The Eads to Tanzania

Christmas Lights

Friday, I did some office work from home in the morning and got some time with the family in the afternoon. We decorated our Christmas tree and put up some decorations. It was great to see the Christmas lights all aglow. We got some new LED lights when we were back in America last year in hopes that we could use them more with our solar electricity than the incandescent ones we had (15-20 minutes a day if it had been a sunny day). They worked so well that we forgot about them. About 7:30 PM, we were eating dinner, and the power went out. Then we remembered them! I walked down to the little duka down the road and bought some candles, and we finished the rest of the evening by festive candlelight.

I am Thankful for an Overflowing Septic Tank and Getting Stuck in the Mud

Over this past week, I have been thinking about my obligation to not only thank God for those things that I perceive as blessings, but also for those things that truly are blessings but I often perceive otherwise. Paul told us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thes 5:18), and I have recently had two instances in the past week when I have been mindful of my need to heed this word.

The first instance happened last Tuesday night when Ferdinand and I spent four problem-fraught hours trying to get a water pump to operate. The septic tank near our house has been overwhelmed by backflow of rainwater, and we had to do something with all of the gray water (the water that is safe to pump out of the septic tank) before it caused the tank to be overwhelmed and black water (the water not safe to pump out) to overflow all over our yard. Hosing that won’t reach the fence line, piping that won’t fit through the fence, a pump engine that wouldn’t start, a hose fastener that had been previously mis-threaded and was stripped out, the sunset and the darkness of a cloudy night, and the hose unfastening and shooting the foul-smelling water all over me with the force of a fire hydrant. We wrapped things up that night at 8:30 PM.

The second instance happened Wednesday into Thursday when I made a trip to Nyakaliro and Lusolelo with Silas and got my truck stuck in the mud for six and a half hours. The same rains that have been straining my septic tank have made a mess of the unpaved roads in nearly every direction. I went to make a visit on one of my students whose house I had not been to yet. I was directed by others who knew the way that I should drive right up to the house because the one-kilometer path off the main road was dry and firm (which it was) and that there was a place to turn around up ahead (which there was not). I had a great visit with the student. Afterwards, knowing that I could not go in reverse for the one kilometer that I had just driven in, I decided that had to try to figure out a way to turn around. An apparently After giving it a good inspection to see if it was dry enough, I decided to try making the turn-around in a clearing to the right of the path. The Land Cruiser began to slip, and then four-wheel drive would not engage. After a short time, the old LC was up to its axles in mud. Borrowing shovels, jacking up the tires to put boards underneath, pushing, pulling. What started at 3:00 PM ended at 9:30 PM.

Both situations would have been real temptations to grow frustrated and to complain, but Paul’s good word to the Thessalonians helped me to keep perspective. Without gratitude, I would have been blind to the grace of God made noticeable in the situation as well as the grace of God that sustained me through the situation.There was so much to be thankful for: that we were able to take care of the septic tank, that we eventually got out of the mud, that Silas was so flexible with all of the waiting, that I was able to make one of my visits, that we had a place to stay and some food to eat at Pastor Elias' house when we couldn't make it back home Wednesday night, that we made it back in time on Thursday for a Thanksgiving meal with some American friends.

So, this Thanksgiving I found myself learning a powerful lesson about the power of gratitude and contentment. I pray that the lesson sticks.

Learning Names, Net Ball, and Sorting Clothes

This is another update from Holly. For more about Holly and Rachel's work at Tumaini Children's Home, look here.

3 weeks down, 3 to go! The time has been going by so fast I can’t even believe it. As another week has gone by we have been learning, seeing, and experiencing so much.

This past Saturday was our first Saturday without plans, so Rachel and I went up to Tumaini for the day. It was the perfect day to be around to help, because it was the day of the Doctor visit! We were able to help Beth weigh and measure all 50 kids. That was a really helpful way to learn all of their names because we had each kid in front of us one at a time. Later on that afternoon we played around outside and even got to experience a new game called “net ball”, which ended up being like a big game of keep-away! It was a lot of fun to run around with them…exhausting, but fun!

We have also been helping Beth sort through bins of clothes so that each kid gets a couple new clothing items. It has been an on-going project to pin nametapes in all of the clothes, and today Rachel used her sewing skills to start sewing them all in place! It will be fun to see the kids eventually wearing these shirts and dresses!

I know that in these next 3 weeks we will be learning, seeing and experiencing so much more and I can’t wait to take it all in! It may not be easy or comfortable, but it will definitely be worth it.

As you can see from the pictures, we got to work right away and had no fun in the process:

Dan's 30th

This is Jana.

Dan's 30th birthday came and went yesterday (the 17th).

The young 22-year old man that I married has now—in the last eight years—only become a closer friend and companion, and a more handsome, wise, learned, godly, humble, patient, and caring man. While I love having him “all to myself” on occasion, I so often step back and remark about what a tremendous blessing he has been to so many lives and what an incredible blessing it is that I get to be married to him and that our children get to have him as their father.

 

Pics

See album in upper left corner for some recent pics.

An Update from Rachel

 

Holly and I have been in Tanzania for two weeks now and are slowly making progress learning Swahili. We started working with a language helper last week and that has been very beneficial. Out attempts to communicate with Tanzanian’s in their own language has been a continuous struggle, but very rewarding. Thankfully, most of the people we interact with have been patient and gracious as we stumble through and butcher their language. Dan and Jana have both said many times that the best way to show love to the people here is by learning Swahili as well as learning the culture. Pastor Hamisi, in Sengerema was an encouragement to me last week when he told Dan that we were not only learning the language, but the culture too.

One way to work on our Swahili and build relationships is by visiting people in their homes.  After church on Sunday, Jana, Moriah, Holly and I walked to Pastori and Eliza’s house, the newlyweds whose wedding Dan officiated last week. Holly and I had Ugali and Mboga for the first time. Ugali is like a dense, dough-like substance which you roll into a ball with your hands and dip into the Mboga, which is made with ground up leaves and peanuts. But we made some new friends and plan to visit again before we leave. 

Visiting with Mama Baraka (wife of Pastor Hamisi) after we attended church in Sengerema:

At Forever Angels, an orphanage for babies and toddlers in Mwanza:

 

 

In Nairobi

Today, I made the trip to Nairobi in order to get Moriah's passport at the embassy, get some vaccinations, and to do other assorted errands. I hope to be back in Mwanza on Friday.

An Update From Holly

Hi! My name is Holly Martin. As you may already know, my friend/travel buddy/roommate Rachel and I are from Dan and Jana’s home church in Minnesota. We have been here in Tanzania for a week now and are really enjoying the time that we have already been able to spend with the Eads family. The very first night after Dan gave us a tour we were both overwhelmed by how much is going on with the ministry here in Shadi. First there is the church, as well as the Bible Institute, and Tumaini, the orphanage. In order to help sustain all the children, they also raise animals and farm crops. We are REALLY looking forward to spending more time with the children in the coming weeks as we will be helping them with their homework and whatever else the need may be. I speak for both Rachel and myself when I say that the children here have already worked their way into our hearts. We have both enjoyed the times we have been able to sit them in our laps and simply love on them. These are definitely times that we will cherish!

Even though we have just barely been here for a week, Rachel and I have definitely had plenty of opportunities to make fools of ourselves! …It doesn’t really take much for us, but it has become a more frequent occurrence in this completely new culture while attempting to grasp the language. I could probably write this entire blog post about all of our laughable moments, but I will just give one example. On Thursday, two days after we had arrived, Rachel and I decided to go up to Tumaini to visit the four children that don’t go to school yet. So we walked up there and joined some women who were sorting beans under the gazebo. We attempted to learn a few new words and sort a couple handfuls of beans and then told the women we’d see them later. Then we headed for the orphanage building where we greeted another woman. We didn’t realize (until it was too late) that: 1. She had just washed the floors, 2. Our feet were very dirty, and 3. The children weren’t even in there! So we quickly made our way off the previously clean floor and acknowledged our mistake, but neither of us could remember how to apologize in Swahili…so we muttered a couple possibilities and pathetically told her “see ya” (which we DID know how to say in Swahili) and we left. Not our best work…! But the good thing is that everyone here is very patient with us and they understand that we are learning! We have been very encouraged during times when we have no idea what to say or how to say it by people smiling and laughing rather than getting frustrated with us. Dan and Jana have also been very encouraging by helping us along when we are confused (Grace and Silas have been a big help too) and also by reassuring us that everything we have been experiencing and feeling is completely normal. Already after the first week we are so thankful to be here. The journey has only just begun… There is so much more to learn and we can’t wait to see what else we can take away from our time here. There is so much more to say, but I can’t possibly say it all! For now, I will end by saying that being in the company of the Eads family is a blessing in itself and that we couldn’t have asked for a better first week in Tanzania. J

 

Sengerema on Sunday

Yesterday, I took Holly, Rachel, Grace, Silas and Abeli with me to Sengerema. I preached about the gospel from Paul's discussion of marriage in Ephesians 5:22-34. I developed the thought that marriage was created as a platform for announcing the gospel of our salvation, that God made it as a daily reminder to ourselves and the watching world of the reality of Christ and the Church. Then I tried to preach the gospel from within the text, highlighting the foundational gospel principles that give meaning to godly marriage conduct.

After the service, Hamisi, Abeli, Julius (all Bible Institute graduates) and I sat around discussing a couple of difficult passages from the Gospels, specifically Luke 6:30 and Matthew 16:28.

At about 1:00 PM, we made our way back home, pulling in about 4:30 PM.

Below is a picture of the construction progress of the church building.

Hitched

Can you pick out a couple of faces in the picture?