Dana’s Avenue

No, not me and Jonathan.  Me and YOU.  Don’t you want to learn Swahili?  It’s fun! 
Jambo = Hello  (Easy enough, right?  The a sounds like the a in almond or palm and the rest sounds just like it looks.)

Here’s one you already know and don’t even know it……..until now.

Simba = Lion   (Now you know how they came up with that.)

I just want to get a feel for the language before I go so my first days there aren’t overly stressful and so language school isn’t as hard - that’s what I’m thinking anyway.  So, I hope you have fun learning a little Swahili with me!

Speaking of stress…..or hard labor…..or whatever you want to call it.  I found this picture today online of some ladies in Zaire.  I have always respected mothers.  I really, really respect her!!  She’s a good mommy too - that baby is sleeping!  (And if all that wasn’t enough….notice she’s also barefoot!)

This morning, Jonathan and I accepted the assignment invitation from Tanzania.  They asked him to be a full-time Vernacular Media Specialist (see article on front page of our website: www.jonathananddana.com for info on VMS) and asked me to fill a critical role as a full-time Accounting Manager.  The branch there is very flexible so once I’m there if the accounting role doesn’t take a full 40 hours a week I will be free to help the branch in other ways and/or help Jonathan with the VMS work.  I’m excited that my accounting skills can fill a critical need in Africa!  So we’ve accepted those roles realizing that God will use us in these and many other ways. 

If you’re like me, you’re not that great with geography, so you may not know where Tanzania is located.  This may help.  Tanzania is in East Africa.  See map:

The area of Tanzania we’re assigned to is Mbeya in Southwest Tanzania.  See map:

Do you see it?  Look down towards the border with Zambia. 

Some places of interest in Tanzania:

Serengeti

Mount Kilimanjaro - highest peak in Africa

As far as a timeline, the orientation begins in August so we need to be at 100% support by June to have time to get our visas and plane tickets.  We will have a month of orientation followed by 4 months of Swahili language school.  By the end of 2007, we’ll be ready to jump into the work.

So, that’s a quick rundown of the basics.  We’ll share more about Mbeya and what God is doing there as time goes on.  We’re excited to see people get involved in this and jump on board!  If you’re interested in partnering with us please visit the partner link on the front page of our website: www.jonathananddana.com.

On Sunday, we watched a teaser video for the upcoming sermon series at Elevation Church.  It’s titled “Miracle”.  The pastor asked us to begin thinking about what miracles we’d like to see happen.  Even things that seem impossible.  Some that were mentioned in the video were:  no more homeless people, the war in Iraq to be over, the ability to pay the bills, and family being together for the holidays. 

To comply with our assignment, I began thinking of what miracles I’d like to see happen myself.  When I was a teenager I wanted to buy everyone in the world a house who didn’t have one.  A friend told me that if I did that, people would become homeless just to get a free house from me.  That was the first dent in my naivety armor. 

I’d still like to see everyone have a roof over their heads but I wish more for people now.  The biggest miracle I can think of would be for everyone in the world to have a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.  I remember the emptiness of existence before I began living for Christ.  I remember as an adult going to neighborhood parties - weekend after weekend after weekend.  This group would get together and drink (and drink and drink and drink some more) all the while talking about…. drinking.  I vividly remember standing there weekend after weekend thinking, “What is the point of all this?”  Emptiness.  This affects everyone - the poor, the middle-class, the rich and famous.  No one is exempt from the darkness apart from Jesus. 

On a more personal level, the biggest miracle in my own life is a team of people coming together to send me and Jonathan to the mission field.  Sometimes that remaining need appears to be impossible to meet.  But like when Jesus fed the 5,000, He didn’t ask God to meet that need.  He thanked God for the little bit He had and it was multiplied to the point that there were leftovers!  (See John 6:1-14)  So I resist the temptation to focus on what we’re lacking and instead lift my hands to God thanking Him for the many partners we have and their amazing generosity.  To me it’s a miracle to think we’ll one day have a partnership team beside us as we take the next step of this journey.  But to God it’s no sweat at all.  All things are His.

So, what miracles would you like to see happen?  What miracles does the world need?  What miracles do you need?

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  ~Philippians 4:19

Here’s a rundown of our week, as far as we know what it holds for us as of now: 

Monday - We received the official invitation from Tanzania…a couple hours later, we received word that West Eurasia is interested in us

The rest of the week will be filled with us trying to get more information from West Eurasia and hopefully making a decision between the two as soon as possible.

Wednesday - Hickory Grove’s mission committee meets to decide whether to support us or not

Thursday - We close on our house

Oh - and every day we have training classes all day…

That’s a lot going on in one week and usually I’d be pretty tempted to get anxious about all this…but I’m not.  First of all, God knows exactly where we’ll be going so we’ll just be still and wait for Him to tell us.  It’s also God’s decision on whether He wants to use Hickory Grove in supporting us so we rest in that.  As we left the house for the last time tonight, we let go of the burden of owning a house and hung onto the memories we made there so we’re totally at peace with the closing on Thursday.

I think back to my spiritual lesson learned from the poodle (see 11/12 blog entry).  I could whine, fight, rush ahead, and squirm….or I could quietly, gracefully, calmly get through this week and watch God work, guide, and speak.  Like I said before, I hope I’m smarter than a dog and learned my lesson.  So far, so good.  :) 

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  ~Psalm 18:2

Now that we’re in an RV, we don’t have room for Christmas decorations: no nativity scenes (my favorite), no snowmen or villages, not a big tree or even a Charlie Brown tree.  But I had a thought.  What if we could enjoy your decorations?  So this is what we’re asking:

Once you’ve decorated, will you take pictures and send them to us?  You can send us pictures of the outside of your home, the inside, your tree, your nativity scene :), your neighborhood…. whatever you’d like to share.  Then we’ll use them as our computer background and screensaver.  That way as we’re sitting in our little RV we’ll see photo after photo of real Christmas decorations!  You can email them to me at dana@jonathananddana.com.  You don’t have to know us real well to send them to us.  You can even ask for pictures from your friends and family and send those to us.  We’ll take any pictures you’d be willing to send!

Thank you for letting us share Christmas with you! 

I was wrong. 

Today was my first day as a greeter at Elevation Church.  I loved it!  The next time I wonder if God knows what He’s doing, someone please remind of this.  (Hopefully, there won’t be a next time.)  It was so much fun greeting people coming into service and feeling a little like an airline stewardess afterwards, “B’bye.”  

When I saw the person who first told me to be a greeter I told him I originally didn’t want to do this but I ended up liking it.  He gave a little sermonette which was pretty encouraging and inspiring.  He said that there is the person God created us to be and there is the person the world tries to make us to be and usually there is a big difference between the two.  He said that God’s will for our lives isn’t a particular job or place to live…it’s being transformed into the person He created us to be. 

And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  ~Romans 12:2

Our current sermon series is “What Should I Do With My Life?”  One of the points of today’s message was “What drives you?”  He listed off possible things people are driven by: sex, pleasure, money, fame….  Mine immediately came to mind:  safety.  Above all else and by any price I want to be safe.  If I could live in a bubble I probably would.  But then I wouldn’t be safe because I wouldn’t have everyone’s approval. 

Okay, I know what some of you are thinking.  Selling everything to be an overseas missionary isn’t exactly safe.  That doesn’t quite fit.  Well, that’s true.  Naturally, my drive is safety.  When I am compelled by the Spirit, my drive, instead, is Jesus Christ and I do things I wouldn’t otherwise do….missions being one of them.  There are times when my fleshly desire for safety and my godly desire of being who God created me to be collide and battle.  I rejoice when the Spirit compells me to do what only He can enable me to do.  I can say with confidence (although, sadly, I don’t always live this way) that taking risks for Christ is so much more fulfilling and rewarding than being in a safe bubble letting life drift by.

So, with that, I’ll ask you.  What is the difference between who God created you to be and who the world wants you to be?  What drives you?  Will you risk losing the world to gain a purposeful life - the one God created you to live?  His dreams for you are so much bigger than what you dream for yourself. 

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.  ~Ephesians 3:20

Have a great Sunday and I dare you to go do something bold for Christ.  I’ll join you in that challenge.  God bless you and enable you!

Well….I’ve re-written this post half a dozen times now so I’m realizing that I’m having a hard time with words.  I just got home from my grandmother’s funeral.  She’s a Christian so I know she’s in heaven with Jesus…and with her mom and husband….and many others that passed on before I got here…  I’m happy for her because she was in a lot of pain there for a while and has now been relieved of all her suffering.  She died in peace and entered a celebration. 

I have a lot of memories of my grandmother and as happy as I am for her it’s sad to say goodbye.  When I was little, every time I went to visit her for an extended period of time, she’d feed me so much I always threw up.  I guess I felt obligated to eat everything she set before me…and let’s face it, she was a good cook…but eventually it always caught up with me.  She made the best chicken n’ dumplin’s ever.  For a long time she smoked and all her food had a hint of stale cigarettes.  That was pretty gross but she finally quit and the real flavor of the food got to shine! 

A lot of people came to her funeral today and many people loved her.  So, we’ll all say goodbye knowing we’ll see her again.  Death is always kind of hard for the ones left behind but I know she was ready and is enjoying herself now.  I’ll miss her cooking, her sneaking a kiss from Jonathan, and her funny quips.  She really loosened up as she got older. 

If she were to look back over her life and give us some advice, I wonder what she’d say.  She has a totally different idea of what eternity looks like now that she’s entered it.  I believe, since that’s the longest part of our lives, that should be our focus even while we’re here.  How easy it is to get distracted with the passing stressors of life - here today, gone tomorrow.  I’m starting to consider loosening up myself.  I mean, if I’m going to learn that lesson and loosen up when I get older anyway - why not start now??  There’s a lot I can learn from grandma……..  I hope some of her sinks into me.

Goodbye grandma.  You, pa-pa, and granny be ready for me when I see you again! 
 

Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.

~Anna Quindlen

When I first became a Christian I moved around the country so much that I never got plugged into church.  I eventually drifted away until my divorce.  Then I rededicated my life to Christ and began going to church.  Before I really got involved much, I would pray all the time….as if I was talking to a friend….a really, really powerful, holy friend.  I felt I communed with Him most of my day.  But as I continued going to church regularly and getting plugged in I began listening to others’ prayers and they didn’t sound like mine.  They sounded so……eloquent and religious.  So as people prayed I took note and altered my prayers to fit so I wouldn’t sound stupid when praying in front of others.  The only problem is that I went from communing with God to saying religious phrases.  Further along in my walk with God I realized my prayer life was empty so I got book after book on prayer.  It got way more complicated through my reading.  Rules, rules, rules.  Prayer started feeling like a burden and I just did it to check it off my list and get on with the day.  I felt I should pray but didn’t really see the point anymore.  

Finally I came to God and prayed, “I don’t know how to pray or where to begin but I want to have intimacy with You.”  Day after day that’s where I started and then let the Spirit guide me from there.  It has been a freeing experience and God is teaching me a lot through this.  I have realized that I don’t have to edit my prayers.  I can tell Him exactly how I really feel (do we think He doesn’t already know?).  I can tell Him I don’t have a grateful heart, that I’m not content, that I want my own way in something.  He will take those things and in His power change my heart.  He loves helping His children so I can come to Him and ask Him for help.  I don’t have to always have the right words or throw in religious phrases.  Once again I am coming to Him and communing with Him.  He is teaching me so much and doing so much in my life now!

Jeremiah 29:13, “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” 

Jonathan and I have been looking for a church closer to us here in Waxhaw so we can be plugged in and involved.  Hickory Grove - North Campus is so far away from us now.  We do plan to continue going at least one Sunday a month to stay connected to our friends but full involvement is hard. 

Anyway, we just started visiting Elevation church and we love it.  This morning they had a newcomer’s lunch where we heard more about serving opportunities.  They handed out a sign-up sheet to each one of us.  As I looked it over I thought I could do about anything but nothing really struck me.  The only thing I really didn’t want to do is be a greeter.  I’m just not the greeter type.  So after lunch I went to the volunteer coordinator to explain my gifting (and lack thereof) to see where he thought they may be able to use me.  They want me to be a greeter.  Doh!  Before I knew it I was on the calendar to be a greeter every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.  I’ve heard people say that you shouldn’t tell God what you don’t want to do because He’ll make you do it.  I really don’t believe that although today really tested my stance on that subject. 

Because of my love for Christ and my desire to be apart of the vision of the church I will help out how I can and do it with all my heart…..but it will definitely be stretching me!  When we left I was still in a slight stupor.  As I pondered the turn of events, I realized that maybe God was using this to get me out of my shell a bit.  (Those of you who know me may not think I have a shell but trust me, I do.  Every time I’m in a new place I clam right up.)  Hmmm…now that I think about it…..I was just telling Jonathan how hard it is to talk to strangers.  Now I’ll have to talk to strangers.  So maybe it’ll become like second nature to me.  We’ll see.  I’m excited to get involved and plugged in and I know Jesus is with me wherever I go…..even right outside of my comfort zone…  Who knows, maybe I’m really an extrovert who’s never let loose.  (Okay, that may be pushing it.)  Most places in the world are extremely relational so maybe this is another step in my preparation.  Maybe God wants me to serve with a grateful heart even if it’s not quite up my alley.  Maybe I’ll never know why and maybe I’ll never see the value but like I’ve learned lately, “nothing’s wasted in God’s economy”.  Every moment is a teachable moment.  God will use this in my life and I pray He uses me for His glory as well.

John 12:26,  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.