Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 4/21/2012
Reflections on Africa: January, February, March 2012. TANZANIA, RWANDA, UGANDA.
Me and baby Destiny.
Our neighbor's home; a typical home in Mbarara, Uganda.
I’m sitting in the airport on my way to Thailand. Three months of living in Africa, now just a collection of scattered experiences, bits of memory, like beach glass, illuminated by a retrospective glance backward, that’s closer to dreaming, as the light catches whatever is shiny and bright, glittering in the sand. That’s how I remember Africa. The moments that stand out; a bigger picture; a tapestry of small experiences, however brief or fleeting, that, when woven together create something even more beautiful. Something that looks like what it means to be alive as one glimpses the infinite, deep and wide, life and love that sweeps in and through and around us and fills all the earth.
In all the unfamiliar, wild, diversity of Africa and in the pain, suffering and poverty of so many people, I look back and see an everywhere present God who invites us to join in celebrating and declaring His love that surrounds, sustains and gives breath and life to all and manifests in humble, unexpected, intoxicating ways.
Africa is written on my heart. Africa has changed me. The things I saw and experienced, I cannot escape.
I saw…
…people living in severe poverty with little to no opportunities or access to education.
…a mal-nourished, mentally handicapped boy with a bloated belly steel bottles of water.
…a small boy huffing glue on the street.
…handicapped and limbless people crawling on the streets begging.
…mothers and children with no place to sleep.
…single mothers struggling to cloth and feed several children.
…countless unemployed parents.
…countless children wearing rags and smelling of urine.
…people fetching water on foot or bike from miles away.
…suffering hospital patients lying in filth with inadequate care and supplies.
…children dying of preventable and treatable illness; 1 out of 7 children die before age 5.
A local hospital reports: “In Mbarara alone, 13000 children under 5 die each year; thousands more ages 6 to 12." Other statistics include: Over 60% die from malaria, dysentery, pneumonia and related cases. Malaria accounts for 70,000 to 110,000 child deaths annually in Uganda.”
I experienced…
…living with no running water, indoor plumbing or electricity.
…African food: rice and beans, cooked cabbage, rabbit, chicken, pasta, potatoes, matoka (cooked and mashed plantains), bananas, pineapples.
…living in community with local Tanzanians, Rwandans and Ugandan people.
I rejoiced and thanked God for His faithfulness and love as I….
…sang in sign language with deaf children.
…received countless hugs from beautiful children.
...prayed for the hopeless and destitute.
…studied the Bible with my teammates and asked tough questions.
…laughed and built friendships sitting in the dark around a lantern sharing our hopes and fears.
…glimpsed the vastness of God and His unchanging, all knowing, all-powerful nature, present even in the darkest of places.
…glimpsed the hope and beauty in children born with disabilities.
…prayed for healing and hope in the lives of children living with spinal bifida, club feet, hydro syphilis.
…wept with James, an adult living with severe mental disabilities in a care facility; abandoned by his family.
…prayed from the deepest places for Alex, a teenager who was severely beaten, stripped naked and left in a ditch. I saw the dried blood on his head, as he was limp and drugged on the hospital bed. I saw the tears in his mother’s eyes.
…wrestled with questions of God and suffering in the world and cried with my teammates over the pain and need we saw daily.
This month, surrounded by suffering, poverty, discomfort and the unfamiliar hard things I’d rather, more often than not, face, I saw God’s faithfulness and unchanging, ever-present nature.
I learned:
God knows us, God is with us and His greatest gift is to allow us to know Him.
Happiness is a gift; a spiritual state not based on circumstances.
The more that was stripped out of my life, the more I give up or let go of, the more clearly I saw the bits of hope and love and friendship that hold their hands out to me over and over again if I would only have eyes to see them and grab hold!
I know these truths because they are written on my heart and understood with eyes and hands and feet that see and touch and walk by faith.
“How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them. Were I to count then, they would outnumber the grains of sand…” Psalm 139:18
Our neighbors.
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Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 4/21/2012
March 2012. Mbarara, UGANDA.
The neighbor girls fetching water.
My team and I spent our month in Mbarara, Uganda working with a local pastor visiting the homes of believers, participating in Bible studies, supporting outreach efforts in the community during soccer games and visiting a variety of hospitals, special needs schools and health centers.
We lived in a cramped two-room cement hut with no electricity, no running water and an outdoor toilet and shower, waking every morning to crowing roosters, screaming babies and banging pots and pans. ‘Goodbye’ privacy and space to relax and ‘hello’ to bugs, sweat, and dozens of Ugandan children packed into the small space at the door of our hut peering in at us all hours of the day. While we lacked modern conveniences so easily taken for granted (I’ve never had to strap jugs of water to my bike to fetch water several times per day), I certainly experienced no lack in my spirit. God showed me His nature everywhere I looked. Love and beauty and mercy and redemption and hope surrounded me. In deep and vulnerable friendships filled with laughter and tears; in filthy hospitals; under indigo and purple, infinite, star-dotted night skies; and in the hugs of precious Ugandan children, I saw God’s faithfulness and love for His children. Regardless of circumstances these truths do not change. God’s love remains at the foundation of all things.
Eating dinner in the dark.
The weekly groceries including a live chicken.
The kitchen and shower in the background.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7
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Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 3/17/2012
Dear family and friends,
Thank you all for your generosity, prayers and support! The Lord has provided abundantly for me. Thanks to your love and support, I am able to finish the journey that the Lord has put before me this year. It is a privilege to partner with each of you in bringing God's Kingdom to the earth!
I am humbled and encouraged beyond words to see the way God has worked in our hearts and how His love spills over into all the people that we meet. "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 From teaching English to orphans to supporting local churches, I have seen God's redemptive love and restorative power at work.
Again, thank you for your prayers and generosity. I pray that each of you may know the love of the Father who provides for, guides, protects, and forgives His children abundantly. Thank you!
In Christ,
Rachel Van Timmeren
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Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 3/8/2012
Dear family and friends,
Thank you so much for your love, prayers and generous financial support! This year away, in all its diverse challenges, has grown me in a love for God’s children all around the world. The many hearts encouraged and lives changed as people meet and receive their Savior, as well as the countless hugs, smiles and laughter shared with children would not be possible without your love!
Thank you for partnering with me on this journey of becoming more Christ-like as I learn to love better than myself, both my teammates and the people we encounter. "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35
In the last three weeks, I have been encouraged by God’s provision! Over $3000 has been given! Praise the Lord for His goodness. I still need $2000 to finish this journey and the deadline has passed! Please pray about how God is leading you to support bringing His Kingdom to the nations.
To donate online: click on the ‘Support Me’ link to the left and follow the instructions. If 20 people give $100 I will be fully funded.
Again, thank you for your prayers and love that have impacted countless people around the world. May God bless you for your giving heart!
In Christ,
Rachel Van Timmeren
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Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 3/8/2012
February, 2012
Kabuga, RWANDA
Teaching English at Victory Mission Primary School
Playing interactive games; working on listening and following instructions
Listening skill development and following basic instructions in English.
In Kabuga, Rwanda, my team and I taught English at Victory Mission Primary School. The children, mostly orphans, are very ill behaved and wild. It was a daily struggle to communicate basic instructions and enforce listening and discipline methods. With limited training and access to teaching tools, the teachers struggle to keep order in the classroom. Often, the only solution seems to be hitting the children with a switch. This further encourages rowdy behavior and children hit each other back and pile on top of each other. I found myself doing all sorts of wild charades, clapping games, call and response activities and hoping, spinning and jumping in an effort to put into place strategies for better listening and instruction following, consistent discipline and positive reinforcement. Needless to say, I was sweaty and covered in children’s germs at the end of each session.
In the afternoons, we worked with the teachers, giving them an opportunity to practice English and discuss classroom management. We felt good about our progress at the end of four weeks as we saw children raising hands to answer questions, respond to positive encouragement and co-operate with time-outs.
In the evenings, we partnered with a local pastor to visit the homes of local church members and encourage them in their faith. We prayed for homeless women and children, families struggling to eat, unemployed people and very sick people. We met several survivors of the genocide and heard countless stories of horror and brutality. We were a part of the body of Christ learning from, encouraging and loving each other. I am forever touched by the resilience and bright hope of Rwandan’s who have seen and experienced pain that I will never understand. I know that the redeeming and restoring love of God is at work in Rwanda!
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Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 2/22/2012
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from Rwanda! Thank you all for your love, encouragement and support thus far. This year has been an incredible journey that has opened my eyes to the amount of need, pain and brokenness in the world. As I see the enormity of hopelessness in diverse places and people, my own self-focus and pride are reflected back to me.
God has grown in me a love for His children and His Church that has changed everything! “I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart.” Psalm 119:32
Lord willing, I hope to learn from, encourage and serve my brothers and sisters in Christ in: Uganda, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. And, to bring the love of Jesus Christ where ever I go!
I must raise $4,000 before March 1st, otherwise I will have to go home. I know that there is still an enormous amount for me to learn and do. Please partner with me in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to people all over the world. God has moved in and through me and I trust that this journey is not over yet for me.
Please consider monthly donations of:
$50 a month
$25 a month
or
A one-time donation of any amount.
I am incredibly grateful to you all for your prayers, generosity and kindness. Please know that none of this would be possible without you. I know that God honors your giving heart and will bless you in return.
In Christ,
Rachel Van Timmeren
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Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 2/16/2012
What happens when all things familiar are stripped away; when one is confronted daily with newness, exhaustion, discomfort, and the desperate need, pain and suffering of humanity?
I discover my fragility, my smallness and my desperate need for God!
I experience the collapse of the things I thought would satisfy me; my career, wealth, prestige, recognition and my education cannot withstand the weight of my desire for life abundantly.
I see beyond myself. There is a whole aching world out there, longing and yearning for hope!
I am given countless opportunities to love, encourage and pray for the global church; I walk humbly with and learn from and empathize with the hardships and struggles of my brothers and sisters, and become more and more aware of my own inner poverty apart form Christ.
I understand that it is better to love, trust and be vulnerable; to live with intensity and be open to hurt, pain and loneliness than to try and protect myself and miss out all the varied, beautiful, bittersweet diversity that it is to be human, caught between the temporal and eternal.
I learn who I am in Christ! A daughter, beloved, a delight, redeemed, a new creation!
I discover that I two choices: life or death. Every word, action, thought holds the potential to bring life or death. I have a daily choice to believe God or rely on myself.
I live minimally, out of one backpack and experience life not based on processions, comforts, and luxuries.
I learn that worry and anxiety accomplish nothing!
I understand that life is a gift! I am not entitled to anything. My life, gifts, talents, clothing, food are shelter are freely given, gracious, merciful gifts from my Father in Heaven. Each day unfolds with new mercy, love and adventure! I have an infinite amount of things to give thanks for and celebrate!
I dream because this is a little closer to how we were meant to live.
I learn to rest and be at peace regardless of the circumstance.
I base my life on the only lasting, unchangeable, fixed, unmovable, deep REALITY: the love of God, revealed in Christ.
“Do not fear for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; surely I will help you,
Surely, I will uphold you with my right hand.
Is. 41:10
“For you are my lamp, O Lord;
And, the Lord illuminates my darkness.
For by You I can run upon a troop;
By my God, I can leap over a wall.
As for God, His way is blameless;
The world of the Lord is tested
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
2 Sam. 22:29
“When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust,
I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?”
Psalm 56:3-4
“Your vows are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.”
Psalm 56:12
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Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 2/10/2012
January, 2012
Pastor Emanuel at the church building teaching school.
Tanzania, one of the world’s poorest economies depends greatly on agriculture. 80% of the workforce relies on farming for their livelihood as agricultural products account 85% of exports from Tanzania. I lived in the second largest town in Tanzania, called Mwanza, about 5 kilometers from Lake Victoria. Dirt and cement houses are built into the sides of massive hills covered with giant rounded rocks. Fields of rice, corn and vegetables cover the land slopping down to the lake. We lived in a modest one-floor cement house with only one spout of running water and an indoor squatty potty (thankfully!). I slept in my tent in the living room to avoid malaria-spreading mosquitoes.
Our month was spent supporting the local church, encouraging believers in villages and in a women’s bible study and helping with a Saturday morning children’s program. Each morning we hiked to neighboring villages, past the mud and brick huts with woven straw roofs, to fellowship with church members. Women and children, often squatting on the ground around a clay pot oven cooking a mid-morning meal, would stop their activities to warmly welcome us into their homes. We prayed for sick children, the elderly and struggling families to be filled with faith and hope.
Culturally, many people profess to be Christians, but a variety of false teachings including the ‘health and wealth gospel’ are popular (the name ‘Jesus’ and ‘God Bless’ is plastered on many trucks and businesses in the hopes of earning blessings). It was humbling to be welcomed into homes to speak with the locals about faith and life and to share in their struggles if even for a hour or two.
Children teaching us an African dance at the saturday morning children's program.
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Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 2/10/2012
December, 2011
Home of Hope for the Disease and Dying
India has experienced massive growth into an open-market economy over the last decade. Primarily an agricultural economy, other sources of income include traditional village farming, handicraft and a diversity of modern service industries. India is a major exporter of IT services and software employees due to a largely English-speaking population. Widespread poverty, inadequate physical infrastructure, few non-agricultural work options, and insufficient access to basic educationhave gone largely unaddressed because of continued political corruption and religious fundamental group division.
I spent the month of December living just outside the city of Bangalore. A moderate climate year-round is a draw for hundreds of non-profit and Christian organizations to set up the headquarters in Bangalore. Our days were spent visiting a variety of schools, orphanages, rescue missions and homes for the destitute and dying. We had the privilege of learning about the vision and mission of each of these organizations as we visited, prayed with and encouraged the multitude of people we encountered. From the principal of a special needs school, to relocated Americans rescuing street children, to the Home of Hope where the homeless and diseased go to die, I was overwhelmed with the amount of need in India as well as the vision and passion of leaders, teachers, and volunteers working tirelessly to bring hope and change! In one girl’s orphanage, I had great fun making a craft with the children, teaching them how to marble paper with paint and fold origami cranes and string them together to make a mobile. In visiting the Home of Hope, a place where the homeless and diseased go to die in dignity, I was confronted with real need and misery like I have never seen before. We prayed for terminally ill, physically handicapped, and people rejected by society and left to die in the streets. All I could do was trust that God hears the cries of the oppressed and pray with every fiber of my being that God’s light and love fill their hearts. I left India inspired by the courage and life stories of the incredible individuals we met and how they have used their gifts and abilities to serve others and meet the needs around them.
Holding an orphan baby in the children's wing of Home of Home.
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Posted in General Posts by Rachel VanTimmeren on 2/10/2012
November, 2011
Eating, singing and praying together in a Nepali home.
Nepal is amongst the poorest and least developed countries in the world. It is estimated that one-quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. Agriculture is the main source of economy and livelihood for three-fourths of the population. Political instability, civil strife, labor unrest, and frequent natural disasters continue to challenge Nepal’s growth and development.
The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful; a glimpse of Mount Everest from the plane window did not disappoint! Nor did the views from our excruciatingly jarring, dusty, almost falling-apart bus ride on a rutted mountain path that was the only existing road from Kathmandu. Several people suffered from motion sickness as we bumped along, careening around sharp curving bends, one misplaced wheel turn away from sliding off steep drop off-cliffs on either side of the vehicle.
The welcome and love we received from the local church in Nepal stands out as remarkable and has changed the way I live in and understand Christian community. We lived with the pastor’s family; three generations of people caring for each other that lived together in a cluster of small, wooden, dirt-floor huts next to the church building. It was incredibly humbling to be served meals with such graciousness, warmth and love as this family work tirelessly, all day, to simply eat. Our days were spent hiking up to four or five miles through rice and sugar cane fields to neighboring villages to meet in the homes of church members, to sing, pray and eat together. I experienced the beauty of people living together, serving each other selflessly and aligned with the purpose and call of God upon our lives: to bring Him glory.
Simon, the pastor’s son, and an extraordinary musician was our guide, translator, and brother. He shared with us his incredible vision and passion to impact Nepali youth through teaching music. A mostly illiterate and impoverished people, children have little to no opportunities or even access to education. Simon goes into schools, teaches guitar workshops, singing and drumming. He has single handedly transformed the lives of several children as the gift of playing music gives them direction and hope! We got to meet and work with Arjun, one such youth, who had dropped out of school with no opportunities in his future, now excelling in his musical abilities and a leader amongst his peers. Simon is also in the process of building an orphanage next to the church. In the meantime, he and his family have become the guardians of six orphan children, rescued from dire family backgrounds, who currently sleep on the floor of the church. He teaches them music. The sounds of their little voices and small hands beating the Nepali drum (called a model) can be heard each night worshipping their Father in Heaven, from the open doors of the modest one-room church. They are God’s special little ones, raised by love and care of many mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers: God’s people, the Church.
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