||Waking Up in TZ||

I’ve officially been in TZ for a week! It seems longer and shorter. It seems like I’m processing about seventy percent of the time. Praise the Lord for the thirty percent of mindlessness. He knows I need moments of relief from all that goes on in my head.

It’s been good processing though I think. Lots of thankfulness for being busy with things that I love to do! How rad is it that I get to take photos and make videos, to paint and read as a part of my job? Of course there’s the harder tasks like coming up with an English lesson plan as well as trying to learn Swahili and figuring out how to balance this with staying connected to the people I love back home. But amidst all of this I’ve truly felt and seen answers to prayers in my life just by being here. I want to remember my prayers and be more aware of the way God’s been taking care of me through them.

I know I won’t know all that He does for me, but I’m trying to be intentional about seeing His presence in the details.

I was remembering the other day how I wanted so badly to just do anything for the Lord. It seemed like at the time He was closing all doors to anything I applied to. Now looking back, I see that He was preparing me for serving Him here, on the Wild Hope Land in AFRICA! I could not have orchestrated this even if I tried. And it comes with hardships, like I really miss being able to see family and call them at any time anywhere. I miss driving and feeling familiar and I miss the confidence that came with conversaions simply because they were in English. I miss Netflix and my data plan for my phone (I know that seems dumb but it’s true!)

But I have moments here when I just stop and think, “I’m 20, serving Jesus in Tanzania, I feel taken cared of and I get to experience and grow in this culture for an entire year.” When God reminds me to do this it gives me fresh perspective and little bit of insight into what God’s doing. And it reminds me to be present when my mind trails off over to the west.

Next week might be different but for now this is where I’m at. Thanks for praying!

Happy Sunday

-DG