One Year Anniversary!

On 08 August we celebrated our one year anniversary of living in Tanzania. We have spent some time reflecting on the blessings and challenges we have experienced over the past year and want to share some of these with you. We hope that these few sentences will give you a glimpse of our first year here.

One's calling is dependent on their gifts, and one's ministry goes beyond the official job description.

When our daughter says “I’m staying after school to play football,” we quickly remember that football here is played with a black and white round
ball.

Hope can be seen even in the midst of poverty.

Just because you are told to follow a certain “road” doesn’t mean that the road is made entirely of concrete or asphalt. There are likely to be bumps
on the way.

An occasional glimpse of Mount Kilimanjaro and its snow-capped peak truly
gives a person the opportunity to consider the wonder of God’s creation.

It is better to do small things in great love than try to do great things.

“Look, there’s a lizard in my room!” just doesn’t raise that much excitement anymore, but a chameleon in the yard is still really cool to see.

Learning a new language is extremely difficult. Learning a new language is
much easier than learning a different culture.

Expect the unexpected and it will happen.

Trust God. He is faithful.

God must have had fun creating African animals!

Just when we think we have something figured out, the rules seem to change.

It is wrong to assume that everybody speaks some English.

Christmas in the tropics has its advantages compared to a “white Christmas.”

We wonder how our missionary predecessors survived without e-mail!

The Lutheran Mission Cooperation is continuously challenging its members to use its financial and human resources in a way that will mutually benefit all members whether they are from the north or south.

No matter how much we give, we always receive much more.

The power will always go out when guests are coming for dinner.

We thank God every day that we were given the privilege to serve here. After serious reflection we know that there is no place on earth we would rather be than here. There is no work we would rather be doing than this. We are truly grateful for your support, and we wouldn’t be able to make it without your prayers.

Your Servants in Christ,
Dan and Cathy Smith

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Dan, Cathy, Sarah, Emily and Grace Smith
PO BOX 15128
Arusha
Tanzania
http://www.goodshepherdkettering.com/pages/mission.html
smithfam91@yahoo.com
or
missionaries@goodshepherdkettering.com
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