Tanzania Day Two

So much happened yesterday that I'm afraid I'll leave out something important. In the morning, we went to visit the nursery school that Pastor Erasto has started. We would call it a preschool. There were about 25 children there, and of course, each one was adorable. We took a tour of the classrooms and also saw Erasto's office. There on his wall were the two photos we took of Living Water people smiling and waving. It was another moment of awe when I thought about how God brought us together. And it made me miss all those wonderful faces back home!

We also saw where Erasto lives with his wife and son. It is in one small room. Then the children gathered so I could read them a story. Clif took video of this, and we're trying to get it posted if you want to watch it. The children sang songs they had learned, including a few in English. I think my favorite was "Head, shoulders, knees and toes." I clapped for them and handed out lollipops. Then Erasto's wife Nessie brought out food she had prepared for us. It was delicious! Rice and a stew made with plantains, potatoes, carrots and coconut milk; also some Chinese cabbage, beans and a hard boiled egg. They also served us Coke to drink. It was a wonderful meal.

We went back to our room for a bit in the afternoon, then it was over to the church for the service. The drive to the church is about 30 minutes from where we are staying, even though Dodoma is not very large. We saw the University that is being built. It is very expansive. Erasto said it will educated 40,000 students, and it is (will be) the largest university in East Africa. Ed and Debra said that it was built with some money from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

When we arrived at the church, Erasto took us on a tour of the new church which is under construction. Living Water sent money for this church to be built, and all the walls are up and the windows are in. They are still waiting until they have enough money to put a roof on the building.

Then it was time for church! We started with singing. The only instrument was a drum, but the people sang and danced and joy filled the room. There were many children who came in and out throughout the service, but they were all there for the singing. There were only about 20 adults in attendance, plus as many children, but Erasto said that there will be students from the university in future services.

When it was time to preach, I placed myself in God's hands, and started reading from my manuscript. It took a few minutes to work out the pace of waiting for Erasto to translate, but eventually we found a rhythm. I wasn't sure if I was connecting with people or not, but I saw some heads nod in agreement and heard a few Amens. Erasto seemed very appreciative of my message, so I think it went ok. I'm glad the first night is over so that I don't have to worry about what to expect now. It was a great time of worship, and I look forward to the rest of my time with Beroya Revival Temple.

The drive home was a little...interesting. We encountered some students who had blocked the road with boulders. Apparently, they were protesting that the government promised them loans, but didn't pay. Some of them had big pieces of wood in their hands. Erasto tried to get them to let us pass, but they refused. So our driver took all five of us in his weighed down sedan onto a dirt road that would have tested most 4-wheel drive vehicles. There were moments when I wasn't sure we were going to get back to our room that evening, but we finally made it back to a paved road.

All this reminded me that I am definitely in Africa. And God is always in control.