Tanzania! DML

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We stood on the roof of the Cate Hotel in Morogoro, Tanzania, in awe of the Uluguru Mountains and centuries old Baobob trees with trunks large enough to carve a house out of. We praised and thanked God for bringing us to Tanzania, East Africa! We met new people, cultures and shared a love for making disciples in the Lord Jesus Christ! We were there for our Discipling Marketplace Leaders Global summit! 

This was our first time gathering with the rest of the DML team from around the world. We spent the week together sharing how the Holy Spirit is working with us to make disciples in the marketplace. We celebrated our diverse countries, and tribes. We sang in so many different languages to praise our living God! We ended the week with a trip to the Mikumi National park, admiring God’s great creation observing elephants and lions! A beautiful reminder, to love what God has left for us. 

We also shared our challenges and laments at our summit. The hardships of living in a fallen world. Six years of civil war in Cameroon, kidnappings in Nigeria, terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, prolonged drought in Tanzania and Kenya. The economic hardship of inflation felt globally. Corruption in our governments, and schools that lack the resources needed to educate. These are constant hardship that affect our lives in all areas. During our morning devotionals, we were given time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for His spirit of wisdom and revelation based on our theme found in Ephesians 1:17 –23. Jari and I left Tanzania with new eyes, new ears, and hearts full of the love we received from our Discipling Markeptlace Leaders family. Our God is good! Halleluiah!

DML Implementing Partners
    We flew back to Grand Rapids, Michigan after our summit. We were greeted by snow and cold wind, a sharp contrast to Tanzania! We arrived in time to spend Thanksgiving with our families, after two years apart due to the pandemic. As we met with friends we can feel many here in Michigan are still recovering from the pandemic. There seems to be a spirit of confusion, which causes us to give into fear. Covid was a hard shaking of the Church worldwide. The shaking amplified cultural battles in society which cause division. We must stay focused on Jesus Christ. The Word of God is cross cultural. The Bible knows no borders. In our teachings in Nicaragua we know this is true. The cultural myths concerning money in Nicaragua are the same in the United States, and on the African continent! These myths are a problem of sin in how we administer the resources we have been given.

    How de we remain focused on Jesus Christ? In DML we call on Christians to remember and act out their roles as priests. Everywhere a Christian goes he or she has the capacity to proclaim the excellencies of God! This applies to our daily work. We live out our faith by demonstration. 

    For whom do we do this priestly work? For Jesus Christ, to honor and glorify His name so that everyone will know Him.
    
    To whom do we do this priestly work? To our neighbors, our coworkers, and even the animals and plants in our care! We make disciples of those we serve by obeying the great commandments of Jesus Christ. As a priest burns incense to fill a church with a pleasing aroma, we do our work as worship unto God. 
Jari and Rachel

Perhaps you have heard of the expression work as worship, perhaps not. When we talk about our work as being worship to God what does that mean?

    Work as worship is happiness and joy, a celebration in our work! It is an attitude towards God and working. I know it is not always easy to celebrate our work. Being far away form loved ones the last six years has shown Jari and I that we need God’s presence in our daily lives, especially in our work! We display God’s love with our attitudes. Like the priests who burn incense for a pleasing aroma, we ask what fragrance are we spreading with our attitudes? Aromas of the world around us, or the sweet fragrances of Jesus Christ?

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. -2 Corinthians 2:14

December is when we begin to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We let the world know a savior was born to us, a gift from God born in a humble place. Who later died on a cross for our sakes, so we can be reunited with God our Father. If you believe this like we do, than be the sweet aroma of Jesus Christ in everyplace. Making disciple in work, government, business, and schools! I pray we can celebrate God with our attitudes in December and also in the coming year! It was lovely to see you after being apart for so long. Our God is Good!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Location: Morogoro, Tanzania

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