Sunday go to meetin!

Early day this morning…….7:00 call (to be on the road) to the Church across the street from the Tanzania Christian Clinic. The only problem we had was that our driver had NO idea where we were going. He had not heard of the Tanzania Christian Clinic nor had any of the other drivers he asked! We set out for town and he stopped at one point to ask a local pedestrian directions. The pedestrian sent us to the local hospital. Hmmmm……what to do? I then remembered that we had purchased the International Data Plan thru AT&T and quickly looked up the Cliniscon the internet thru my iPhone! Yes! Modern technology to the rescue……..off to Ngaresh Juu we went! Ngaresh Juu is a rural village right outside of Arusha. The nearest town is Monduli, about 6 km away. On this trip I have wondered why we all don’t use the same standards of measurement.

 As we neared the town, we still didn’t have the exact address of the clinic so our driver asked a woman walking on the street. She actually got in our van and showed us the way. Our van weaved thru a rural road with Maasai villages on each side. Finally, we came to a gated area with a lovely home on the right (kind of American, but still African in style). We knew we were at the right place.  
 

 

Lazarus, our driver, honked twice and the gatekeeper opened the gate to ask what we needed. The clinic is actually closed on Sunday so we were not expected. Our timing was perfect as a gentleman, a college student and two children came walking towards us. We met Dr. Danny Smelser and he had us join him across the “street” for church in what has become a familiar structure! The only difference today was the goats and chickens that worshiped with us.

 

Danny and Nancy Smelser are an incredible couple that everyone should meet! Dan is an MD., a graduate of Alabama State (Roll Tide), worked in the ER in Kansas, and has wanted to be a missionary since he was young. He has a warm and peaceful presence and a wonderful sense of humor! Nancy is a Registered Nurse, has a Masters in Nursing and a PhD. in Education and has that warm friendly southern accent (sounds just like Paula Dean). SHE IS A HOOT! Nancy also dreamed about being a missionary from a young age. Please go to their website and check out this their vision of the Tanzania Christian Clinic. www.tanzaniacc.org
It’s by far the most compelling movement we’ve seen yet! More to come about the clinic tomorrow!

As we entered, hymns were being sung in Swahili. The wooden pews were filled with men and women from the Maasai villages. The children were precious……..one came and sat right next to me and stayed with me thru the whole service. She liked the acrylic on my nails and especially my yellow high-lighter that I used to underline Scripture. She kept popping the cap on and off right next to my ear.

 

 

 

Mitch was asked to give the message (on the spot). Good thing he is ALWAYS READY TO GIVE ACCOUNT. It was a perfect message for all of us to hear! God does not choose by outward appearance but looks at the HEART! He told the story of how God chose David to be the next king. I could see many listeners connecting by the nodding of their heads throughout the sermon.
One of the things that stood out to me (well two things) was how the different elements of this service were led by different “parishioners.” That word is so formal and actually sounds ridiculous in this setting! One stood and prayed, one led the hymns, one led communion, one prepared the elements, two gave the teaching, and many asked questions after the sermon for more understanding.

The second thing that is etched in my memory is the singing of the hymns in both Swahili & English. There were wonderful harmonies and such joy in our worship. I loved that we had “song books” in both languages. Swahili is not too hard to read and follow and it really helped that the hymns were in their actual tune! Even today, three days later, I am singing “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” We sang all 4 verses of every hymn. It reminded me of how much I love the hymns and how much depth and meaning they have!

After the service, we went up to the clinic to leave the bags of medicine that we brought. The Smelsers invited us to lunch in town and off we went. To my surprise, we turned into a place with a big sign that said SNAKE PARK. Danny & Nancy informed us that this place was where the locals come for a great burger (beef not snake thank goodness - actually, who knows....it didn't actually taste like beef that we know....but it was good!).

Another couple and their children accompanied us. They were missionaries praying about the possibility of coming to Tanzania on assignment permanently. They were a very interesting family! Originally from Memphis, they had been in Milan, Italy as missionaries for 13 years. Tammy, the wife, was a registered nurse, and Lewis, her husband had just finished his M-div in Ministry. Tammy was a 4th generation missionary and all of her brothers and sisters were on the mission field. Lewis’s parents were missionaries. They said it was in their genes…….WOW, what a testimony of passing an incredible legacy on to the next generation!

 Charlotte, a student from Auburn University, also joined us. She is staying with the Smelsers for the summer to get some work experience in the clinic as the Pharmacist. She was a darling young person with a passion for missions and people! I’m so glad we got to meet her!

 After a wonderful lunch, and great conversation with the Smelsers, we parted ways and made our plans to return tomorrow for our DAY AT THE CLINIC. We could hardly wait to see God at work in this clinic thru the staff! It’s hard to believe we will be finishing out time here tomorrow! 16 days has flown by!