And just like that, in the blink of an eye, the Gap Year has concluded. What an experience. Words cannot describe the gift this year has been. It is only fair that I share with you what the remainder of my time in Tanzania was like.
Our weeks were structured like I had shared before: trainings, devotionals, school outreaches, Bible studies, student Saturdays, and church! Halfway through March the students we regularly ministered to, went on break. Because of this we transitioned to doing innitiative evangelism at a university campus. We met so many young adults, and God used this time to push some of us out of our comfort zones and trust Him with language barriers. In that time around five university students came to know Christ. Praise God!
During those same weeks our leaders, Kathryn and Mackenzie, delegated their leadership responsibilities to us students. JP and Precious got to lead one week, and Megan and I another. Our roles included food and transportation budget, organizing trainings and Bible studies, finalizing any team decisions, and meeting with our director, Jill. In my personal opinion, I think we did a great job! We worked well as a team, called each other higher, loved first, and communicated constantly. This was an awesome experience. God used it to grow our appreciation for our leaders and increase our need to depend on Him.
During Easter weekend we attended a couple of church services and spent time in fellowship rejoicing over the cross.
Shortly after, Jill joined our team here in Tanzania to begin debriefing. In the mornings we would go and minister to our students at the secondary schools, and in the afternoons we had team meetings to process and reflect on the year and our transition back home. Jill held a training on one of the tools she has developed, called Global Start. She shared God’s heart for teenagers in ministry and practical ways to WIN, BUILD, and SEND young disciples. Around thirty to forty disciples came to this two-day training. We saw great fruit come from this as so many people left feeling incredibly encouraged.
While Jill was still here, God gifted us the opportunity to visit Zanzibar as a team for 24 hours. It was so beautiful!! We went to a spice farm and walked through Stone Town before coming back to mainland Tanzania. The pepper from Zanzibar is the best pepper in the entire world. It was absolutely delicious and I wish that everyone in the world could taste it.
After Zanzibar, Jill went back to the states and we concluded our last week of active ministry. Goodbyes were bitter sweet. We learned so much from the students here and I will definitely remember them. But I am so excited to be back home. Our last student Saturday was filled with sweet and encouraging words from the students as they shared how God has used us during our time here. One student even made drawings for us, and wrote a song and a poem sharing encouragements, truths, and farewells.
For Megan’s birthday we surprised her with a couple of days at Moshi, a town near Mountain Kilimanjaro. Megan is a lover of the mountains and it was so awesome to celebrate her in this way! She was so excited, she even did a little dance when she found out the big news. We did a hike to a waterfall in the valley, and learned to roast and brew coffee. We then visited a beautiful hot spring where we met some incredibly nice locals that coached us on doing a backflip off a swinging rope. We were never able to fully complete one LOL, but it was very fun. The people of this town were so sweet and hospitable. God used this to show us a new side of the Tanzanian culture that we had not experienced in the city. It was such a beautiful and fun couple of days. The creation of the Lord is incredible. It is mind blowing to think that we are the pinnacle of it all.
And just like that our three months in Tanzania are over, and the Gap Year has concluded. God is so good, His mercies are great, and His love is greater.
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
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Team Praises/Prayer requests:
Although we have gotten sick many times, the Lord has been faithful in healing us.
God has touched our hearts and many others during our time here in Tanzania.
Pray that we transition well into the next season of our lives.
Pray that God provides strong community as we go back home.