Yesu atosha

Jesus is enough

We heard that a friend of a friend was coming to Tanzania and was there anything that we needed? We compiled a list of things that we cannot buy, here, and through the miracle of modern technology our wish list traveled through cyberspace and was received on a family member’s computer. Several in our family worked diligently to fill our requests, and the package was mailed to the friend of a friend by priority mail to ensure that it would be received in time to make the trip to Tanzania in the friend’s suitcase. To make a long story short, we eventually received an e-mail message telling us that the package did not make it into the suitcase. We were extremely disappointed. The package had things that we cannot get here, and our immediate thoughts were focused on who might be able to bring our package to us and when would we be able to get those things we really needed.

This week as we came to terms with the fact that we wouldn’t be receiving our care-package, we were challenged to move beyond ourselves to help some of our fellow Christians. Every day, we interact with Tanzanians that have needs, and we find that many of these interactions give us opportunities to grow. This time we were reminded that sometimes the things we think we need are actually just wants. With an unemployment rate hovering near 30 percent, the need for food, clothing, and shelter is indeed a priority. Health care, children’s secondary education fees, and deaths of family members are major financial crises that force families into situations where they must rely on the generosity of family members and strangers in order to survive. Yesterday, Cathy had a long talk with a woman whose husband has left her to raise their five children by herself. She makes beautiful baskets and is trying to find enough customers to buy baskets to meet her daily needs. She wants very much to educate her children so that perhaps they do not have to try to sell baskets for a living when they are older. Earlier in the week we met with a young man who struggled with alcoholism. He has been sober for some time, now, and is trying to support his family. He recently started part-time employment at a restaurant. The income combined with his garden is enough to feed his family from day to day, but when a family member is sick, there is not enough money to pay for medicine.

We wonder how these people find the strength to go on day after day when each day is filled with new struggles and hardships. Perhaps they have truly embraced the phrase which is popular among Christians in Tanzania "Yesu atosha." Yes, Jesus is enough for us all whether we are facing minor disappointments or major hardships. We are reminded of the passage in Philippians when Paul says "…for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." By focusing on Jesus and what he accomplished on the cross we find peace and joy in all circumstances. When we remember the cross, our priorities change. Disappointments, struggles, and hardships lose their power to bring us down. Jesus has supplied all that we really need.

Perhaps during the season of Lent, many of you have committed additional time for prayer and personal reflection. We ask that you pray especially for those in Tanzania who struggle to meet their everyday needs. Please pray for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania to help meet the needs of those in their parishes.

We are truly thankful for your support and prayers.

In His Service,

Dan and Cathy Smith

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