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Nipe Jibu in Moshi

Lis — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:31:35 +0000

This last weekend Felis and I went to Moshi to show Nipe Jibu THREE times. We had two school showings and a showing at an all night youth meeting. All three venues were very receptive to the film but our second showing at the Fountain of Hope Secondary School was the best crowd we have ever had. The classroom full of secondary students was actively engaged in the film from the very beginning. I have never heard or seen so many expressions and responses throughout a film before. There were multiple times where the students erupted in cheers, gasps, laughter, or shocked chattering to where we couldn’t even hear what was being said in the movie. The students reacted the way that was hoped and envisioned when Nadine and Sig wrote the script for Nipe Jibu. We also heard a lot of comments throughout the movie about the music. The students really enjoyed the original music that was created for the movie. At a key point in the movie Felis got up and spoke with the students, encouraging them to speak with their teachers about the issues that had been raised in the movie. He spoke to them about the importance of making good decisions and being in a good relationship with Jesus. The kids swarmed Felis and I after the film, wanting copies of the movie, Sowers CDs and Tapes and wanting to talk with Felis about the music in the film. Our time with the secondary students was truly one of the best times that we have had yet. I feel very strongly that Nipe Jibu will probably be most affective with this age group. Being in school has them in the mindset of learning already. The film has a lot to teach and their minds are prepared to learn. What better time to encourage the importance of good choices and their ability to make worthwhile decisions than right now as they are thinking about what it is that they want to do with their lives.

While Felis and I were in Moshi, Kim and Jacob were in Kenya doing more showings. In this last week we had 11 shows between the two countries with over 900 people having seen the film. We are discipling cultures through media!

Here are some pictures from the Moshi showings.

Nipe Jibu in Manyire Village

Lis — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:38:58 +0000

On Friday, January 21, we took Nipe Jibu to a small village called Manyire just 30 minutes south of where we live. Two of our staff are from that village and set up the showing with the local church there. We have pretty much got the set-up of our movie showing components worked into a nice system. We were ready to start showing films 30 minutes after our arrival. Record timing. We started an hour and a half later with about 40 people. The crowd steadily grew until the little cinder block church was full of 170 people.

Twice during the movie our staff members, Majanta and Wilfredi, got up to explain what was going on in the movie. The movie starts out with the main character, Ndoto, getting caught up in the fear of the ancestors because of a grandmother figures influence. Majanta got up and explained that things will get bad in the movie before they get good. He told them to be patient and wait for the good that is coming. This is probably the first full length film that they have seen in this village. At the end of the film, an evangelist from the church got up and spoke to the crowd about the meaning of the film and its meaning for them. He used the examples of the grandmother who was involved in spirit worship, Ndoto who was an orphan looking for answers, and another character named Kilele who chose to follow God’s plan over what society dictated as his duty, to explain that God can meet us wherever we are. He explained that God can give us freedom from fear, that He can be our Father and that He has a plan for our lives.

It was around 10 pm when we finished and not a person had left the church. The crowd heard the gospel clearly that evening and many seeds have been planted. The people know where to go to learn more about this God who brings freedom. Please be praying for the church in Manyire. Pray for wisdom and love and they follow up with the people in their village that saw the film. Please pray for a harvest to come from this showing. We have already been invited to come back and show the film again in their village.

Please be praying for me as I organize more Nipe Jibu showings over these next couple of months. Pray for timing and favor in meeting with different churches and schools. Pray for open hearts for the viewers.

arrival and unpacking

waiting for the movie to start

crowd during the show

view midway thru the movie from a front window

a little past 1/2 way the aisle was filling up with people

Engaged!

Lis — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:26:48 +0000

photo by Jeremy Feser

Thanksgiving

Lis — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:49:19 +0000

Even though being thankful is something that we should practice daily, it isn’t bad to reflect on it especially during this holiday season. I lost my Grandma (my mom’s mom) this last Saturday and it is even more apparent the blessings that come from family and community. It was very difficult for me to not be able to be with my family during this time, but I was grateful for the support of the community around me here in Tanzania and the support from people back home via the internet and phone. I was so grateful to hear from my mom how everyone was able to come together during this difficult time and support one another. God created us to need each other. In our very independent society it is easy to forget that.

Regarding life and work here in Tanzania, there are some things that I am especially thankful for. I am thankful for the team we have at Pamoja and the support team that enables us to disciple cultures through media. I am so grateful for the technology that enables us to keep in touch with our family and friends, and enables us to share in each others lives even though we are separated by an ocean. I am grateful that we are seeing fruit come from our showings of Nipe Jibu. I am thankful for the partnerships that we have with World Map, ISOM, the Sowers Group, and the Enkata Choir that are impacting this culture in real life giving ways.

I am grateful to be here. I feel alive in what we do. I am blessed to be a part of this work. I wouldn’t be able to do it without my community back in North America or my community here.

My prayer for you this Holiday season is that you will see the blessings of community around you and that you will pursue all of the dreams in your heart.

We are discipling cultures through media…

Lis — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:55:37 +0000

Here are some of the highlights from the last few weeks.

Nipe Jibu

Nipe Jibu has been shown 4 times since the beginning of September.
Over 600 Africans have seen the film.
10 adults and 20+ children gave their hearts to Jesus when given the chance to respond after watching Nipe Jibu.
Through giving from the local churches here in Arusha we will be able to go to do two or three village showings depending on the distance.

The response to the film so far has been amazing. Please keep praying for continued open doors to show the film and continued open hearts for all that see it.

The room filling up

The overflow area filling up

The crowd after the film (Kim at the merch table)

The Sowers Group

This month has been a public relations push for the Sowers Group.
In a week and half they had 3 radio interviews with 3 different local stations.
They performed at the Colobus Club on the 9th (the owner, Christophe) loved them – pray for continued good relationship with )
They will be performing at a the Blue Heron restaurant this Friday.
We have the Sowers working on a Christmas set for a Christmas service at our international church here in Arusha.
We hope to have them perform that Christmas set in a couple of other venues as well.

Please keep praying for more open doors for performance and good interaction with the Arusha community. We are working to get them known in our own backyard before trying to see them known across Tanzania. Please pray for wisdom and good interaction with the media in our area and around Tanzania as we continue moving forward.

Performing at the Colobus Club

At Colobus

Nikki, Shannon and I at the Colobus show

My job in general

In the midst of organizing showings of Nipe Jibu, meeting with pastors, organizing interviews and arranging gigs for the Sowers, my boss, Jacob and I have been building relationships with radio managers and club owners. Two weeks ago we participated in a radio show at Triple A FM, one of the secular stations in Arusha, and had a great time. This is the station that I have done some short audio jingles for and that offered me my own radio program. In talking with our team we see the great opportunity before us in getting a weekly spot on the radio. For this next month Jacob will be going every Friday to join the radio manager, Borry, for the Drive Time show in the afternoon.

I am excited to see our team getting involved in our area of focus as a ministry, media. There are good doors opening up. Please be praying for wisdom for good content for a weekly radio show. The same station is planning to open a television station and we have been asked to do one show. So please be praying for that also.

Borry and Jacob during the Drive Time show

You can’t see me but I am sitting next to Jacob

From my personal life

On a personal note, Felis and I celebrated 1 year of being in a relationship this past Thursday (Oct 14). Things are continuing to go very well. Thanks for all of your prayers for the two of us. We definitely see God’s love, favor and grace on us. We appreciate your continued prayers.

Felis and I at our friends, Simon and Joanna’s engagement party

Things are hoppin’ around here. More to come!

Discipling Cultures Through Media

Lis — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:18:33 +0000

designed by Felis Mwambalo

Seasons

Lis — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:17:30 +0000

I am always intrigued by the way that seasons work here, south of the equator. We don’t have the four seasons like I grew up with in Northwest Indiana. What I find fun is that we do share April and May showers except here in Tanzania the cold season follows those showers. Instead of the grass turning brown because of the hot summer weather, it is green and lush and we wear sweaters. The season that follows our cold season is the prelude to the hot season which is a lot like autumn. The trees start to drop their leaves but not because of coming cold. They drop because of dryness (at least that is my interpretation) The weather increasingly gets hotter, leaves litter the ground and we enter a different kind of winter. Hot winter . I enjoy see the leaves on the ground. Autumn was my favorite time of year in NWI.

One of my favorite parts of this African Autumn season is that the Jacaranda trees bloom, drop their blossoms and cover the ground with, what I call, purple snow.

Enjoy this autumn season. Celebrate the life and change that comes with each new season. Please pray for us here at Pamoja as we enter a season focused on getting Nipe Jibu out. Pray for wisdom for me and our team as we learn the system for media and marketing here in Tanzania and East Africa.

5 Year Anniversary

Lis — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:55:59 +0000

On September 18th, I celebrated 5 years of ministry in Tanzania, East Africa!

Movies and Music Videos

Lis — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:19:41 +0000

We have finished our movie!

July 11th we premiered Nipe Jibu at the Zanzibar International Film Festival (www.ziff.or.tz) This is the first full-feature production from Pamoja Ministries. It is a Swahili musical with a good portion of the music written and performed by our friends, the Sowers Group. I am so excited to finally have the finished product to begin showings in Tanzania and then in surrounding countries. It was so much fun to listen to the crowd interacting with the movie.

group shot

the afternoon of the premiere

our group in the Old Fort, the main venue for ZIFF, with a group of students

3 weeks after our premiere we showed Nipe Jibu in Simanjiro

Our movie works! It was so great listening and watching viewers interacted with the movie. Laughing at the right parts, warning the characters when they are stepping into danger, falling in love with the main characters and signing the songs after the movie has finished.

Please agree with us in prayer that they message of hope in this film will bring lasting change for everyone who watches it.

We have 2 NEW music videos!

Thanks to 10x Productions, the Cook family and our fabulous Arts department at Pamoja we have 2 new music videos! One for the Sowers Group and one for the En-kata Choir. As soon as they are fully edited I will be sure to post them. These 2 videos will be great promotion for CHEZA! (dance), the Sower’s second album and Hope of the Maasai, the En-kata Choir’s second album.

during the day of green screen video shooting

10x, Cook fam, the Sowers, Nadine and Sig

We are discipling cultures through media!

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Refreshing Waters Missionary Reunion

Lis — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:00:50 +0000

The tail end of my trip in the States was in Florida at the missionary reunion with my mission, Go To Nations (GTN) (the name that Calvary International is doing business as…). Supporters of GTN came together to fund four days of refreshing for all of us missionaries. It was such a blessing!

The days spent in Daytona Beach for our Refreshing Waters missionary reunion were exactly what the name said it would be, “refreshing.” The first night I was awed by the ballroom packed with missionaries from all over the globe. I can easily say that I didn’t know 90% of them but we all have a couple of things in common. We love God and are committed to seeing every tribe, tongue and people reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are also all part of the same missionary family. We are Go To Nations (GTN) missionaries.

Me and my former team mates from Tanzania, Charlie and Sharon

Me and some of the other missionary gals... they each work in different parts of the world (Guatemala, Philippines,in Jacksonville at our World Head Quarters

With Kate and Tyler... friends that I know from Burkina Faso

Monday night we gathered together for the Awards Banquet for GTN. The ballroom was full of people. Half of our group had served with GTN for under 10 years and the other half from 10 to 20+ years. I was overwhelmed by the men, women and families that have continued to give their lives overseas. The room cheered as each missionary went up to receive their award. As it passed into the 10 year and above mark my heart began to feel heavy as the weight of my elders and their faithful service stood before me. I thought of Psalm 145:4 where it talks of one generation proclaiming God’s works to another. I felt that these moments, as missionary after missionary came up to receive recognition of their commitment to the task of seeing Christ exalted in their region, were a walking out of Psalm 145. These men and women are a living testimony, an encouragement, an example that I deeply respect and that I desire to emulate. Theirs is the heritage that we are to follow and is a heritage that I am proud to be connected to. My eyes filled with tears as I thought about the honor that it is to be on this team, in this time, running this race to the finish.

I am refreshed and my passion for the work I am doing in Tanzania is continually increasing. There is much work to be done and we all have a part to play. Let us each be faithful to do our part. Amen!