Post #300!! The End

I started this blog 8 years ago, setting out stay connected with people in the States and share about culture, Bible translation, and teaching missionary kids (in Dar and Musoma). After skimming through 299 posts this morning, I see I've done that. I've also written posts about fun experiences and spiritual reflections, among other things. It brings smiles and tears!

My second blog post was about how I was building a partnership team, and how that is an example of the body of Christ: people in the States supporting me so I could support translators who could translate God's Word for/with people in TZ. As I reflect back on the years with Wycliffe I think the body of Christ is one of the most precious things I experienced, and in more ways than I imagined when I wrote that post. God's shown me how much I need others, giving me many beautiful and deep friendships in this time. He's shown me how good (and hard) it is to love and encourage each other in the Word. He's used me as one part of His body, even across culture.

My passion is to keep growing with the body as I walk this new path before me I couldn't possibly find one photo to represent all the people God's blessed me with. But just this morning I Skyped with my Wycliffe supervisor in the States. She read me a picture book (💗!) of the 23rd Psalm. So there I am, in Christ's arms, about to go frolic with my fellow sheep!

Finding the Rhythm

What is life shaping up like, as I settle into life here? Well, a list of tasks for completing my time with Wycliffe and a few other things. Lots of bike riding for transportation and sometimes with friends or family. A bit of working for my parents in their lovely outdoor studio. Yard work with Michael (one day with TWO lawnmowers!) And, of course, hammock time.

Not pictured: I'm excited to announce that God's led me to a house church nearby for weekly fellowship, an answer to prayer. I'm also trying out a Tai Chi class at the community center and enjoying art & spiritual reflection days with my brother's girlfriend. I'm thankful for a bit of routine materializing in the weekly rhythm!

Final Newsletter

Easter, Revisited

Over the last seven years I celebrated Easter with sunrises over the Indian Ocean, the Zambezi River, and Lake Victoria. Each celebration was special, casual, and in community, each person adding a song or a prayer or coffee... They were celebrations of Christ's life in us as His body.

This year it was hard to see how to celebrate, without a sunrise and without strong ties to a body of believers here. But my friend Natalie thought of a new tradition that we could share,
even though we're on opposite sides of the state; She suggested we send each other photos of things that make us think of Easter.

One of my favorites is this dandelion photo. The yard had been just green, until one morning it was cheerfully speckled with yellow. It made me think of how Jesus surprises us with life where we think there's none. Particularly, He came after 400 years of what seemed like silence between God and Israel. But really He was working all through that time a plan that bloomed brightly on Easter.

Resignation

res·ig·na·tion

/ˌrezəɡˈnāSH(ə)n/

1. an act of retiring or giving up a position.
2. the acceptance of something undesirable but inevitable.

I started this blog in August 2010, after I joined Wycliffe Bible Translators. Since then, I've been a missionary kid teacher. Now, after eight years, I'm giving up that position. I'm resigning from Wycliffe.

I've decided on this path for two reasons: I need to give my body time to recuperate from ongoing issues with insomnia. And, I do not have peace about living indefinitely in missionary community as a single person; while I have loved the last years immeasurably, it's exhausting to live in a community where your housemates and closest friends tend to move away on a regular basis.

So, definition 1 for resignation applies. Sometimes this choice feels like definition 2 as well, "the acceptance of something undesirable but inevitable." That's because I loved what I was doing and don't know what's next and sometimes my imagination forgets that God is abundantly good, including His plans for the future! So I made this picture to affirm His goodness, to remind my soul that definition 1 does not equal definition 2!

I'll continue this blog until my resignation date, May 31. 

Ethnodoxology

 I'm surrounded by snowy mountains, sometimes glowing white, sometimes doused with pink. Each time we have a break from classes I go to the windows to see how the beauty has changed. Just looking brings refreshment.

We're here for a class called Ethnodoxology. Ethno=cultural group, Doxology=praise. We're learning a method for getting to know a community and coming alongside them to help them use their own art forms to praise God and grow in His ways (strengthen church community, find His peace amidst trauma, meditate on His word, et cetera).

My favorite part of the day so far is the morning when we take time to connect with God through different art forms. Today we used story telling as our art form. Yesterday we used drawing and word, one of my favorites. Here is my meditation on God's strength in us. It feels freeing and joyful to validate drawing as a real way to connect with God, not just singing or talking-prayer or listening to a sermon. Using a people's traditional arts to praise and grow in God might feel the same way for them, freeing and joyful, validating their way of communicating with Him as real.

It's the Simple Things

Or maybe it's the simple people! I think it's delightfully weird and fun to be in a place where you can find giant, growling vacuum cleaners with long hoses that you feed with quarters to clean your car. I also think it's exciting that the city takes your trash, sorted in colorful containers. A bit different from Tanzania.

Back in Orlando Again

Friday I came back from a second week in Orlando, this time helping with a Wycliffe program for returning missionaries. I got to teach the elementary aged program, spending the week with eight lovely, hilarious kids who have lived part, if not most of, their lives overseas (in five different countries!) as a part of a family serving Bible translation.

They told stories about their lives. We did activities to help them think about God's love and plan for them and discussed good ways to handle all the goodbyes and transitions in their lives. Their parents had similar conversations, at an adult level. So while they were in the classroom a lot, we left ours quite often...

I Miss, I'm Thankful

I love the students I taught in Musoma! They are so fun and I loved to see them grow over the years. One of my youngest students recently WhatsApped me (on her mother's account, of course☺)!! Her words resonated with me. She misses me teaching her, but she also loves how her mom's teaching her now.

Sigh! That's how I feel; I miss my Musoma friends, my walk to work, work, watching sunsets, my students... But I also love my friends and family here, riding my bike in Portland, the Oregon Coast, ice cream cones... (And I'm thankful for WhatsApp!)


Tomorrow I'm heading to Orlando to teach elementary aged kids in a program designed to help as they transition to the USA from overseas, an experience we share. Please pray that the kids would grow in trusting God's love and plan for them. Pray that He speaks through me.

Arting!

My mom and I are taking an art class together. Yesterday we had a full day session. It was a work day; we all worked on projects of our choice, and the instructor came around and gave us one-on-one feedback.

I really enjoyed the peaceful, creative day. Our table mates were a nice part of the day too. One is a lady who's led a full life including disk jockey work in Hawaii and sailing on the original Mercy Ship as the resident artist!

I worked on a couple pieces. One is about a night at the remodeled monastery where I stayed for the Christian artists conference in Germany. It had been a FULL day. I came back to my private little room and wrapped up in a blanket then sat on the windowsill, high above the little town. I felt the God's blessings of the day and the blessing of quiet.

Kids and Learning in Florida

This week and next I'm helping out with the preschool portion of Wycliffe's training for new members. The parents are learning about building their partnership team, spiritual warfare, Wycliffe history, and much more. The kids are learning too, about the countries where they'll live, God's goodness no matter what changes come, and Bibleles people groups. And they're playing. And making crafts!

I'm enjoying the kids and working as part of the training team. I'm learning too, by watching the kids. Each one seems to have an area that God's growing them in. One's learning to share. One's learning to follow directions. One's learning to be a leader. One's learning ventriloquism! The one that jumps out to me is the one who is learning to trust. The first night she was crying and sad for the whole hour. The only thing I could do was distract her with books. The head teacher told her parents that she needs to learn that she can trust them to always come back. Each day since she's separated more confidently, cried less, and enjoyed herself more.

She reminds me of me; the more I walk my path, the more I see that God always provides me with good relationships, knowledge of Him, and purpose. So even though I can't see what's next in my life, I can walk confidently, cry less, and enjoy the day at hand more.

Bike Art!

I used to write about interesting Tanzanian cultural experiences. Well, Portland, OR is another wealth of interesting cultural experiences. I'm biking a lot lately. It's really fun to get to know the city better and do errands with a 360 degree view of the world around me. Portland is pretty good to bikers. Drivers tend to watch out and stop. There are lots of bike lanes. And, to my delight, there is even bike lane art (and bike roundabout art)!!

Saved by the Seal

I've enjoyed so many parts of reconnecting with people and re-entering the Pacific Northwest... beauty, laughter, food, taking a day at a time. Every now and then, though, it gets to be a bit much. I get tired and miss Tanzania and loose perspective of God's goodness. On one such day, I was walking along Elliot Bay in Seattle, praying and wishing I could snap back into enjoying-things-mode. I stopped on the beach and my prayer was answered in an unexpected, enchanting way. This seal was taking a nap. When I woke him up he wiggled his flipper at me. Then he sucked on sand (to get a drink?!). After awhile he shoved himself along the sand and out into the bay. Somehow that unique sight in nature gave me back my perspective. I felt special and free. And I started enjoying the day at hand.

Back in the US of A

 I've been asked a few times recently, "Where in the world are you, Sarah?" And it's a valid question, because I've been quite a few different places since I left Musoma in July! However, for the last month the answer has been: the United States of America. And that's where I'll be for the foreseeable future (though I can't see very far into the future!).

God's worked lots of good in this last month. There's been rest. I have a nice cozy colorful room in my brother's house. Friends have come to visit me and vice versa. I got to have Thanksgiving and a hike with my family. Fall colors were spectacular, my first in 6 years! I have a potential church and met a potential friend there.

Over the next months I'll continue resting and reconnecting. I'll visit supporting churches and partners of my work with Wycliffe. I'll help with one or two children's programs at the Wycliffe center in Orlando and attend a week long workshop about art and missions.

 After that, the future is foggy. It might be time for me to resign from Wycliffe, unless God gives me passion for a new assignment by the end of March. I definitely feel the disequilibrium of loss and the unknown, but I'm excited to see God's good plans as I walk the path ahead and the fog clears!

Sukkot Serendipity

I serendipitously scheduled my trip to Israel during three major holidays: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Even more serendipitous, Ronit and I scheduled our Sea to Sea hike during Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles). So we slept in a sukka by default, looking through a crack in the ceiling to at least one star, just as tradition prescribes. It reminds you that God is the One who truly takes care of you and keeps you safe.

Also, I've been reading a book, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, which examines how Jesus fulfilled the holidays. God started Sukkot to remind His people of how He cared for them in their desert days. But I didn't know that the feast ends with a water libation ceremony and prayers and praise anticipating the coming rains. That's the day that Jesus stood up in John 7:37-38 and declared that "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." He was talking about sending His Spirit to fill and pour from us, just as the people were looking for God to send physical rain. I hadn't realized that Jesus timed this declaration so poetically!

Housework & Holy Places

I've been in Israel for the last three weeks with an interesting mix of activities. Main focus: working at a guesthouse in the Jerusalem Hills. I joined my friend, Ronit, who has been working here for a couple months. So that's watering flowers, changing beds, washing laundry, sweeping, etc. I've enjoyed the mundane tasks as a break from my normal teaching work, which takes a lot more creativity and leadership. It gives my mind some time for rest and more prayer than usual. It's also been beautiful to start each day with worship and prayer together at the guesthouse.

Then, on a couple afternoons off, Ronit's shown me around Jerusalem. The second time we went in was epic. We walked into the Jewish quarter via a staircase up to the Zion Gate. Ronit ordered us shwarma sandwiches then led me around a corner. The view that met my eyes included the hill where Jesus ascended to heaven, the Dome of the Rock, the Wailing Wall, rooftops of Jerusalem dwellers, a flock of doves glinting in the sun, lots of cats, and more! I tried to capture it all in my drawing:) I've been surprised that something about being in this place does make Jesus seem a little more tangible. I'm looking forward to seeing more, now that we're done working at the guesthouse.

Christian Artists

This month I had the opportunity, as part of my travels and exploring art in missions, to attend a Christian artists conference in Siegburg, Germany. We gathered at a beautifully remodeled monastery. It was a thrill to be with other Christians who also love to communicate through art.

During the days there were lectures and workshops. One of my favorite experiences was a workshop with musicians, singers, dancers, and visual artists, pictured on the bottom right. We read and discussed the message and emotions of Psalm 107, then "prayed" the Psalm without words, improvising in our various art forms. It was a powerful experience of what the Psalm describes: praise, darkness, crying out to God, and joy in His answer. It was also powerful to learn about collaborating with other artists.

In the evenings there were performances by different attendees and slide shows of visual art. That was really fun too! Overall, I'm very thankful for the experience. And I'm praying for guidance as I continue to travel and explore art in missions, seeking what God has next for me.

Schäfersee

Today I went for a walk around a lake. It reminded me of Round Lake in Camas, Washington, USA... But it was Schäfersee here in Berlin, Germany. (Thanks to God for giving me a green space here too!)

If this rises the question, "What's Sarah doing in Germany?", do ask me for my last newsletter! However, the short answer is that I'm traveling a bit, visiting friends, with the goal of seeing what God has next for me. Specifically, I'm looking into how God can use my art in missions.

I'll be in Germany for all of August. Next week I'll go to the southwest, near the Rhine River, for a Christian artists conference. Otherwise I'll be in Berlin with my friends who do street ministry here. They use visual art and music in their ministry, so I'm excited to see, participate, and learn!

Ratios!

 Most of the math I taught this semester was concepts that I use everyday... telling time, measuring liquids, multiplying, adding... But sixth grade math was a different story! Algebraic equations, multiplying fractions, story problems with rate... and ratios. Those concepts are not often on my mind.

So, it was fun and heartening when, a few weeks after closing LVLC for the semester, I had a project that required everything I know about ratios, thanks to teaching my grade six students! I had to make posters that fit perfectly into a unique shape on the walls of a conference room (for our branch retreat in Dar es Salaam). All I had was a photo of the wall, graph paper, the measurements of my poster board, and my fresh understanding of ratios.

I put it all together, and this is what I got (x6 posters)!!

You Know You've Done Your Job When...

Wednesday I taught some of my students how to tie dye. Yesterday I got a WhatsApp photo of a gallivanting hippie. On the normal school day this student is respectful, focused, and calm... But when she puts on her tie dye... Oh dear. Earlier in the semester I got a photo of another student. She'd turned into a mermaid! Finally, a treasured gift, my hippie student drew this picture of the two of us. 💗 The drawing skills! The capturing of our appearances and personalities! The mermaid appreciation!! My work is complete.