After a night of nightmares, mosquito netting malfunctioning with biting incursions and electricity outage, I awaken immersed in my discomfort on many levels. I ask for a reboot from God and He sends me the silly, spontaneous song we crafted in the night. It makes me suddenly silly and spontaneously I am smiling and giggling. As always, a perfect, beautiful gift at the point of my need.
Today we will have our church celebration on the land that Pastor Peter and Zoe Hope have purchased. The ten year plan is to build a center for faith and community service here with a church, conference center and lodge to start.
Now a church service in Tanzania may have a start time but it is really more of a guideline rather than an actual time. We arrive late but hakuna matata! We will not start for at least two hours so I wander the Maasai fence line already in place.
The mist is again rolling down the hills obscuring the peak. It is breathtaking and I am drawn toward it. I stand and ponder.
I begin with the Bible verse on the side of Peter’s van.
Isaiah 58:10
if you pour yourself out
for the hungry and
satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
I pray this verse.
Still drawn to prayer I read more of Isaiah 58
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into Your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10if you pour yourself out for the hungry and sati,,sfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. (Isaiah 58:10, ESV)
11 And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
As I pray this for Peter and this place, God points His word to my own scorched places. He tells me His word is multilayered and directs my thoughts to applying His words to myself as well as Peter.
He promises to make my bones strong again. He promises He is raising me up to be like a watered garden whose waters will not fail because He is my Living water.
The ruined places of my sorrow shall be rebuilt so that the foundation of many generations shall be raised. He will be the Repairer of my breaches, the restorer of the streets where He sends me to dwell.
I marvel at the grace of God. I went out toward the mountain to bless this place and I return having been blessed beyond measure.
It is a good day to praise the Lord!
When the church service begins, I share my testimony. I write better than I speak but I know God directs my words.
There is dancing and singing, clapping and jumping. The whole community from little to old join in. I use my own words to the music. It is a lively, jubilant celebration praising our God. God is so good, all the time.
It is baptism Sunday today and a temporary baptismal has been built out of cinder blocks and tarps for the occasion. The cool water from a hose has filled it. One of our teenagers is the first to take the step into the water. Baptism is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Himself. Pastor Peter takes her hand and has her sit in the shallow water. As he lowers her under the water we remember how doing things our own way leads to death. As he lifts her out, we rejoice for the new life we receive from Jesus when we believe. As she stands we celebrate who she will become as we welcome her as a daughter in the family of God.
She is followed by an elderly Maasai woman who, I am told, made her decision to believe Jesus on our first day of clinic. I come alongside her and celebrate with a hug, no words needed.
We end by planting a row of 19 fruit trees in the afternoon. Each team member is given one. Mine is #10 and I name it Philip. It faces the mountain at the close of the afternoon. It is a sweet ending to this day.
TanzaniAnne
March 9, 2025
Tripping with God: Stories of Faith and Inspiration 