Week one at the orphanage

Hi All,

Week one at the orphanage is complete.

The orphanage is run by Sisters from the Catholic Church. There is approximately 50 children 5 and under. I think there is about 22 that are between 2 and 3. It is a very busy time almost all day long. The place that I am staying is about 1 hour walk/bus (dala dala)/walk from the orphanage. I get there about 9 am and stay until about 4pm. The 3-5 yr olds are in school for the morning, so my morning is spent with the 2 yr olds.

When I arrive they are usually outside playing. There is swings, slides, monkey bars and a little manual merry-go-round.

There are usually no toys outside for the kids to play with, only the playground equipment.

At 10am the kids go inside, get there hands washed and go and have a cup of warm milk. After the milk they all go potty. Then it is outside to play again until 11am when they come in, get there hands and face washed and go have some lunch. Then it is back to the bathroom, legs and feet are washed, undies are changed to more absorbent ones and then it is nap time. They usually sleep until 2 or 2:30pm.

They older kids come from school at 12:30. They change their clothes, wash their hands and face and then have lunch. After lunch they too go for a nap.

When everyone wakes up it is time to have a drink of warm milk and then outside to the playground until about 4 or 4:30 when they come in and get a bath and into their jammies. They have supper about 5 and I think they go to bed about 7.

There is a lot of hitting by the children to other children when their feelings have been hurt or their treasures stolen. There is a lot of crying as the children have long days and they are tired most of the time, and feelings get hurt easily.

My day is spent mostly playing with the children, cuddling them and soothing hurt feelings. They are a lot of fun, but boy, they are high maintenance as well. About 1/2 of the children have runny noses on any given day and sometimes they have an accident and need to be changed. There are little potties brought outside when the children are on the playground for easy access. I am really impressed with all the children - for the most part all the 2 yr olds are toilet trained.

Sometimes I help the ladies wash some clothes. They was all the clothes by hand. First in a tub with soap, then a rinse tub and then another rinse tub. Then the clothes are put out on the clothesline to dry.

They butchered a cow within the last couple of days, and today I helped to cut it up. They cut it all up into chunks, like stew meat and then saved all the bones for soup. Not much gets wasted here in Africa. Even the stomach lining or pouch was cut up for use.

One day some people brought a bunch of balloons for the children to play with. That was fun! The kids had a great time, except when someone stole their balloon or it popped. Fortunately there was more than enough to go around a couple of times.

The kids are well cared for and for the most part very happy. It is a pleasure being able to love the little ones. I even have a favorite or two, but I try not to show it.

Prayer requests: For all those at the orphanage - the children and the workers, that the love of God is demonstrated by both. Also for all the children who are sick, either with a cold or worse - may they know and feel the healing power of our Lord and Saviour.

For the other volunteers - that they make a difference in the lives of those that they touch and also come to know a difference in their lives as well.

For my host family - Fredrick and Hannah, that they be reunited with their children in Kenya and that work enables them to all live under one roof.

Please feel free to leave comments and thanks to those that have already. They mean a lot to me.

the hotsprings
some children by thrir home that we saw on our way to the hotsprings

the children that possibly have malaria

All the volunteers together at our house
Some boys collecting water down the road from our house

A man sitting on the street sewing belts

Orientation week

What a great service orientation week has been. We have been introduced to some basic swahili: greetings, numbers, days of the week, simple conversation, how to ask for things, how much something costs and time. In Tanzania the day begins at 6:00am so 7:00am is really the first hour of the day, or 1:00 in the morning, 10 in the morning our time is really 4:00 in the morning Tanzania time. I think their time makes more sense than ours.

Learning a bit about some of the local tribes was amazing. The Maasai people have managed to hold onto their culture better than most. You can easily distinguish a person from the Maasai by their dress. The men literally wear 2 or 3 light blankets, draped over their body. The colours are red and purple and there is another colour but I can't remember what it is. The Maasai are a nomadic cattle herding people. Their sandals are made of old tires. I stopped in town the other day and watched a man as he was making some.

We went to a couple of different places this week. We climbed around the base of Kilimanjaro where we saw 3 waterfalls (I jumped from the top of a small one into the pool below. It was scary, but fun), a Chagga museum, a Chagga village and a Chagga cave. Chaggas are another tribe that live at the base of Kilimanjaro.

The Chagga would keep their cattle in their huts, so the Maasai wouldn't steal them. The only time the cattle came out of the hut was when they were slaughtered for food. The Chagga and the Maasai used to be at war and the Chagge built caves in which to hide from the Maasai.

We also went out into the grasslands where we stopped at a hotsprings. It is so dry here as there has been a drought for the past two years. The hotsprings is really an oasis in the semi-arid desert. We swam in the hotsprings and it was amazing. Someone had a mask and snorkel which we used to see under the water. Wow!!

The children when they see us are excited and apprehensive at the same time. They know that wazungu (white people) give them attention and candy. We did see three little children that showed no excitement, fear, apprehension or actually any emotions. Sarah (a pre-med student volunteer) said she believes that they are probably suffering from severe malaria. She said that just 4 pills would most likely cure the malaria, but families are so poor and don't have access to what they need. It was sad to see those little children with no responses.

Last sunday I went to a Jesus Power Convention here in Moshi. The convention is on for the next month. It was under a huge tent. I have never seen a tent so big. The guest speaker was a prophet from South Africa. He spoke his message in english - God knows what you need, when you need it and then provides. He is awesome!! I am looking forward to going to church tomorrow.

Five other volunteers arrived last sunday. Two are Jewish, one says she doesn't really believe or have a religion right now and the other two are Christians. The host in the house where we are staying are all staying are Christians as well. All the volunteers have asked if they can go to church with us on sunday. Praise the Lord!! Amen!

I am very excited and looking forward to starting my volunteer project in the orphanage. It begins on monday. I think the children are all under 5, but that is just heresay from another volunteer that will start the same time as me.

Prayers:
For adults and children suffering from preventable and curable diseases.

For my host mother - Hannah had the make an emergency trip back to Nairobi, Kenya as the caregiver for their children has left them in their home and not come back. The do have their grandmother living in the home with them, but apparently she is very old and cannot care for them properly.

For the other volunteers - that God work his miracles in their lives and that those that don't know our Lord Jesus Christ - meet him.

For myself - that I be a good ambassador for our Lord and that it is His will I do and not my own.

Arrived Safely in Tanzania

Well here I am in Tanzania and what a place. I am not sure where to begin.

My flights although long were very good. No turbulence to speak of. The route to Amsterdam was over Edmonton, the top of Hudson's Bay, Greenland and then Iceland. Unfortunately it was cloudy and I was unable to see these new sights.

From Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro it was a new day, and not cloudy. I saw the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea and the endless sands of the African desert. When I was over Libya the view of the horizon was in two colours only. Brown sand on the bottom and blue sky on the top. Amazing!

I was met at the airport and taken to a hotel for the night. I thought I would be spending a few days in and around Dar es Salaam, but was given different information when I arrived. I was told that I would be picked up at 6 15 am and be taken to the bus station to go to Moshi.

The bus station was crazy! Traffic jam like you have never seen in a very small place. Buses moving forward 20 feet and then backing up 25 feet, crossing in front of other buses. It was very interesting to see.

The bus trip was about 7 hrs and I sat with a girl named Daisy. She answered all the questions that I had about Tanzania and what I was seeing.

The weather has been overcast, but warm. My body seems to be a bit damp all the time from a mild sweat. I have not seen or encountered any mosquitos or biting insects as of yet, but I have been using the bug repellent. That might be why, as a couple of other volunteers have been quite bit up in their time here.

I am staying at a hostel just out of town 20min walk to the road where the bus stops. I have never seen or stayed in a hostel before, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It is very nice and clean. I was welcomed by Hannah and felt very much welcome.

Yesterday, Gracie - Hannah's sister took me to Moshi and showed me around town. She took me to the bank, to the internet cafe, to the local produce market and to the other market. It is very interesting here - along 2 blocks, on the sidewalk, outside the shops there are people, both men and women, sitting at sewing machines, sewing clothes.

The women's clothes are just like on tv. Long colourful skirts, beautiful tops, some women were in the fields working in these clothes. You see women carrying large bundles or 5 gallon buckets filled with water on their heads. Oftentimes without using their hands, just balancing it on their heads. Amazing to see!

The people for the most part have been friendly, courteous and polite. The kids that I have seen seen curious about me, I think because my skin is so light and freckled. I can't wait to start work at the orphanage.

On monday I will be starting my language and cultural training. That will be good as people keep saying "Hello" and "how are you" and I don't know what they are saying or how to respond. Hannah and Gracie are trying to teach me, but I need to write it down to know what it means.

More will make sense after next week.

Prayer request: My hostel hosts - Fredrick and Hannah are from Kenya and they have to leave their children with Hannah's mother while they work here in Kenya. They would like to be able to work in Kenya and be with their family. This is possibly in the works for January - please remember them.

Also Hannah is going home to Kenya on Sunday morning as there is a parents' day at her daughter's school on Tuesday - please pray for safe travel for her

I thank God for bringing me to this place and placing me with these people. Fredrick was a youth pastor in Kenya and he has worked in the slums of Kenya with the drug addicted. He has offered to take me and show me this during my time here. I also thank God for Hannah and for the welcome she gave me. It was genuinely the love of Christ that I felt from her.

Sorry, I didn't upload photos as I forgot my cable at the hostel.

Take care all of you and God bless you.

Projects in Tanzania

I will have one week of language and cultural immersion when I arrive in Tanzania. I will learn a few simple words and phrases in Swahili and will be shown around the city and surrounding countryside. I believe I will learn some of the history of the country of Tanzania and see some of the sites. When this happens I will update my blog with photos and comments.

While in Tanzania I have asked to work in three different projects. I am hoping that by working on these different projects I will gain a greater understanding and compassion for the people that I will be coming in contact with.

Projects in Tanzania - I have asked to work for a couple of weeks in an AIDS/HIV centre, a couple of weeks in an orphanage and a couple of weeks with a group of local women from the Maasai tribe, helping them with their craft work that they sell to help support their families.

I believe each will enable me to better help the next, by having seen and experienced the first.

I will keep you posted.