It Doesn't Take a "House" to make a "Home"

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It was another wonderful Tuesday at Hannah's Nursery school. We all look so forward to seeing their little smiling faces, feeling their warm embraces and being greeted with genuine love and excitement for just being alive and having fun learning in school. These children are a highlight to our week. I'm seeing a few changes that are beginning to take over as the teachers are learning the truth and becoming new Christians themselves. They are daily beginning and ending in prayer now thanking God for each of you who are supporting them to get and education, for the beautiful day in which to live, and for the school itself that they have to learn in, they are singing songs about Jesus, and each child is learning about the love of Christ, they are happier than ever, the children are all behaving so well, the teachers are working harder at everything with great pride in what they are doing because now they feel like it is a job and a skill rather than just something to occupy their time and watch over the children. There were 5 new students to come in this week, 3 in need of support and one Muslim family who paid their own fees, brought in their two children, one boy named Ramadam and one little girl named Mariam, who was adorned in her violet purple Muslim head covering. What a unique door of opportunity God is opening right before our eyes. The mother saw us studying the Bible off to the side and stood around to watch a little with how the children adapted and played, and the teachers explained to her that this was a Christian school with Bible being one of the main subjects taught and that we would be praying at the beginning and end of each day (I love that about Tanzania! Don't you!)

After working with the children at the nursery school, teaching lessons from the Bible, Swahili Phonics, and English Vocabulary yesterday morning there were two more mothers who showed up wanting to study the Bible. Mary had already invited us to her home earlier in the day to show her thankfulness for us being there and working together with her and the children. So she wanted to prepare a special meal for us...So she jumped right in and also invited the two moms and their children over for lunch as well, so Timothy & I could study with them while she was preparing the meal. What an amazing story this was turning out to be, I thought as I sat there feeling the resemblance of the early church going from house to house, and sharing meals together... a new christian opening up her home for others to be taught the Gospel, while she did a Good work of her own by doing what she could, and it being a huge sacrifice that she willingly wanted to share. I wanted to try to capture the day to share with you, because it will forever bring a smile to my face from just the remembrance of it.

Most families here in Tanzania, live in a Room or two in a long concrete type of apartment if you will, rather than a house. Usually in some sort of "U" shaped design, with other families living side by side together sharing the same central courtyard and if there is a Choo (bathroom hole) then that is shared as well... So showers, no bathrooms, no kitchens, just concrete boxes and the good ones come with windows. The rafters usually go to the roof, but the walls only partially all the way up, so as to leave a gap between roofs joining the rooms, so there is no real privacy, you can hear everything going on in the family's room living next to you. I am always humbled by the circumstances in which you find people living. Mary and her 5 girls are not any different, than most average Tanzanians in their accommodations. They were if anything nicer than most I have been in. Mary keeps her home very tidy and clean, decorated with the touches of home-made throw coverings for the seat cushion backs and wooden coffee table. I enjoy taking in the things around me to get to know the families better as you are in their home, Normally there's not much on the walls as far as decoration goes, this is not necessary for daily living... so in a 3rd world country decoration is not a woman's priority. As someone who feels the need to decorate the moment I move in, this has made a huge impact on me, and the way I view my own home.

Let me take you through the first room if I can. Concrete, non painted floors as you step past the wooden door, into a light blue roughly painted room (almost what you would think of if a child had painted a club house of some sorts) a couch, two chairs and a low coffee table all crunched in the corner together... enough room only to squeeze by to sit down. One window to let in a light breeze and some light... and then to my surprise I guess the first thing that made me smile.. was a nice good sized Refrigerator and power surge protector to plug it into.. This is NOT COMMON... it was actually bigger than the one we have here in our house.. So that was unusual but great for Mary and the girls.. (my thought, this is probably not plugged in unless there is food in it to save on electricity.) which is a huge additional plus for this particular home, Electricity!! You could see the remains of child's stickers on the door of the frig, saying "With God, All Things Are Possible" And I thought what an amazing motto for this sweet family and how wonderful that in this new Christian home, Mary living alone raising these 5 little girls... I don't know how else she could do it, without God in her life! Mary was widowed by the death of her husband a few years ago and has the 2 girls of her own, then she has this last year taken in the 3 orphans as well... a house full of little ladies to raise and tend to. There was a second room, one double sized foam mattress bed for Mary to sleep on, and then she had a rolled up piece of foam to lay out on the floor, for the other girls to sleep on. Their clothes all piled in the floor around the room, but in neat piles with no closets, no dressers, this is where they are kept. There's a curtain that divides the two small 10x10 rooms hanging by a string... a Hutch like cabinet in the living room that holds her dishes and cups and proudly sits her falling apart Bible on the top. laying very neatly and decoratively over a small piece of lace material. This makes my heart sore! To see God taking this family, this home and turning their lives around. For Mary, the mother of these 5 little ladies to be doing all she can, with what she has to glorify God. To be so giving and to have so very little. It truly does not take a house to make a home! For houses were built by man, but loving homes are built by God!

Hebrews 3:4 "For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God."

While Mary was preparing the meal with her hands and with her heart, we studied with Mama Obedia and Mama Nick, as the children ran back and forth in and out the door playing and giggling. Gracie chasing Agape in and out of the bedroom to grab something to go play with, Emily holding little Rachel and helping Mary to get whatever dishes she needed to cook with.. Mary was outside with her sister Joyce cooking a meal over a small coal burner on the ground... leaning over from the waist to roll out "Chapati" (a thick tortilla) one at a time and frying them... Mary walking to the road, to go get cokes and water for us all to drink, this is a sacrifice not because of the mile walk but because of the cost of the drinks. This is something that is always hard to swallow, because we know how much they have and don't have as well as the cost of a soda. We have taught the kids to discretely share a bottle between the three of them, while they are in someone's home so as not to be offensive and not take one, but to be aware of their situation as well. Whatever sodas are not drank will be returned to the store, later that evening. The whole scene will forever capture my mind of what the church from the new Testament should be like everywhere, sharing what we have doing what we can, using our homes to further the cause of Christ, and for fellowship together with the brethren for unity and encouragement of the heart!

Acts 2:46 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart"

Ac 20:20 "And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house"

We had a tremendous study with so many good questions being asked by these two mothers, and agreed to continue to meet and study more next week. The ladies left with their children and I began to sit and visit with Mary in her home, laughing at the kids rolling around in the dirt together, she asked me if I wanted to help give the girls a bath... They all ran to her as she went and drew the water from the community spout and brought it into the courtyard in a bucket. Little Lydia ran to get the bar of soap from inside and as I turned around there stood 5 little girls lined up in their "Chupi" under ware against the wall waiting their turn as their mama had them squat before the bucket and drizzled them with cold water and scrubbed them down with soap.. She told me to take their picture (which I thought was funny... and the girls squealed with laughter) I held the towel (they have just the one) and was ready and waiting to carry each little sweet baby to the room to sit on the bed and wait for their the others so they didn't have to walk on the dirt floor after getting clean. One after the other mama scrubbed them all down and before I knew it there were 7 little naked babies in line... Mary told me that who ever started the washing in the little housing area, usually ended up bathing all the children from the 7 surrounding homes.. I think this is what she was wanting me to experience for myself as she laughed as I carried each one to his or her perspective mamas waiting with smiles in their doorways. Garrett in the mean time, was sitting hands in face just outside the gate and looking for lizards to pass the time as Gracie and Emily were giggling at all the little naked babies running around the courtyard playing and laughing.. and in this society that is just normal. For those of you who know Gracie at all.. when she was 2 and 3 years old, that was normal at our house as well.

To finish out the afternoon Emily, Mary, & I dressed the girls all in clean fresh clothes and played with them and tried to get them down for an afternoon nap.. that was not going to happen as long as we were there, but worth a try. Mary was tired from a long hard day and we were as well. It was time to say our good byes and head home to Moshi, where in just the same mannor I needed to bath my little dirty girl and get her a nap as well. This has been another amazing day of life as a missionary here in East Africa and something that I wanted to share with each of you, A sweet family, a humble home, and a story well worth sharing....

Psalm 92:13 "Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God."

In Faithful Service to a Mighty God
~Julie Richardson

Another Answered prayer to be thankful for was the clearing of paperwork over a long process and registration with the government (which can be a huge undertaking at times) for Brent's motorcycle. Several months back, before the campaigns even began the elders from the Sayer church of Christ in Oklahoma saw a need and felt the urgency to see that it was met. They sent the money over for Brent to purchase a motorcycle to be used for evangelism and transport around town. This is a huge benefit to our family as a whole, and we are so very grateful. This allows Brent and I to work and serve in two different areas at the same time, as we did this last Tuesday, when Brent had a study in Machame up the mountain, and I had work to do and Bible studies set up at the Nursery school. This also saves on gas in a huge way with small errands and running around that can be done by motorcycle rather than the car... (at $4.40 a gallon) we are careful how much we go unnecessarily! And Now When Brent is teaching at the Bible school, the children and I are no longer stranded at the house without wheels. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we thought you would enjoy knowing that it was finally here and being used!

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Photos

Teaching at the Nursery School...
I am now being called "Walimu Mzungu"

Going Home with Mary
Agape leads Gracie by the hand to her home...

The Family Motto...
On the Refrigerator Door!

Studying in the Living Room
with two of the parents from the school. Obadia and Nick's mothers

I love this picture... Gracie's Buddies!
If I ever worried about my children having friends in Tanzania, it was in vain! Language is no barrier for fun!

The kids playing together outside
Emily & Rachel

Just being kids...
Gracie has a great new friend!(and agape speaks no english so gracie uses her little swahili)

A Big Thank you the the Sayer Church of Christ in Oklahoma
The elders there donated money specifically for a motorcycle for Brent to use for evangelism, which allows us both to go to studies in differnet places at the same time. (and saves on gas at $4.40 a gallon)

Washing up before Lunch...
just look at that nasty water after washing the dirty little hands