with only 3. We were both a mite bit yellow and sore, but have managed to survive. In a couple of weeks we will begin taking our live Typhoid virus pills that are currently in the refrigerator. The thought of these live viruses (Yellow Fever and Typhoid) entering our body has been an interesting feeling, to say the very least! Then, while we are gone, we will take Malarone to protect our systems from Malaria. I am sure that I will be immune to almost everything by the time we are through with this trip!

Until His nets are full,
Jaclyn

Africa, Here We Come!

Seven weeks from this Friday we will be boarding a plane for Tanzania, Africa. The journey will be long and exhausting, but the mission will be worth the sacrifices and sweat. When you compare our so called "sacrifices" to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus' death on the cross, ours are nothing. Thus the reason we go. His fame is worth it.

We pray that you will sense our passion through this blog. Please check back regularly for updates on our mission trip preparations and our life in general.

To the King!
Jaclyn