Swahili graduation

We graduated!!!!  We are now officially certified Swahili speakers :)

This has been one of the most challenging experiences of our lives.  Moving away from friends and family, living in Africa...with kids, enduring sickness...and bugs, studying Swahili everyday, all day long. 

But we are so thankful for our time here.  We are very blessed to have studied with these teachers in this place.  We really respect and appreciate the teachers.  It was interesting to build relationships and discuss life with teachers who were from a Christian background as well as those from another major world religion.  God used this experience to broaden our worldview and deepen our faith.

We are excited to continue learning this language so that we can communicate with people.  Studying Swahili and reading the Swahili Bible rekindled our desire to see God's Word in peoples' heart languages.

And after 16 weeks of Swahili school our brains have gone "bye-bye!"  It's been wonderful, but we're glad to be done.

Now, on to Musoma.....

the wide world of Tanzanian BUGS

Check out these crawlers and flyers...
Maybe you can help us identify them.



his skin is metallic green



this must be his cousin



awesome camoflage



some kind of mantis?



Kara liked this one

Here's a video of the same bug...






we call this: exoskeleton at sunset

this is just weird - termite wings

Here's what we heard...these flying termites emerge after the first rain, lose their wings, reproduce, and die.  The next morning, the ground was covered with these wings.  AND some people fry the termites and eat them.  Hmmmmm...

Our God is an awesome Creator!

(We won't show pictures of the cockroaches or spiders or mosquitos, yuck!)

Swahili word of the day: bubujika

Say it with me [boo-boo-JEE-ka]

 

It means bubble up, gush, burst out like in Proverbs 18:4,

The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling {bubujika} brook.

This verse contrasts the words of the ordinary person with the words of the wise person.  Sometimes our words conceal deeper, hidden meanings which can be selfish, harmful or dangerous.  The Hebrew word translated "deep" refers to darkness (Job 12:22), the evil thoughts of wicked men (Psa 64:6), and the mouth of an adulterous woman (Prov 22:14).  All too often we use our words to deceive, mislead, manipulate, or lie.  It happens so naturally we might not even realize the depths of our depraved hearts.  Jesus said, “the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45).

In contrast, the wise person bubbles over with words which are open, clear, honest, trustworthy, and life-changing.*  "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life" (Prov 10:11).  When the Holy Spirit regenerates our hearts, we should gush words which “impart grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29).  Wise words burst forth from a wise heart in an abundant supply.  “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good” (Luke 6:45).  "The tongue of the wise brings healing” (Prov 12:18).

 

*Waltke, Bruce K. The Book of Proverbs (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans 2004).