Returning to Tanzania

4 years ago in TZ

Same boy, same swing (this week)

Four years ago we came to Tanzania to attend a conference about starting and leading a team.  Now, four years later we have returned to the same place and the same conference, but this time as veterans, half way through leading our own team.

Four years ago.  It doesn’t seem so long ago in some ways, but much has happened since then.  Our daughter was three, our first son was one, our youngest was not yet.  When we came our team was still very much a dream.  We had no team members, no houses, just some plans written out on a piece of paper.  We hadn’t learned French or the dialect of Clove Island.  It all seemed so far away—our lofty five year plan.  Our hopes for the future.  We sat and listened to all the things we needed to know and wondered how we would remember it all.  We listened to the wisdom of others who had lead teams and those in the process of leading teams.  Some were doing well, others were struggling.  Everyone made it clear that this was no easy job we were embarking on.


Four years later, some things are the same, but much has changed.  The grounds of the conference center are still lush, green and remote—a wonderful place to relax and reflect.  The same dogs ran up to meet the kids.  The format and content of the conference are more or less the same.  But now we have three kids running around with the dogs and rolling down the hills.  Now we are the battle-scarred veterans ready to talk of our experiences in team leading.  It’s a different perspective.  Are there things we wish we could go back and tell ourselves four years ago?  Of course, there are a few things.  But mostly we are glad to be part of this.  These teams mean training.  It means more people going out and doing cross-cultural work effectively.  It is an investment in future work, and we are proud to be a part of it.

We don't have swings on the island :)

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We made it safely to Tanzania. Our teammates (who had traveled for a wedding) are safely back on the islands too. We are doing better, we’ve had some good opportunities to rest, reflect and recenter ourselves. From what we’ve heard, the former worker visiting on the islands has had positive interactions on his trip.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for all the team leaders at this conference and all the work and peoples they represent. They are from all over Africa (from Lesotho to the shores of the Mediterranean to Madagascar). Many are at the beginning stages of preparing for a team, others are closing to the finish of their teams commitments. Pray for our travels back to the islands and for our team as we push into this final year of teamlife and work on the islands. Pray for one of our teammate who is going through a difficult time. Pray for all the islanders that are on the journey toward life-giving change.

Kids' Blog

With some of her best school friends

This week our kids just finished classes at the local school.  We thought it would be fun if they wrote the blog.  So we are faithfully transcribing the things they tell us about going to local island school.

Our daugher (7 years old):
"At school I write in French and I write in my little chalk board and I write in my cahier (notebook) and I have two recesses when I have school in the morning, and one recess in afternoon school.  My teacher is called “Madame N____.” 

I did my exams last week and this week.  There are lots of exams: écriture, copie, dictée, dessin, mathématique, lecture, français, poèmes, and some others.  For dessin, I drew an airplane and colored an airplane.  For poème I recited the poem “Le Gouter.”  It felt kind of scary.  The teacher called my name and I picked out a piece of paper and I told her that the poem was ”Le Gouter.”  Then I had to stand in front of the class and I recited the poem and then I went to my chair.

Done with her last day of school

My favorite part of school is when we do math, because they are usually things that I already know how to do so it’s usually the easiest part.  I know how to do math very well.

My least favorite part of school is français because sometimes there are these words that I don’t know how to spell and I have to spell them.

I have a bunch of girl friends and one boy friend.  When I run out of snacks they give me some of their snacks and they also play with me at recess.  We play “nyama.”  It’s like tag.  My best friend is N_____ because me and her are not islanders.  She’s from another country.  I don’t know which one.  Also she likes me and I like her.  I speak French with my friends."

With his preschool (maternelle) class

Our son (5 years old):
"School was great because I did paper and I did drawing on the chalkboard.  I did puzzles and books.  It was a fun time.  Sometimes we even wrote in our cahiers (notebooks.)  I did the letters. 
For the paper the teachers drawed some things and then I did something that they didn’t do.  We finished the picture.  For drawing on the chalkboard I drawed letter, letters, letters, and I drawed numbers and thats it.  I drawed letters and numbers. For puzzles, I love puzzles.  We just dump the puzzle pieces out and then we do it and then we do it again and again and again.  That’s how it goes.  My favorite puzzles are the policeman and the jungle one, but I haven’t done the jungle one in a long long long long long long long long time.

We have four groups.  Groupe jaune and groupe vert.  Mine is green.  I’m in groupe vert.  And there’s groupe bleu and groupe rouge.  That’s red.  The teacher says on this thing and there’s letters on this thing and our groups.  So whenever she says which group does something, she checks on that. 

My favorite part of school is recess because we get to run around and around.  And then they teach us how to jump and how to jump and wave your arms and how to do jump rope just for pretend.

I don’t like when the teachers be mean to me.  They say “villain” to me. 

With one of his teachers

I have a lot a lot a lot of friends, H_____ is one of their names.  She’s a girl.  She likes me so I like her.  We hold hands.  But my bestest friend is in groupe bleu.  But I don’t know what her name is.  She’s my best friend because she likes me and I like her and we walk together.

I’m gonna be done."

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are very thankful for our kids and how well the local school year went for them. (Now we just have to finish our homeschool year!) Our teammates made it safely home for the wedding. Our other teammate’s travels to the neighboring island went smoothly and she was able to encourage the sister there. Our library and English club have both grown in popularity lately— pray that good news would spread as a result. The electricity has been better lately!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
It has been another hard week. Pray for all of us working on the islands that we would walk in faith and love together. Pray for us that we would have the grace, love and wisdom to be the leaders we should be. We are exhausted. Pray that He would be our source of renewal and refreshment. Pray that we would consider it pure joy, when we face trials of many kinds. We’re going to Tanzania for a meeting of team leaders this week. Pray for safe travels, that we would learn a lot, that our kids would have a good time, and that our team members would thrive and be held in His arms while we’re gone. A worker (who formerly worked on the islands) is coming back for a visit, pray for good connections with old friends and current workers.

Boats, Planes and English Conferences

Tom and others at the Conference

“The trip is cancelled.”  I sent in a text message.  I was so frustrated I was ready to throw in the towel. 

The plan had been to go to an English Teachers’ Conference hosted by our fellow colleagues on Volcano Island.  They had asked me to give a speech and another teammate to run a session.  We were excited about it and were ready to bring some of our Clove Island teachers along in the hopes that they would be inspired by the things they saw and learned at the conference.  But travel on the islands is never easy…

Firstly, because there were so many of us, we wanted to take the boat.  The problem is the boats don’t run everyday.  So instead of a 3 day trip for the English Teachers Conference it was going to be a 5 day trip.  Annoying, but workable.  We got the tickets.  Then the boat was delayed to Friday.  No problem—the conference wasn’t until Saturday.  Then the boat got delayed until Sunday, or Monday! Problem! It was only a two day conference and we didn’t have the money to sponsor the island teachers on the plane (which is over double the price).

Megan bringing holiday treat to neighbors

So, I was ready to throw in the towel.  Only our one teammate and I had responsibilities at the conference, so the rest could just stay.  She and I would just have to fly.  But that’s when my teammates and island friends surprised me.  “We’re coming,” they said.  Even though flights would mean paying twice as much, 3 of the island teachers and my English teacher colleagues decided to go.

Well, you know what?  I’m really glad we all went.  It was a great conference.  More than 200 people attended and what’s more, there was a palpable excitement in the air.  People on Volcano Island are excited about English and it is catching fire.  It was encouraging to us, but most of all it was encouraging to our Clove Island teachers.  It was like their minds were opened to new possibilities.  They came back full of ideas, and are eager to move forward.  It was great.  It didn’t hurt that my speech was very well received and that our teammate did a fantastic job running her session too.

Kids near our house

When we see the success of English and its growth here on the islands it gives us hope.  Hope that other movements can start.  That other flames could be lit and new ideas can grow and spread and change these islands for the better. If it worked with English, why not something even more exciting?

PRAYERS ANSWERED
So the English Conference was very successful and despite all the hiccups we made it there and back.  Our team discussions went very well this week—not easy, but positive.  We’ve heard some exciting news about islanders seeking to meet together and interest in good news spreading within family units. These are both answers to long-term prayers.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our sister who traveled to the neighbouring island for the birth of her twins gave birth this week.  One of the babies died shortly after birth.  We don’t have any details on what happened, but we’re told the other baby is happy and healthy.  One of our teammates is flying over to see mother and baby this week.  Pray for her safe travels and a good visit. Please pray for us— we are encountering issues that are stretching us as team leaders, pray for wisdom and good discernment. Today is a holiday on the island- pray for good interactions with island friends and neighbors. Some of our teammates are traveling home for a family wedding— pray for smooth travels (especially with little ones).

The Next Year

Some younger teammates- side by side sitting

Last week we entered the final year of our team’s commitment. This may not sound like a big deal— I mean a year is a long time, especially when you take into account the whole commitment was only 2.5 years. It’s still a lot of time. But as we look at the next year, we see the things planned. We feel the grooves we get caught up in and we see the tendency for weeks and even months to fly by. We begin to feel throughout our team an added sense of urgency. We want to make this final year count.

We have been reading a book as a team that challenges us to think that perhaps what we do or accomplish might be directly linked to how well we work as a team. Are we just a group of individuals working side by side or are we a team working together? Are we willing to sacrifice our own personal ideas or goals for the sake of the team? Are we ready to to let the team dictate our priorities for the next year?

We have three toddlers on the team. Parents will know that there is a point in child development when you see your little one with other kids their age and you say, “Look, they’re playing together!” But then you look closer and you realize that they aren’t actually interacting. They are playing side-by-side, but they are ignoring each other. This isn’t the same as playing together. Side-by-side play doesn’t require sharing, cooperation, or conflict-management. They are independent entities doing similar things in close proximity. Our team kids are actually playing together now, but it isn’t always pretty. They will push, they will argue, they will disagree. One will suggest an activity and sometimes the others will refuse. Sometimes they play together very well, but they are still learning what playing nicely together looks like— sometimes it means sacrificing your ideas and desires for someone else’s.

Now, our team hasn’t been exactly side-by-side playing. From the beginning we have been interacting and encouraging one another. But there are ways where we have allowed each person do their own thing. Right now we are praying about what “success” looks like at the end of this year. Or to say it in another way, what would we need to do in this next year to feel like we had been faithful with the tasks and opportunities laid before us? These are hard discussions as we don’t always agree right away, but these are exciting discussions too.

Birthday girl & her brothers on present hunt

And we are also excited because as much as this process is about us and our team— it isn’t. It is about the islanders we will be able to impact. It is about the future work that God is preparing each team member for during this time of training. It is about Him getting the glory, not us. It is about the way He uses us to model working together. Only He can bring many parts coming together as one.

There are island brothers and sisters that are going it alone. They may interact with another islander occasionally, but they are not working together. There isn’t the teamwork, the mutual strengthening, encouraging and challenging. In past years, healthy island fellowship has seemed elusive, but even on this point, we are encouraged. We see a group of islanders forming- caring for one another, looking out for one another, encouraging one another. There are still lots of lone wolfs around the island, but this is a much prayed-for beginning.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our daughter has turned 7 years old! We are incredibly blessed by our beautiful, intelligent and kind young lady. We had fun celebrating with her. All the prayer team members made it home safely— though a tummy bug hit several people both on our team on the island and them heading home. Thankfully everyone is feeling better now. Tom and others are on the big island for the annual English teacher’s conference. It was a headache getting over there but Tom was there in time to give his address. 

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for all of us around the island- that we would come alongside each other, working together in self-sacrifice and love. Pray for our team as we lay out our priorities and re-evaluate our goals in the aftermath of these discussions. Pray that this island group would flourish. Pray for Tom and others as they hope to return to Clove Island after this weekend conference— pray that arranging the return travel won’t be as eventful as the first trip. Tom is supposed to come back by boat and the boats have been very unreliable- we’re hoping the seas will calm so there will be a boat Monday or Tuesday.

Special Prayer Week

The group (faces removed to protect privacy)

Sometimes you have to see it in person. It’s one thing seeing pictures and hearing stories. It another thing to live it: to see, hear, touch, taste, smell all at once. For those of you that read our blog regularly, I’m sure you have a sense of what the islands are like but we know that you would gain a whole new perspective if you came, walked the island streets with us, ate the food, met the people.

This past week we felt like we really got to share the islands with a group of people. We had a small team here with one aim— to learn and pray.

Now it isn’t easy to get to the islands. It is really expensive (even compared to other African destinations) and the travel is long with lots of connections. Then once on the islands, you still have a final trip to get to “Clove Island”. With this in mind, I can already hear some people questioning the simplicity of this team’s aim. “Just pray?”, they may ask. “Why didn’t they build or repair something? Why didn’t they run some kind of program?” “Isn’t that what short-term teams are supposed to do?”, they might ask.

But no, we asked them to come, to learn and to pray with us and to pray for us. And it was so nice. They valued the importance of prayer. They asked questions. They listened intently. They observed closely. And they prayed.

We were hosting two men we didn’t know and we admit that before the week we wondered how it would all go. We wondered if we would be exhausted afterwards. In reality we were blessed with two godly men who understand this type of work well (if not this exact context). We could talk to them honestly without reservation. They played with and loved our kids and were gracious houseguests. Instead of draining us, we were left feeling greatly encouraged and feeling like there are now more people in the world who really understand what it is like here for us, who really understand the good, the bad, the joys and the struggles. There are few more people who will be able to pray deeply for the work here.

One nice prayer spot

We don’t know what you think of when you think of prayer. There are lots of different perspectives on it. For some it is an occasional thing. For some it is something done in desperate moments of anxiety. For some it seems  a useless tradition. For some a form of meditation,  a daily ritual, a  good habit,  an important discipline, a life giving necessity, a powerful force, a connection to the Almighty, a conversation with a friend, a strategic work. Islanders usually see it as an obligation or  a way to acquire points to earn their salvation.

We leave this week with a new appreciation of how prayer not only binds us to our Creator, but can also bind us to other people. For those that prayed at home, for those that travelled to join us on the islands, we appreciate you as fellow labourers. There is much work to be done. Let’s keep praying!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We were very happy with how the week with the prayer team went. They all made it here eventually and we had some sweet times of fellowship. One the island sisters invited our whole team plus the whole group of visitors for a meal. It was a very generous gesture. We were also encouraged to see that this sister had taken in a daughter of the sister who left the island last week for the French island.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
The prayer team members are in transit. Pray that they would make it home safely and would remember the things they saw and experienced so they can share with people back home and get them praying too! The 12 days of prayer are almost over, but it isn’t too late to participate! Send us an email and we will send you information to inform your prayers. Even after the 12 days, if you want some detailed information to help you learn about and pray for the islands, then let us know! Pray for us as we enter another busy week— most of our team’s English teachers will be going to the big island for a conference in which Tom will give the keynote address. Pray for the travel as most will be traveling by boat with island teachers. Pray also for our Volcano Island colleagues who are busy preparing for this conference.