He is the Rock

Today I sat down and was reading through my devotional. I came across Psalm 62. One part that really stuck out for me was this:

"I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him. He alone is my rock and salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken ... My victory and honour come from God alone, He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge." vs. 1-2, 7-8

In Bulima, where I spent the Christmas holidays, we went for a walk on the Tuesday morning. As we walked, we made our way up a large hill and at the top of the hill there was a rock. I was touched as we sat there, in the quietness, just with how the Lord truly is in control. He is our Rock and something that I can build my entire life on. I can trust in Him. The verse focuses on how He is a rock where no enemy can reach us. How crucial! There are going to be days when I am tempted and the enemy tries to steal me away, but I know and can go back to that spot on that day, knowing that He was the rock that I was sitting on and the Rock that I can be confident in.

I want to ask whoever is reading this to pray for the spiritual warfare that is going on right here in Tanzania. Being a nurse is a wonderful gift, something that I am very thankful to be passionate about, but there are a lot of issues surrounding health and well being here. Many people due to cultural ties etc, often find themselves going to a witch doctor to heal their ailments. As we were driving back I was really drawn to praying for the people, the communities, the witch doctors, the families that are so intertwined in witchcraft, that they feel they can't escape. Please pray with me. It is very hard to understand how Satan works and how he takes people away, misguiding and destroying their lives. It makes me very sad and I think that as I get more and more involved in International Nursing and living elsewhere (other then North America) this is something that I will have more and more contact with. Pray for understanding and for confident hope in the Lord, who is my Rock, my Salvation. I can trust in Him. May He open my eyes to His power and control.

~Erin

Merry Christmas!

With just five days till Christmas, I sit at my desk and think about all that has happened so far. What a blessing friendship has been over the last two months. The Lord has provided for me in so many ways, I am thankful each and every day. I continue to develop a relationship with the Tans, volunteers with the CRWRC also living on the same compound, AICT. Yesterday we hosted a Christmas party for several young Tanzanian people that live on our compound. We had over 25 people in the house, singing Christmas carols, eating snacks and celebrating the birth of our Saviour. Developing relationships with people here in Mwanza has been a blessing. Language still remains a barrier, but a smile and enthusiasm goes a long way in creating trust in people. Sometimes coming from another country may seem as a setback, but I am able to walk around the Makongoro compound and from a distant I receive waves and smiles from young and old, knowing that it is Monica walking to work in the morning or out to the dala dala stop for a trip to the market. You may be wondering what I mean by Monica. Once I arrived in Mwanza, another CRWRC staff suggested to use my middle name instead of Erin, as it may be too hard to say for some Tanzanian people, and what a blessing it has been. The name Monica rolls off the tongue of many Nationals and almost sounds like people sing my name when they see me. Today, for instance, Margaret, Gordon and I went to the fundi (a seamstress) to pick up a few skirts that we got made and they remembered us, and had a huge smile on their face as they literally sang my name, “Monica, Karibu sana!” Even though my network here in Mwanza may be small, we walk down to the market and often find a familiar face and with the openness and welcoming attitude of so many of the Tanzanian people, a conversation begins and we exchange kind words! It is a wonderful feeling to be able to interact with people here, with people that the Lord has created to be unique and beautiful. As I get to know more and more people here, I am encouraged by their hospitality and generosity. Thank the Lord for the wonderful example that Tanzanian can be to everyone. This afternoon, the Tans and I were invited to a co-worker’s house for lunch. We had a great visit and were able to again experience the loving kindness of people here in Mwanza.
I want to wish everyone back home, friends and family, a blessed Christmas. This year will be quite different and I pray that the Lord will use this time to challenge me to really focus on the true meaning of Christmas, despite being away from family and loved ones. The Lord sent His Son to earth to save us all, so that we can share His Good News all over the world, stretching to each and every nation, each and every tribe, each and every people. This Christmas may you experience the gift of Jesus in your life, may you practice generosity and hospitality like many Tanzanian people do, and may you be filled with the love of the Lord. Blessings from Mwanza to you.
“For nothing is impossible with God,” Luke 1:37

Some pictures from the last few months!

Here are links to some pictures from the last few months. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43440&l=a2336&id=509603902

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48714&l=baac8&id=509603902

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49922&l=12af9&id=509603902

Email Issues

I am very sorry for anyone who has been trying to send emails through to my account this week. I do really appreciate recieving emails and love to hear how everyone is doing at home, and this past week I tired to switch my email system. I ended up forwarding all the messages from my email account to an incorrect account. So for the past week, I have been forwarding emails to an account that did not exsist. Due to my Internet issues, if you are able to switch my email contact information that would be great. Now I will be using erin.carter86@gmail.com. I am so sorry for the confusion! Thank you to everyone for all your prayers and encouragement. This week has been challenging and I continue to learn new things every day. Praise the Lord for those trails that I mentioned in my previous post. He continues to strengthen us during those times. Blessings during this joyous season!

Much to share!

It has been over a week since I posted last, and much has happened. God is good!The week began with new neighbours moving into the area, the Tans. They are 6 month volunteers with CRWRC, coming from Alaska. We will be working together in the same area, which is a huge blessing. We have spent much time together already and enjoy each other’s company. Now going to the market and town does not require a call to the taxi or several days of prior arrangement. Friendship is also a wonderful addition!

Work is going well. Right now I am involved in working with the staff at the inpatient unit. It is a ward of up to 30 patients at a time. Often, due to the shortage in staff, there is only one nurse working for the whole ward. Needless to say, there are days when we will both be very busy. I am really enjoying getting to understand more and more about the diseases and medications that they use in this part of the world. I have benefited from the fact that the charts the staff write in are documented in English. This has helped me understand some of the history behind each patient and the treatment regimens. Since everything still remains quite new, I am asking a lot of questions and I know that right now this is how the Lord is using me in the clinic. I am asking some of those “why” questions, right now out of naivety, but am also helping clarify some of the treatments that the doctors are prescribing. It has been a sharp learning curve as at the beginning everything was new, but now that I have become more familiar with the illnesses like malaria. Everyone at the clinic is welcoming and I have enjoyed creating relationships with some of the staff. This coming weekend the Nursing Officer has invited Margaret and Gordon and myself to her house. What a blessing! Please pray for the patients that I will care for while I am working at the health centre. Pray for their families and the trails that they also go through as family members may pass away or have to deal with the disparities of debilitating diseases. Pray for understanding as I am unable to communicate well with many of the patients, pray for guidance and perseverance on days when I am frustrated with the language barrier. Pray for the staff as they too have to deal with pressures from work and home life.

I have gotten into good a routine here. Days are filled with trips to the local market where we spend most of the time trying to communicate and understand what the seller is saying. Each time it gets better! Even starting to barter down prices that seem high. Bei kubwa! (Too much) Punguza! (Reduce) I have started also washing clothes by hand, wow I don’t know how people wash all of their clothes, by the time I get one towel washed, I am exhausted. I am learning quickly! Cooking dinners has been exciting as now the Tans and I will be splitting that job. Will be nice to have them over to my place and share time in fellowship together. Lunch has been a wonderful culture experience as I go to an African family’s house, just behind the health centre. I have been welcomed in to their home and enjoy learning new Swahili words for my 30 minute break. We have had wonderful times of laughter and enjoy learning new things about each other. Right now all of the children are home from school, so it has been busy as they have nine children under the age of 24! A full house for the Christmas season. Getting into the Christmas spirit has been quite different this year, but last Friday there was a missionary fellowship and being surrounded by others all singing Christmas carols was a wonderful treat! The Tans and I hope to head up to another friend’s place for about a week to celebrate such a wonderful time of year! Snow, cold weather, and a Christmas tree aren’t what make this time of year so special. Spending time with friends and remembering the reason for the season will be what we focus on this year. It will be hard to be away from my family, but I know that the Lord will provide during those harder times. And a phone call home on the 25th will help!

Today I was reading through Romans and came across a verse that I had memorized with my small group all the way back in high school. Amazing how the Lord reminds us of parts of the Bible later on in our life – Praise the Lord!“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with love.” Romans 5:3-5I know that there are going to be problems and trials in the future. I have experienced some since I have come here, but I am confident in the Lord that He will use those times to work on me. I pray that I will be open to His working in my life so that I too can develop endurance that will strengthen my character and eventually lead to confident hope in salvation! Praise the Lord - Amen! Bwana asifiwe – Amina!