Easter Weekend at Kakamega Rainforest

Sometimes you don't realize you need a break until you plan one.  That was the case with me this month, at any rate.  My friends had to convince me to come along.  (The place they'd chosen gives a generous discount to missionaries, so that helped!)  Once the decision was made I was suddenly ready to close school for a little while!

Good Friday through Tuesday were all Tanzanian public holidays, so my two teammates and I could take a nice long weekend trip to the rain forest in Kenya.  We spent most of Friday in the car, and then we still had three full days before our return trip.  We crossed the border and drove to the city of Kisumu--and there was Lake Victoria again.  You could almost imagine the waves laughing--"You think you've left?!"

We stayed in a beautiful, peaceful retreat center inside the rain forest.  In between delicious meals (including meat so impossibly tender I swore off any more Musoma restaurant meat for fear of grievous disappointment) we either explored the grounds and trails or relaxed on the long, wide veranda of our little house.  I think that veranda earned a special place in our hearts!  Not least because the staff would bring us tea and cakes each afternoon. :)  In the days before our trip I had enjoyed the break from teaching, but I didn't think I was ready to start again.  I had to get out of town and relax in God's creation--and then it was easy to imagine school resuming in a few days!

God's creation certainly put on a magnificent display.  We hiked through the rain forest to a nearby river the very first morning.  The sheer density of the forest was incredible.

My neck got a workout as I tried to look in all directions... while walking down the damp, slippery path! Even attempting to be selective about things to photograph, I was whipping out my camera every few minutes.  From the ever-changing view around me to tiny details I would almost miss--just amazing.  I took a special interest in the diversity of fungi.

I returned from that walk determined to incorporate this place into future rain forest studies.  And I don't think many parents would mind taking their kids on this field trip!

Sunday morning we got up before the sun (literally) and made our way up a hill to wait for its appearance.  I think I was awake by the time we got there!  As the sky lightened, my friends and I read aloud the account of the first Easter morning.  Then the sun peeked out above the hills and illuminated the river valley below us.  To think we were looking down on all those tall trees we'd hiked through the day before!  It was truly beautiful, and a memorable way to celebrate Christ's resurrection.

I found plenty to marvel at within the retreat center itself.  The whole place was like one huge garden--with so many different flowers!

There were also short trails in the forest behind the gardens.  You could wander down the paths on your own, and along the way you'd come across benches placed in particularly inviting spots.  As I walked I found myself thinking, This may be the most beautiful place I've ever been in!  For sheer variety--every few steps, something new--I'm not sure I've seen anything like it!

Kicking off Work on the Jesus Film

The "Jesus" film has been used all over the world to introduce people to Christ.  Why is it so powerful?  I would say, first, because it is based directly on the Word of God (specifically, the Gospel of Luke).  But I would follow that with a second reason: because whenever possible it is shown to people in their own language.  Not subtitles--think of high illiteracy rates and languages that aren't written at all--but the actual words coming out of the speakers.

Currently the film is available in Swahili, the primary trade language of Tanzania, and also in a few of the local languages.  Our translation teams have finished working on the Gospel of Luke--final checks and typesetting happening now--so they are ready to begin making versions of the "Jesus" film for the Mara region!  This was one reason why it was decided to translate Luke first, to make use of this audio/visual presentation of God's Word.

Yesterday everyone at the office took a break from their normal project work and went to a local restaurant where we could all watch the movie in one big room.  But this was not your ordinary showing!  My teammate Alison Compton brought copies of the "Jesus" film in five different Tanzanian languages, including Swahili.  We started watching in one language... and then switched, picking up at the same scene in the next language... and so on, until the end of the movie!

Although none of these were the heart languages of our folks, a couple were familiar languages to various people.  The Sukuma language is spoken in a large area to the southwest of Musoma, and Kuria is a common language in our area.  When people recognized a language, they often laughed out loud--it was probably their first time to hear it recorded!  Later they commented on how much "sweeter" the story was in these nearby languages than in Swahili. :)  Even the waiters at the restaurant got a kick out of it.  One guy was thrilled to hear that we would be working on a version in his language, Kwaya.  He wanted to know when he could purchase a copy!

We hope that our translators will be excited about this project, inspired by the thought of some day soon watching the "Jesus" film in their very own languages.  The Zanaki team had already begun yesterday, and the other teams will be soon to follow.

Sundays with No Church

When I'm home in Houston I love going to my church on Sundays.  Here in Musoma Sundays are an ongoing experiment.  Occasionally I visit a church here, but the cultural, social, and language barriers turn the experience into more of a field trip than a time of worship, fellowship and learning.  Plus, I generally make it to the weekend exhausted & in need of refreshment.  A long, physically and emotionally draining outing does not sound like a great idea.  So how does one celebrate the Lord's day at home alone?

There are many possibilities, certainly.  I'm writing because I have just enjoyed a very nice Sunday, and I'm thankful.  So to share my joy...

First of all, I must admit, I celebrated by not setting my alarm clock last night. :)  With inconsistent sleep during the week, I savor the chance to catch up on the weekends.

Once awake and breakfasted, I was ready for some special Sunday activities.  Not long ago I came across an interesting resource: an NLT Bible that comes with liturgical-style readings and meditations from believers of different times and places, called The Mosaic.  My church background didn't involve liturgy, so to me it's fascinating.  When I read about this book online, I thought it might be just the thing for my own little Sunday worship times.  I couldn't exactly run out to my nearest bookstore to buy it, but I could download the Lent portion, thanks to Amazon's kindle store.  (I don't own a kindle, but short entries like this I can read off my computer screen.)  So today I looked up the week's Scripture readings, read the meditations and prayers, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I read much of it out loud, in order to focus my attention and break the silence.  Doing that seems to make it more substantial, more real.

Afterwards, I looked up a sermon online.  (Last week I was unable to do this because I ran out of internet credit.  Today I was exulting in my new internet access plan--which not only works most of the time, but also gives me a lot more data, and is not dependent on electricity!  My power was off most of the day.)  I often listen to sermons from my home church (see CorkinGoodSermons.com, available through iTunes), and I also sometimes mix in a few messages from Jon Piper's Desiring God ministries.  Today was a Piper day.  In fact, I ended up listening to two sermons.  (That came about in a funny, accidental way but doesn't bear explaining here.)  Meanwhile, I found that I could download the ESV Bible for free(!) with the kindle program--very convenient to have on the screen while I listened.  Anyway, I reveled in the preaching of John 7.  Hooray for Bible teaching!  It is such a treasure.

To round out my time, I chose some music to listen to.  Something God-centered and encouraging.  My frequent choices these days are David Crowder's Church Music and Switchfoot's Hello Hurricane.  Today I picked the latter.  It's such a good album, so many winners.  I hear a song and think, "Oh yeah, this was the good one," and then the very next song is like that, too... and the next...!

While I listened to sermons and music, my eyes and hands were busy.  I like to have something for them to do while my mind processes what I'm hearing.  Today I was coloring!  I used to get out these "coloring books for grown-ups" (my designation) often, but the new one I brought to Tanzania with me has waited until now.  There's something so satisfying about watching the ink from my markers gradually fill the little spaces of a Celtic-inspired design.  (Mindware makes the coloring books, in case you're curious.)  I'm no artist, but I do think that the beauty of line and color is a gift from God.

I didn't spend the entire day at home by myself.  My teammates Alison and Ellen invited me to go to lunch with them after their church.  We had a very nice time at this little cafe on the lake, chatting and waiting for the food.  Turns out their church service went much longer than expected, so we didn't get to the cafe until around 3:00!  Although they were positive (overall) about going, I couldn't help but be glad for the way I had spent the previous 4 hours.

Thank You, Lord, for the good day spent with You!  Help me to now be ready for Monday!