In everything there is a lesson to learn.

I want everyone to know that I AM PERFECTLY SAFE IN IRINGA, AFRICA. I also want to thank each of you who were preparing to send money in my time of distress. It’s good to know that “if” I am ever stranded somewhere people care enough to get me home.  Thank you for all your help and prayers during this time.

These last few days have been somewhat of a challenge.  You never realize how much you appreciate technology and communication until your thousands of miles away from everyone and have no way to communicate.  For those of you who may be unaware, a hacker invaded my email and facebook accounts.  They changed all my passwords to prevent me from gaining access.  Then they sent out emails to all my contacts, claiming to be me, asking for money to be wired to them.  If you got the email or fb message I do apologize.  Please re-friend request me on facebook.  It’s still Jill Carrie Bible through the Kingsport Network.  I have place my new email address on facebook so please shoot me an email so I can get your addresses.  Thanks again and sorry for the inconvenience.

My dad has taught me that in everything there is a lesson to learn.  And through my anger, confusion, and discouragement these last few days, these words have echoed in my heart.  When logging onto this blog to write a new update I re-read my previous blog.  Where would we be without forgiveness?  I hate that I have lost all my contacts and all the precious emails sent filled with words of encouragement, but I must love the person or persons that now has access to them.  I can be angry and discouraged or I can chose to forgive and love.  Hey, we’re all looking for something right? I’m encouraging each one of you to join with me and fervently pray for this hacker.  Ask God to deal with his or her heart.  Pray intently that they would find the mercy of the Father just as we have found his mercy.

“The prayers of the righteous are very affective..”  Who knows, this hacker may have just chosen the right people to ask from, and he may obtain a greater reward than he imagined.  

Love, 

Jill (the real Jill)

Where would we be without forgiveness…

Where would we be without forgiveness…

Yesterday on my way to teach the girls, I got pulled over, for absolutely NO reason.  The officer says “you will need to give me 20 dollars for having no drivers license.”  I get my license out and hand it to him. Then he says “you need to pay me 20 dollars because you don’t have a registration sticker.”  So I pointed to the clearly posted registration sticker on my front glass.  Big and Bold.  Then he says “well you have no car title.”  So I reach in my glove comp. and hand him the car title.  Then he says “you have no fire extinguisher,” which by law you must carry here.  So I open the back and show him my fire extinguisher then he says “this fire extinguisher hasn’t been inspected.  You have no sticker proving its been inspected so I’m giving you a ticket and you will need to give me 20 dollars.”  The people in Dar had thoroughly explained what I needed and what to do if I got pulled over.  So I was like “no I don’t need that.”  He says “yes you do.”  I said “I have been in Dar and Morogoro driving and even got my car inspected when I got my license there and they never mentioned it.  I’m not giving you 20 dollars.”  THAT WENT OVER WELL!!!  He said “well in Iringa it is the law I will show you.”  So he pulls out a notepad, mind you, where he has scribbled something with his own hand and says see here is the law book. 

So I was like “okay, that’s fair I want to obey the law so you write me the ticket and  I will take the 20 dollars to the police station.”  I knew he was lying and was going to keep the money for himself.  He got a little nervous at that and said “okay but if you take it the police station I will keep your license until you return.”  I knew better than that.  I would never see that license again.  They wouldn’t give it to me here in the first place I had to drive 5 hours to Morogoro to get it.  I said “no I know the law and I can’t drive around without a license.  That is against the law and I will get another fine.”  He says “but I am the police and I will keep it.”  I said “but what if I get pulled over by another police or what am I suppose to do at the station when they ask to see it and I don’t have it and I’m driving around without it I will have to pay more.”  He says “no I will call them and tell them I have it.”  I said “NO WAY.  I ‘m not leaving without my license.”  He said “well your not getting it until you pay me 20 dollars.”  I said “I’m not paying you 20 dollars how do I know you will give it to the police without a receipt.”  We went back and forth so I finally just turned my car off right there in the middle of the road and sat there.  I said “I can’t drive without a license it’s against the law so if I don’t have it I can’t drive. Quick thinking, I know. 

And I didn’t I sat there right in the middle of the road people had to go around me.  I literally sat there for over an hour.  But I was not leaving without that license.  I told him I would go to the police station and he could ride with me with the license.  We  were both over this little stand off.  I said “you hold the license but get in and ride with me to the station and I will pay the money.  He got in the car and then another police officer yelled something at him I didn’t understand and he got out and said “okay this time we will forgive you.”  He handed my license  back to me and said “again we will forgive you today but not next time.”  So I drove off WITH my license.  Ha

…Perhaps still sitting in the middle of the road.

But in all seriousness God has used this to bring some questions and some truth to mind.  Where would we be without forgiveness?  Where would our family relationships… our friendships… our marriages… and our ministries be without forgiveness?  Perhaps at a dead halt in the middle of the road of life.  ”Relationships do not thrive by the guilty being punished, but by the innocent being merciful.”

“To whom much is given much is required.”  We as the dearly beloved children of God have received much mercy.  Therefore let us always be known as mercy givers.  Thank you for your prayers of healing.  The Father has heard and answered on your behalf.

Love,

Jill

 

 

“For this is what the Lord has said…”

Hello Beloved,

  I apologize for not updating sooner.  As most of you have heard this last month has been full of challenging tests and trials.  I was down with malaria for three weeks, and am now recovering from a bacterial infection in my blood stream.  After three rounds and six different medications and  two doctor visits in two different cities I’m finally beginning to feel like myself.  Thank you so mush for lifting me up in prayer.  I can confidently say that it is your prayers and in God’s grace alone that I am finding healing.

  Not only has this past month offered many physical challenges but emotional and spiritual challenges as well.  When first arriving on the field I was on somewhat of a spiritual high.  However after settling in and getting in the routine of things I found myself gradually plateauing.  At some point between the endless rain, busy streets and crazy driving, never really knowing what anyone here is saying, continually finding bugs on me, my clothes, and my bed, being ran over by a bicycler, struggling to recover from malaria, and concluding that one more mosquito bite and I was packing my bags and heading home, I had become so focused on the storm around me that I was failing to look to the master of it.   And thus… beginning to sink in it.

  I found myself physically week, emotionally drained, and spiritually, dry.  I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.  I was beginning to really question why I had come, and if I could continue on.  I felt entrapped by the enemy and as if I couldn’t get beyond where I was.  But our God is faithful.  He always finishes what he starts.  One morning I felt the Spirit stirring up inside of me.  He beckoned me to rise, and to come and hear the word of the living God.  I got up and grabbed my bible, and he lead me to Isaiah 52.

“Awake, Awake O Zion, clothe yourself with strength.  Put on your garments of splendor.  O Jerusalem, the holy city.  The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.  Shake off your dust; rise up sit enthroned, O Jerusalem.  Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.  For this is what the Lord says; “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.”

  There will be days of test and trials.  Days we don’t feel like getting up or going on.  Days when it seems the enemy is singing over us a song of victory.  But let us never forget who we are.  We are the holy city, the beloved children of the living God.  We have been redeemed by his blood.  We are free in him.  We are victorious through him.  We will overcome by him.  Why?  “For this is what the Lord has said.”

 Thank you again for all your prayers.  Continue to pray for my health and more than healing ask that God would be glorified in this time of sickness and recovery.  That this would be a testimony to others that our God is the God of healing and whether through sickness or health or life or death… He is the one true living God.  The only life sustainer and heart fulfiller.  I love you dearly and miss you immensely.

“Praying for an open door…”

Friends and Family,

  Thank you so much for your prayers, especially during this time of language training.  Slowly but surely I’m  beginning to feel less and less like an outsider, and Iringa is feeling more and more like home.  I have completed week two of language school and still have a long way to go.  

  Many plans are in the works here in Iringa, and I’m asking you to join with me in prayer for discernment as to what the Father will’s. I have several opportunities that have presented themselves over the last week.  I have been asked to consider detouring from University ministries and focusing primarily on high school students.  There is an all girls school here in desperate need of both and English and health teacher.  Being that my background is in allied health, I have been asked to consider the position.  I would be teaching health as well as conversational English through Bible storying.  There are about 130 some young ladies here that I would have an opportunity to reach with varying backgrounds between Muslim, Animistic, and Christian religions.   

  I met with the dean of the school today, and there will be a meeting held tomorrow to see about going ahead and starting a weekly bible study with the girls.  If approved I will begin this next week.  Be much in prayer tomorrow over this meeting.  I was told today that there is great division between the Muslim and Christian girls.  They tend to stay segregated.  And when I use the term “Christian” there is still a lot of animism (ancestral and spirit worship that is applied to christianity here.)  Pray and ask God to open a door for me to enter, and that through this I would simply and boldly present the gospel in a manner that would be effective and efficient for all backgrounds.

  Also, while out in the village doing some bible storying, I began talking with one of the nurses from the local hospital.  After discovering my past work experience in radiology, she asked if I would consider working at the hospital in the x-ray department.  The previous technician just left, and they are in need of some extra help.  While this would be another good opportunity for evangelism, I want to proceed with much prayer, and be very cautious to wait on a word from the Father.  I am aware of the enemies temptation to become so busy that we neglect our primary calling which is… to be with Him.  ”And he chose twelve so that they would be with him and that he could send them out to preach.”

  Continue to pray for me that I would heed to the Father’s calling on my life, and that He would make clear to me the paths in which he would have us go.

“Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world!”

Beloved,

As difficult as this is to believe I am quickly approaching the first month mark of this particular journey. Time goes by so quickly. These have been some of the most exciting yet challenging weeks I’ve known. But one thing I stand more confident on than any other thing is that our God is able. Jehovah is His name and He will be exalted among the nations.

I write this now, with tears streaming down my face. I have been reminded this week of the great battle that we are in. The darkness is real, the enemy is powerful, and many live as enemies of the cross. We, as Americans, have been protected from exposure to so many things. Because we were founded on the truth of the gospel of Christ, and have refused to dabble much into witchcraft and demonic measures, God has placed a hedge around us… and we have been protected from many of the demonic forces. Beloved, in our blessed protection let us not become ignorant and fail to acknowledge the powers of darkness that be. Satan has such a stronghold here in Tanzania. There is great darkness here, and God is allowing me to personally witness the front line of the battle field on which we wage war.  

One of the young boys who is now a Christian, is the son of a witch doctor. When he was presented the gospel he wanted to accept. But he could not for the life of him say the name of Jesus. It brings truth to the the verse “If thou will confess with thy mouth that Jesus is Lord.” The spirits that had held him for so long would not allow him to confess the name of Jesus. He would try, and become almost week and sick from trying. The missionaries began praying for him diligently. Day by day would go by, but the spirits still had hold of him. After much intercessory prayer, he showed up one day and shouted with great joy “Jesus is Lord.” At his very words his body fail to the ground and he passed out. But healing had occured. Once he awoke he was no longer held in bondage. The demonic being was gone, and he now is a faithful follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only bondage breaker. And as mighty as the enemy is “greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.” Let us not take for granted the power that lies in the name of Jesus. But let us declare boldly with great confidence a God who is mighty to save. Let us pray with great perserverance. Let us raise up a battle cry and wage war for those who are snared. Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easliy entangles and let us finish strong the course to which we have been called.

“Living Simply So Others May Simply Live”

“The fool hath said in His heart there is no God.”

  Over a week ago, I made the drive from Dar to Iringa.  At first I was a bit hesitant to agree to this.  Iringa lies about 8 hours south west of Dar, and I was to follow a family driving my assigned vehicle.  It was quite the drive.  Bumpy roads, crazy drivers, some tough terrains and mountains, but to have the privilege to see so many different villages, plains, mountains, and wildlife… was indescribably enjoyable.  We drove right through a game park, where we stopped and took several pictures.  To behold the beauty of this land is to undeniably acknowledge the infinite wisdom and majesty of a creator.  I was reminded of the passage that states “the invisible things of God are made known through his creation so man is without excuse.”  He cannot be denied!

  I have just finished up my second week in Iringa, Africa.  The first week was relaxing.  The missionaries here were very kind and hospitable.  They insured that I was acquainted with the town and the people and that I had everything I needed.  I’m staying at one of the m.’s houses now.  She has meeting all month so I won’t meet her until February.  Once she returns we will house shop for me and my future teammate Emily Harris.  Emily will join me, here in Iringa, in April.  She begins training in FPO tomorrow so please be praying for her.

The temperature here in Iringa is very pleasant.  It’s  the rain season now so it feels and looks a lot like spring.  The town is very busy and the markets are very crowded, not anything compared to Dar of course.  I’m beginning to find my way around.  I’ve driven throughout the town several times, and just the other day went walking by myself to get a feel for the city.  

This was my first week of language school.  I have a personal tutuor and classes go from 8-12:30 every morning.  I also have about two hours worth of homework each night.  This experience has reminded me how poor of a student I am.  I hate to study so it’s requiring a lot of discipline.  I know to be affective, it is crucial that I get this language.  So I’m asking you to pray for discipline and wisdom throughout the remaining 14 weeks of school.  Know that you are being prayed for as well.

God reminded me this morning of the need to begin diligently searching out an unreached people group.  It’s time to fervently pray in regard to this.  Ask God for direction and wisdom as we seek His face in which people group he wills for us to adopt.  I love you dearly, and miss you madly. ” Praise God for He has done great things for us.”