Sharing the Gospel

This past week we had a break down of the Gospel. I have been teaching on Business as a Mission for the past month and was getting a lot of questions that made me think that maybe their idea of the Gospel isn't quite clear and that maybe even some of them didn't know it at all. So, Screech!!!! I put on the breaks and took a few steps back. I began to think about how to share it without making it long complicated and more confusing. It's not that i think the Gospel is confusing but translating it into a different language in a different culture isn't always easy. I have had many, MANY misunderstandings the past 4 years i have been here.

First of all we bought Bibles. My friend Kendall and I ( we went through Teen Challenge together) got all excited about sharing this important story with our women. We bought Bibles, found a new believers Bible Study and Prayed for about a week that God would open their hearts.

We met last week and just shared our heart. I told them what Jesus did for me and what he is still doing everyday. I gave Bibles to Muslims who were excited to hear more and we had ladies sharing what God means to them. Afterwards we prayed. I asked if any had prayer requests and they laughed as they all put their hands up as if saying "who doesn't?"

This is what it's all about. I work so hard to make a quality sandal, manage our employees, work on contracts and job descriptions but this is the real work, the work that will really transform these women and their families.

Dog Goes to Church!

Last Sunday I woke up with an overwhelming feeling that I just wanted to stay home, skip church and relax. I have a friend visiting from the US and we had been running around all week. I had my personal devotions which talked about how important fellowship with the saints is and that going to church puts us in community with other believers and it's important for our "walk" with Him. Ok! So I started feeling a bit convicted. I said my apologies and prayed for forgiveness and asked if He could help me to become more disciplined. Then Kendall, my friend from home and I took my new puppy on a walk. As we were walking through the village a woman flagged us down and in her best English invited us to come into her church. We tried to argue that we had our dog and we were on our way for a walk but her smile was so sweet and the invitation was so heart warming that we couldn't say no. We walked in to find this broken down one room shack made into a tiny church full of children. Now, children in Tanzania are terrified of dogs so the fact that we walked in with one was more then some of them could take. We sat down in the back and expected to hear complete Swahili coming from everyone and not  understand most of what was going on but to my surprise the pastor spoke wonderful English. He explained to us that this was the children's service and that we were most welcome, so we stayed. There we sat, two church skippers, with a dog, in a service we should not have been able to understand hearing and receiving the Word of God. I walked out of there feeling so loved by my Savior. He heard my cry earlier about missing church, He excepted by apology and then found a way to show me He was thinking of me and was providing me with all I need. Thank you Jesus for making me feel so very special.