My First Chapter

If you listen hard enough, you can hear the heartbeat of the land here in Tanzania. The stories trampled into the paths, the tales whispered into the air. You can feel the heart of the people and feel their blood pumping through the veins of Africa.
The Kuria people are truly something; they are crying out for a change, yet trying to figure out how to still hold on to their past. It has proven to be a difficult road.
We have seventy children now, and I am more sure than ever that I will leave seventy pieces of my heart in Africa. I am deeply saddened by the past they have lived, but ever optimistic about the future they hold. They are beautiful and strong. They have such a desire to learn and a plan to change their nation.
I have seen how AIDs, hunger and war have devastated this land, how they have wreaked havoc on the beautiful continent of Africa. In this, though, I have found beauty in the ashes, life amongst the dead and a sincere prayer among the godlessness. But most of all, I have found a people with hope in all the despair, a remnant refusing to give up.
After all this, I am truly content to close my first chapter here in Ntagacha. It has been long and full. I am content, only however, because a chapter is only a fraction of a book. Until next time, these have been my dreams from Africa.

I kissed a giraffe!

The Hospital

Lately I have been spending time sitting, thinking and praying in the empty hospital that will one day be full of men, women, and children. I sit and envision the people it will help and the lives it will change, for the babies that will be born and for the fathers that will be given another chance at life. I long to work there and to transform lives, but for now I am content praying for those who will walk through the doors. It will truly bring transformation to the village. Last week my pastor broke his leg and it took over an hour to drive to the nearest hospital. While there, he waited days for proper treatment and was kept in a small crowded room. His wife had to travel each day to provide food. How I am looking forward to bringing a change to that system. This hospital is the change this area needs and the children we are bringing up will become the doctors and nurses in that place. They will become the English teachers, the lawyers and the diplomats. They are about to change the world!
I can’t tell you how exciting it is to be a part of this project! The flags of different countries are flying high here and the hopes and expectations are just as lofty. I have already seen change in the children and even small changes in the surrounding area. I’m telling you God dances in the trees here; when he looks down on Ntagacha he can’t wipe the smile off of His face. He sees the potential and He is giving me eyes to see it as well!
May you set high goals, have big expectations and give God the freedom to work in and through your life. That’s what we are doing here and for now the sky is truly the limit. We’re reaching for it though, and I think we’re getting close :)

I'll miss the smiles

Once again I sit listening to the rain pattering on the roof and the calming hum of the generator. I believe that things are truly good here. As the rain falls, God’s grace falls along with it. How I love that God’s mercies are new every morning!
I still love each one of my fifty friends as much as I always have, more I am sure. I look so forward to them coming home from school each day. I love waiting at the gate to greet them, and by the look on their face, I think they feel the same. About a week ago I spent a few days in Nairobi, Kenya and I have to admit I couldn’t wait to come home to my village. I missed the smiles and the laughter. Oh how my heart will ache when I leave in two months to go back to school.
Truthfully enough though, I am far beyond the half way point of my trip and I am beginning to think about the importance of finishing projects and meeting goals. I am far from finished though, and my heart is still completely in this project, as it always will be, sometimes just in different ways.

Full Swing Ahead!

Things are going well and are in full swing at the City of Hope. I am falling more and more in love with the country every day. The last few weeks I have been concentrating on making relationships with the people in the area. Mwita and I have been visiting people in their homes and taking walks around the area on Sunday afternoons. This Sunday, we were two miles from home when it began to rain. It was cold, wet and muddy, but all we could do was laugh and say, "this is Africa"! Stories like these add to the experience.

This past week I have really just been taking in the sights and sounds of the area. As I look out my window I see the beautiful pink, orange sunset and I hear the crickets chirping and the birds calling to one another. I never, ever get tired of hearing the children play and sing. It is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. I have become wonderful friends with the lady who does our laundry, Mary. I love sitting with her and listening to her tell stories. The funny thing- she speaks no English, somehow though I can understand her Swahili. I understand her stories, her instructions, her needs. Somehow we communicate. Mary is a mother of at least seven children, though one has died. She was brought from her home in Kenya when she was about thirteen years old. She was taken to become a wife, the problem is, she is not the only wife. Mary has had a tough life, it’s written on her face with wrinkles, but she still holds an astounding amount of joy. She is beautiful in her own right and I love her dearly. Her story is just one of the many that has made me fall in love with the people of Ntagacha. I am beginning to know the village and the people. I cannot walk far without hearing my name called through the bushes or from inside a house. I love that very fact. They know me and I know them. Whenever I walk past a certain house, a little girl by the name of Lily runs out to greet me. I look forward to passing that house whenever the opportunity arises. It’s one of my favorite things and she is one of my favorite people.
Several times a week, Mwita and I have been getting up to take the children running and then walking them to school. It’s so fun to be a big sister to fifty beautiful children. Football, or soccer, is such a big deal round here. We play on a muddy rocky field without shoes, but it is so fun! Sometimes our construction workers, or fundees, will take time off and play with the older boys in the orphanage. It’s so fun to see them working together. This truly is a City of Hope! It is a city of unity, growth and beauty. I never get tired of waking up to see the hustle and bustle. Every part is so important, from the watchmen, to the gatekeeper, the cement mixer to the plumber and even the cooks and teachers. Without each part this vision would not be possible. When I sit down and think about where I am and what opportunity I am having, I feel so blessed.
Thank you for making this possible for me. You are helping to bring hope to a place where there was no hope and bringing change to a community in need. Thanks for being a part of the vision and for helping me to do so as well. Be blessed immensely!

I love the children!

The rainy season has set upon eastern Africa, and with it brings mud- lots and lots of mud. I found a pair of rubber shoes in the market and they are surely put to good use. The floor in my room is constantly dirty, but somehow I don’t care. My children are covered in dirt up to their knees, but I don’t mind. They are beautiful as ever. The more I get to know them, the more impressive they become. They have risen above the challenges that have been presented. This one boy, Musa, is especially impressive. He is twelve, but is mature far beyond his years. He helps in the daily running of things in the children’s home, and makes sure the other children comply. He is so willing to help and so eager to learn. He is surely going to become somebody and I am so proud of him.
The past few weeks we have had a team here with us. One weekend we went into the market so they could do some shopping. I was so ecstatic when I was able to do the translating for them. I was able to get what they wanted and bargain as well- all in Swahili.
Last week my good friend Perepetua went back to her home. I wasn’t expecting it when she told me the news. She sat me down to say she was leaving the next day. She has been my best friend, Swahili teacher and she has taught me about the African lifestyle. In the afternoons we would sit together under a tree and eat sugarcane and just talk or cut sukuma and wash rice for the next meal. I miss her so much, but her leaving has taught me a lot. I am reminded that my time with people is short, that it is so important to make the most of the relationships I have here. I don’t regret a single afternoon sitting with her or a single morning when I would go to her room and eat chai and porridge together. I am thankful for every memory I have with her. I challenge you to think on that this week. Don’t let life get so busy that you forget to cherish those around you. Today make time for friends and family. Relish each moment you have to just be together.
Today I made it a point to spend some time with each of the children here, and let me tell you, those moments are so fulfilling. You can’t imagine how excited they are to be loved. When I tell them my favorite things about them, they just light up! I love being their best friend, I love calling them to life and encouraging them. Today our youngest girl Dau fell asleep on my lap. Dau knows how to love and how to trust. I want to be just like her in that aspect. When she loves you, you know it. It’s in the way she smiles and talks and runs up to you. Sometimes I think we are so afraid to show the people we love, that we do love them, or we are so afraid to put our trust in people. I want to be like Dau, to lean on others. I think sometimes we become too independent and rely on ourselves far too much. But we are a team…pamoja.
Today as you go about your daily schedule…think of us out here in the bush. Send up a prayer for us and for our beautiful children. And today tell somehow how you truly feel about them…how much you care for them. And for once, let’s trust someone else and most of all…love. Love God and love others with all your heart.

Beans, Rice & School

I love this place. Though my departure is months away, I already dread it, but I know, in order to better help the people here, I must leave. Nursing is my calling. This past weekend we went hiking, just taking in the beauty of the countryside. It’s breathtaking, the rolling hills and the tiny huts dotting the land. Something about this place feels like home. Lately I have been cooking for the kids with the African ladies. It is so much fun. We sit on buckets outside and wash vegetables, clean rice and pick stones out of the beans. You have no idea how hard it is to cook beans and rice. They don’t come in a nice little box around here. Its work, but they eat sugarcane and braid each others hair and have fun. It’s great. Right now the kids have just finished eating dinner and I can hear them playing football outside. Their laughter fills the air. It’s my favorite sound.

Today I was thinking about how fortunate we truly are in the states, especially when it comes to education. Even though it isn’t the perfect setup, we have it far better than many other people. Some of my children are twelve and can barely write their names. Somehow they were passed on from grade to grade to grade without knowing how to read or write. They are far behind, and it will take much work. They are fortunate to have the teachers from the City of Hope in providing them the chance to learn. I look at some of the workers in this village. They are fifteen or sixteen, not in school. They carry heavy loads and do backbreaking work, they have to support their families. My friend Paulo is twenty, he has been doing construction since he was fifteen. He never finished school, but now he wants so badly to learn English. After working hard each day he studies an English book by candlelight. He is looking for a way out. He always wears a big smile on his face though, and puts his heart into everything he does.

This week, as you think about your kids, or your friends or yourself, be thankful. We have opportunities at our fingertips. Our biggest worry in the west is “which of the thirty shirts will we wear", and my friends here wonder “what will I eat tonight”. We dread going to school, but my friend Paulo longs for education. Look around and be thankful for what you have, and if you find yourself having extra-give it away. Simplicity is the beauty of life. I have seen no better example than my beautiful friends here in Ntagacha.