Dear Friends and Loved Ones,
It is with a deeper appreciation for life that we greet you today; camping and ministering in the African bush with children, a limited water supply, and miles of walking will create in you a greater appreciation for life...In all seriousness you know your paradigm is shifting when you get home to your 12 x 8 tent, shared showers, shared dining, and community living spaces with great joy and relief.
This was the first leg of three team expeditions we will be doing into the bush. Our 20+ person AMT team traveled to a tribal chiefdom called Nyawa where we set up a tent city and lived self-sufficient for almost a week. The incredible thing about this time is that the "crazy" stories we came home with really aren't at all the highlights. Having a leopard walk through camp at 3 am, or bathing a family with a few gallons of cold river water after the temperature dropped 40 degrees, or trying to fabricate fishing equipment to "keep up with the Jones" who were hauling in catfish by the dozens - these weren't the incredible moments we had. Not even close.
Nyawa is an awesome model of the Overland Missions "Sector management" strategy of reaching untouched people groups. The manager in place has laid a strong foundation and the evidence is the reputation he and Overland Missions has on the ground in Nyawa, even among people he hasn't yet contacted or met. Many people were aware that a "mzungu pastor" (white pastor) was making his way through the tribal nation and many seemed to be waiting until our reach extended into their corner of the land. Nyawa is a large chiefdom that spans several thousand square kilometers. The central village has shops and electricity, but the fringes are so remote that in several instances we met elders who never dreamed a white man would make it to their village.
As Jake and Jessie, Nyawa's sector managers, continue their work, their influence is radiating out of Central Nyawa and their local leaders are developing a solid foundation of believers that have progressively been able to reach more and more people. With several key leaders in place, and resources from Overland's LIFE Project and SAM ready to hit the ground in full stride, our expedition team landed with a mission to establish relationships with representatives from Nyawa villages at the farthest ends of the kingdom. Their annual fishing festival was the perfect setting.
We started walking...and walking...and walking...just like the Nyawa people do. And then we went fishing just like they do. With baskets, and bamboo sticks, and spears we fished. We mended nets and cooked meals and sat and talked with the villagers. We spent time getting to know them and played with their children and tried to understand this event and the place and time we were stepping into their culture. It took the entire five days of ministry to see things come full circle, but the breakthroughs along the way were so wonderful. What started as a curiosity of sorts quickly gained momentum. We gained access because we had Overland's credibility in the area. Having the simple power of the Gospel not only spoken but also demonstrated through us earned the warmth of the people. The care we showed for the people, not just visible "results", has left us and Overland with relationships and a foundation that will be built on for generations to come.
Some thanked us for coming and asked when we would be back with more of the friendship and message of hope we were sharing. Its easy to answer that question when you can point to Jake and Jessie really working a solid plan. Others cried with us as they shared stories about their life. We laughed with many as we made fools of ourselves fishing with them. Children walked miles to gather around our camp fire so we could read them Bible stories and help them pray for themselves and us the way we were praying for them. It was great to hear that by the end of the trip the chief, or "Headman" only opened up some of the largest fishing locations because our team stepped in to help and added a critical element of manpower needed to work those places.
I was able to preach the altar message after our night showing the Jesus film. Nikki got to do some one on one evangelism and discipleship with one of the hiking teams. Angelina even preached Jesus to a group of about 20 villagers who were amazed a 7 year old could be so articulate and powerful. At the end of the day, all of the breaking we experienced as a family negotiating the extremes of the African bush resulted in people being touched by God and seeing Jesus Christ revealed. We couldn't have asked for anything better.
We are looking forward to some down time the next two days before we hit our course work hard next week. Dr. Frank Hubbel will be flying in to start our bush EMT training course. Maybe I will learn what to do for the really annoying rash I have around my neck and chest from the caterpillar that decided to hitch a ride on my jacket collar. I hope that bug never sees one day as a butterfly!
Be blessed wherever you are,
--
The Garrett Family
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Base Camp.
Greetings from Zambia!
We are so grateful to have all of you to share this amazing time with! I write this to you on behalf of my family and in some part all of the Tanzania ministry team. Before anything else, I would like to acknowledge our friends and loved ones in Windham, NY who have been hit very hard by hurricane Irene. I know there are many people who have been affected by the storm - not only in Windham - and there are more under siege in the gulf coast region right now, but our prayers are with the town of Windham in particular. So many people from there have played key parts in my life and been instrumental in our family being where we are right now. Please remember them and offer anything you can to your brothers and sisters at home facing the storms of life around you. If it is you facing the storm, look to the Lord and to those He has placed around you because none of us are island unto ourselves and we all need God's help just to breathe.
This morning saw the majority of our Advanced Mission Training (AMT) class depart for the first of three bush expeditions. The two families with children have stayed back until Tuesday to meet the rest of the group and minister to villagers until Friday. The setting for this will be a section of river in the tribal nation of the Nyawa people. For the first time, Overland Missions expedition teams will be involved in ministry during the regional fishing celebration where thousands of villagers from many tribal nations converge on the river for a week. As the river drops the catfish congregate on this particular spot on the river where there is still water and it results in an abundance of fish for the people. There is a flurry of activity as fisherman use every and any thing in there possession - from spears to buckets - to haul as much fish as they can.
Our ministry will be basic evangelism and prayer for these people as we live with them for a week and share in their experience. We will be meeting people and some of their needs one on one and establishing relationships that will open doors for future ministry into many of the nations represented. We expect God to move mightily and for people to experience His great love and power through our witness with salvation, healing, and deliverance manifest in our midst. Keep us all in prayer as we don't always know what to expect going into situations like this but we know the cover and anointing of the Almighty is above all else...
Up to this point, much of the last few days has been getting settled on base and acclimated to the day to day operation of Overland Missions. Most everyone has stepped in quite smoothly, however, this is the African countryside so things sometimes move at a pace that's slower than we are used to. Our family has been living in a temporary tent so we haven't really been able to unpack. Its a little inconvenient with the kids, but really not a big deal. Donna (mom) has been dealing with some minor things that have been big enough to hold her back a few days from the expedition with the family group. Her eyes were giving her trouble when we first arrived but God is good and there was an American team of opticians that were temporarily working in town and they were able to treat her. She also had an infection in her tooth that was causing great pain and a dentist in town was able to see her and prescribe the necessary meds. It can be scary to deal with this stuff in Zambia, but we were able to find people who are reputable and you just have to trust situations like this are in God's hands, just like everything else!
On another note, Donna and Steve got their Land Rover back from a mechanic in town yesterday. When we left Dar Es Salaam last week, some work was done on the exhaust system. The welds were so poor and sloppy that the entire exhaust pipe was warped and wasn't fitting properly to the engine's manifold. Simply explained, the work compromised one of the exhaust pipe's seals, and in turn it created a leak that was allowing a large amount of heat and even flames to escape. What we didn't know was the extent of the issue and the mechanic showed us that flames were washing over our undercarriage for two full days of driving and it was a miracle that nothing caught on fire. It was so hot that 4 of the 6 bolts holding the pipes together melted. Just a day at the office, I suppose...
In light of all these fringe happenings, things have altogether seemed pretty smooth and even at times feel normal. The kids have been having the times of their lives in this awesome landscape and I would have to admit, so are the parents. It really is an incredibly beautiful place and the team is an amazing mesh of people from so many backgrounds and with incredible strengths. We are working into a very selfless and seamless operation with one heart and one goal - the salvation and restoration of nations.
The next time I write will most likely be after our expedition next week. until then, be blessed and keep us in your prayers.
With love,
--
The Garrett Family
We are so grateful to have all of you to share this amazing time with! I write this to you on behalf of my family and in some part all of the Tanzania ministry team. Before anything else, I would like to acknowledge our friends and loved ones in Windham, NY who have been hit very hard by hurricane Irene. I know there are many people who have been affected by the storm - not only in Windham - and there are more under siege in the gulf coast region right now, but our prayers are with the town of Windham in particular. So many people from there have played key parts in my life and been instrumental in our family being where we are right now. Please remember them and offer anything you can to your brothers and sisters at home facing the storms of life around you. If it is you facing the storm, look to the Lord and to those He has placed around you because none of us are island unto ourselves and we all need God's help just to breathe.
This morning saw the majority of our Advanced Mission Training (AMT) class depart for the first of three bush expeditions. The two families with children have stayed back until Tuesday to meet the rest of the group and minister to villagers until Friday. The setting for this will be a section of river in the tribal nation of the Nyawa people. For the first time, Overland Missions expedition teams will be involved in ministry during the regional fishing celebration where thousands of villagers from many tribal nations converge on the river for a week. As the river drops the catfish congregate on this particular spot on the river where there is still water and it results in an abundance of fish for the people. There is a flurry of activity as fisherman use every and any thing in there possession - from spears to buckets - to haul as much fish as they can.
Our ministry will be basic evangelism and prayer for these people as we live with them for a week and share in their experience. We will be meeting people and some of their needs one on one and establishing relationships that will open doors for future ministry into many of the nations represented. We expect God to move mightily and for people to experience His great love and power through our witness with salvation, healing, and deliverance manifest in our midst. Keep us all in prayer as we don't always know what to expect going into situations like this but we know the cover and anointing of the Almighty is above all else...
Up to this point, much of the last few days has been getting settled on base and acclimated to the day to day operation of Overland Missions. Most everyone has stepped in quite smoothly, however, this is the African countryside so things sometimes move at a pace that's slower than we are used to. Our family has been living in a temporary tent so we haven't really been able to unpack. Its a little inconvenient with the kids, but really not a big deal. Donna (mom) has been dealing with some minor things that have been big enough to hold her back a few days from the expedition with the family group. Her eyes were giving her trouble when we first arrived but God is good and there was an American team of opticians that were temporarily working in town and they were able to treat her. She also had an infection in her tooth that was causing great pain and a dentist in town was able to see her and prescribe the necessary meds. It can be scary to deal with this stuff in Zambia, but we were able to find people who are reputable and you just have to trust situations like this are in God's hands, just like everything else!
On another note, Donna and Steve got their Land Rover back from a mechanic in town yesterday. When we left Dar Es Salaam last week, some work was done on the exhaust system. The welds were so poor and sloppy that the entire exhaust pipe was warped and wasn't fitting properly to the engine's manifold. Simply explained, the work compromised one of the exhaust pipe's seals, and in turn it created a leak that was allowing a large amount of heat and even flames to escape. What we didn't know was the extent of the issue and the mechanic showed us that flames were washing over our undercarriage for two full days of driving and it was a miracle that nothing caught on fire. It was so hot that 4 of the 6 bolts holding the pipes together melted. Just a day at the office, I suppose...
In light of all these fringe happenings, things have altogether seemed pretty smooth and even at times feel normal. The kids have been having the times of their lives in this awesome landscape and I would have to admit, so are the parents. It really is an incredibly beautiful place and the team is an amazing mesh of people from so many backgrounds and with incredible strengths. We are working into a very selfless and seamless operation with one heart and one goal - the salvation and restoration of nations.
The next time I write will most likely be after our expedition next week. until then, be blessed and keep us in your prayers.
With love,
--
The Garrett Family
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Drive.
Greetings to all of you!
On behalf of our family I would like to say we hope you are enjoying these correspondences. They are not much of a conversation but at times it feels as if this running dialogue is the only connection we have to all of our friends and loved ones at home...
Last night we finished the last day of a four-day drive from our soon-to-be permanent home in Kigoma, Tanzania to the Overland Missions base camp in Livingstone, Zambia. They were four grueling days of driving, with the first 2 being the hardest in regards to road conditions and terrain. We drove through the southern roads of Tanzania that Steve and Donna use to get into the tribal regions; some of the things the Land Rover did with 9 people and all of our luggage strapped to the roof was incredible. We went over mountains and through ditches, crossed rock beds and navigated the shoddy tarmac of Northern Zambia. With all of that considered it was often the truck drivers and villagers passing by that posed the greatest hazard, even on some of the nicer roads we passed heading further south towards the Zambian capital of Lusaka.
Over the course of our roughly 3400 kilometer (1900 mile) drive we passed countless trucks, tankers, and buses that had collided or overturned on the roadside, some freshly laid in ruin while others had become odd monuments to this cross-country African drive. There were so many different towns and villages peddling different produce and using differing architecture in the construction of their crude buildings and huts. The landscape changed as well, alternating constantly between different soil types and elevations, between rugged rockiness and smooth savanna plains. There were some wetlands and rivers, but mostly it was dry and dusty terrain. There were some tall groves of eucalyptus, but most of the trip was painted with smaller and sparse African trees; you probably know the ones that look like large bonsai growing up from the African scrub.
Certainly the pass through the Katavi game preserve was a highlight of the travel. We saw elephants and wild boar and a wallow of at least a hundred hippos as we crossed a riverbed. Steve even said he saw a giraffe, but at that point he was channeling the insane African bus drivers we were passing and at those speeds it was almost impossible for him to stop the loaded car fast enough to double back so we could all get a glimpse.
Well, with all of the shifting scenes and evolving cultures we journeyed through, there were some clear constants that tied the entire trip - and even the previous week's travel - together so tightly. The poverty and need from one end of Tanzania to the farthest end of Zambia never went away. The droves of children running barefoot along busy roadways and flocks of people corralled into open beds of trucks so loaded down it was a wonder they could drive were everywhere we went. With the exception of small pockets in some of Zambia's cities where for a moment you might think you were in a fully functional city, you could pull over anywhere, at any time, and not stop for the rest of your life helping people who will never have as much as any of us at our worst and most broken moments. And with that in mind, there is an echoing in my soul that I cannot seem to shake...
Since I first met an AK-47 armed man named Peter on the bus from Dar I have heard his plea ringing in my ears. He told me, "The African people are tired of the pastors who come here and tell us about God and the Bible and promise us a new hope and then we find out that they are just as filthy as our politicians and just as corrupt as the people they preach against." And, after meeting a group of other missionaries who seemed dazed and numb to the world around them and almost shell-shocked and helpless in their countenance toward the task before them, this echo has continued to crescendo across the open valleys and jagged rock-mountains of Africa...
CHURCH WAKE UP! Church in America: SHAKE OFF THE LAZINESS OF CONVENIENCE AND THE SLUGGISHNESS OF INDULGENCE AND LIVE DESPERATE FOR GOD BECAUSE YOU NEED HIM TO BREATHE, NOT JUST WHEN YOU WANT HIM TO MOVE! Church in Africa: YOU HAVE NOT ARRIVED BECAUSE YOUR PLANE LANDED! THE GLORY OF GOD IS NOT YOUR PRESENCE IN THIS FOREIGN LAND OR THE TITLE YOU HAVE AWARDED YOURSELVES! Body of Christ: Just be the body Christ called us to be! Submit to Christ, the Head of our body, and live led by the Spirit, according to the Word of God. YOUR SYSTEMS OF MEN ARE KILLING PEOPLE NOT OFFERING THE LIFE CHRIST DIED FOR! SET PEOPLE FREE!
Don't take this as if I have excused myself from this message. I am caught at the moment somewhere between these two churches and forever a part of the Body of Christ. But the stakes are just too high to not say what is so obvious. Its lives on the line and in many "church clubs" people have become collateral damage. And its not just happening in America. We can thank Jesus there is an antidote. Jesus revealed through real "Church" is that cure. The Kingdom come by way of the King on the backs of our witness. Its really pretty easy if we keep ourselves out of the way...
Well, if any of you are still reading, I would like to update and tie up some stories I haven't told all the way through to conclusion....The blind old woman Angelina and Bibi (Donna) prayed for in Dar Es Salaam was there again the next night. On the first night she prayed with us to receive salvation and on the second they prayed for her to see. She began shouting and pointing at us and yelling that she could see our faces! Needless to say that drew a crowd and we got a chance to pray for salvation with a group of Muslims right there on the street. And, on a much less important but equally miraculous note, the baggage we shipped across Africa while Javen and I rode the bus all arrived - albeit in two shipments and not quite on-time...but regardless, it arrived at home in Kigoma!
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Thank you for reading and may God bless you all!
--
The Garrett Family
On behalf of our family I would like to say we hope you are enjoying these correspondences. They are not much of a conversation but at times it feels as if this running dialogue is the only connection we have to all of our friends and loved ones at home...
Last night we finished the last day of a four-day drive from our soon-to-be permanent home in Kigoma, Tanzania to the Overland Missions base camp in Livingstone, Zambia. They were four grueling days of driving, with the first 2 being the hardest in regards to road conditions and terrain. We drove through the southern roads of Tanzania that Steve and Donna use to get into the tribal regions; some of the things the Land Rover did with 9 people and all of our luggage strapped to the roof was incredible. We went over mountains and through ditches, crossed rock beds and navigated the shoddy tarmac of Northern Zambia. With all of that considered it was often the truck drivers and villagers passing by that posed the greatest hazard, even on some of the nicer roads we passed heading further south towards the Zambian capital of Lusaka.
Over the course of our roughly 3400 kilometer (1900 mile) drive we passed countless trucks, tankers, and buses that had collided or overturned on the roadside, some freshly laid in ruin while others had become odd monuments to this cross-country African drive. There were so many different towns and villages peddling different produce and using differing architecture in the construction of their crude buildings and huts. The landscape changed as well, alternating constantly between different soil types and elevations, between rugged rockiness and smooth savanna plains. There were some wetlands and rivers, but mostly it was dry and dusty terrain. There were some tall groves of eucalyptus, but most of the trip was painted with smaller and sparse African trees; you probably know the ones that look like large bonsai growing up from the African scrub.
Certainly the pass through the Katavi game preserve was a highlight of the travel. We saw elephants and wild boar and a wallow of at least a hundred hippos as we crossed a riverbed. Steve even said he saw a giraffe, but at that point he was channeling the insane African bus drivers we were passing and at those speeds it was almost impossible for him to stop the loaded car fast enough to double back so we could all get a glimpse.
Well, with all of the shifting scenes and evolving cultures we journeyed through, there were some clear constants that tied the entire trip - and even the previous week's travel - together so tightly. The poverty and need from one end of Tanzania to the farthest end of Zambia never went away. The droves of children running barefoot along busy roadways and flocks of people corralled into open beds of trucks so loaded down it was a wonder they could drive were everywhere we went. With the exception of small pockets in some of Zambia's cities where for a moment you might think you were in a fully functional city, you could pull over anywhere, at any time, and not stop for the rest of your life helping people who will never have as much as any of us at our worst and most broken moments. And with that in mind, there is an echoing in my soul that I cannot seem to shake...
Since I first met an AK-47 armed man named Peter on the bus from Dar I have heard his plea ringing in my ears. He told me, "The African people are tired of the pastors who come here and tell us about God and the Bible and promise us a new hope and then we find out that they are just as filthy as our politicians and just as corrupt as the people they preach against." And, after meeting a group of other missionaries who seemed dazed and numb to the world around them and almost shell-shocked and helpless in their countenance toward the task before them, this echo has continued to crescendo across the open valleys and jagged rock-mountains of Africa...
CHURCH WAKE UP! Church in America: SHAKE OFF THE LAZINESS OF CONVENIENCE AND THE SLUGGISHNESS OF INDULGENCE AND LIVE DESPERATE FOR GOD BECAUSE YOU NEED HIM TO BREATHE, NOT JUST WHEN YOU WANT HIM TO MOVE! Church in Africa: YOU HAVE NOT ARRIVED BECAUSE YOUR PLANE LANDED! THE GLORY OF GOD IS NOT YOUR PRESENCE IN THIS FOREIGN LAND OR THE TITLE YOU HAVE AWARDED YOURSELVES! Body of Christ: Just be the body Christ called us to be! Submit to Christ, the Head of our body, and live led by the Spirit, according to the Word of God. YOUR SYSTEMS OF MEN ARE KILLING PEOPLE NOT OFFERING THE LIFE CHRIST DIED FOR! SET PEOPLE FREE!
Don't take this as if I have excused myself from this message. I am caught at the moment somewhere between these two churches and forever a part of the Body of Christ. But the stakes are just too high to not say what is so obvious. Its lives on the line and in many "church clubs" people have become collateral damage. And its not just happening in America. We can thank Jesus there is an antidote. Jesus revealed through real "Church" is that cure. The Kingdom come by way of the King on the backs of our witness. Its really pretty easy if we keep ourselves out of the way...
Well, if any of you are still reading, I would like to update and tie up some stories I haven't told all the way through to conclusion....The blind old woman Angelina and Bibi (Donna) prayed for in Dar Es Salaam was there again the next night. On the first night she prayed with us to receive salvation and on the second they prayed for her to see. She began shouting and pointing at us and yelling that she could see our faces! Needless to say that drew a crowd and we got a chance to pray for salvation with a group of Muslims right there on the street. And, on a much less important but equally miraculous note, the baggage we shipped across Africa while Javen and I rode the bus all arrived - albeit in two shipments and not quite on-time...but regardless, it arrived at home in Kigoma!
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Thank you for reading and may God bless you all!
--
The Garrett Family
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