Update from Kurt Wegner in Tanzania – July 2010

Dear friends,

I was very excited to return for a short time to Tanzania, visiting the Lion of Judah Academy and the Faraja Orphans Rescue Mission. I helped both of these ministries with computer hardware and software. I was able to visit friends, teachers, the secondary students and the little ones.

Kurt

This little girl is as charming as her smile. She visited me frequently last year at my house to play and draw pictures. I was delighted when she came to the house this week and asked me for “ream paper”, meaning that she wants some white computer paper to draw pictures. The branches are for sweeping the dirt around the school yard. In the background you see the secondary school buildings.

This is the first chapel meeting of the term and not all students have returned to school yet. The chapel takes place under the mango tree which you cannot see here. However, a brand new chapel building is under construction. But I prefer the mango tree chapel, even when it rains.

Abia just returned from a year in America living with a family that supports the Lion of Judah school. She attended high school as a junior in Pennsylvania. This is the first time this has happened and was exciting for everyone.

Wonderful playground equipment was constructed by local workers. Part of the money for this came from SFVHC.

Ghati, Glory and Emma are some of the terrific teachers who care about the education and spiritual life of the children. Ghati has returned to school and wants to become a professor of Kiswahili language and literature. Glory teaches math and science. Emma is a teacher but is also an “evangelist” of the Africa Inland Church. He asked me if I could find support for him to get certain Bible study materials to help him in his pastoral role.

This is a scary picture because these are the Awali kids and I am their teacher. I was asked to substitute teach for them because their regular teacher had to attend an annual family reunion/business meeting. I think that not much learning took place. Because they are little, they do not know much English yet. And I don’t know much Kiswahili yet so we are even. The cute kids don’t care. I got assistance from one precocious child who kept whispering in my ear to correct me and make suggestions about what to teach.

These are three village children who I got to know last year and they remembered me when they saw me walking on the path toward the Bible college.

This is Sheila Dilworth and two of her children. Sheila and her husband started the Nassa Theological College. Her husband passed away suddenly a few years ago and she continues the work to train Tanzanian pastors. All of Sheila’s four children are involved in front-line mission work.

This is the Awali boy who helped me teach. His father is John Sweya, a vice president of NTC. Among other ministries, John helps the widows of Bulima to learn how to make a living under difficult circumstances. He was also involved in starting a church at the beach for the local fishermen.

This village girl was shy and did not speak any English, so I do not know what is in the bucket. I imagine she sits on the stool while selling her merchandise. I wonder if she attends school and if her family life is secure.

Hartford and Lynn Inlow started the Lion of Judah School and I stayed with them during this trip. Robert is a college student from Michigan. Among other complicated things, he helped the Inlows to plan and implement a necessary water pumping system to meet the growing needs of the school. There is a plan to continue the school to Form 5 and Form 6, the equivalent of junior college.

Children caring for children are everywhere.

Samuel and his wife founded the Faraja Orphans Rescue Mission. They have begun building on donated land. This will be classrooms for grades 1 and 2. If you look closely you can see two women who are carrying water (on their heads of course) for brick making. They must walk a long distance to get the water for the site.

At the paved road to Mwanza and at the bus stops the women try to sell fruit and vegetables to the passing travellers. The sign says “Assistance with toilet and washing and charging phone”. As he walks quickly, the man is balancing on his head an assortment of trinkets to sell.

These boxes are filled with one day old live chicks.

When a motorcycle is not available (or when you want to save money) it is fun to ride on the soft seat provided by these bicycle drivers. You must place your feet on the small pipe welded to the axle.

The secondary students began a garden and have shaped the plants into certain phrases. This says “God Is Good”.

These are a few of the Form 4 students soon to be the first graduates of the secondary school of Lion of Judah Academy. They must all pass the intense government tests in October. They did not have a summer break so that they could continue to prepare for the tests.