Tanzania Clinic day #1

Monday, November 8:

We return to our Sunday’s church where Pastor Peter has set up large, white, pointed tents under which we will hold clinic in the open air.  The landscape is solid beige and uninviting but there are colorful chairs and tables to arrange beneath the bright white. The first day of clinic is often a bit chaotic as we set up and organize clinic in a new place.  As a result, I often step aside and seek out a place of overseeing prayer.  Today, my prayer chapel is found just beyond the bustling scene.  The land is dusty and rock strewn.  The low lying brush and bush is dry and barren.  There are thorn trees and well worn paths to the unknown, one of which I follow a short way before I turn around to watch.  I feel a bit like the prophet, Habukkuk, who stood on his ramparts to see what God would do. I begin my prayer with the words of his book chapter 1:5 when God says:

“Look and see;  wonder and be astounded.

For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.”

As clinic begins, I am tasked with gathering the Community Safety Initiative local volunteers to review the program with them.  There was some disappointing confusion among the volunteers about how to begin the relationships. We sent a team last summer who identified wounded community members in need but then no further contact was made. Today, we are taking the time to review and equip them for success.

Katelyn is my partner.  At home, she is pursuing a Masters in counseling with an emphasis on trauma.  This seems a perfect fit and indeed, it is as we feel connected from the start.  She and I find that we can finish each other’s sentences as we think along the same lines.  It becomes a joy to team teach our group.

We start with a group of 5:  Paulo, Sandy, Philipo, David and James.  Sandy is our interpreter and her enthusiasm shines from her every pore.  She is a delight as she is so eager to learn and share with us and the group.  

This program is designed to walk a wounded person through the process of rewriting their own story while redefining who they are in God’s eyes.  Our volunteers have agreed to, through relationship building, come alongside each person who we have identified as having a traumatic situation in need of healing.  We have created a workbook entitled Restoration to assist with the journey.  It is this workbook that we are to review with our group this week.

We call our community volunteers, Heroes.  Those who supervise Heroes are called Superheroes.  Paulo and Sandy clearly stand out and agree to assist the others and they become our Superheroes.

As we start, it is clear that these Maasai are masters at keeping their emotions off their faces. It is when we have them claim who they are in God’s eyes that their stoic faces break into joyful smiles along with mine. Each one reads a verse that describes who God says they are. “I am God’s masterpiece”, “I am fearfully and  wonderfully  made.”  It charges us all up and off we go.

I spend the afternoon seeing patients. Tiny smiles fill my space. I love this work.

TanzaniAnne

November 8, 2021