A bit quiet - let's catch up!

It's been months since we've posted anything here. We've been to the States and back again and experience so much in the last several months that it would be impossible to play catch up. So, instead, I'll start with where things are at now.

We're 4 weeks into the school year and 5 weeks into our 3rd year of being here in Tanzania. In some ways we've settled back into 'normal life' easily, although that looks a little different than it has in the past. 

Marc is teaching grades 9 - 12 this year as opposed to both middle and high school. This helps to lighten what was a heavy load, and also frees him for more intentional time with students outside of class.  Isaac is in grade 2 and has joined the primary swim team. He has practice three days a week after school. I've started to give him piano lessons as we were able to get a keyboard from friends who left at the end of last year.  Hope has started preschool again (2 days a week) and just celebrated her 5th birthday. Geneva is now potty trained and joins me for our weekly adventures of driving people places, worship team rehearsals, swahili class, leading assemblies, going to the market and prayer meetings. 

Our roles at church are different as we've come back. For various reasons, we are slowly phasing out of some of our leadership positions within the church. Marc is no longer doing all the tech/design stuff nor on the leadership team. Instead of leading worship every week, I am now in rotation every other. We are still helping with our life group. One of the things we recognized while being 'home' this summer was that our family time was beginning to suffer under the load of our church and school commitments. We may have a 'large capacity' for ministry, but we sometimes find ourselves saying YES to too much and it not being sustainable or healthy for our family in the long run. When we left for the States, we were there. Between that, some theological differences and the need for more Tanzanian leaders to step into leadership roles at the church, we are phasing out of some of our roles. Its not easy, as we love our Pastor and his family and we love our church! We've had some difficult conversations over the past few weeks, but we are at peace about the changes being made and continue to support God's Tribe and pray for the church, here and worldwide, to grow! 

The other challenge we have faced since returning is the recognition that despite our amazing supporters and our various church and small group presentations this summer, our funding is still low. The past two years have been difficult in regards to fundraising, and we've actual incurred a bit of debt just to stay here as some months we had only enough money to cover rent. We don't believe that's God's plan for us, to go into more (any, really!) debt, and we've come to feel that if we are not fully funded by the end of December, we may need to leave Tanzania at the end of this school year.  Our school will need to know in January if we are coming back or if they need to begin recruiting another Bible teacher, thus the timeline. We're trying to be open to the Lord's leading for our family. Would you please pray for the Lord to make his will clear to us as we contemplate and pray about our future? We would love to see huge breakthrough in the area of our finances and be able to testify to God's provision. We want to stay! We also want to follow Jesus if he's showing us a need for us to return to the States, whether for a year to fundraise and then return or for good.  We get that we don't see the big picture. This is just another way we are daily learning to rely on ourselves and our own abilities less and on Him more. We can't just go out and get a part time job delivering pizzas or something to help our own financial state - we're not in control! Please pray for clear direction and for patience as we wait. Our latest Prayer Letter will be going out later today which lays this out a bit as well.

So those are the big things going on with us. We feel at home here and are enjoying getting to know some of the new faces around the HOPAC and missionary community. 

When you don't know what to sing...

I have been in the position of "worship leader" for a few weeks shy of one year now. As I write that, I cringe a tiny bit. You see, I hoped one year of doing this would lead to great strides in my leading capabilities...or at least the ability to play an "F" chord properly. Yet, a year into this new calling and I have so much to learn - about playing guitar and singing, yes, but more so about how to truly "lead" a congregation of worshipperes.


My first Sunday leading/playing last December (2013).
I had to sit down because I wasn't sure I could play/sing/stand all at the same time! :)
 

Our last church had a Minister of Music who created the flow of the service, rehersed with musicians, wrote Calls to Worship, etc, but he did not sing or play an instrument in front of church. In fact, no one sang into a mic at church unless it was 'special music' during the offering- the musicians played and the congregation sang. It was liturgical. It worked. It allowed the congregations voice to be heard. There are elements of that I truly love and appreciate.

Now, I am upfront with a guitar and a mic, with other band members with me (thankfully!) and I'm also working behind the scenes planning out the musical aspect of the worship service. This is not an easy task.

Some weeks, the service comes together easily - there are songs that fit the theme of the message, we have a full worship team, everyone is healthy, at rehersal and on Sunday the sound equipment all works, we don't lose power and the songs work together beautifully.

Other weeks it's Thursday afternoon (rehersal that night) and I still don't have a single song chosen, I'm sick, I don't know who (if anyone?) is coming to worship rehersal, I don't know the theme for the sermon and the power is out. Again.

This week was looking to be a train smash (thanks to South Africa for that fun phrase). I haven't felt 100% in about 8 weeks, I knew of one person coming to rehersal but wasn't sure if the other 2 could come, I hadn't picked any songs yet, I didn't know the theme of the message and I was temped to just throw some songs together & hope for the best.

Instead, I asked the Lord for his guidance. And He was faithful to help me.

The songs came together and rehersal went well, despite the keyboard adaptor blowing up mid-prayer! I can't really say how it happened. I just started browsing my song folder again and slowly I picked ones that all fit the theme of God's love. I didn't realize how strong the theme was until Sunday morning was all said and done.

Without knowing our first song, one of our Pastors got up to read Psalm 118 to call us into worship:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”
³ Let the house of Aaron say:
    “His love endures forever.”
⁴ Let those who fear the Lord say:
    “His love endures forever.”

Our first song was "Forever"

"Give thanks to the Lord, our god and King, His Love endures forever"

The theme of God's love continued throughout our worship. It seemed as if God was weaving a beautiful tapestry together for the service, His love washing over us in incredible ways as we heard his word and sang songs of his great, unfailing, protecting, enduring love for us.

Our first Sunday at Mlimani Theater - October 12, 2014

I had many people who came up to me to tell me they appreciated and were ministered to through the music this morning. One of the youth group leaders told me that the the lesson for their group that morning tied in strongly with a few of the songs we sang. Another missionary who lives in the bush, but is in Dar for a few weeks said that she was so blessed to sing in her heart language, English, to songs that were so meaningful to her. A few others mentioned being ministered to through the service.

Most weeks I do not get any feedback about worship. Maybe a person here or there will encourage me or say they liked a new song. It's not common, and that's really okay. I'm not looking for the attention that could come with this very public role. I do appreciate it, as well as loving criticisms/corrections, but it's not something that I base how well I did my 'job' on.

The beauty of this morning is that not everything was perfect. I'm still struggling with a sore throat, coughing, stuffed up nose & blocked ears. Our team wasn't all there until about 10 mintues before the service started so we didn't get to run through our songs. The speakers were in & out during most of the service and the slides for a few of the songs were out of order.

BUT.

God was present and pouring out his abundant love on us. His message was clear and loud and penetrating.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

"How exactly do you pray to God?"

"How exactly do you pray to God? I've been praying 5 times a day as a Muslim, but how do you actually pray to the real God?"

This was the question asked of me last week Saturday by a beautiful lady who had just a week or two prior, converted from Islam to Christianity.

A missionary here in Dar who works at HOPAC had befriended this lovely lady and had been praying for her for over a year. Recently, the conversation turned into a conversion. And then an invitation to attend our latest "Ladies Tea" that our church hosted.

Our church hosts a ladies tea every 3-4 months. It's a 3-4 hour long event where we get to leave the kids home and enjoy time with just ladies. We push for eveyone to invite a friend, especially if that friend might not feel comfortable coming to church. We hope that it's a safe place for ladies in all walks of life and faith to come and share in community.

This past Saturday, my friend Angie and I were in charge of the tea. When we began praying together about it, it was quite clear that God's Grace was to be the theme of the morning. Angie has such a heart for women, and a passion for sharing God's grace. I have been drawn to her since meeting her because she is a humble, faithful, passionate follower of Jesus who loves others deeply. I have already learned so much from her just by spending time with her, and her gifts have been a huge asset to the life of our church (and to me, personally!). It was clear that she had much to share with the ladies, so she graciously agreed to be our speaker.

 

2 Corinthians 12: 9 & 10

 ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

 

On Saturday we ate together and had time to welcome guests and chat for a bit. We then moved into a time or worship that I had the priviledge of leading. Angie then shared about the above passage and did a fantastic job. We broke into small groups to share with one another and also did an activity that really demonstrated God's grace. We were all given a rock. As we shared with one another what we found to be our areas of weakness, struggle, hardship or difficulties, we wrote them on the rock. We then went walked out to the ocean (the house we were at is right on the beach - it's lovely!) and spent a few minutes in prayer before throwing our rock into the ocean. Now, this was NOT an activity to 'throw away' your weaknesses, but Angie reminded us that God's grace and love are bigger than the ocean, and we were merely throwing our rock into God's immense grace, because it's big enough to cover our weaknesses. What a beautiful picture!

 

 

As I stood on the beach, this lovely woman, who had been in my small group, came up to me and asked the above question.

 

We talked about the freedom we can live in as followers and lovers of Jesus. She already knew about the Lord's Prayer, and I shared with her how Jesus wants a relationship with her, not just a prayer of obligation. It was a fantastic conversation, and it was clear her heart longed to know more.

 

After everyone wrapped up their groups, we headed inside where we did a small craft. We took journals and covered them with old scraps of fabric, making designs or simply covering them. The idea was that these old pieces of throw-away fabric could be turned into something beautiful and useful, much like God's power being made perfect in our weakness.

 

Towards the end of our time together, one woman commented, "I wish this was a whole weekend thing!". It's obvious there is a desire for women to connect and share life together, and it's an honor to be a part of how God is doing that work in our church.

 

Please say a prayer for this woman today, as she learns more and more what it means to follow Jesus and walk in His ways!

A group came to visit & you won't BELIEVE what they said when they left...

In true BUZZFEED fashion, I'm going to attempt to use catchy titles like this for my future blog posts, which will certainly increase my readship, no? Made YOU click the link, didn't it? :)

We had five visitors last week and so much to share about what they saw, learned and experienced here in Dar Es Salaam! We have two groups coming in 2015, with a potential third group as well. I thought I would break down our week for you, in case YOU want to come for a visit or bring your own group! Karibuni (You are all welcome!)

In order to not make this post too long, I'll post a few days at a time.

Saturday: Picked up Kyle, Jake and Selina (connected to Marc through his previous school) from the airport middle of the night. They slept for a few hours and then we headed to the Artisan Market. It was over 50 booths/vendors of artists that made hand crafted items ranging from beaded jewelry, clothing, hand woven sheets, music and SO much more. These artisans are all trying to make a living using their handiworks. For example, there is a drug rehab group there - they teach these women a skill in order to make a living. Or an AIDS widows group who makes purses to provide and income as their spouse has died from AIDS. This takes place on the penninsula, where a lot of international folks live, so they didn't quite feel like they were in the minority yet. We came home to my dear Tanzanian friend, Lucy, who prepared a traditional dinner of rice, beans and mchicha for dinner. She ate with us and shared a bit about her life and culture here in TZ and her heart for sharing the Gospel message! She's an amazing woman.

Selina, Lucy and Jake

Jake and his dad, Kyle, on the beach for devotion time.

Sunday: Marc picked up Erica (my former youth group student - now just friend!)and her friend Kelsey at the airport middle of the night. We arrived at church, God's Tribe, at 8:30am for me to have worship rehersal and the rest of the group had personal devotions on the beach of the Indian Ocean. It was a beautiful morning.

Our Pastor preached on spiritual gifts, and it was neat to see that theme resurface during the week with our guests.







Marc took the WMC group to Kurusini orphanage after church for several hours. They learned about the orphanage from the director and spent time playing games, football and just loving the kids there.

I took Erica and Kelsey to a local market to do a little sovenier shopping. We also visited the TingaTinga co-op, which is an art school for tingatinga art. They had spent 2 weeks in Uganda and had been working with kids the whole time. We all arrived home for a homemade pizza dinner and spent some time discussing what had stirred our heart that day over dinner.

The Slipway market is on the penninsula, so we had to get an ocean shot!

Kelsey & Erica at the TingaTinga co-op

Stay tuned for Monday and Tuesday!

My First Preach

So today I gave my first “preach” as the South Africans here in Tanzania call a sermon. To be quite forthright, I wouldn’t really blog about it and hesitate to do so even now, but the circumstances surrounding it were a bit surreal. That, and my wife is encouraging me to do so.

For starters, public speaking, teaching, preaching is a little bit one-and-the-same to me.  I know my seminary/ordained friends would raise issues with me saying that, but my point is simply this: public speaking is something I enjoy, have some modest talent in, and it doesn’t really phase me.  I enjoy every opportunity I get to hone the craft of delivering a good speech or, in this case, a good preach.

Just after the first of the year, one of my colleagues asked me if I would be willing come preach at his church today.  I agreed and was a bit excited to again have the opportunity to prayerfully prepare a message.

A couple weeks passed and last Monday I knocked on his office door seeking a few more details of what I should preach on, order of the service, etc.

“Marc. Have a seat.”

Okaaaay…

He then proceeds to tell me they have recently found out that their pastor has been having an international affair and has used church money to sustain this relationship.  He then told me that just this last week (the 19th) they told the congregation the news and informed the congregation that they were suspending their young, much-loved pastor whom they had supported through seminary.

I was to be the first sermon post-pastor suspension.

I may have actually preferred at that very moment to have been hit with a ton of bricks.

This was to be my first sermon ever formally preached during a Sunday morning worship service.

And it was to take place in the most awful of circumstances.

My heart sank, not for me, but for the Church.  This church, the church visible and the Church invisible, the bride of Christ.  Yet again Christ’s Bride has been marred by the stain of sin.  This church, with good people, doing a good ministry in a city and a nation starved for the Gospel and lacking in leaders who have integrity, has just been ripped apart by the uncontrolled passions of a broken man.

What in the world, what in the Bible am I going to preach on?  How do you even begin to wrap your mind around this? What do you say in a moment like this? Especially as an outsider, even more especially as a mzungu.

As he told me all of the details, one phrase kept popping into my head, “What you intended for evil, God has meant for good.”  I knew the phrase was from Joseph’s story and my mind quickly recounted Joseph’s life.  The details aren’t pretty.  Sold into slavery by jealous brothers.  Wrongly accused of sexual assault - even today a person’s reputation cannot come back from such a charge, even if it is found out to be wrong.  Sentenced to prison.  Forgotten about. Then made the second highest person in all of Egypt. Great power, great authority.  Anything Joseph wants, a word and it’s his.  Even revenge on his brothers.

I endeavored to show through Genesis 50 how Joseph used his earthly power and sovereignty for good and not for evil.  I then compared him to Christ in John 6.  Both feed.  Both show grace and mercy.

The response was pleasant and several commented on the timeliness and the appropriateness of the message.

So I’ve preached my first sermon and it was a far from exciting and jubilant as I had always envisioned.  Instead of talking about how wonderful life is and “Ain’t it great to be loved by God?! Yeah!!” I had to gentle call God’s people to grace and forgiveness, to remember that the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.  I reminded them, as Jesus does Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7 (I think I said Matthew in my preach.  Whoops!) that those who have been forgiven love more.

It was quite a position to be in and I believe by God’s grace it went as well as could be expected.  I felt like my delivery was smooth, the content was strong, and the Gospel was faithful preached.  I pray that it may have done some good for God’s glory.

Postscript.  I was able to record my preach.  I’ve been using my iPhone in my Church history class to record lectures for students who might miss.  It’s an idea I got from my beloved friend and former professor, Dr. Doug Felch who meticulous recorded ever lecture for a variety of reasons.  I’m posting a link to the transcript and the audio file, not as a way of bragging or showing off.  Had I done this in the States, I’m guessing many family and friends would have attended and showed support.  As that isn’t possible (even my wife wasn’t able to hear it due to her worshipping leading responsibilities at God’s Tribe), I make it available for folks to have a bit of a shared experiences.  I’m not simply doing it to show off or to get likes or compliments.  Perhaps some may listen and it might do some good I could never imagine.  And I welcome feedback - positive and negative.  I would only ask that it is negative or critical (which I’m happy to receive), that you email me or private message me.  Thanks! And thanks for all the support and prayers - they have been greatly appreciated and comforting more than you could know!

marcdriesenga@gmail.com

LINK: http://goo.gl/5lT97p

What do we actually DO each week?

I've had a few people ask what our weeks really look like here, so I thought I'd give you a rundown. It might be kind of boring, but will likely give you a feeling of what 'normal' life is here!

Monday:

Marc's weeks are a bit more regular than mine are at this point. He is teaching Bible to grades 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12, plus spending his free time with students around campus building relationships. This is why we came and our biggest ministry avenue right now.

My biggest " job" right now, besides the girls, is learning language and culture. I spend about 9-10 hours a week in actual 'lessons' and then time outside of that watching recordings to refresh my memory. My hope is that putting in all this time now will open up doors for ministry in the future. It's a bit hard to tell people about Jesus when you don't speak the language!

So, into our week...

Drop off Marc and Isaac at school around 7/7:15am. I head to Swahili lessons with the girls from 7:30am - 11:00am.
 Leave the girls with a friend & go to HOPAC to teach Grade 8 Bible at 11:20am

Go pick up the girls & hang out a bit with my friend before heading back to school.

After school (2:15pm), Marc coaches basketball and I coach swimming, so another wonderful staff member watches our kids. We head home just after 4pm and have the neighborhood kids over from about 4:45pm - 5:45pm.

Dinner, baths, reading, prayer and Bible time, bed. Most adults here go to bed between 9 & 9:30pm. I'm still working on being in bed by 11pm, but see the value in an earlier bedtime...this heat really is extra draining!

Tuesday:

Marc has a mens prayer meeting at 5:30am with other guys from our church. He comes home around 7 and we load up to head to school.

Head to Swahili lessons.. Tuesdays lessons are a bit further drive, so we usually don't get done until noon. Then we sometimes stop by the mall if there is anything we need from one of the bigger grocery stores rather than the road side 'dukas' that don't carry everything.

Pick up Marc and Isaac around 2:15pm and head home. Tuesdays are the only day of the week we do not have after school activities. That being said, I have bible study at 4pm and get home around 6:30pm.

Dinner, baths, reading, prayer and Bible time, bed.

Wednesday:

Wednesdays are my day at home. I let Marc take the car in the morning and we have Swahili lessons at my house, so I don't have to pack up the girls and go anywhere, which is nice. We alternate homes the 3 days a week we do Swahili between the 3 of us that have kids at home yet.

We usually wrap up around 11:30am on Wednesdays and I'm home the rest of the day. I typically get worship music together and send out the email for our worship team on Wednesdays. I try to get some guitar practice in as well - I need as much practice as I can get!! Marc has a staff meeting after school and then has bball practice after that, so he doesn't get home until almost 6pm. We quick eat dinner and he's out the door again to a leadership team meeting for church (kind of like elders) until 9:30 or 10pm.

Thursday:

Drop off Marc and Isaac then head home for the morning., I teach Grade 8 Bible again at 12:00pm, so have to do any last minute prep for that. On Thursdays I've been leaving the girls home with our 'dada'. Dada means sister, and it's what we call our houseworker, Elnert.

I come home after teaching and depending on the girls naps, either go pick up Marc and Isaac or have them take a bjaji home after Marc coaches bball.

Thursday nights I have worship rehearsal. I usually leave around 6:30pm and get home around 9:30pm. Marc handles dinner clean up, baths, bedtime by himself.

Friday:

Drop off Marc & Isaac then either run home for about an hour, play on the school playground for an hour or find an errand to do. Our church has a women's prayer group at 9am on Friday, and we always meet close to school. We catch up for a bit, spend a lot of time in prayer and worship and have a few snacks together. From there, I've typically been running some errands - going to the grocery store or whatnot. After school I have swim practice again. After swim practice, the school pool is open for swimming, so we periodically bring all the kids stuff and the whole family swims for about an hour. We usually have the pool to ourselves or maybe one other family. It's great!

Friday nights vary. Some nights we just come home and lay low. Some nights we meet have friends over for games or movies. Every once in a while we might go out to a 'restaurant' called Vernas. She and her husband are from South Africa, but make mexican food & serve it out of their home. :)

Saturday:

Saturdays are different each week. Some weeks we visit the orphanage that our church is partnering with. Some weeks we have leadership training through our church. Some weeks we have nothing and stay at home. Some weeks we head to the ocean and pay $6 for our family to sit poolside at the local resort. Some weeks we invite other people from our church over for a meal to get to know them. As we get to know more people and as Marc gets more involved with the leadership of the church, Saturday afternoons or evenings might become a prime time for discipleship groups to happen. We'll see!

Sunday:

We get to church by 8:30am. I am currently the worship leader, so we get there early to practice for the morning. Marc heads up the greeting team, so he hangs out by the entrance to welcome people as they get there. We are so grateful that a few other families are there early & their kids usually keep an eye on our kids. During church, I am obviously up leading worship and Marc has the responsibility of passing out welcome cards to the visitors, and we both take up the offering. After church we typically head home, though sometimes we visit the local 'fast food' which is anything but fast, but it's good and cheap food when  we don't have the energy to spend an hour cooking when we get home. Sunday afternoons we all rest and usually most of us actually sleep for a bit. It's amazing how much we really need the rest. The added stress and heat of living in Dar certainly takes it's toll on us and we're all exhausted by the time Friday rolls around. Having not many plans on the weekends is such a blessing! Marc did just start meeting up with some others on Sunday nights for Ultimate Frisbee as well, which is a  fun physical and social outlet. I stay home with the girls and Isaac usually goes along and plays with friends.

So there you have it, if you've stuck with me for the whole thing! :)

Life is similar in so many ways to what it was before and completely different at the same time. Feel free to ask questions about anything we're involved in right now! We'd love to answer questions!