A few days in Kigoma

Habari! I am (very) slowly picking up some Swahili. The word for OK is “Sawa” which sounds a whole lot like “Sarah” when you say it fast. People say it a million times a day and I’m getting whiplash from thinking I’m being called all the time.

For the past few days we have been in Kigoma, preparing for kids camp and helping the Hope of the Nations staff prepare for a wedding. It’s been busy, but God has been good to us as a team. He has been our strength when we are hot and tired and has kept us from getting too sick. We’ve been able to serve as wedding musicians, waiters, decorators and clean up crew. I’ll write more about the wedding when I get back because it was definitely a cultural experience worth remembering!

This morning we went to church held at the Hope of the Nations primary school in Kamala. They had a bilingual service and we got to sing Nothing But the Blood of Jesus together in English and Swahili and it was so special. We’ve grown to love our new Tanzanian friends so quickly. It’s amazing how fast you can bond with people who speak another language and come from a completely different culture when you worship the same God together.

We had a little bit of rest time this afternoon at Jacobsen’s Beach. Lake Tanganyika is so huge it feels like swimming in the ocean. Right now we are waiting to board the Hope of the Nations boat which will take us 9 hours down the lake overnight to the village where we will be hosting Kid’s Club Camp. It’s a remote village with no electricity or running water so don’t panic if you don’t here from us for five days!