Karibu -- a tangible reminder of God's love for me

By Jenny Buckley, Group #1 Traveler

Last September, I decided to commit to a trip to Tungamalenga, Tanzania with Shepherd of the Valley. This is something that I had always said I would do...someday.  I decided it was time to get uncomfortable and start doing those things that I had only talked about. Signing up for Tanzania was a bold decision to let go and let God work in me.  

In the eleven months leading up to our departure, I didn’t quite know how to prepare or what to expect, I just kept praying that my heart would be open to what God had to show me; that He would erase my inhibitions and let me fully engage in the experience.  On July 29th, with a fluttering heart, I boarded a plane with 14 others from our church.  I spent the next 20 hours alternating between fear and excitement as I wondered what I would discover when I stepped off the plane in Dar Es Salaam.   

And what I saw astounded me.  Women and children, in bright technicolor, balancing huge loads on their heads, walking on the side of the road.  Men gathered around tables, playing checkers and sharing a Coke.  Piki pikis (motorcycles) zooming next to our coaster bus loaded with two or three people AND a bag of rice.  Women bending over to sweep the ground, tend a fire, or soothe a crying child all with another tiny baby clinging to their backs.  And little children dashing toward our passing bus; standing tall, waving, faces split with joyful smiles.  

Now, I love the beauty of the changing seasons in the midwest; but there was something about the colors, the mountains, and the people that took my breath away and has lingered long after I left Tanzania. It would be easy to just talk about what I saw, but the heart and soul of this trip was the way I experienced God.

When our bus arrived at the village of Tungamalenga, there was a vibrant group of men, women and children waving branches by the side of the road, singing and dancing.  Stepping off the bus, we were immediately encompassed by smiling faces eager to greet us with hugs and handshakes.  Together we walked, danced, and sang our way to the church.  I was only a few steps down the road before my eyes welled with tears and our partners blurred into an abstract watercolor.  Who was I to receive such a greeting?  I had done nothing and yet I was received with an outpouring of love.  I did not deserve such treatment. They didn't even know me.  And yet, there were people on every side, holding my hand, hugging me, and encouraging me with their bright smiles. And my fear of the unknown turned to an overwhelming feeling of welcome and love.  

I was struck by this tangible reminder of God's love for me: I have done nothing to deserve it--in fact, I often don’t take the time I should to cultivate my faith--and yet, His love is poured over me.  I am unworthy. I am a sinner. And still, I am saved.  

If this were all I experienced, all I learned from my journey, it would be more than enough. It was a priceless gift to experience God's love on this trip.  But, I hope, I pray, that I wasn't the only one receiving such a blessing.  The reason I was in Tanzania in the first place was to meet the other side of our partnership.  Yes, we brought t-shirts, and books, and scholarships, but I hope it wasn't the material things or the money we brought with us that made the biggest difference to those we met. I pray that our presence, our bumbling attempts at communication and our genuine smiles were evidence of God's love for them, too.  

Just one week after we arrived in Tungamalenga, it was time for us to say goodbye. As I sat in a pew next to Alice, one of many of our amazing Tanzanian sisters, I found myself thinking about the power of Christ's love.  Despite everything that separates us, distance, culture, experience, His love binds us together and makes us one. As we drove away from the village, Philippians 1:3-7, the verse from the prayer cards we distributed, resounded in my heart. “I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart.”

Whether you have visited Tanzania, faithfully held our brothers and sisters in your heart, or simply followed along on the blog, be assured: the love of Christ that unites us all is for you and for me.  I’ve experienced it and pray that you will too.

Our warm welcome as we stepped off the bus in Tungamalenga for the first time.

Meritho, Alice, Meritho's Grandma, Rev. Eva

children of the parish

Maasai men at Mpalapande

Pasco, one of our interpreters

Prayer partners