Patterns….

Sorry I haven’t been on for a while. Here is one of my holiday adventures. Enjoy!

Recently I have noticed a very interesting pattern being developed in my life. It seems that every time I travel something seems to go “wrong”. It might mean the Land Cruiser getting stuck in a river. The alternator going out on an airplane (although I found out one doesn’t really need the alternator or radio power to fly). Or the most recent was getting a boat stuck in the middle of the ocean. During my break in Mombasa I was able to do some snorkeling with a family I was traveling with. We decided one day to hire a local boat to take us to the reef- not a problem- so we thought. We had a fantastic time under the water and after a couple of hours the winds were picking up so we got back into the boat to head back to the main island. The captain wanted to give us a sailing experience so he dawned his sails and away we went. The only problem was that he misjudged the tide and before we knew it we were stranded in the water with our boat going nowhere. We didn’t have a lot of options: wait 6 hours for the tide to change, or walk a “short” distant to the closet island to catch a boat back to the main island. Our trusty captain assured us that it was just around the first bend. So we gathered all our supplies (several baskets, cooler, and snorkeling gear), three kids, and started wading through the water to the island being careful not to step on the sharp sea urchins. After about three bends and about two hours walking in the blazing sun we finally neared land. It took us over two and a half hours to get to the island, but was an adventure needless to say and we found another boat and made it safety back to our vehicle. The family I was with joked that they would think twice before traveling with me and I can’t say I don’t blame themJ. But this pattern in my life made me think about other patterns in one’s life. Sometimes the patterns are good, but sometimes patterns that are set aren’t so good. Often times these negative patterns bring down many people around us including ourselves. Through much observation I have come to notice that the best pattern setter is Jesus Christ. I have been studying the gospels lately and have truly been encouraged by the patterns in Jesus’ life. He is always compassionate, kind, and loving. He is consistent and never changes. His love is consent and true. He is patient and willing to wait for us to understand. His patterns in life are ones that I desire to imitate, but recognize that only by His strength and power can I live like Him. But one must also recognize the negative patterns they have started in their lives and take the steps to changing those patterns. This is not always an easy experience. It may mean changing a mind set, language, or maybe even actions whose negative patterns have caused much damage. Praise the Lord we don’t have to do this alone! Christ is waiting to hold our hands and guide us today in new patterns that will bring HIM glory and honor. Are there patterns you need to change today? Seek HIM and be filled by His guidance.
“The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace.” Psalm 29:31
“When Jesus Landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” Mark 6:34

Traveling Praises

Hi Everyone-

Just wanted to write a quick post to thank you all for your prayers for safe traveling and shopping. Traveling is going well and I am currently in Kenya. We were able to get alot of shopping done in just a couple of days in Uganda with about 9 hour days not an easy task to say the least but text book and school supplies are purchased. We are in Kenya finishing up shopping and will start holiday in a couple of days- watch out coast here we come! Continue to pray for safe traveling the roads are rough and that all our supplies reach Sudan in a timely fashion. Thinking and praying for each one of you this Christmas Season- God bless- Tara

December 2008 Update

Tara’s African Adventures- December 2008
“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase me honor and comfort me once again. I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, Oh my God.” Psalms 71: 20-22
GOD is MY HEALER…..This last month God has impressed on my heart how he is my healer and how he has restored my life again. Coming back to Sudan has filled my heart with many emotions, some expected some not. PEACE- overwhelmed me the moment I arrived in Goli- what a sense of healing and renewal from before. But surprising enough there was some pain I also had to process through from previous situations in Sudan. But as the Psalms said God increased my honor and comforted me once again. What an amazing healing process to see God and friends here in Sudan come along side of me as I worked through some difficult emotions. But God has made me stronger through this time and has held me in his peaceful arms and for that I am so thankful. My prayer today is that in your pain and struggles you can also come to God and allow him to be your healer and comforter and restore you once again!
TRANSISTION…..This last month has also been filled with much transition and trying to figure out my place again here in Sudan. There have been many new things that I have had to deal with that have surprised me, but also has been a joy. I have spent the last 6 weeks writing out the policies and procedures for the new Emmanuel Christian Academy. My goal has been to get the heart of the school down on paper. This has taken much thought regarding, rules, procedures, and job descriptions. My official role consists of Head Teacher. This means I will be responsible for teaching second and third grade, as well as, following through with the management of the school. Some of my roles will include making sure policies are implemented, observing and supporting teaching staff, and teaching P2 and P3 students, just to name a few. The staff is very excited about the beginning of this school on January 22, 2009- please continue to be in prayer with us!
NATIONALS…..Many of you have prayed that I would connect with Nationals. Well, God has quickly answered that prayer as I have made many friendships with the local ladies working in the kitchen. The moment I entered this compound I saw a HUGE need for someone to connect with these young ladies. I have enjoyed trying to increase my Arabic skills while washing dishes and just spending time with these girls. Pray for direction and guidance in these relationships that God will open the door for me to have a Bible Study with these ladies.
HOLIDAY and MORE….. This last weekend I had the privilege to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with local AIM (Africa Inland Mission) missionaries in Torit, Sudan. It was a time of blessing as we came together to encourage one another. Look on the blog for pictures of Thanksgiving dinner and our wonderful Ginger Bread houses! I will be spending the next several weeks traveling. Some will be fun and some will include work. This next week I am in Uganda shopping for school supplies. Not an easy task. Then I will travel with a missionary family to the Kenyan Coast for Christmas and will eventually make it back to Uganda to participate in an AIM retreat. Looking forward to get recharged before the crazy school year begins.
Praises to PRAYER:
MALARIA- God has healed our staff and students of Malaria and all are doing MUCH better.
JOY- I recently saw my friend JOY from last year, we prayed a lot for her as she was VERY sick with the birth of her first child. She is doing SO much better and thanks everyone for their prayers, the baby is due in December please continue to pray!
NATIONALS- I have been able to build a lot of friendships with the local ladies that work in the kitchen, continue to pray that God will give me opportunities to share HIS truth with them!

Prayer NEEDS:

TRAVELING: Please pray as I will be traveling for the next 6 weeks for safety and good health.
SHOPPING: Pray for Maretha and myself as we have much shopping to do in the next week for the school, pray that we find what we are looking for and can get it easily transported to Sudan.
EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: Continue to pray for the staff families the next month as they are taking the steps to relocate their families to SUDAN, this is a HUGE commitment and needs LOTS of prayers! The families have had many recent concerns about moving. Pray that God will be glorified in this SCHOOL.
SCHOOL DETAILS: Pray for the school as there as still lots of details that need to be figured out before we officially start. Pray for good relations with the educational director in Yei that we can complete all the needed requirements and that buildings can be completed as well.

Many God pour His blessings on you this Christmas Season. Know I love each one of you dearly. Thanks for all the emails and thoughts, keep them coming.

Lots of LOVE-
Tara

TIS the SEASONS…..

I celebrated with lots of other AIM missionaries…..

Yummy Thanksgiving meal complete with: chicken, salad, mashed and sweet potatoes, rolls, green bean hot dish, stuffing, and pies!

Here is me, Ashley, and Brynne with our fantastic Ginger Bread House!

This is our award winning Ginger Bread house… doesn’t it make you think of Christmas!

Under the Mango Tree….

Under the Mango Tree……..
“We are marching, marching, marching in the light of God…..” The song resonated through the mango trees this morning as the graduates and staff walked under the canopy in their brightly colored ropes. Their faces were filled with joy, hope, and excitement for the future. I sat in amazement as I heard future pastors and leaders share their hearts with the people assembled. This was truly a miracle to witness the graduation of these pastors and teachers. They are the next leaders of the future believers in Southern Sudan- praise the Lord for the work he is doing! Open Doors have trained over 70,000 pastors worldwide through their many training colleges, Emmanuel Christian Training Centre included. I wish each one of you were there to witness this ceremony it went on in true African order. Surprisingly the program started in a timely matter although throughout it they continued to set up chairs and seat people. It was like I was a fly on the wall I was watching and listening to the ceremony but in the background and sometimes right in front of the speakers’ people would walk through with chairs, babies, and gifts to be seated in the “right” section. Everyone is given proper distinction. Whether you are a pastor, villager, NGO, or staff member you had your designated seating arrangement and it was VERY important that you sit in that location. Despite the consistent buzz in the background everything was okay it was almost expected that people arrive late, but the program continued on. My heart was continually touched by the actions and words of people around me. There was shouting, dancing, and plain craziness when the graduates were awarded their diplomas- this was NOT a normal American graduation ceremony. But each one of them had a right to rejoice they had worked hard and were celebrating the fact that they were committed to the spreading of the Word of the God. There was lots of shouting and rejoicing from me too- I was so happy for each one of them. After many speeches, special choirs, and the handing out of diplomas it was time to celebrate in a true African manner- FOOD! The ladies in the kitchen had been preparing for days for this AMAZING meal and was estimated that they served close to a 1,000 people! Not an easy task over wood fires, big pots, and steaming hot weather! We were blessed with fresh vegetables, fruit, beans, rice, porsha, soda, and LOTS of MEAT- you name it they serve it. They had specially gotten several very LARGE cows for the occasion. I hear the intestines and stomach is the best part, I decided to leave that for the more distinguished guestsJ. The day was full of blessings and joy and I was more than honored to share in this special occasion. Enjoy the picturesJ.