The Call

   My blood so red
   For thee was shed,
Come home again, come home again!
   You've gone astray
   Out of your way,
Come home again, come home again!

Anonymous  17th century

Note:  Now we are back in America.  We now have two homes, and they are so far from each other.  One thing to remember is that our true home is not on this earth.  We are on a pilgrimage as we journey through life.  The way our master calls us is the way of the cross. The way of the cross is a daily dying to self and living for Christ.  So whether we are here in America or there in Tanzania,  the cross is to be carried along the way.

Tanzanian National Anthem - Wimbo wa Taifa Afrika

Verse 1. Mungu ibariki Afrika.
              Wabariki viongozi wake.
              Hekima, umoja, na amani
              Hizi ni ngao zetu,
              Afrika na watu wake.

              Ibariki A-frika
              Ibariki A-frika
              Tubariki watoto wa Afrika.

Verse 2. Mungu ibariki Tanzania.
              Dumisha, uhuru, na umoja,
              Wake kwa waume na watoto.
              Mungu ibariki,
              Tanzania na watu wake.

              Ibariki Tanzania
              Ibariki Tanzania
              Tubariki watoto wa Afrika.


Note:  Today is our last day in Africa for this year.  We don't know the future, but we told our new African friends that if God wills, we will meet again.  It has been a great experience, far surpassing anything we had expected.  On our last Sunday in Tanzania at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Mwanza, our family got up front and sang the Tanzanian National Anthem.  Everyone stood up and joined us in this song.  We place the African church in God's hands.  The chorus says "God bless Africa, Africa and her people. God bless Tanzania, Tanzania and her people."

Great is Our Happiness

                Great is, O King,
                our happiness
                in Thy kingdom,
                Thou, our King.

                We dance before Thee,
                our King,
                by the strength
                of Thy kingdom.

                May our feet
                be made strong;
                let us dance before Thee,
                eternal.

                Give Ye praise,
                all angels,
                to Him above
                who is worthy of praise.

Zulu, South Africa
from An African Prayer Book, by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, copyright 1995        
         

Hour Eleven - Saa Kumi na Moja

Western sunset blazes red
   Over random piles of rocks.
Balanced boulders scattered ahead;
   Also, hidden dwellings formed with blocks.

Africans are planting rice and maize;
   Women bending low, performing tasks.
Herds of goats and cattle graze.
   "Dream or reality?" This I ask.

Days of wonder fill our heads;
   Mounds of memories we find.
Sunset colors blaze deep red;
   Hearts of love have been entwined.

by Julie Dunlap   10-18-2013

Note:  We are in 'the last hour' of our stay in Africa.  We have been blessed beyond anything we could have imagined.  It has been like living in a dream.  We thank God for bringing us to Africa and blessing us with many new African friends.

Western sunset

 Balanced boulders

Hidden dwellings

Africans are planting

Women bending low

Cattle graze

"Dream or reality?"

Sunset colors blaze

Hearts of love have been entwined.

Prayer for Africa

God bless Africa

Guard her children;

Guide her leaders, and

Give her peace

For Jesus Christ's sake.  Amen.

This short prayer is found in the front of the song books we use at the cathedral in Mwanza.  Please join us in prayer for the African church and the African people, that they will know Christ and follow His way of the cross into the brilliant, everlasting Light.

Hush, This Day is Holy

Hush, this day is holy,
   Holy to the Lord,
   The Lord most high.

Quiet your mind,
Still your thoughts,
For this day is holy
To the Lord.

Joy springs from a grateful heart;
   Give thanks to the Lord
   Almighty.
Joy springs from a grateful heart
   With quietness and trust
   In God.

10-9-2013
Inspired by Amy Carmichael's writings
in Edges of His Ways

Note:  This short song came to me this week, and encouraged me to quiet my mind, still my thoughts, and give thanks to the Lord, and thereby obtain true joy.  This is the joy that comes from a deep trust in God and heartfelt gratitude for His mercy, extended to each of us as we come to realize our frailties.

 
 

You Have Our Faith with Our Bodies

Father, thank you for your revelation
    about death
    and illness
    and sorrow.

Thank you for speaking so plainly to us,
    for calling us all friends
    and hovering over us;
    for extending your arms out to us.

We cannot stand on our own;
    we fall into death without you.
    We fall from faith, left to our own.
    We are really friendless without you.

Your extended arms fill us with joy,
    expressing love,
    love caring and carrying,
    asking and receiving our trust.

You have our trust, Father,
    and our faith,
    with our bodies
    and all that we are and possess.

We fear nothing when with you,
    safe to stretch out and help others,
    those troubled in faith,
    those troubled in body.

Father, help us to do with our bodies what we proclaim,
    that our faith be known to you
    and to others,
    and be effective in all the world.

Masai, Tanzania
from An African Prayer Book by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, copyright 1995