ANSWERED PRAYERS!

This week started off full speed ahead, church with Stanley’s family and some friends and then errands and a visit to a family that lost their daughter recently. Later in the day, Pat was not feeling well and was running a fever. Monday she felt a bit better but I insisted that she go to the hospital (clinic) or I would cancel the trip we had planned to the two sites of our medical mission in June. Pat and I had anticipated the trip for some time and the timing was right for us to go, with Pascal and Paul, back to the Ngorongoro/Karatu area of Tanzania.

Monday: We left Pat and Sara at the clinic and the three of us (at Pat’s insistance and promise that she would take a taxi home and let Sara care for her) headed off to visit the Maasai. After getting lost twice during our many hour trip, we finally arrived and set up our tent (so we wouldn’t have to do it in the dark) in the area where we lived in “tent city” for a week in June. We had a great traditional Tanzanian meal at the school headmaster’s house, after visiting with the two head officials of the village (to get permission to spend the night). The phone call we got from Pat was not what we had expected, she had tested positive for tick fever and was also diagnosed with a urinary infection and was given medication for both. Our “instructions” from Pat were to not worry and try to find her friend Paulina and give her the Maasai blanket we had brought for her. When we got to the boma where she lived, we found that she had moved and the people told us they would notify her, so we had to leave the Maasai blanket with a team leader to get to her later.

Tuesday: We headed to the Karatu area, site of the second half of our medical mission. Our objective was to visit two areas where new churches had been planted (after the showing of the Jesus film) and to find the young lady that I mentioned in our blog after the medical mission. You may remember that the English translation of her name is “Taboo” (probably because of her crippled leg). When we first met in June, she looked depressed, would not look at me and smiled only after receiving Christ as her savior. Pat and I had been praying that she had connected with a church family who would show her the love of Christ. We had a Katange and a Maasai blanket for her and our prayer was that we would locate her in the remote area where she lived, where there was no road to her home. We did find her and the reunion was such a blessing, she remembered that I had said that God’s grace would be sufficient and that I was going to call her Grace (Neema, in Swahili) from then on. She was smiling, was happy to see us, and told me (through an interpreter) that she was growing in the Lord. I wept with tears of joy for her, and sadness that Pat was not there to experience it all. Earlier in the day, we had visited the site of one of new churches, where we were met with praise songs and smiling faces. They gave us a tour of the three acres they had purchased for the building. We prayed over the plot and sang praise to the Lord, then went back to the home of Stanley’s dad (where they have been having prayer and worship service) where we ate rice, chicken, goat, and soup to put on the rice. After dark we attended a showing of the Jesus film and rejoiced (with the angels in heaven) at the addition of some new brothers and sisters to the body of Christ. We got back to the location where we had set up our tent, between a church and the pastor’s house, at just about midnight (what a full day). We were served a big meal by the pastor’s wife, and while we were eating we got a text message that Pat had stomach cramps, nausea, hives and that her throat was swelling. She took some benedryl and thought she might have to have our landlord take her to the hospital. When Paul got the message on his phone (Pat had mine) we all agreed to pray for Pat’s healing. You can’t imagine the seven of us seeking the Lord for Pat’s healing. We first sang praise to Him and then prayed for a long time, all at the same time, as is their custom. I have never witnessed such passion as these Tanzanian brothers lifted Pat up to the Lord, in English, Swahili, Maasai and possibly in another tongue. We had no way to hear from Pat after that because both phones were out of minutes and we were outside of Karatu. My night was very emotional as I prayed and cried out for my “beloved” wife.

Wednesday: After an early morning meal at two different homes (their custom is to feed guests, no matter when you are invited into a home) and a short meeting to evaluate the film showing, we headed home to Arusha. About two and a half hours later we got to Paul’s home (another meal) to meet his family, and finally arrived back at our home. I was so happy to see Pat and report all our experiences and see that she was feeling much better. We found out later that two of our prayer warriors in Alabama had experienced hives at about the same time as Pat, we had all been praying and fasting, on Wednesdays, for the ministry during the time that Stanley has been in the U.S. to visit many churches so we knew that it was an attack from the enemy but we know that the power of the Holy Spirit that is in us is more powerful than the power of the enemy. Bwana Asifiwe! (Praise the Lord).

Today, Thursday, is a time for relaxation and thanks giving to our Lord. Our God is Good. Mungu Awa Bariki! (God Bless all of you)