Impact

I came here for a reason. Every American missionary that comes to Tanzania comes for a reason. If you come for short-term or for long-term you are looking for an impact, either in your personal life or that of another person.

Ryan is hosting a two week team from Newport Mesa Church (NMC) right now and its been a blessing to hang out with them a few days of their stay here. Earlier today they came over to TOA to play with the kids. They came around 2:30 in the afternoon and came upstairs to the education room where I had six kids on the computers and the rest playing ESL Bingo with me shouting out the words. We welcomed them in and the leader was asking me questions about what the education room was about and what we do with the kids. As the Education Director (such an impressive title right?), I was pleased to fill him in. This is one of the ways that I came here to impact the kids.

Far more than that, I have come here to be a father to these children. Eli is an amazing father to the kids and I couldn’t over exaggerate his imperative role at TOA and each of the kids lives. Nonetheless, he is one man and they are twenty-six children. We have a couple other men who play roles in their lives, a cleaner and driver for us Baba Pendo and one of our guards Arnold who they call “Uncle.” But even with a good father and a couple good uncles, they are still twenty-six children. So the Lord called me here to be another big part of their life as their father. Far and away, that is the most important reason I came here. I remember a man at language school, a good guy here making an impact, asking me if I considered myself to be the education director or a father foremost and I firmly answered a father. I could tell he was skeptical as he said “hmm… I wonder how that will affect your work” or something to that effect. Education is so important and good education will positively effect Africa. I value education (enough for me to spend four years in college getting a degree in it.) But this nation doesn’t reek with lack of education half as bad as it reeks of fatherlessness.

The Lord showed me something a couple months ago as I went to pick Awadhi up from school. I was thinking about how frustrating it is that despite me being here, the Lord hasn’t healed Awadhi and because of that he has to go to a boarding school Monday through Friday. Until the Lord releases whoever is anointed for Awadhi’s healing, there isn’t a thing that I can do other than pray and wait. I can’t just heal my son, or at least not yet. My son lacks. He lacks HIV- blood which causes him to need to take a lot of medicine just to allow him to be the active boy that he is. He lacks the sense of hearing that keeps him from hearing music, holding normal conversations and causes him to have to go to a special school out in Kiboroloni. But the Lord showed me the importance of this, there is one thing that he doesn’t lack now that I’m here. He no longer lacks a father. Love is most important. My son is loved and he knows it. You should see us together, we’re adorable. Awadhi isn’t yet healed physically, but he has the most beautiful spirit and I know that the Lord is doing something because of the fatherly love that I show towards him. That’s an impact.

Like every other American Christian my age “I have a heart for Africa.” I’m about as trendy as you can get, I actually live here (I don’t know how facetiousness comes across in blogs). I don’t really like generalities. People ask me from time to time “how’s Africa?” and I’m like “Overall, I have no idea, its kind of big and I only live in one city. How‘s North America?” When I lived in Costa Mesa, friends from Paso would ask me “how’s LA?” and I was like “if I lived there I’d tell you.” Pet peeve? Labda. Nonetheless, its hard for me to say that I have a heart for Africa or that I am called to make an impact in Africa. I believe a ripple effect could take place that would reach the whole continent, but I’m called to be the most loving father and impact the child that the Lord places in front of me. As far as Africa goes, the first time the Lord called me here in June 2007 he said “Go run an orphanage in Africa.” So yeah he started off general, but it took literally two days before He put Tanzania in front of me and its been all about my country ever since.

Why did I write the last paragraph? I don’t know. But I do know this, that young people in the states want to make an impact and often say they “have a heart for Africa.” I don’t want to discredit that, because the Lord may be doing something in you. As I talked about a few blogs ago, that must go deeper than buying a t-shirt (I’m kind of big on this taking legitimate action if you haven’t noticed). And this doesn’t have to be strictly about Africa, I have friends the Lord has called to missions in South America, Asia, wherever. I can’t say enough about prayer for these things. And praying for specificity is what I’m getting at here. If you are feeling called to make an impact somewhere, ask Him where, ask Him what to do, ask Him how long. He has something specific in mind, so go after that and move in faith towards it, step by step.

One of those steps is often short-term trips. I was a short-term missionary to Tanzania twice before I moved here and they‘ve played a role in my life here. I’ve heard from missions minded people that short-term missions are actually quite ineffective in the long run for the countries in which they serve. I can see that, but I don’t totally subscribe to it because I think the Lord can use all such things. I know the team that came here for Hidden With Christ a couple weeks ago had a good impact and were a blessing. I also think about my team from a couple years ago and have good memories of what the Lord did in each of us. Like I mentioned in last week’s rundown, the first teammate of mine from that team just returned to Tanzania (Tyler). I’ve shown some of the kids pictures from that trip and asked them if they remember the people. Of all the kids that I’ve asked only Innocent and Ray have said that they remember anyone from that team (other than me, I am their father and all). They do remember the interns from that summer, likewise they remember Ann who interned with me last summer, but most of my kids don’t remember most of the people from that team. Its not a harsh thing, it just is what it is. They’ll probably forget the AIM team that was here in March, the team that was here a couple weeks ago. Those faces get replaced with the new faces of whatever visitors come through the gate next. Nonetheless, an impact happened because of my team in the summer of 2008. As cliché as it is to say, the team was more impacted by the kids, then the other way around. It was a good thing and far from anything to be ashamed of.

So how do we make an impact? I’m not trying to say that everyone that comes here on short-term trips needs to just move here to be legit. That’s not it. Its just that the short-term trip is often (not always) not enough if you want to make a lasting impact. I met with this NMC team back in the fall as I was preparing for my return here and what I told them was what I’m telling you now. If you want to make a lasting impact, make the two week or two month stay about more than just a two week or two month stay. Prepare yourself with prayer and I don’t mean just praying the Lord prepares you, but pray for the people, pray that the Lord works in their lives, related and unrelated to your short term mission. Pray for them afterwards. Send them support money and supplies, before and after the trip. We’re blessed by Tyler because he has sponsored Jerry for over two years. Prayerfully consider if the Lord is calling you long-term. I was talking with one of the guys from the team today and he told me that he feels the Lord may be calling him here long-term, which is so sweet. Only problem is he’s a dude and I’m looking for a wife. Awkward to say? Labda. But just so you short-termers know, us single long-termers expect you to come here and marry us. Desperate plea aside… I’ll be frank with you, if you are only interested in seeing a new part of the world and experiencing new things, call it what it is, a vacation your family gets a tax write off for. But if you want to advance the kingdom in whatever way He calls you, then come out we’d love to facilitate your mission.

We are called to make an impact in the nations, specifically to preach the gospel and make disciples. According to the great commission, the impact is supposed to take place in every nation and according to the Holy Spirit working your life, its supposed to take place in the nation that He is calling you to. When the rubber hits the road, fulfilling this commission is a multi-faceted thing to follow through on. Nonetheless, the need to make an impact, whether it be California or Africa, is a calling on the life of every follower. Let this be an encouragement to you to seek the Lord in each nation that He calls you to. It would be awful to look back and realized He had you somewhere and you didn’t fulfill what He wanted to do there. Far more than that we do it because it shows Him love. He is worthy of every nation and it is our delight to impact them and bring them to the Father, for this we give praise.

--------------------------------------------

The Rundown: A fairly normal week. Its weird not having Jodie around with her being on furlough, but we’re getting along. I think Jubee misses her. Its been cool to hang out with the NMC team a few times this week. They are good people and I look forward to them leading at church tomorrow at ICC. Small group on Wednesday was good. We are going through a series on the life of David and its lead to good conversations. Thursday night worship was really rad. The NMC team was there (16 people I think) plus a couple New Life short-term volunteers plus a handful of American long-termers and it was definitely the biggest crowd I’ve seen there for worship. Funny to think that sometimes its just me, Ryan and Alice. I played a ridiculous amount of soccer today with the team being at TOA which was so much fun. Overall, things are great. Alright, AMANI!