Arusha Unfolds Saturday March 13, 2010

This morning for the first time since I arrived, I saw Arusha. When I arrived here it was night and today was the first offered excursion. I didn’t know what to expect because the grounds and facilities here at the school have been so different than any other area I have been in Africa. As we pulled out of the campus gate onto the road I realized immediately it was nothing like the campus, because the first thing I saw was a man carrying a load of stalks of some sort on his head. Then there were the children minding the cows on the side of the roads and women walking with all sorts of things on their heads. As we drove by field after field there were workers bent over in the heat of the day working diligently.

The drive to the town of Arusha was about a half hour from school. No where along the way did I see any huts. Most all of the structures I saw were block or wood and a power line ran along the highway. It was clear that this area is more advanced than Busia. When we arrived in town and departed the bus, we were bombarded with local people hassling us to buy their goods. This has been the case everywhere I’ve been and I must admit it is not a pleasant experience. You don’t want to be rude, but there will be 4 or 5 at one time surround you.

The bus dropped us off at the book shop as most of us needed books for school. As I was going in a young man introduced himself as Robert. He had some things he wanted me to look at in hopes I would buy something. I told him that I was there to shop for the book I needed for class. He was very polite and told me he would wait for me to finish. For any of you who know me well, you know I have a deep passion for books. To be in a book shop in a different country was amazing, so I thought this guy has no idea how long I will be in this shop. He will be gone when I am finished.

I am sure you have already guessed that when I came out, he hadn’t left. He asked once again for me to look at his paintings, and once again I told him I was not interested. I told him that I was only here to see Arusha and not to shop for anything other than the book I’d just purchased. So, he changed his tactics and decided that I needed someone to protect me.

By this point this young man had been very nice, polite and considerate, and I truly laughed at his persistence. So, I told him that he could walk with me if he would teach me about his culture. He said, “You mean you don’t want to visit any shops for purchases?” I said no, I want to see how people here live and be able to understand more of Africa. I told him what I am doing in Uganda and why the information would be valuable to me. At this point everything changed this young man became a delight and joy to be with.

Now here I am again telling you that this amazing sense of peace and no fear is so a God thing.  Robert took me to the people of Arusha. He protected every step I took from clearing trash or anything I might trip over out the way, to showing me how to wear my sling bag so no one could steal it. He taught me how to tell the difference in a person in need and a person with greed.

He taught me how to look at situations like which Mothers with children need the most help. He helped me understand why there are Mothers on the streets with children. He shared that just like all over the world, a young woman makes a mistake with her boyfriend and finds herself expecting a child. He said when the boyfriend finds out about the child, he leaves the girl. When the baby comes, there are those who come in the beginning, neighbors or someone who knows her circumstance and they help her a few days, then she is left on her on. The days she has help she has regained some strength and she has been given food, but then the food runs out and she finds herself starving. She is not able to produce milk the baby needs and she does the only thing she can do to get some money, which ultimately leads to another child being born. Every street we walked down had homeless Mothers with their babies. Oh, what a helpless feeling it was for me.

In the 3 hours he walked with me and shared about life here, I learned more about the culture, etc than I have since I first began to learn about Africa. I will never forget Robert and I ask that you pray and ask God to bless him and his family for his kindness to me. He and his wife have 2 little boys who are just getting over Malaria, so please pray for them to recover completely.

When I got back on the bus I knew I had just experienced a divine appointment. When we returned back to the campus and began our dinner, I listened as all of these people who were on the same streets I was on never saw the hurting. They talked of the shops and the goods they purchased and my heart broke.

Love to all.

Robert, my guide for Arusha

Arusha National Park & Laundry Sunday March 14,^, 2010

I’ve been here 11 days and I’ve just discovered what I miss the most of the material things of home is my washer and dryer. I’ve adjusted well to remembering to bring water from the cafeteria in a container each day that I can brush my teeth with. 11 days and I haven’t turned the tap on yet, so I haven’t had to throw any toothbrushes away! I’ve adjusted to eating potato’s and beans twice a day and have been introduced to some ways of cooking potato’s as well as different kinds of beans so the adjustment hasn’t been too hard. I have adjusted to sleeping in the heat with no air conditioning and because of that I have learned to appreciate the sounds of nature at night. So, thus far I can say there have been good things come from the adjustments. Yet, I just washed 11 days of clothes by hand and tried to find some way to keep them in my tiny bathroom to dry! Now I know that eventually I will have good things come from this too, but just at this moment I just can’t think of any! HaHa

Tonight is the ending of a wonderful weekend. Today 8 of us from different Kiswahili courses took a trip to Arusha National Park which is 20 minutes from the school, and is home to Mount Meru. What an incredible adventure! We spent 6 hours driving through the mountain type roads in the park, it was amazing.  In several different parts of the park you could see Mount Kilimanjaro in all its majesty. So regal above everything else covered in snow.

When my children were growing up we loved to go ride through the mountains on the dirt roads. Especially just above Helen, Georgia where there is a dirt road that is 22 miles. That is exactly what this was like today, beautiful. We saw all kinds of African animals and birds.

Now it’s time to refocus on class for in the morning. As I’ve been writing, I remembered a blessing to the washing clothes by hand that the women of Busia, Uganda do not have. I didn’t have to go get the water from a pump and carry it on my head to bring it back to wash my clothes. I didn’t have to go down to the river where all the animals are and wash my clothes in the same water the animals were in. Most definitely I am not going to complain, I am most blessed.

Mount Meru – Arusha National Park

In the far off distance a snow covered Kilimanjaro – Called the Roof of Africa

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

Praise the Lord; I made it through the first week of school! I really mean I am giving much glory, honor and praise to the One who answered our prayers and helped the week end much better than it began. At the close of school today I could speak not only more Kiswahili words than I ever imagined, but construct sentences as well.  I continue to be better at writing and reading it than saying it, but my teacher says by the end of next week my confidence level will increase.

All of the faculty and staff here at the school gave us a break the first few days, but now they intentionally approach us, speaking to us in Kiswahili. It is all done to help us and also because they get a great deal of joy in putting us on the spot! The teachers and everyone else here have been trained to give help and encouragement. If you mess up, they encourage you that you will get it right the next time. If you speak correctly they are quick to give you a word of praise.

From a health standpoint, I am doing great. Throughout the week the food has been excellent and all around the campus there are water coolers with purified water within for us to drink. With the exception of the first few night’s adjustments to the time change, I haven’t had any issues. The weather changed a couple of days ago as the rainy season is beginning. Now around 4 in the afternoon the rains begin and it rains just a slow steady rain until bedtime. This has made the sleeping conditions incredible because we sleep with our windows open and the roof is tin.

The only struggle I’ve had other than the first part of the school days is a struggle with spiritual warfare. Many years ago the Lord began to teach me about spiritual warfare, and before I left to come here I can testify that the warfare increased greatly. From what I read from other missionary’s accounts, I was prepared for the warfare to increase when I arrived, yet not at all sure of what to expect.

Night before last was an unusual night. I went to sleep just fine and about 4 in the morning I was awakened. Before I say more, please understand that I am not an expert in spiritual warfare; I can only share the things I have experienced and come to understand. When I woke up there was a presence nearby. I don’t believe it was in my room, I believe it was being held off from coming in, yet somehow I knew it was there and I knew it wasn’t good.

Here where the school is located, it is remote, so at night you cannot hear any human made noises. The only noises are from God’s incredible night creatures outside. As I lay in my bed in the quietness of the dark, I began to pray. I realized I wasn’t sure exactly what to pray, so I began to quietly say Jesus, Jesus, Jesus over and over and in just a bit that presence was gone.

After such an experience going back to sleep was not an option, so I got up and went to my daily bible reading to begin my devotion. This is what I read: Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Isn’t that something to share! I didn’t have any idea how to fight what was near me other than to say the name of Jesus, yet, this scripture helped me to understand that there must be many times before that hour of my life that evil has come against me and I did not recognize it enough to call out to Jesus, and yet the battle was being fought although I was silent.

When I finished my reading, I began to think about how different it is here. I was thinking about the silence of not only the night here, but also the days and evenings. When I am in my room the only sounds I hear are of nature unless someone walks past. The Lord has always spoke to me through His nature, however, since coming here I am recognizing not only the peace of silence but natures sounds, etc more and more because there are no other noises that I have to filter out.

It made me think about how it is back home. There is really never a time that we have true silence or true darkness. 24 hours a day there is always something making a noise even in the night. The clock is ticking, the heater or air conditioner is running, the ice maker is running and on and on. Here it is just the opposite and the darkness is amazing here. Back home there is always light filtering from some source; clocks, TV, DVD players, street lights and so on. But when darkness comes here, you cannot see anything but the stars in the sky. When there is no moon, you can’t see your hand out in front of you.

I was thinking about the Saints we read of in scripture, as well as our Fathers, Mothers, Grandfathers and Grandmothers who left us an incredible legacy of closeness to the Lord. I am beginning to imagine that this is somewhat like their lives was as far as sound and darkness. Could it be that the lives we live have become so saturated with noises and light that we never are truly quiet enough or forced into the darkness enough to recognize the voice of the Lord and sense the power of His presence? And, this would also be true for the forces of evil. Are our lives so full of distractions that we don’t hear or sense the enemy approaching? It is really something to think about isn’t it.

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

Wow! What a difference prayer makes! Yesterday just after I posted the last post about struggling with the Kiswahili course an amazing thing happened. A new student who had just joined our class that morning came looking for me and asked if she could help me with homework. She told me that she saw that I was struggling and she wanted to help me if I would like for her to! She was a great tutor and in just a matter on minutes she had me on the right track. She gave up her first evening here to help me.

Today I wanted to do something nice for her because she was so nice to me. There are no stores here or anywhere to purchase a gift so my resources were limited. Holy Spirit brought to my mind that she had shared with us yesterday about just coming from serving in the Congo where she had been remote for sometime. You remember me telling you about those 50 pound bags of luggage that I thought I was going to have to fight for…….. well, God had a plan that I couldn’t see when He allow that customs agent to approve them. I made this new friend a goody bag with all kinds of things she could enjoy! She cried when I brought it to her!I don’t believe she is a Christian, so God is going to use all of these circumstances to show His love for her through me.

Then this morning when class started we were told they were splitting the class into two classes. They have a minimum of 5 per class and we had reached 7. They divided our class and 4 stayed with the current teacher which was great because these 4 were the most advanced. Then the 3 of us left were given a new teacher. Now all of this is already answered prayer, however, it gets even better.

The other 2 students missed class yesterday so today we did review!!!!!!!!!!! Isn’t our God so amazing. He sent me help last night that gave me the foundation I need to go forward. Then today, we went back over what had been so confusing to me yesterday.

From the depths of my heart, I am thankful I serve a God who cares about all of the things in my life, and thankful for family and friends who I trust to pray for me. I know that God could have answered my prayer if I hadn’t asked you to pray, but I don’t think He meant for me to carry the burden alone. I believe there is probably someone who is going to read this update and be encouraged to share their own burdens with another. (I’d love to pray for any of your needs too!) There is sooooo much power when God’s children are praying.

Speaking of power….. since I wrote the last sentence, we have lost power 4 times. There are evil forces here that don’t want me to give praise and glory to God for what He is doing. Yet, class is over for the day and all I have just now is time to wait it out where I could finish. I’m so glad the Power of the God we serve is greater than any evil that comes against us.

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

Day two of Kswahili class and I am a bit overwhelmed….wait not a bit…a lot! I’ve just came from class and the verse in Philippians 4:13 is going over and over in my mind. I am trusting that although I know I cannot do this within my own strength or knowledge, I can do it because it is Christ who is providing the strength and knowledge.

There are 2 issues that prevent the learning process being so easy for me. First, leaving high school before finishing left a huge void of knowledge, especially grammar, etc. Although I went back later, the process of learning was not as in-depth as it would have been had I finished high school straight through. Of course in order to have finished school this way I would not have the most incredible son and daughter who were born to me when I was a teenager. So, if I had to do it over again, I would do it the same way!

Although it is difficult to learn without many of the basics, I know with hard work, determination and total dependence on Christ, I will eventually learn it. Sometimes I think because of my lack of knowledge, it has caused me many times over the years to work harder to achieve my goals. Therefore, I became more proficient in the areas I had to work harder in. I am trusting this will be true once again.

The second issue is that all of the students in our class not only have their secondary college degree’s, all of them speak more than one language and have gone through language courses previously. Also, all of them have already been working in their current positions here in Africa for at least a few months, so their exposure to the Kswahili language is helping them catch on quickly.

It may seem that both of these issues are issues that would not be easily overcome, and that is so. However, God would not have brought me here to be equipped with this tool if He were not going to provide the knowledge needed to attain it. As I am finding with the life of a missionary, easy is not a part of the process! Thus far, many things have been difficult, yet here I am on the mission field having overcome them all through Christ.

Just think if it were easy, what a boring message I would be writing. Now you will be waiting to see how it all turns out. Eventually, because of these challenges, I will be writing home praise reports of how God helped me learn this language. So, all in all, maybe it should be this way where I can give Him praise and glory instead of thinking I did it on my own.

If you’d like to offer up some prayers on my behalf….it would be in order to do so quickly! We were given 6 pages of homework……………

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

Hello from Arusha!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me during my travel here. The trip was very long, yet good. I had no issues throughout the trip, it seems that everything went as smoothly as possible. The only almost incident was in customs when I arrived in Tanzania. The customs officer was trying to be nice, however, I had to prove to him that the food in my luggage was not for anyone here in Tanzania!

To understand how I was feeling at this point…. I had been up for 2 days and nights… I was exhausted… but more importantly, I had put so much time into planning, shopping and packing this food! I didn’t say anything because I remembered at the airport in Amsterdam when they made me check the carry on bag that had all my medicine in it, that I clearly understood the Lord saying to me, it’s fine to let them check it Joy, I promised you I would take care of you!

Now I am telling the truth… spiritually I knew the Lord was going to take care of it, but my flesh was thinking many other ideas! Ideas like… go ahead Mister, you try and take my food and you and I are going to battle! I wanted to say, I am exhausted from lugging these 50 pound bags from place to place…I sacrificed shampoo and conditioner (HA HA) to have space for this food and you think you are going to take it!!!!!!!! You are crazy!

I’m sitting here laughing now at how funny the whole thing was. The custom’s officer was only doing his job and after I produced paperwork to prove why I was here in Tanzania, he lightened up. His whole attitude changed when he learned I was here to learn his native language in order to go and help orphans.

The school sent someone from a transit company to pick me up from the airport and the 30 minute drive to the school was very pleasant. You know that you are in God’s hands when you get into a car with a man you’ve never met in a place you’ve never been and drive out into the darkness of night, yet you have the most amazing sense of peace and you feel completely safe.

I could tell immediately when we left the airport that this part of Africa is very different from Uganda. In the 30 minutes we drove, we didn’t go through a single village of huts, everywhere was mostly block structures and all had lights on inside.

The drivers English was pretty good and we talked all the way. He told me alot about Arusha and the area around the school. When we turned off the main road to head towards the school we passed a large fenced in compound. I was pleased to learn that this compound is for orphans. If I understood correctly the orphanage is somehow tied to the school. I am excited to learn more about it and hopefully visit the orphans while I am here.

When I went to bed, I thought that I would probably not wake up in in time for breakfast because I was so tired. You cannot imagine my surprise when I woke up and it was 2:30 in the afternoon. The school campus is so quiet, all you can hear is nature outside. It is nothing like sleeping in Busia.

The school is very nice. The student rooms are very clean cottages with 4 rooms per cottage. Each room has it’s own entrance with a separate key. Inside there is a closet with a separate key for storing valuables. The landscape is beautiful with all varieties of trees, bushes, flowers and birds. My room is nice with a bed with misquote netting, a desk area and a bathroom. I must give a praise to the Lord because I have hot and cold water in the shower and there is no electrical wiring exposed like we had in Busia, so I am not going to die while showering! Of course, I can’t imagine using the hot water, the cold feels great because it is so hot here. In the cafeteria they keep a cooler filled with water that has been boiled so it is safe to drink. The Lord has provided just as He said he would.

To be honest, it is so lovely here that I feel as if I am at a resort. Now, not a resort like we have in the states, but a resort for Africa. I truly serve a wonderful God. This is far more than I ever thought possible.

I don’t have much more to share at this point as I have just been awake a couple of hours and wanted to to come here to the computer room and write home so everyone will know I am safe and sound. I have been able to access Facebook as well as e-mail and of course this blog, so please send me messages whenever you’d like. I do not have phone access however, so just know I will be making contact via this blog and e-mail.

Thanks again for keeping me in your prayers!

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

2:50 a.m. and I find myself double checking making sure I haven’t forgotten anything! (Okay, that wasn’t exactly a true statement. I’ve been triple and quadruple checking). It is a very unusual time of packing, much different than any I’ve ever experienced before.  I have found that having to pack for 9 months in the approved airline luggage capacity is almost impossible!

God continues to stretch me in this process. From the beginning I have been content knowing how little I would have on the mission field, yet, there was just one little luxury that I thought surely would come along, my favorite shampoo and conditioner! Yet, when the luggage is bulging and the weight limit is over, that luxury became a ridiculous choice over some of the basics like vitamins and things that are necessary. Who knows, Africa might just have the best shampoo and conditioner known to man!

Had a wonderful night with my children and their families. Without a doubt we could feel the power of the prayers being lifted up on our behalf. Those last hugs and kisses came with lots of tears, but it was a very peaceful time together. Peace that comes from our Heavenly Father when He hears and responds to His children praying on behalf of a brother or sister in need. We sat around the kitchen table and laughed until our sides hurt. It’s so amazing how God puts the most unusual things on our minds at times like this. Trust me on this, there will be a joke at my expense from now on about shampoo and conditioner! The children have it all figured out. ¦..but since they will be reading this, I will go easy on them and not share their suggestions of new bathing practices for me!

From the depths of my heart, I am thankful for every prayer that is being prayed over our family during this transition. Please continue as the next few days bring adjustments to all of us.

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

I remember so vividly the night a year ago that I surrendered to serve full-time on the foreign mission field. It was a decision that had been in the works for some time, however, it was a specific time and place that my mind will always remember. I was driving home from a class I was taking at a local bible college when the exact moment of my surrender happened. Once I arrived home, I sat in my car for hours sobbing. I knew I would go, and I never for a second questioned what God was asking of me. However, I knew from the very moment of my surrender that the most difficult part of what God was requiring from me would be when the time came for me to prepare to tell my children and their families goodbye.

I have chosen to go ahead and write about this part of my journey even though I have 3 days left with my family. I believe the closer the time comes for me to leave, the more difficult it will be for me to be able to share, and since this blog is dedicated to my journey as a missionary, it is important to convey the depths of how my heart aches to be leaving my family.

This last week began the process of saying goodbyes to my church family and closest friends. Also goodbyes to my brothers and sister. As the week progressed I found myself overcome with agony of what still lay ahead for me…so much distress that I didn’t know what words to pray. Holy Spirit reminded me of the strength I regain if I am struggling in a fast, I go to the Word and it helps me overcome. I went and sat on the sofa with my bible and in all honesty, I simply didn’t know what to read, I just began reading where it opened up, then I flipped on to some of my favorite passages. As I read, my emotions began to be more controllable. Reading the Word helped me regain the focus I needed to cry out to God for help.

I began to pray, seeking comfort from the only One who could give it to me. I cried out in despair and shared with the Lord that this was too hard, I could not bear the agony any longer. I told Him that I had been obedient and to the best of my ability I had done All required of me, yet, I begged Him to make the process of the final goodbyes to my family more bearable.

He is such a good Father, He loves us so much. He very gently reminded me that the reason it hurts so deeply to part from my family is because we are a family that truly loves deeply.

He reminded me of how deeply the children in Uganda must have loved their parents and their deaths brought permanent goodbyes. I began to think about these children who will hear the gospel of Jesus Christ through the work God is doing in my life. What will I say to them one day when they fully grasp that their parents and most likely grandparents died without knowing Christ, when they fully understand that they will never see them again.

Although leaving my family in 3 days will be the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, I know that if it is Gods will, we will be reunited for a visit in 9 months, and if the Lord should call me home, we will still be reunited one day in heaven.

This process brought me back to the realities of why I must go. I don’t want any more people to die without Christ. I don’t want any more families separated for eternity. What is 9 months of my life compared to eternity … how very selfish it would be of me to stay here and not go and share.

I will not pretend that I am not still dreading the heartache of those last moments with my family, but I can honestly share that I have been strengthened through this and I believe I have taken yet another step of faith in my walk with the Lord.

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

Throughout our life we encounter many firsts! First tooth, first step, first haircut, first day of school, first date, first kiss and first car. When we’re young we anxiously await the years that bring more responsibilities like first job, first home, first child and so on. We would never think of stopping just when we’ve reached the first stages of being an adult.

Just as maturing into adulthood brings greater responsibilities; the maturity we gain as we deepen our relationship with God also comes with greater responsibilities. Each day we spend time praying and reading our bibles and getting to know God more intimately. We sit Sunday after Sunday in Sunday School and worship services and attend bible study after bible study, yet are we anxiously awaiting the next level of responsibility God wants to entrust to us. Are we as willing to accept and embrace what comes with maturing in our relationship with God as we are in maturing into adults?

This first posting comes after I was faced with these decisions. What was I going to do with the years I had grown in my Christian walk. Was I willing to accept and embrace that God had invested many years revealing Himself to me and had placed me in those Sunday School classes, worship services and bible studies because He knew I would need that growth to accomplish His perfect will and plan for my life.

In 13 days I will be boarding a plane that will take me to Uganda, Africa where I will be living as a missionary. I am leaving behind the only life I’ve ever known and the most precious treasures in my life, my children and grandchildren. This move comes as a result of my saying, Yes God; I will accept and embrace whatever You ask of me.

My heart’s desire in writing this blog is to share what God is doing with my life in hopes that I will be a source of encouragement to others. I desire to be a vessel Holy Spirit can use to help others embrace and accept Gods plans for their lives.

Thank you for coming along with me on this journey.

Love to all,

Joy Breedlove

Missionary – East Africa

Joy and I have been working till the wee hours on this blog and I am thrilled with the progress! She stayed up with me till nearly 2:30 last night God bless her soul!