"God has taught us so much"

Based on an article about her visit to Crosslinks' mission partners Noj and Mary Northway in Tanzania

by Kristina Petersen originally in "Christian Woman" August 2003

used by kind permission of "Woman Alive" (www.womanalive.co.uk)

Mary and Noj Northway, eight year-old Joe and baby Samuel live in Berega, in Tanzania. Berega looks like I imagined an African village - one dusty road lined by houses and mud-huts without pavements. It has no electricity and no running water for most of its 2,000 inhabitants. Its focal point is Berega Hospital, a Christian hospital which provides employment for about 80 local people and healthcare for about 200,000, as it serves a large area.

So, how did the Northways come to exchange their comfortable life in the UK for that in Tanzania? Mary explains, "My parents worked in Uganda, where 1 was born and spent my early years. I'm sure that had a lot to do with my desire to work in Africa. As a medical student, I spent two months back in Uganda on my medical elective, which gave me further insights into what working in Africa would be like." 

She met Noj at university in Southampton, where they were both studying medicine, Noj had chosen to study medicine with a view to becoming a missionary. He recalls, I became a Christian during my teenage years. I belonged to a church where going on mission was a normal part of being a Christian."

He spent eight weeks in Tanzania as part of his medical training and knew this was the country to which God was calling him.
Mary and Noj looked at several missionary organisations and decided that Crosslinks was the right one for them. They knew that preparation was essential. 'We spent two years at All Nations Bible College in Hertfordshire and studied the many issues to do with mission and working cross-culturally. We both felt it was good preparation for our life in Tanzania.

"During the course we spent two months in Tanzania and visited Berega - so we knew what it would be like here. Of course it was hard saying good-bye to family and friends, but Noj and I both felt sure that God was calling us to work in Berega. It was easier knowing that we were obeying God's calling and would be in the place where he wanted us to be."

They spent their first four months in Tanzania learning the national language Swahili, but the language barrier proved to be the greatest 
difficulty when they first moved to Berega. Mary says, "Not many people speak English in the village. I found it really frustrating and in a sense isolating. Local people were welcoming, but I found it took time to get to know people and feel that we had made friends. Now, having lived here for six years, knowing the language, and having friends, we feel very much part of the community,"

Feeling part of the local community in a Tanzanian village is much more of an achievement than any of us in the Western world can imagine. To adjust, you have to forget everything you know and take for granted, and come with an open mind. People have a different attitude to family, work and life in general.

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