Staffers

In ministry, people are essential!  So, before I take you into the children's world, I would like to introduce a few (out of SO many incredible people there) of the staff volunteers and others we were with.

Assed is basically the director of Christ's Hope TZ.  When he wasn't meeting with others, he was excited to hear about our time with the kids and how improvements could be made around the compound and other facilities.  In this picture he is wearing our armor (the craft we did with the CarePoint kids -- more on this later) and he loved it.

Peter -- aka Big Simba (simba = lion) -- helped get us to where we needed to go, made sure we were adjusting well, did some of the cooking, and was basically the go-to-guy for everything.  I don't think there was a job there that he didn't do!

Ed and Janny are from Holland and overlapped for a week in their time with us.  They helped us get settled, did a lot of cooking, and often gave advice on how to live life as missionaries in Africa.  Not to mention givers of much comic relief!  Even though we knew each other for a short time, we all became close. They were like our parents.

Janeth and Leonarda sorting beans.  Just another day in Africa! 

Leigha is amazing and I miss her.  She does a lot of sewing and often helps to mend the children's clothing.  She can take two measurements and have a skirt made within a few hours.  No patterns necessary! 

 Here is a wrap around skirt she offered to make for me. (I bought some fabric at a nearby market.)

 Esther is another person I really miss.  She did a lot of cooking for us and her meals, which mainly consisted of rice and beans, were truly amazing.  One day Esther was doing laundry and so I asked if I could help her.  They do all of their laundry by hand and scrub it together in a certain way (no washboards, just a tub of soapy suds).  Of course, I'm used to machines and she kept laughing at the way I was trying to wash clothes.   It was truly a bonding moment.

Paschal is one of the teachers and was our translator at the Mabatini CarePoint.  He was so amazing with the kids.  We all admired how he enthusiastically did the crafts right along side the kids.

The team: John, Eula, Emily (me), Carly, Nate.  We all brought different strengths and levels of experience with us.  Through the ups and downs, it wouldn't have been the same without them.


And, because we didn't go a day without seeing/hearing them, here are some of the local animals:

I saw Paka (=cat) eat a quite a few bugs and I'm she helps with rodent control.  I loved having both cats around. :)

One of Paka Dogo's (=small cat) not quite 2-week old-kittens.  I wanted to take them home with me…

 Here is the rooster that crowed at 5 in the morning and throughout the day...every day.

 Simba was supposed to be a guard dog, but she is quite sweet….and very vocal at night.

We don't know what we would have done without any of these amazing volunteers.  Through these brief descriptions I've barely scratched the surface of who they are, but they are all amazing and we are blessed to know them!  These Africans are very joyous in everything they do.  Never did I see anyone do a half-hearted job.  When you do something here, you give it all you have.

Photos: part one of many more to come!

Hooray!  I have pictures to show you.  I'm still sorting through them -- there are literally hundreds -- and putting my scrapbook together.  As I do so (and as promised) I will post many photos here and tell you about my trip in further detail.

Aron and Kevin showing us around Amsterdam.

On our way over we had a long layover in Amsterdam and we met up with two of John's friends, Aron and Kevin, who served in Tanzania last year.  It was a great time to relax, have fun, and to grow as a team. Naturally, the previous year was talked about between the three.  It was great to hear from first hand experience what we were headed in to.  The best piece advice from them was that you really had to take the initiative.  In Africa, because we are the guests, unless you offered to do something no one is going to tell you what to do.  Serving in Africa is to ask what can be done and fulfill the needs seen.  Waiting for something to happen would get you nowhere.

First minutes in Africa while waiting for our ride.

After 30+ hours of travel we safely landed in Mwanza.  Some of us were ready to jump in and others were exhausted.  When we landed I was surprised at how much green there was.  But in the city, it was quite dusty!

We were warned well in advance that we could not take pictures of everything.  Unless we were on the compound, in a church, or with the CarePoint kids, we HAD to ask.  If you don't people may get beyond angry and it had a lot to do with showing respect.  The main reason, I believe, was that they were too afraid that they would be exploited (property, too, not just people).  For instance, if I have their picture and I go and sell it, what's in it for them?  Also, cameras are a rare commodity to the locals.  It's probably just weird having a camera shoved in your face when you have little to no photos of your own.  So, not being able to take a lot of pictures in the city and of the locals was hard.  I love taking pictures -- especially candid ones.  Nevertheless, here are a few shots I was able to get of the town:

A lot of women transport objects on their heads.  They have incredible balance.  It was also a common sight to see men riding bikes weighted down with water containers, buckets, sugar cane, fruit, or boards.  While cars were many, Mwanza is filled with people who cannot afford them; but the poverty discussion is for another post.

Classic mud hut near where we stayed.  Keep in mind that there is probably no floor, electricity, or plumbing inside.

Mwanza means rock city. Many homes are built into the hills.

On the right side there is a truck.  For many, this is home.  And, homes are often multi-generational.

I will show you the inside of these homes in another post, but this is one of the boy's homes.

When we arrived many of the children ran up to greet us.  I think they were more excited than we were!

More photos to come soon!  Keep checking back!

Post-Trip

The flights were long, but eventually all of our bags arrived and we made it through customs and back into Boston.

Despite the fact that I am couch-surfing and living out of a suitcase (my lease ended right before I left for Africa) I feel like I'm living in a palace.  Running water, walls and ceilings that are not falling apart, the freedom to go wherever and whenever...  We have absolutely no concept of what hunger or poverty is here in America.

On our last day we visited Grace, a former staff member who used to do the cooking and cleaning, who is very sick.  Her health, praise the Lord, is improving!  Grace's house was a dusty brick building, roughly 10x10, with two rooms. There was dirt for a floor, a thin cloth to cover the open air window, and a metal roof with many cracks of light shining through.  One room had stacks of buckets around, cockroaches roaming, and seven us crowded close together to lift her up in prayer.  The next room had two beds and one shelf of pans.  Four generations live in this house.  Stray dogs and chickens roamed the front.  The front step looked something akin to an old feed sack filled with dirt.  It's one thing to hear about these conditions and another to see them. I wanted to take a picture, but felt too weird to even ask.  There is nothing desirable about these kinds of living conditions!

We weren't in town very much until the last few days.  Street boys would come and beg for money -- sometimes in Swahili and other times in broken English.  It wasn't uncommon for small groups of boys to crowd the car we were in, look in, and beg.  It's hard to believe that most of the boys on the compound lived like this -- covered in dirt and ripped up clothing, stealing and begging left and right.

It's hard to witness just how first world countries squander wealth and are often filled with depressed, wasteful, and unsatisfied people.  Yet, third world countries, even though the living conditions are horrible and food is not in abundance, have some of the most joyful people I have seen.  Do we not know what blessings we have?

Now, I hope you are thinking what can I do?  Well, first of all, do not be selfish and wasteful in your wealth whether you make $20k or $50k a year.  There are many organizations -- World Vision, Compassion International, Unicef, etc. -- out there for various countries (and for true impoverished Americans) to be involved in.  Take part in them!  Volunteer!  Give!  As I mentioned previously, we are working in setting up sponsorships for the children we worked with.  This is still in the works, but here is more information:

Here is an email from the President of Christ’s Hope USA, Dave Kase, further explaining what the CarePoints are beyond something that takes place afterschool: Many of the children are either orphaned or quite vulnerable. Many have been assisted to live with extended or foster families, rather than being shipped off to an orphanage. All are impoverished, but all are affected by AIDS in one form or another. Meals, paying school fees, tutoring, discipleship, healthcare and hygiene, etc are all part of the ministry CarePoint, as well as home monitoring…visiting the children at home and assessing their home condition.  I pray your team really are able to get to know these beautiful children at Mabatini well and have an impactful relationship with them.

Though it costs about $50 a month to pay for the children at the Mabatini CarePoint, Christ’s Hope will let you sponsor one for $38/month and the rest will be subsided (of course, if you feel you can pay more than $38, wonderful!  I've met these kids and they are amazing.  I wish I could sponsor all of them. I am fairly certain that you will also be encouraged to correspond through letters with your sponsored child as well.

And for my Christian brothers and sisters, please do not give because you feel guilty.  You should take part because you truly want to help these kids.  We are called to take care of our brothers and sisters around the world countless times in the Bible -- one is 1 John 3:17 “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”

Here are most of the kids from the Care Point.  I hope to have many pictures up soon with more commentary, but the bulk of them are currently on someone else's computer.

I'm putting on my armor...

This morning the plan was to go to the market.  But, as we say TIA — This is Africa, things happen when they happen — we didn’t make it.  The car had to be fixed and as the hours rolled by it was clear that we would not have time.

This afternoon we had our last care point, which is very sad.  (But we will see them tomorrow when we take them to an island in Lake Victoria!)  These kids were great and so excited about all the stories and crafts we did with them.  The experiences between the Mabatini care point and the children here at the compound are so different.  For the care point children they definitely had more holes and rips in their clothing and it’s it is hard to comprehend that for many we gave them the only meal that they will have this week!  Furthermore, they are not of age to know English yet so nearly everything was interpreted (we wouldn’t have been able to do nearly as much without Paschal!!).  But even with the language barrier and interpreting we were able to reach out to them.  A smile or even saying their name goes a long way.  Showing and sharing our time and crafts with them brought much joy.  And the fact that they remembered all the pieces of the armor throughout the week — belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, shield of faith, sword of the spirit, and the shoes of peace — and were able to comprehend it all is priceless!

Please pray for this kids.  If you are willing and are financially able, you can sponsor one of these kids pictured below for $50 — which provides food, education, health, and more.  We will post more info soon!

Lift Your Hands in Praise

I got my first mosquito bite today -- proof that deet-free bug spray is totally awesome!  Rather than a white itchy bump, though, mosquito bites here give a red dot with a bump under the skin.

Anyways, I would like to reflect a bit on church culture here.  It is very charismatic and Pentecostal.  I don't think I have ever been in a church that had so much dancing -- including a dancing line up and down the aisles (don't worry there is video for this from both churches we went to) -- and shouting.  Prayers are said out loud by most people and are passionate through body language.  People dress up and wear their best -- though I have seen many people with rips and holes in their clothes (please don't misunderstand me from my last post -- a lot of people have old ratty clothes, yet it was a surprise to see many well dressed people).  It is not uncommon for a church service to be over four hours.  There is a lot of song-praise and dance, even more so than the sermon.

Often times whenever I have seen charismatics, it often feels showy.  But here, I do not sense that.  It is very inspiring to see how people raise their voices to God and have no second thoughts on how other people view them.  From my seat, they appear devoted and fully at praise lifting their voice to the Heavens.

Culture Shocks

It's hard to believe that we are at the half way mark.  It feels like we've been here for at least a month, yet on the other hand, we just got here!

I haven't really experienced culture shock, mainly because I knew what to expect.  I'm more curious to see how much culture shock will happen once back in the U.S.  I guess one thing that has surprised me the most is the abundance of Coke advertising.  It's not on billboards, but many buildings and roofs are the logos and names of popular sodas: Sprite, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, etc.   I've heard that Coca-Cola receives the most water from the government and is really popular here -- roughly .35 cents USD.  I haven't tried any yet, but here they make their soda without HFCS.  I'm looking forward to having a Sprite near the end of the trip.

Another surprise is the contrast between living conditions.  Some houses are like mud huts, others old vehicles (like an army truck), cement block buildings with open air windows, or gated places with cement walls, glass windows, tile floors, and plumbing.  A lot of the richest places we have seen -- some not all -- would be considered very worn down in America.  This has been a real eye opener to the saying that the poorest people in America live a rich life compared to third world countries.

The number one shock I've experienced is the amount of how many people have bright, colorful, well kept clothes.  How can this be when so many houses are rundown and food for many is hard to come by?  Assed, the  director here, told me that it is in the culture here to place clothes -- just like Americans place the latest technology over a lot of needs -- over other food and building upkeep.  Like America, a lot of people are blind to true needs.  But this isn't the main reason for the failing economy, poverty, and dire situations here.  There are many reasons -- one is that a lot of people were not taught how to properly farm or take care of the land.  And house repair is difficult due to the lack of supplies and knowledge.  There is a lot of dust a pollution here due to the burning of garbage (there is no dump).

Though things are changing and Africa has a long way to go, we could learn a lot from them.  For example, it is firm that you eat what you are given.  In addition, a lot of the schools are teaching how to take care of the land and such.  I love that people here are open, community based, and do not take what they have for granted.  Music and prayer is an overwhelming sight!  And, they are joyful despite the lives they must endure.

Oh, we have a group blog up.  You should check it out: http://coahtanzania.wordpress.com/

Day 4

I think it's day 4?  It feels like we have been here for a while and it is hard to believe that we are already one-third of the way through our time in Mwanza.

Today we did our first Care Point.  As I have explained before, it is an after school program (optional) where people or teachers come in and teach lessons or have homework help.

After roll call and making sure they had no infections, illnesses, cuts, or bruises (nothing evasive, just a check of the face and arms I believe), I washed their hands.  The act of washing hands here is pouring water over them.  Once all hands were "washed" we served them a huge plate of rice with beans and something that looked like coleslaw.  Apparently this is the only meal some kids get in a day.  It was so quiet while they ate! We learned that after African children eat, it is better for them to learn rather than be active.  Food helps them concentrate and when they are tired exercise will wake them up.

The school building is like nothing you would see in the U.S. For one, the school has open air windows.  Also the floor is all cement with holes, revealing dirt underneath.  Some dirt areas have ants all over them.  The desks were old, rickety, and some falling apart.  They looked similar to desks from the early 1900s, where the seat is on the desk behind.

Today we did the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness.  Sometimes it took the kids a while to figure out how they wanted to design their armor and what to do, but they ended up with some really great designs.  They did a great job!  They loved the work they did.  Even though we ran late, they did not want to leave.  That is always a good sign!  We have two more sessions with them and there is talk of taking them to Lake Victoria on another day!

Our interpreter was wonderful!  He was so energetic and did the crafts right along side the kids -- he even did his own. The hardest part was that many children only know a few English words.  They were about age 7 or so, and English will not be taught for a few more years for them.  So, though he was wonderful at interpreting the lessons, we had to get a little creative to interact with kids while they did the crafts.

 

Day 3

Amazingly enough, the power here has held out here very well!

One highlight for today was our preparation for our care point on Wednesday.  We made our examples and prepped the materials for the Armor of God. (We are have the children make/decorate foam-core swords, card-stock breastplates, foam shoes, paper hats, and a fabric belt.)  We ended up with paper and scraps everywhere!  But Assed, the director here, said it was great! He was quite impressed with our work and said the kids will be very excited to do all of these crafts and lessons. I will definitely post pictures of this!

Turns out we will be tutoring the boys tomorrow.  Like I said before, in Africa, schedules are not strictly adhered to.  We went over the boys' houses (or clusters as they are called), but many were in school and others were doing their chores.  Today there was also a long prayer meeting while much of the staff fasted (I cannot due to my health) and the Board of Directors was here so we had a dinner with everyone outside.

day 2

Habari?! (hello/how are you?)

After a day in Amsterdam, two long flights, and one puddle jumper flight, we arrived safely yesterday -- including all of our bags!  It took a while to get our visas and passports stamped, but it eventually happened.

There is so much I want to say already, but for much of it I think I will save until I get back on US soil so I can upload pictures for you.  I will also have more time to write about my experiences as well.

Here are a few highlights so far!

One highlight was playing football -- American soccer -- yesterday.  These kids play hard core!  I'm talking head kicks, fancy kicks, and long kicks on a rough uneven terrain...and many don't wear shoes.  I only hit the ball once and accidentally blocked it twice, but they were excited to have me play, since it is rare for any girls to be on the field with them. According to them I played very well.  I kind of felt like an idiot with my playing skills being next to zero, but it was great!  I can't wait for Tuesday to play again! (And, Keen sandals are SO comfortable playing soccer and running around in.  Not sure of I'll ever wear tennis shoes again.  Sigh, now I have two sandals I love.)

Last night we had a game night for the kids here at Christ's hope.  The kids range from age 6, I think, to around 18.  It was really fun watching the younger ones trying to figure out puzzles and older ones teaching us Swahili numbers as we counted.  You have to realize that these are not spoiled American kids who "need" the latest X-box game.  Teenagers were playing dominoes and Chutes and Ladders and absolutely loving it!  Africans really take joy in what they have and are very welcoming.

One thing I should point out is that even though the majority of these children we are staying near are  orphans (or escaped an abusive home life) it is not an orphanage.  Christ's Hope offers them housing, some meals, helps with their homework, and signs any school related papers.  They also teach them life skills (cooking, laundry, etc.), the Bible, and abstinence to not only live a Christian life but to lessen the chance of AIDS.  I forgot the statistic, but the rate that HIV is contracted is unbelievably high!  Most of that is due to sex, a lot of it is also unsanitary factors at hospitals.  Supposedly needles are reused and in between people they simply rinse it off under the water -- which, at least for Mzungu (white persons) -- is not safe.

Today we took it pretty easy, as they observe the Sabbath as a day of rest.  Two of us went down to the market -- and that was an experience in itself!  Church was also very different.  But I will save those stories for another time.

Tomorrow the plan is to plan for our first Care Point (a place where other kids go for after school care) on Tuesday and then tutor the kids their with math and English.

Tutaonama! (goodbye)

Today is the day!

In a few hours I will leave for the airport.  I still can't believe that in two days I'll be in Africa -- a continent I never thought I would ever step foot on!

On the loooong flights over I will be crash-coursing in Swahili (I do not know enough words as I should), reading, praying, sleeping, and such, and I'm hoping the in-flight movies will be good too.  Please pray that we all have safe flights and layovers.  From here (Boston) our first stop is Amsterdam -- which we have a long layover at! -- and then to Nairobi, Kenya, and finally Mwanza, Tanzania.  Our mission is to serve, educate, and fellowship amongst the orphans of Christ's Hope International's Mabatini Carepoint and on the compound where we will be staying.

Some days I feel ready and other days I feel lost.  Why God called me to this trip is beyond me; but today is the day, I'm all packed, I've started taking Malaria pills, and am fully funded.

p.s. don't be alarmed if you don't hear from me for a while.  Power outages are a part of near-everyday life (the power may be out when we get there, it may be off the whole time, who knows).  But I will blog and update whenever possible.