Global Outreach Website

Tanzania 2011
It is Tuesday evening and we have successfully made it to Arusha, Tanzania, East Africa, having spent since Friday in the village of Karansi. We have had a great week thus far and I can't think of how it could have gone better, except for maybe having electricity on Monday night when I had hoped to gather some of our story together and written this update. A good Boy Scout would always keep his laptop battery fully charged for the guaranteed eventual power ration. Tanzania is on a 220 volts system. The novice like me would think that they would be better off instead of rationing to just divide their voltage in half to 110 volts, like in the US, and then have enough electricity for everybody J (think about it)

OK - back to Karansi. We arrived around 9:30 Friday evening under a fairly clear sky - but not clear enough to see the white crested peaks of Mt Kilimanjaro. Rachel and Elisha from the Imara Team met us with Imara's covered pickup truck. - maybe a modified Range Rover. We were able to strap our 14 bags of ministry supplies and our clothes on top of the vehicle and seven of us settled/crawled into the back to sit on the bench seats extending up both sides of the truck bed. From the Kilimanjaro Airport we took a 40 minute drive over some fairly decent roads - progressively off the beaten path - as we traveled North to the Angaza Women's Ministry Center in Sanya Juu. This Lutheran Center provides training to young women in various skills including Guest House Management. So we stayed in a couple of their small but comfortable Cottages that are fully equipped with simple furniture and basic bed's covered with mosquito nets. They are also fully equipped with the wonderful night sounds of Africa, plus one overly testosteroned rooster who must begin his day with calisthenics at 4:15, followed by hourly calls to worship.

Saturday we headed into the village where we met with some of the families of the children that we sponsor in our project. We had our three generations there and we met some very interesting Babus, Bibi's, Papa's, Mama's and of course the children. One Babu only spoke Meru, so what he said had to first be translated into Swahili and then to English. It was neat hearing their life stories.

While we were meeting Elisha drove to a local market to buy some goats for the six children we sponsor and whose homes we were going to visit. They could only purchase five that day - so one will have to wait until later. Off we went riding in the back of the truck - all eight of us plus five goats (one at a time) Some homes/huts we would walk to - others we road over bumpy roads and ditches, open fields and creek beds. Sometimes 6 or 8 kilometers -- the distance the kids walk to school. These kids really want to go to our school. Homes were sometime one room ten by eight feet - with no bed - just a dirt or poured floor. Others had a couple of rooms - but still no electricity or running water. We really enjoyed these people - who are so friendly and hospitable.

After church on Sunday we visited the homes of some of our children who do not yet have anyone to sponsor them and are new to our program. It is amazing to see the differences between children that have been part of Project Child - and those who are just now entering. Wow - this ministry is having such an incredible impact on the lives of not only our children - but also their families and community. More on that later.


Tim Neet