So Far...... ;0) / Trip to Mbeya

Hi All,

Thank you for continuing to pray for me and the people of Tanzania these last 7 weeks!! It has been phenomenal here. So far, I have gone to language school, attended a 2 week healing seminar (BTW: it has changed my outlook on life), begun teaching English at the women's center and I have learned how to sew. I am no "Martha Stewart" but I am doing quite well. :o) The main focus of the first two phases of my internship, language school and ministry at the women's center, has been about adapting to the culture and learning about the people. Now, hear me, it is difficult to to fully adapt to a culture in 3 months time, but I have become more accustomed to the way of doing things here. I have learned how to bargain in the markets, I have learned how to buy groceries here, I have learned certain nuances that should be followed between men and women and elders and youth. I have also become more comfortable with touch as the culture is very touch-oriented. You may see men walking hand in hand here with no connotation of homosexuality attached. It is a sign of close friendship and comfortability with one another...
I have also become better at communicating in Swahili though I am not fluent by any means... :o) Teaching the English class has helped because I have to used Swahili sentences and words in order to explain certain subjects. Moreover, I have learned to worship in Swahili and be free to praise as the Africans do!! It has been amazing.

Now, I am moving into the final phase of the internship. Ministry will be more intense. Friday, I will be leaving Moshi, Tanzania to join a team of missionaries involved in church planting. We will be going to Mbeya which is about 16 hours away from here. It is pretty close to where I attended language school. They will be conducting a pastors conference for more than 25 African pastors. This conference will be geared towards mobilizing the pastors to reach unreached people groups in Africa... so your prayers will be needed. Actually, I will be going to observe, learn, and to also pray earnestly for their success. Another missionary and I will attend some of the services but we are also designated as intercessors. We will be praying for the team as they conduct the conferences. Though I do not like to involve the enemy in my prayer, I know that he does not desire for the word of God to go forth. It is tantamount that we pray that the pastors and their families are protected and that the enemies plans will be confused and thwarted.

Please pray for the following:

• safe travels
• team cohesiveness, unity, and agape love
• the pastors to have open hearts to receive the Word with joy
• the translations from English to Swahili and that they would be accurate to convey exact meaning
• protection from illness
• the missionaries and that they would find a "man of peace" in each village to open the door for missionaries to come to them with the gospel
• whatever else comes to your heart....

Well guys, I have to go for now but I thank you and I love you all and I pray all of the Lord's abundant blessings over you... Be abundantly blessed with His peace, His joy, His love, His happiness, His all!!! Do you have room enough to recieve it yet? ... ;0) I still don't... it's "way" too much... It makes me smile just to think about it...

Mbarikiwe sana!! (You all be greatly blessed!!)

Sincerely,

April Nicole King

Healing Seminar

Well, all I can say is that the Lord is blessing me... I know I have mentioned this in other postings before now, but I didn't realize the Lord desired to work out fine details in my heart. These last two weeks, I have been attending a healing seminar everyday after sewing class and my English class... (BTW: I started teaching the English class b/c the women still desired to have it. That has been great as well. I am growing in my confidence as a teacher and in my ability to think in Swahili and articulate in Swahili. The women seem to understand as I search for words to explain English directions. I will tell you more about that later as we have just started.)

But in this healing seminar, I have learned how deal with the things of the past that may be a complete hindrance to my success and freedom in God in my present as well as future. Though the testimonies given by the church leaders and members during seminar are private, they have been amazing... trust me when I say it... AMAZING!! There are deep wounds within the hearts of God's people and if they are not taken care of, we will continue to act out of those wounded areas and may actually cause hurt to the people we love the most. Ask God to show you your woundedness, then ask for forgiveness of anything that He shows you that You need to repent of and then ask Him to heal those wounds by pouring in His anointing oil and wine. God is good and He is faithful!! He has healed past wounds in my life, in the lives of the families that I have met here and He will do the same for you. Be open and honest with yourself and ask Him to help you through it...

The ministers, as well as me, who attended the two week seminar have been trained to minister to emotional woundedness that people within the church may have. The ministers here have declared that their church will not be a wounded one so I ask that you all pray for healing in the hearts of the members of Maskani Yake... They would love to know that you are keeping them lifted in prayer.