God is Light

I have met so many people here in Tanzania with unique names. The naming of children is a bit different here. In my 17 years of teaching I have had many students with unique names in my classroom. When I would ask their parents why they choose that name the common answers were, "I just liked it." or "I wanted something different so I picked it." But here in Tanzania names are chosen based on situations or what the family hopes for the child...reminds me of the Old Testament.

Writing this blog entry I cannot remember all of the unique names of people I've met. I can remember a few of them though: Good Luck...Happiness...Blessing...Heaven Light(But I kept forgetting her name and I called her Rainbow Brite)...Redempta...Patience...Witness.
A friend of ours who does not have any children just yet said he plans to name his daughter Happy Mark. :)

One day I visiting Pastor Mbasha's family. We were in his backyard. His wife Janeth was trying to help one of their new baby goats get milk from his mother. The mother goat did not want to feed her baby. This problem had been going on for a while and the baby goat was sick and weak. Pastor Mbasha brought him over to me and we prayed for him. I told him the baby goat needed a name. I decided to give him a unique name...I named the goat God is Light.
Yep...God is Light. Pastor Mbasha love it. He said that I was speaking life into this little goat that was not getting the food he needed to grow strong and healthy.
Three weeks have passed since I gave God is Light his name. Pastor Mbasha says he is now the healthiest of all the baby goats and he has become his mother's favorite...that is so cool.

There is something to names. The Bible says that the tongue has the power of life and death...what we say and what we call others really matters. I love that!