The final leg of minstry

We arrived by Land Rover at the airport in Shinyanga. We flew from Shinyanga to Mwanza, then from there to Mount Kilimanjaro to do some ministry in Arusha. I remember as we sat in the airport in Mwanza for an hour or so, how I wanted to stay there. I also remember that as our plane taxied away to leave Mwanza for our final time, I cried. I was confused as to why I wanted to stay there so badly. Was it because it was the first place we had spent any length of time in Tanzania? Was it because of most of Pastor Richard's family being there and how I had felt so loved by them, and by Pastor Richard's church? Was it because of how I enjoyed ministering to the children there so much? Or was it because God had placed a special love in my heart for the community as He knew it was where we would eventually be, where He was calling us to? I believe now that it was all of the above. As I stated in another post, I never planned to come to Tanzania. I had been hoping for Kenya. That was a God thing too.

We spent a few days in Arusha. We ministered in a church there. We did a bit of shopping. Arusha is a touristy town as it is located near Mount Kilimanjaro and many of the national parks so there are many areas set up for shoppers. I was able to find a small toy for each of the children and a beautiful carved rhino for Shannon. Bargaining is a part of the culture there and although I hated it, I was pretty good at it by the time we finished. Most things can be bought for about half or a little more than the original asking price. I spent some time on the internet emailing friends and family as there was an internet cafe in our hotel. It was about this time, now that we were slowing down, that I realized how much I missed my family. There was something about it all though that really surprised me. As a stay-at-home mom to 5, who homeschools and does foster care, my daily life revolves around my children. I knew I loved Shannon but so often our relationship is pushed aside as I try to meet the demands of needy children. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I missed Shannon more than all of the kids together, that he was why I was so anxious to get home and that the children were just a bonus to that . I sometimes hear of empty-nesters that end up having nothing in common as their lives revolved around children for so many years. I am able to feel confident now that we will not have that problem. It was during an Instant Messaging session with Shannon in these few days that I first said something, kind of jokingly, about us moving to Mwanza. I spoke of the orphans there and the need. It was really said, kind of in passing and I only remember it now because I still have copies of those conversations in our computer, but I believe that was God at work, again.

One final day was spent on a safari in a national game reserve. What an amazing oppportunity that was. We saw elephants, zebras, lions, giraffes and many other animals all in their natural habitat. I was especially thrilled with the giraffes and our driver, Martin who is also pastor Richard's bother, saved that area of the park for last as he knew that was the animal I most wanted to see. As a professional safari driver, he knows how to save the best for last for his passengers. Martin laughingly promised me a job working with him if I ever wanted to return to Tanzania as he was impressed with my good eyes for finding the hidden animals.

All told, Rev. Debra, Ginny and myself were part of a huge soul harvest. In our 16 days we had seen over 1,000 salvations. One of which was a witch doctor, another a professed Muslim and another our Land Rover driver. About 150 people had reported healings to us of different things including pain, hearing loss and vision problems. I can only imagine the number of seeds that were planted that will one day sprout for someone else to harvest. What a truly incredible honor and privilege it had been to be trusted by God to be a part of this.

As our plane left Tanzania for the last time, I was sad to say goodbye but happy to be returning to my family. Somehow, I knew even then, that I would one day return.