Team Tanzania, Jeff Radichel: Settling In

Monday was our first full day in Tanzania, and it was a good day to settle in.

After the travel day, it was helpful to have a slower morning at the Naumanns’ home in Tengeru. We had time to unpack, sort through supplies, and start getting things ready for the mission helper work later this week. That kind of thing does not sound very exciting, but after a couple long flights, it matters. It helps your mind and body catch up to where you actually are.

Later in the day we went into town with Bruce and Paula. We visited the African Cultural Heritage Centre and walked around looking at the art, carvings, and displays. After that we had a Mexican-style lunch nearby. I suppose it is a little funny to come all the way to Africa and look for Mexican food on the first full day, but sometimes adjusting slowly through something familiar is its own kind of blessing. After lunch we stopped for groceries and then came back to the house.

I also got to drive again yesterday, which was good. Later in the afternoon, Sarah and I drove out toward a lake not far from where we are staying. We found a place to park by a boat landing, and the security guard there kindly let us leave the vehicle while we ran. We got in three miles on the back roads. It was hillier than expected, but after the travel, I was thankful we were able to get out and move.

One thing I appreciate about a day like that is how ordinary much of it was. Groceries. Lunch. Driving. Running. Unpacking. Getting organized. None of that is dramatic, but it helps you understand a place. It also reminds me that mission work happens inside real daily life. It is not separated from meals, errands, roads, homes, conversations, and the normal patterns of a place.

Bruce also asked me yesterday about preaching this coming Sunday, so we started talking through the sermon. The text we were discussing is Mark 16, especially Jesus’ words:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

That led to a really good conversation about mission work, the power of the Gospel, and how the Lord often uses what looks small. Small churches. Small groups. Small offerings. Small beginnings. We tend to measure by buildings, numbers, resources, and visible strength. But the Church is not small when it has Christ and His Word.

That thought fits what I am seeing here, and it fits what I need to remember back home too.

Mission trips have a way of turning our eyes outward. It is easy to get wrapped up in our own lives, our own plans, our own comfort, and our own concerns. The Lord does not ignore those things, but He also lifts our eyes to the people around us. He teaches us to ask a different kind of question. Not only, “How am I doing?” but also, “Whom has the Lord placed in front of me to love, encourage, serve, or speak the Gospel to?”

That is true here in Tanzania, and it is true back home. We come here to encourage and serve where we can, but trips like this also remind us to notice the mission opportunities the Lord gives us in ordinary life. In our homes, churches, workplaces, families, and daily conversations.

I find myself praying that my nieces, nephews, and other family members may have opportunities like this someday. Not because everyone has to go on this exact kind of trip, but because these experiences stretch you. They help you see the Lord’s work in a different place, and they also help you see your own daily life with fresh eyes.

Please pray for us:

  • In thanksgiving for a good first full day of settling in.
  • For Bruce and Paula and the work they continue to do here.
  • For Sarah’s health as she continues recovering and adjusting.
  • For safe travel as we head west on Wednesday and Thursday.
  • For preparation today before the week becomes more full.
  • That the Lord would help us see mission opportunities both here and back home.
  • That the Gospel would be taught clearly and received with joy.

I would also welcome your thoughts as I continue preparing for Sunday:

  • Where have you seen the Lord use something that looked small?
  • How have mission trips or mission stories helped you see opportunities in your daily life back home?
  • When have you seen a church, family, or person be both needy and sent?

We are thankful to be here, and thankful for the Lord’s care in both the ordinary and important parts of the day.

In Christ,
Jeff Radichel
Tanzania Mission Helper Trip



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