Still Called

Life never goes the way I expect it to.  I should have known that and not been caught off guard by these changes in my life and yet somehow I still was.  Marrying an Egyptian man and moving to Toronto weren't in the picture when I first left for Tanzania.  However now I couldn't imagine my life without Shady and am so grateful God brought us together unexpectedly in that small town on Lake Victoria.

At the same time these changes have made me look again at my calling in life and I wonder if that has changed as well.  I knew God brought me to Tanzania and I know He has brought me back to Canada.  In Tanzania my work was clear when I worked directly with Bible translation but as I considered my move back home things became more murky.  Did leaving Tanzania mean leaving my work with Bible translation?  Was it time to to move on and find a different job?  As I prayed about this I felt a strong burden for Bible translation, the one that prompted me to come to Tanzania in the first place.  It was as if God was telling me the time was right to leave Musoma but He still had something else in store for me with Wycliffe.

Honestly, I had very little idea of what God had in mind for me in Canada but I followed Him back on faith.  It's been a journey of one step at a time, being unable to see any of the steps ahead.   But as I keep going more things are becoming clear.  Having visited the Wycliffe office in Toronto I see how I will be able to help spread the word about Bible translation and share my experiences with others.  I see how this is the right time for me to join the team out there and how my skills and abilities fit in well.  I am excited to be a part of what God is doing in that area!

So in the midst of all this change and unexpected twists I realize I am still called to do what I have always done, serve God in order that everyone will one day be able to read the Bible in their own language.  The work I am doing looks a little different now but together as a team, all of us in Canada and everyone overseas, we will work together to see God transform lives through His Word.

Culture Shock Again

When I came back to Canada in October I thought I was coming home.  I had missed my family and friends, cooler weather and coffee shops.  I was sure I would be happy just to slip back into my life here.  Although I was happy to be back I couldn't just slip back into my life.  Things had changed here and not only that but I had changed too.  Having gone through what is sometimes called 'reverse culture shock' last time I came back to Canada, I thought I knew what to expect.  I gave myself more time to adjust which was good.  However I have discovered it's not the same this time.  My situation is different and I am different.  I have left my home and work in Tanzania to move to another area where God is calling me.  I have left Shady in Egypt, desperately  praying that he will make it to Canada in the next few months.

So sometimes even though I finally look like I fit in somewhere, I don't always feel like I do. Once again I am experiencing that jarring sense of dissonance that comes when your expectations of life don't correspond very well to reality.  It comes when you realize that you don't view the world the same way most of the people around you do even though you used to.


I wish there was a book out there that had all the answers to this type of cultural adjustment but I think that even if someone tried to write that book, it could never have all the answers.  All I can do is try to understand how my experiences have shaped how I see the world and figure out how to fit that into a life in Canada.  Basically I just have to take it one step at a time, moment by moment as I learn how to live in Canada again.

  Which one is the real Rachel?  The one who lived in East Africa, spoke Swahili, hated the electricity going off all the time and loved working with the Ikoma translators or the one who lives in cold snowy Calgary, speaks English and is learning Arabic, loves coffee shops and  loves telling people about Bible translation.

A Glimpse of Heaven

Yesterday a prayer team of 21 Austrians arrived to minister to us here in Musoma. Today I sat and listened to them introducing themselves in German and then heard the translation in Swahili. Although I didn't understand the German, it was amazing to hear a little of their stories and see how God brought them to this place. There were young women who have been praying for Africa for years, a new Christian coming to learn, a prayer warrior with lots of experience in spiritual warfare, a couple who has only been married 12 days, a university student whose parents did not want their only child traveling to Africa and many more. God brought these people together from all parts of Austria to a small town in Tanzania to pray. They have been praying for us for months and are here to pray with us for a week.

After the introductions a Tanzanian bishop shared a short message. He talked briefly about the importance of prayer and how heaven opens when we pray. As I looked around the room I realized I was already seeing heaven opening. God had brought us from all different places for different reasons and only by his incredible power would it be possible to have such a diverse group worshiping Him in one room. Old and young, men and women, North Americans, Europeans and Africans, we couldn't have been more different. Yet we sang together, prayed together and shared together. Only the hand of God could accomplish that and He has only begun. He brought us together and now He wants to use us to display his glory in ways we don't even realize.

In that room this morning I caught a glimpse of heaven. I caught a glimpse of how it will be one day when people from every nation, every language group will be united by our love for Jesus and will worship Him forever.

The Woman Under the Hard Hat

Over the last several months as our new office has been being built there have been many construction workers around. One of those workers is a middle-aged lady who is very friendly and likes to say hi every time she sees me crossing the compound. For months I didn't even know her name but would greet her and maybe chat for a moment or two when I saw her. In truth I never knew her well and merely lumped her in with all the random people I am acquainted with.

But all that changed this last week. On Sunday afternoon she dropped by my house to say hi. She knows where I live because she walks past my house on her way to work and has seen my car parked in front. I was happy to visit with her and began to chat casually asking her questions about her family. It didn't take long before her story began to impact me. This person who had been only a face to me became a real woman, one with many difficulties in her life and yet who still has hope to keep going.

Her name is Nyamsango and she was widowed many years ago. Although she has given birth to 9 children only 6 of those survived. After her husband died she was forced to look for work to support her family. With little education she ended up hiring on as a construction worker getting paid around $2 per day. But now after years of working in construction she makes over $3 a day and was excited to tell me how much better it is now because she makes more money. She can still barely pay for food and clothes for her family much less a good education for her children. She is saving for a phone but hasn't been able to afford it yet. Three of her children are grown and married but three still live with her at home.

When she was ready to leave that afternoon I offered to drive her home. She showed me around her house which consists of three tiny rooms in a building made of mud brick. Her mother and sister along with others also live that building. She didn't even have a chair to offer me because the tiny rooms were filled with beds and a few other pieces of furniture. All three rooms could probably fit in my whole living room (which I consider small). When I returned home I felt like my small cement house had suddenly transformed into this huge mansion. I have so much space to myself while she can barely walk into those tiny rooms crammed full of their few possessions.

However despite everything she is very cheerful and friendly. All her hardships in life haven't brought her down or stopped her. She keeps going and keeps hoping for things to improve. One of her daughters is sponsored by Compassion to attend school and she proudly showed me pictures and letters from the teenage Australian girl who sponsors her daughter. Her daughter has hope of a better life because someone is willing to pay costs that would impossible for this lady to pay.

I'm happy I had a chance to get to know the woman under the hard hat. Not only is she an inspiring example to me but getting to know her better reminded me that everyone has a story. Everyone has hopes and dreams and impossible challenges in their lives but sometimes I'm so caught up in my own challenges I forget that. Instead of going about my day focused only on the many things needing my attention I hope I can take time to see the people under the hard hats and behind the uniforms that have their own stories.

Appreciating the Little Things

One of the things I love about life in Tanzania is that it teaches me to appreciate the little things in life that I take for granted in Canada, things like having a cup of coffee. It's really not as simple as it sounds. First of all I have to buy the coffee (and I'm not talking about the instant kind that is readily available here). Sometimes it's available in the town where I live but usually I stock up when I go to Nairobi. The next step is trying to find a time when the electricity is on in order to use my coffee maker. However if you have a French press and a gas stove you are able to avoid this step by boiling water on the stove when the electricity is off. Finally when I have the coffee and electricity I can make a pot of coffee! It's a very exciting moment and one that hasn't been happening all that often around my house these days with the electricity cuts. However the more rare it becomes the more I appreciate it when I actually have it.

Another thing I have learned to appreciate is the ability to walk into a dark room, flip a switch and see the room fill with light. I never used to think twice about it but now when I return home from work I eye the light switch in my dark house. I wonder what will happen when I switch it, will light come on or will everything remain as it is? I reach out my hand slowly not daring to hope that something might happen when I flip the switch. Then suddenly there is light! It's amazing! One tiny switch and you can light an entire room. No running around lighting 20 candles to be able to see where I am walking, although to be honest I know my way around my house in pitch black. It's just one of those skills you pick up out here. Although it can be frustrating when flipping the switch doesn't result in light, it makes me appreciate and marvel when it does. I get excited to hear my fan blowing at night and when I hear the fridge go on. All these are things I used to take for granted but not anymore.

Chocolate is another one of life's treasures that I assumed would always be around. I have learned though, that chocolate, especially good chocolate is a treasure you have search out. It is not readily available where I live although once in a while I happen to stumble upon it. The first thing I do when I pick up a bar of chocolate is to flip it over to see where it was made. Although I am not a real chocolate snob (I will eat Hershey's) I have discovered different countries have different ideas of what chocolate is, and some are not really that close to my definition of chocolate. So I have a mental list ranking chocolate depending on where it's from. I'm talking about different African countries here, not Europe or North America in case you're getting the wrong idea. When I find chocolate from an acceptable source I buy several, put them in my freezer and keep them for those moments when I just need a little bit of chocolate.

Coffee, light and chocolate are only a few examples of things I have learned to appreciate. As I have said the learning process is not always fun but it's worth it. The simple things in life bring so much more joy now because they are more rare. I would much rather have them less often but enjoy them more than have them all the time and take them for granted.

The Ultimate Cure

What if there was a way to be cured of any disease or illness you had? What would you do for it? Some people believe there is such a cure in Tanzania, in a tiny village out by the Serengeti called Loliondo. Beginning with a retired pastor who heard from God, hundreds of people are flocking to this village to be healed by drinking the particular type of tea he brews for them.

One of the translators I work with, Mussa, joined the crowds pouring in to Loliondo over a week ago. He left Saturday afternoon around 4pm with a group of people in a land rover. Along the way, they began to encounter traffic jams not of the ordinary variety. It had been raining quite a bit, wreaking havoc on the dirt roads and leaving many vehicles broken down and stuck in the mud. Fortunately the vehicle they were in was in good condition and they were able to bypass the lines of cars on the road. As they approached Loliondo Sunday afternoon they found themselves at the end of a line of vehicles stretching 30km. People from all over Tanzania as well as Kenya and Uganda were in line to get the healing tea.

The line moved slowly over the next few days but it did move. Problems cropped quickly with so many people camping out in the middle of nowhere. They were far from any city or village which could provide them with basic necessities such as food and water to drink. People who lived close by took advantage of the situation and started selling food and bottled water at inflated prices, 3 or 4 times what it would normally cost. They would slaughter a goat and sell raw meat at a high price, leaving the buyer to find somewhere to cook it himself, at a cost of course. Water used to cook rice was so dirty it would turn the rice brown. Some people were reduced to selling their clothes or other items of value in order to buy food and water. Those who had planned ahead and brought their own food and water, such as Mussa, were able to survive without too many issues.

Where to sleep was also an issue. Mussa and his companions ended up on cardboard boxes on the ground outside since the car was too cramped for everyone to sleep inside. However they had to be cautious as there was danger from wild animals, such as lions. One lady had reported seeing a lion but it wasn’t confirmed. Bathroom facilities were also problematic since there were none.

Perhaps the biggest challenge of waiting was the extremely sick people who had been brought from the hospital to be healed. Some of them ended up dying as they waited to be healed. For those with money they could pay someone with a motorcycle to take them to the front of the line. Prices for these rides also skyrocketed, making them a possiblity only for the very rich. Mussa witnessed one man die not far from him, a diabetic, who wasn’t doing well and needed to find some food. As the man was walking to find food he collapsed, hit his head and died right there.

Around 3pm on Thursday afternoon, Mussa and his friends reached Babu (Swahili for grandfather), the retired Lutheran pastor who was making the tea. Twice a day Babu would hold a mini service and pray for those who received the tea. When they reached the front of the line, they paid the required fee (about $0.35 per person). They remained in the vehicle and the tea was brought to them. They drank it and left.

After enduring that trip, Mussa said he thinks he is healed. He is not taking any medication for his diabetes and has been eating small amounts of sugar with no ill effects thus far. However the jury is still out as to whether he is completely cured or not.

Stories abound of people claiming to be healed. People who were crippled are now walking; people who were HIV positive now test negative. At the same time there are stories of diabetics who stopped their medication and ate normally after drinking the tea but then end up in the hospital, near death. What is really happening? Is God healing people through one retired man in the middle of nowhere? Or are people just convinced they are healed? Does the tea have medicinal qualities? It does seem like some people are healed but others are not. Is it worth the time, money and discomfort to join the crowds at Loliondo? I don’t know but believe that God can and will work through this situation, even if it is not how we expect.

For more info see: http://thecitizen.co.tz/sunday-citizen/40-sunday-citizen-news/9008-untold-story-of-loliondo-mystery.html

Behind the Scenes

In every type of ministry there are up front people and people behind the scenes. In church we recognize that the person running the sound booth is just as important as the person leading worship. We need everyone in order for the service to run smoothly.

However sometimes on the mission field it’s easy for the behind the scenes people to get missed. In a translation project we think about linguists, translators, literacy workers and scripture use workers. But an accountant? An IT expert? Operations manager? We don’t necessarily think of those people as being critical to a translation project but they are crucial, especially for a cluster project working with several languages.

I can personally testify that our project would not continue without those people and the Bible would not get translated. It takes money to operate an office, simple things like paying for supplies and paying the employees. Who will do that so we can all work at the office? As well we require money for trips out to the village to check the Scriptures or for paying for workshops. Who knows about project funds and is able to get us the money we need? These aren’t simple tasks and not just anyone can fill that role. We all love the current accountant although she might not say the same about us.

Then there is the area of computers and other types of technology. What happens when we need to update translation software or there is an issue on a translator’s computer? Work grinds to a halt until the IT person can come fix it. Since all our work is done on computers it is absolutely essential to have someone who can help keep those computers running. But it’s not just computers; it’s also the server and the backups, internet and networks. There is much more but it’s beyond me so I won’t mention it here. All I know is that without our IT guy, work would probably come to a stop in a couple days or less.

Operations is also a critical department. It’s hard to run an office if the water and electricity bills aren’t paid or there isn’t paper to print on. Someone needs to be in charge of the practical aspects of caring for the buildings along with administrative tasks such as supervising certain employees. This is usually not the first area people think of when they consider missions but it’s very important.

When these crucial roles are overlooked the result is a lack of people to fill the roles or a lack of support for people in these roles. Accountants can work as missionaries almost anywhere in the world with Wycliffe because there is such a need. Ironically, it’s more difficult to raise support to work as a missionary accountant than as a translation adviser. It’s not always easy to explain to churches how managing the books makes a difference in the lives of people who need the Bible. But it makes a huge difference and the sooner we realize this the sooner we can begin to support those people who work behind the scenes.

Pray

Have you read the news lately? Living in Africa I like to peruse the headlines related to African countries and recently they have been full of death, news of people killing people, people hating people. I can almost feel the anger and the hate in the room as I sit thousands of miles away and read of the atrocities happening. It all revolves around power; we will do anything for power and control. The things that are happening make me sick just to read about them. And yet I know the potential for that kind of evil lives in my heart and it’s only because of God’s grace that I can love instead of hating.

At the same time, the sad state of our hearts is also revealed in the news. The top news along with dictators and riots is Prince William and Kate Middleton. Alongside of learning about thousands of people dying we are intensely concerned with the private life of Prince William and want to know every detail of what happens with him and his girlfriend. One minute we read of countries being turned upside down and the next we look for the latest gossip with England’s royals. What is happening to us that we can be so callous? What if we had family in those places where people are being burned alive? Would we be so quick to dismiss the news after reading it?

I have been guilty of reading news of terrible things in far off places and not caring enough to even offer up a prayer. Then one day that changed and I wondered how people around me could be so calm and go about their lives as usual when friends of mine in another country were in danger. I read every bit of news I could and prayed all day long. Now when I hear of similar things happening in places where I don’t know people I feel a connection. I wonder about all the families, the innocent people who have lost their homes and are worried about staying alive in the midst of chaos.

It makes me want to cry when I think of the suffering people are enduring, caught in the fight for power and yet I feel helpless in the wake of it all. What can I do to make a difference? How can I change anything? I live in Africa but my influence is limited to my small office and the people around me. The only one with enough power to remove hate from people’s hearts is God. Fortunately I have a direct line to Him. In fact we all do and now is the time to use it.

So pray with me for places where hate rules and peace seems impossible. Pray all day long, pray for God’s will to be done. Don’t let yourself view those people as different from us, they hurt they way we do and they long for a chance to live their lives in peace as we do. Remember them and pray.

The Truth About Chameleons

A couple months ago I had the opportunity to help teach a course on basic translation principles in Uganda. I enjoyed interacting with the participants and learned much from them. One particularly memorable moment was when we were discussing what a concept is. We had examples of different concepts and were sharing what we thought about those concepts. One example was a picture of a chameleon. Without fail, everyone in my group said that a chameleon is very dangerous. Some said it's poisonous, others said it will bite you and you will die right away. One person explained how if you are driving on the road and it is crossing in front of you you have to kill it or something bad will happen to you.

It was fascinating to listen to all the discussion, ideas I had never heard about chameleons before. My ideas about chameleons are that they are a reptile that can change colours to blend with their environment but are essentially harmless and people keep them as pets. I shared my thoughts with the group but they didn't seem to care that I knew people who had kept them as pets, they were absolutely convinced that chameleons are deadly to anyone who gets too close.

What is the truth about chameleons? From my western perspective I was pretty sure I was right. Maybe I am, but I realized that I have blind spots as well in regards to other things besides chameleons . After living in Tanzania I have come to see that one of those blind spots is the spiritual realm. It's pretty easy to ignore all things spiritual and focus on the things in this world that I can see, feel, touch and hear. I can find all my explanations for life scientifically, by observing the world around me. But does that mean the spiritual world doesn't exist? Am I ignoring the obvious? From an East African perspective I definitely am. They know the spiritual world exists, is powerful and affects their everyday life. I may acknowledge the existence of spirits but I don't live in a way that shows it. I credit everything to the physical realm, leaving little space for anything spiritual.

To be clear, as a Christian I know about the spirit world and I believe it exists. I know God works in ways I cannot see and so does the enemy. At the same time my daily decisions are based on the physical realm more often than the spiritual one. I'm concerned about eating right so I will stay healthy and ignore how my spiritual health affects my body. I get upset with people, forgetting that my enemy is not people but the devil. I get frustrated when circumstance are out of my control, unaware that there is battle going on and unseen forces are watching my reaction.

So although my Ugandan friends do not see very clearly when it comes to chameleons, I do not see so clearly when it comes to the spiritual realm. Perhaps in time they will learn from me that chameleons are not as dangerous as they believe and I will learn from them to be aware of the spiritual realm around me.

I Survived the Bus

When the taxi pulled up to place where the bus was parked, I knew right away that we had made a mistake. A friend and I were trying to return to Musoma after spending a few days in Nairobi. However the bus I normally took was not running that day so we followed a recommendation to take another bus headed to Musoma. I had never heard of this particular bus but seeing as it left at the time I wanted and was going in the direction I needed I figured it was worth a try.

At 8pm at night we arrived at a part of Nairobi I had never been before, slightly sketchy and off the main road from where the other buses were parked. The taxi driver told us to be careful as we got out and lugged our suitcases to the bus. I briefly considered trying to take another bus but figured we were committed and that we would survive one trip on a ratty looking bus. If only I had known.

We got going and I settled down for my night on the bus. About an hour out of Nairobi the bus pulled over the side of the road and ground to a halt. Seeing as we weren’t picking up or dropping off people I realized something was wrong with the bus. The driver and few others grabbed some tools and started playing around under the hood of the bus. It refused to start multiple times until at last they coaxed into starting. I had never been so happy to hear the noise of the engine.

As the bus resumed I settled back into my seat, only to be disturbed 20 min later by the bus pulling over again. And this time it wouldn’t start. No matter what they tried, including bringing in a mechanic from a nearby town, it refused to start. Around 3 am we realized we were truly stuck and would have to find a way back to Nairobi.

Throughout this process my friend and I had mostly remained on the bus while others had been standing outside. Many people were angry because this company had no other buses and would not return our money. In fact, the guy who collected money from people as they got on the bus, ran off after a mob of angry people confronted him. Some tried to catch other buses going by, although buses were few and far between at that time. We decided to stay on the broken down bus until early morning and then call a taxi from Nairobi.

When we finally got back to Nairobi it was 7am and we were exhausted. We went back to the guesthouse where we had been staying and collapsed. That night we attempted to take the bus to Musoma again, only this time going with a well known bus line. We made it back safely with no problems. I’m very thankful that God protected us during that adventure and brought us back to Musoma with no further incidents.