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AfricanFaithJourney

April 25, 2012
10:13
MOOOO
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

I usually reserve posts about our travels for our personal blog, ournomadicsojourn, but I'm excited to share that after just a month or so of sharing about our agricultural and livestock expansion plan, we have enough funding to purchase the first dairy cow for the orphanage! Thanks go out to our Nebraskan family on the east and west sides, a youth group in Lincoln and Arnold UMC, and a yoga class in Virginia. And so it goes...a person or family or Sunday School class decides to get involved, and results in the almost 60 children of Angel House having their first milk cow. Grass Roots' goal is to purchase three dairy cows each year over the course of the next 4 years to meet the needs of both the orphanage and the secondary school. The children and their soon to be stronger bones thank you, Nebraskans.
April 15, 2012
6:09
April Newsletter
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

A brand new newsletter has been posted online at the Grass Roots website. It's a large file and takes a minute to download, but has new all sorts of information included - an introduction to our two newest angel children, celebrations from this past winter, and goals for the coming year.
I am so proud of the Tanzanian staff we are so blessed to have in leadership. The work they accomplish, day in and day out, on behalf of our children, is truly a miracle in and of itself. Nurturing little ones who have lost their parents and sometimes extended family, rising three hours before dawn to start breakfast, spending five days each week away from their own families...the vision and example our staff sets for the rest of us is awe inspiring.
Check out the link below to the Grass Roots website to catch up on the latest news:

www.grassrootsministry.org
February 16, 2012
21:50
Dee Ann & Carrilea
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

Happy week #3 in Angel territory to our awesome missionary gals...thanks so much for your willingness to learn and take it all in on the fly. We sure utilized Skype well today, in a two hour debrief/catchup/strategy & brainstorming session, and I'm already looking forward to next week's Skype!
Dee Ann is from Olathe, Kansas, and is a deacon in the Kansas East annual conference of the United Methodist Church with many years of experience working for CASA [court appointed student advocates] as an administrator, which is in some ways a lot like the work she is helping Grass Roots to accomplish in Africa. Her administration experience will be utilized well, as she assists our director Joseph with the many components of his work, including finances and budgets for both the orphanage and the school, building expansion/construction, and overall vision & leadership for the project.
Carrilea is from outside of Nashville, North Carolina, and has worked as a youth pastor for several years prior to coming to Africa. She spent last fall on the coast of Kenya in Mombasa, teaching grade 4 students at an elementary school. We are excited to have this future Physician's Assistant on the ground as a Communications Specialist, and the kids at Angel House are thrilled to have someone who has played soccer at the university level to run around with.
On behalf of the entire Grass Roots family, thank you for being where you are, for being led forward to follow after what has been placed before you. We are grateful for your presence there.
January 25, 2012
17:53
a good life
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

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It is 6:50am, and I have been awake since 3am, due to jet lag, I guess. Rather than lay awake idle a few hours ago, I decided to attempt being productive, even though it is completely dark in our room and two people are still sleeping. There is a small photo studio across and down the street from our little guesthouse here in Nairobi, and so the project began by pulling off pictures to be printed this morning before we leave for Tanzania, so that I can pass them out to the students and staff when I arrive. However, that task only really lasted until 4am, and I still couldn’t sleep. So, I decided to categorize my pictures from 2011 – organizing them by four folders: Angel House, Angel Secondary, Lawrence, and Community.

And I am reminded, in these last four hours, how rich my life really is and has been. A picture really is worth a thousand words, and so I try to wrap my mind around the life that these thousands of pictures encompass…everything from opening day at the school to the wedding celebration the community threw for Lawrence and I as we were leaving. Scholarship student lunches, tree planting day, sports matches with other high schools, swimming in the river, making no bake cookies over an open fire in the backyard at the kids’ house, dance parties with the littles, and countless visits to student homes and staff homes. Tanzanians practice radical hospitality, and relationships are the most important thing in life.

I am so excited for Dee Ann and Carrilea to soon experience the family of people that God has brought together in Tarime town and Gamasara Village. There is no place in the world that could be quite like Angel House & Angel Secondary School, and I look forward to seeing how God uses the two of them within the tapestry that is being woven each day on the ground here in Africa. I also look forward to seeing how God will change them. He has changed me, from the inside out – my entire perspective on life, my priorities, my faith…forever changed. And my fervent prayer and my deepest desire is that He is doing that same work in the hearts of the orphaned and abandoned children at Angel House, within the students from the community who attend Angel Secondary, and the teachers and house staff who work wholeheartedly day in and day out on behalf of these dear children.

May He bring Himself glory, over and over and over again.
December 21, 2011
12:19
A visit with the ambassador
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

Part of my work here in the United States, in addition to traveling and speaking to individuals and groups, is to write grants in an effort to fund our continued construction of Angel Secondary.
Recently, we had some GREAT news. The first grant I had applied for was graciously accepted! The funding from this particular grant comes from the American people. The ambassador of Tanzania has a small budget each year that is specifically designed to be awarded and given away to small projects in his country. Our funding will provide solar electricity to Angel Secondary.
The awards ceremony was on Tuesday the 13th of December, and I was given the opportunity by our board members to go and accept it at the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam. My first stop was Tarime, to catch up on life at Angel House and Angel Secondary, since it had been almost FIVE months since I had seen them. We communicate in some form or another almost every day, with phone calls, text messages, and emails, but there is simply nothing like being nose to nose. There was business to attend to, interviewing the new headmaster with the former headmaster and our director, as well as fun to be had, attending the staff Christmas party with all of Angel House and Angel Secondary staff and their husbands/wives.
We (our Tanzanian director Joseph, Angel Secondary's second master Benson, student Lucy, & I) boarded a plane three days later to Mwanza, to meet with the founder of our project, Ryoba to discuss the registration procedures for our project, as well as future needs during the continuation of our construction. He is a blessing to us - a district commissioner, which is something between a mayor and a state representative, with many connections. His family lives in Dar, and we were already planning on staying with them. He ended up rearranging his schedule so that he could come back with us, attend the award ceremony, and help us navigate the offices in the capitol for the various tasks we were heading to accomplish, in addition to the embassy.
The award ceremony was wonderful, with speeches of encouragement to the representatives of 19 different projects from all over the country who had been selected to receive grants in addition to ours - everything from Biogas cooking to widow income generation projects. We had time to meet and share with many of the embassy staff as well as the ambassador himself, Alfonzo Lenhart, who was very impressed with Lucy and the rest of our gang. God continues to pour down his blessing on Angel House and Angel Secondary school in such unique and amazing ways these days, and it is awe inspiring to stand back and watch it all transpire.
November 24, 2011
11:29
Much to be thankful for
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

I am so happy for all that is happening and all the things that are still yet to come...God surely has His hands all over this project and is providing in many ways. God is granting us success in our quest to find individuals and families who would sponsor the education of a secondary student, and the calendar is full until mid-January with churches to share with about Angel House and the secondary students. It is so exciting to connect up individuals with a particular child and set into motion a relationship that will change both of their lives.
Yesterday in particular was wonderful, as I had the chance to speak with a future missionary to the project. In fact, we have had two great candidates voice interest in our project within the last couple of months, and it looks like they are going to be available at the same time. On Tuesday, when we're in Atlanta visiting our friends the Spillers' family and speaking at their church, the other missionary candidate will be driving down to meet with Lawrence and I. They are both awesome - I can already tell - and it will be a privilege to have them in Tarime.
Perhaps the best news of all is that yesterday I received an email that a grant that I had applied for has been awarded to us, and in a matter of weeks, Angel Secondary will have SOLAR ELECTRICTY! Being outside of the power grid, the only real option beyond a generator is solar power; it will enable us to do many things - run lab equipment for the students' science experiments, teach computer classes, run office equipment and generate our own exams onsite, hold extended evening class sessions and study hall at the school, run the piano one church donated for worship on Sunday mornings, and perhaps coolest of all - offer evening classes to the villagers. I am so grateful to the grants coordinator of this particular grant, and his interest from the beginning in our project and his encouragement to apply.
Last, but not least, I am thrilled at the opportunity to return to Tanzania sooner than I had expected. I had already planned to escort our new missionaries over in January to show them the ropes, but they have requested that I attend the awards ceremony in Dar es Salaam in 10 days, which will give me the opportunity to not only meet the US Ambassador to Tanzania, but take a few days' trip to Tarime to see the children and teenagers that my world revolves around.
As soon as the news came yesterday, preparations began for an expedited passport renewal and plane ticket purchases. My mind is just reeling with possibilities of items to take with me, for the school, for the children of Angel House, for the staff and students. I can't wait to be back with them again - if only for a few short days with the promise of returning soon after. I heard a wonderful quote yesterday that sums up how I feel about my work with Grassroots in Tanzania.
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” ― Frederick Buechner
October 31, 2011
17:47
What a great weekend!
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

It has been two weeks since we arrived back from our honeymoon, and Lawrence and I have driven through nine different states and stopped in several to speak to people already connected to Grassroots in Tanzania. We are currently in the Dayton area, where the board of directors and the founding churches are located. We have met with the Gideons chapter in Sidney, the New Carlisle Optimist club, Lehman High School Interact Service organization, and many individuals and families already connected to our project . Between the speaking engagements and visits with various families already involved, Dr. Lisa's BOO (Buildings, Orphans, & Opportunities) fundraiser on Saturday night in Sidney, and a visit to Tipp City United Methodist Church on Sunday morning, my heart is filled with hope for our children.
Once upon a time not so long ago, I considered Ohio to be on the east coast, and we have spent the majority of our "east coast" month here in the Dayton area. I have since found out from the good people of Ohio that they are actually in the midwest. And they definitely have that midwest personality, and we are so grateful for the hospitality we have been shown, as well as the desire to be involved we have seen in the eyes of the new friends we have spoken with about the kids' house and the secondary school. Saturday night's benefit drew in over $1000 with many inquiries about child sponsorship. Sunday morning's response to a plea for getting involved as education and child sponsors was overwhelming, and for the first time since we have been on the road, I felt like what we were doing was actually making a BIG impact, not only in the life of our organization, but in the lives of the people who were deciding to sponsor a child. The genuine excitement we are experiencing from the people we meet is a testament to how fully God is involved in what Lawrence and I are doing, and we are so excited to be right in the center of what He wants for us at this time in our lives.
Our colleagues and dear friends from 2009 happened be on their way south, and were able to make it to the Halloween party on Saturday. Thank you, Nate and Kate, for coming and for your amazing friendship. Thank you, too, for all of our friends and family that are praying for our progress on the road. God is certainly hearing your prayers and moving in the hearts of not only Lawrence and I, but in the people we meet, too.

From Tanzania 2009 to Ohio 2011, a team & family united! Holly, Lawrence, Nate, and Kate at the Halloween BOO fundraiser
The home of an amazing church family whom we are so privileged to know. We look forward to being in ministry together.
September 03, 2011
6:04
doin' what i love & lovin' what i do
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

my sidekick and favorite companion
and so we began this wild ride...with some of the best people on earth...last night lawrence and i had the opportunity to speak with a unique cross section of the members of Woodlawn UMC, my home church here in Derby, Kansas. they have heard the story of how it all began and knew much from the stories i shared when i was home last, and had kept themselves well-informed on the blog and the grassroots newsletter. many are pen pals and child sponsors, and the congregation as a whole has been an amazing prayer and financial support system as i've been away. it was nice to start this journey with some familiar faces. if you can't tell from the pictures, i love sharing the beautiful stories of the angels and how our project has evolved with God's guidance almost as much as i love being there on the ground. and it is so good to have lawrence by by side...he'll be the media man, in charge of setting up the projector and running the slideshows while i gab. we are so thankful to be home and to speak on behalf of the staff and students of Angel House and Angel Secondary. may God glorify Himself much through our efforts.

woodlawn UMC
August 03, 2011
6:10
a new beginning
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

we are so thankful to be here at home. we have thoroughly enjoyed the time spent at home thus far, even with the challenging first week that included hospital visits and the passing away and funeral of my uncle paul. with the sadness, though, came great joy at being able to see many family members that we would have otherwise had to wait until the wedding to introduce to lawrence.

we are greatly looking forward to this coming year for many reasons. wedding planning has commenced, and i am more convinced than ever that lawrence is wonderful, as he has happily chipped in his thoughts and is helping with websites and checklist items. i have a notebook that is full of ideas - not only for the wedding and honeymoon, but also for our upcoming year of publicity and fundraising for grassroots ministries. we are ready to make every moment count.

we'll be home at least two years, working as stateside missionaries. with the opening of the secondary school in tanzania this past january, the project has grown to a size where we need to spend time speaking on this side of the ocean. our goal is to connect with as many individuals and organizations as we possibly can, from churches to rotary clubs to high school student councils, to share the stories of the kids from the orphanage and the secondary school, in an attempt to raise awareness, support, and funding for the expansion of the secondary school and to find sponsors for our students who have such high potential but so little opportunity on their own.

in an attempt to be well-organized, i have decided to start a blog for our personal lives, so that this african faith journey can remain being stories about our friends and family on the african side of the ocean as we make progress on and for the project in tarime. i'm really looking forward to traveling far and wide, and i trust that God will lead us towards people who have a vision like His for the children we are so privileged to love and serve in tanzania. knowing myself and how my work and my personal life interweave onto one giant canvas, i will admit that it won't be a seamless separation, but i hope my friends and family will check in on both stories every once in a while.

we are thrilled that God has brought us together, and we wait in eager anticipation for the ways that He will bring Himself glory through our lives and the lives of the people we meet this coming year. if you want to follow lawrence and i as we travel and visit and speak and learn about how to be married, please join us at [www.ournomadicsojourn.blogspot.com] for some of our future adventures. we love you, and thank you for being a part of our lives, and look forward to hopefully seeing each of you soon out on our nomadic sojourn.
July 17, 2011
14:56
may our prayers rise like incense
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

I know that I love things that smell good. The little gym I recently joined here in Nairobi has a shower room that someone who works as an aromatherapist, and when I walk in from the city smells of smog and into that sweet scent of clean, herbal, freshness, I am immediately put into a wonderful frame of mind. In addition, hugging Lawrence is one of my favorite things to do, not only because his arms have become home, but also because he has good taste in cologne and generally smells pretty awesome. I too, have found a body splash I love so much that I honestly feel sorry for the people around me, because the more I become accustomed to the scent, the more I spray on to be able to still smell it, which I’m sure makes standing next to me absolutely intoxicating to anyone around me.

A few days ago, I was headed down to Tanzania in a cramped little shuttle, a mini-van shared with 15 other people and their luggage, and I kept on smelling a lovely fragrance. It was so pleasing to catch a whiff of it once in a while that I didn’t really think anything of it. A few hours into our drive, I finally thought to myself, “Wow, that smells like my shampoo.” Then I still sat for a little while longer before I came to the realization that I had definitely been smelling my shampoo for the last two hours, and though enjoyable to sniff, I didn’t look forward to seeing why I was smelling it more strongly now. I looked into the bag, and almost had to laugh…that particular pocket of my backpack had about 12 things inside, each and every one of them completely covered in sticky, soapy shampoo. And I had no towel, napkin, or tissue with which to do anything about it until our arrival in Tanzania five hours later. A few things made me sit back and ponder for a minute that day, and on the days since, when a trace of something sweet has caught my attention.

My main thought, in this rambling collection of ideas, is that I want so badly for my life to be a sweet fragrance for God to breathe in…an intentional effort of bringing him praise and glory. One of my favorite songs is sung by Shane and Shane - We Will Seek You First Lord - with the following lyrics, that have echoed in my mind for the last three days.

May our praises rise as incense,

Oh Lord, to You.

May our worship be a fragrance,

Oh Lord, to You.

Oh, how I would love it if God considered my worship of Him a fragrant offering. My life is getting ready to change in a huge way. And though I will be far away from this land that I love for an extended period of time, I don’t want to lose the lessons I have learned here. I’m afraid that a lot of us, me included, walk through our lives like I traveled with that backpack full of overflowed shampoo. The funniest part about that whole story is that you just simply couldn’t tell from the outside; apparently the fabric of the bag was strong enough that the shampoo wasn’t even seeping through. And I think that most people in life walk around trying to portray how strong they are on the outside to everyone else, and if you actually took a look on the inside of their hearts, it would be a slippery, surprisingly messy conglomeration of emotions, heartache, and unrealized dreams. And it’s okay to be messy and still becoming…but I don’t want to just be an accidental fragrance. I want to be like Mary, in John 12, who takes her most expensive perfume and lovingly pours it on the feet of Jesus. The whole house was filled with that fragrance…

My it be so with my life…whether I’m in Tanzania, Nairobi, Texas, Kansas, or Ohio.
July 13, 2011
21:14
a long road well worth it
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

This is Lawrence Olal Opundo, my fiance. Yesterday, nine months after we first applied, he was granted the visa to come home and get married in the States. Needless to say, that smile didn't come off his (or my) face for most of the morning.
A full month of paperwork, library visits, and late nights.
Did I mention paperwork?
We are so thankful to all of you who have prayed for this. Special thanks to my daddy, who has done everything from mailing our application after returning from Africa, to sending countless documents over email. Couldn't have done it without you. And all praise to Jesus...it is in HIS name that we have this opportunity. So, so happy....see you all soon.
July 05, 2011
11:55
to rush by, or to be used
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

A few mornings ago, I was hurriedly walking down the bustling city sidewalk trying to get all my errands on the checklist accomplished as quickly as possible, and sighing when someone in front of me was walking so slowly that I had to readjust my pace. In the next twenty or so minutes thereafter, I passed three different individuals who had hands or feet that were so badly malformed that they had been reduced to sitting on mats on the street corners, begging for change in order to supplement their existence.
It is hard to describe how common that sort of handicap is here. The sidewalks are full of people that beg day after day, because of blindness, club feet, and more...some things they were born with and some things that have occurred over the course of their difficult life circumstances. So you would think I would get used to it, that it would cease to affect me quite so much, that I would be able to accept it. And some days I can. But this particular day, as I experienced several people with physical issues in such a short amount of time, at one point I started to almost hyperventilate in grief for them. Minutes ago, I had been frustrated at my pace being slowed down, and now I was passing a succession of dear souls who had to put shoes on their knees because of having to crawl around, or had to get a firm stick to wrap their lame leg around so they could get from place to place, or who were missing fingers and hands so that they couldn't even hold their babies. As the heartache swelled up in huge proportions and guilt at my own hurried pace seized me, I took a big gulp, looked them in the eye and gave a genuine smile, and slowed my pace, a little bit less worried about how quickly I was going to arrive at my destination and more about how I could help one of these individuals in the future.
In those moments, on days when through divine intervention other peoples' pain truly does affect me, it reminds me that God is not done yet. We have not reached heaven on earth. And that Christ needs hands and feet to accomplish His purposes in this world. What does that look like? It looks like us: ordinary, regular people, finding the time in our world to go slow enough to ask God what He might have envisioned for the future. Which sometimes means stopping second-guessing ourselves about whether we're good enough or strong enough or intelligent enough, and just telling God that we are ready to get involved. And not only making ourselves available, but offering ourselves up unconditionally, on His timeframe and not ours.
Lawrence and I are applying for a visa for him to come home, and it seems like the process has been excruciatingly long. Today's issue was a bent corner on his passport. The consular told him to go apply for a new passport, because the immigration officials on the United States side would not allow him to enter with a bent passport page, meaning that after the processing time, will be another 2-3 weeks before he can have his interview now. After a mopey email to my family members, I have sat mulling it all over. I can either moan about how I still don't get to be home and how long it's taking, or I can remember how blessed I am in every other aspect of my life, and ask God to use me right exactly where I am. We were just discussing the other day of going to visit the sweet kiddos from the children's home I used play with here on the outskirts of town, and I had also thought of heading down to Eastleigh to reconnect with some of my friends and former students from my days as an English teacher here in Nairobi. And now I have a little bit of time to do so, and instead of just wanting to get to my destination more quickly and resenting what is holding me up from arriving a few minutes or days earlier, today I vow to be still, to know my God, and to let him know I'm available for how He might want to use me in the coming weeks and months....His timeframe, not my own.
June 23, 2011
11:46
Paperwork, errands, and city life.
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

I've been in Nairobi for 10 days now, working steadily on various aspects of the visa process. It's almost like a part time job, actually. It's totally fun to be around Lawrence for more than just twenty or thirty minutes a day, though. We are staying with some of his closest family friends, and there are 9 of us under the same roof...it's like a big slumber party every day...the house is divided into perfect sections for parents/grandma, us three girls in one room, and the three guys in a room outside the house. It's taken almost this long to get adjusted to life in the big city, having spent the last two years in Tarime and only coming up here for a day or two at a time every other month.
We rise early and sleep late, spending a typical day working on paperwork at the library together, or making a trip into town for various certificates or appointments. I realize saying a trip into town sounds normal to those with vehicles that live a few miles from most places they need to go, but making a trip into town in Nairobi is no less than a 3 hour excursion, on a crowded bus with 40 other people headed to town on a bumpy road with generally c-r-a-z-y driving and making up our own lanes in traffic. It's an adventure, to say the least.
Today is his second day of the intense health examination each immigrant visa applicant has to undergo. He texted me a few minutes ago and reported that he has passed with flying colors. Next on his list for today is getting his immunizations in preparation for travel. I've spent this morning working on printing receipt books for Angel Secondary at a stationary shop and am about to continue trying to window shop for industrial sized gas stoves for the orphanage.
Two weeks from now, Lawrence will be finishing up his visa interview at the US Embassy here in Nairobi. A few days after that we'll know whether it's been approved or not. The time has finally come. And we're excited. Scared and nervous, yes, but hopeful too. Full of hope actually. We believe God brought us together, not only to complement each others' lives, but also for a greater purpose for His people here in this world. It is amazing to be in love with someone so different than I am, and we can't wait to see where God leads us down the road. Thank you, once again, for being with us on this incredible journey.
June 18, 2011
18:44
The Invitation
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.
By Oriah © Mountain Dreaming,
from the book The Invitation
May 27, 2011
16:47
becoming african...finally
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

yes, that is me, cooking ugali...after living here for almost two and a half years, i am just now learning how to make the staple food here...it's a cornmeal based dish that's like firm grits. not hard at all to cook, but most people don't understand how poor my cooking skills are, so even this small task was quite an accomplishment in my world. the real award goes to my dear fiance whose college courses in hotel and restaurant management will do wonders for our marriage. lawrence is in town this week and the other night, we invited our friend katherine and her daughter over for dinner...because of our excellent and reliable electricity, i learned how to cook using a lantern and a head lamp. katherine taught us how to make another staple here called dagaa (small dried anchovies...even eating this is a small feat for me) and lawrence finished up with a sauce and vegetables - a true team effort. katherine's daughter Demeris, affectionately called Happy D by all who know her, sat and relaxed by coloring and enjoying the company. for a night with no electricity, we did the best we could...and i now know how to make two african dishes! one step more towards becoming a good wife, i suppose. :-)Happy D enjoying herself while waiting for the masterpiece meal

the two who really knew what they were doingThe chief cook himself
May 19, 2011
20:42
Football, netball, and athletics...
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

Thank you for our awesome uniforms, Paul Burke! The students at Angel Secondary had a friendly match in football (soccer) and netball (like basketball) last Friday, and were SO proud to wear their new uniforms you collected. Bless you for being a part of this project.
May 08, 2011
19:43
my sweet girl
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

once in a while in life, you cross paths with someone who is simply wired the same way you are, and for reasons unbeknownst to you both, you hit it off and become instant friends. such is the story with nossi, who was three when i arrived in tarime and by far the youngest of all the 34 children at angel house. i don't know what exactly it is that we share that makes us to be such best friends...though we're both stubborn, we both love to voice our opinions, and we both love to play hard, eat a lot, and enjoy life...kindred spirits would be a good way to describe who we are to each other.
i've probably mentioned before that her adjustment last year took some time, when we added 15 children to our family. she was no longer the youngest, and therefore didn't get all the attention. i think she's done remarkably well in the transition, but every day she both gratifies me and breaks my heart all over again. when she arrives home from school, if i'm still in my office over at Angel Secondary, she comes in and asks for an assignment that she can sit beside me at the desk and work on while i finish up my tasks for the day. it is truly nice to be sought out, day after day. in fact, she often sidles up to me and we're holding hands before i even finish talking to who i was originally talking to and i'm even aware we're together again. but the part that hurts is when i leave. she and her sister were left by a mentally unstable mom in a dump when she was around a year old, found by the police, and brought to angel house. because of how traumatic all that must have been, she has some challenges to overcome, one of which is separation anxiety. even now, after almost two and a half years of me being around, she generally walks me to the gate and stares glumly as i get on the motorbike to head off (on a good day), or cries loudly until i'm out of sight or someone calls her back into the house.
lawrence and i have talked a lot about nossi and a few of the other children, and what might be the best way we would continue to be a part of their lives in the future. at this point, adoption isn't an option for us, since we're both foreigners here in tanzania and not married yet. but what we know to be true is that she will continue to be our daughter in every other aspect - whether that means helping pay for her school fees in the future, having her live nearby when she finishes her education, or just simply praying for her continuous healing and growth from now on. God is so good to have granted me the privilege of knowing this little soul, and today was truly a happy mother's day for me, getting to spend it with her. may we all be so lucky.
lunch together with i.love.food.com
April 24, 2011
18:20
a good life
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somewhere under the pile-o-kids are my legs...
April 23, 2011
20:58
Study Tour
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Recently we finished mid-term exams and have been enjoying a mid-term and Easter break since then - during this time, the top 10 students in each class were presented with a Study Tour to Musoma, a town an hour away that is on the shores of Lake Victoria and has much of it's industry based around the lake. The students spent their day studying Biology and Geography - trade, communication and transport, marine life, etc. Many of the students had never been out of Tarime, so it was very exciting even to board the bus and head somewhere new and different.
end of the day, testing the water of lake victoria firsthand
a boat ride around the lake

fish dissection of a tilapia out of lake victoria
our head boy Francis and our head girl Benadetacomposing essays about their day towards the end
April 15, 2011
5:52
visa approved
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i am feeling so many different emotions right now i can't even sleep. something woke me up at 4:21 this morning, and i had a message waiting from my dad that lawrence's visa has been approved, something we have been waiting almost six months to hear.
there's still appointments at the embassy to be had, meetings with immigration officials, and lots of paperwork to shuffle through here and some to be sent back and forth between here and home, so we're still holding onto our patience, but the journey of a thousand miles (literally) begins with one step, and we have just completed the first.
thank you all for having been on this journey with us thus far. your thoughts and prayers and concern and love sent across the ocean have been a tremendous help, and we're not done yet, so we're still requesting you continue along with us. i'll keep you posted.
April 02, 2011
21:51
Growing our own future
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“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. ^{They will be like a tree planted by the water} that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”-Jeremiah 17:7-8
Friday was a beautiful day. Angel Secondary students planted over 400 seedlings around the school and orphanage property - it was simultaneously a Tree Planting Day (idea by our head girl Benadeta), a Scouting Day and the inauguration of our school scouting troop. I was able to select the day, and chose Rich's birthday. Not only was it fun to dig in the dirt together, but it was so amazing to invest together in the future of our school. It will be awhile before we see the fruit of our labor, but it's just like the rest of what we do here...we invest our time and energy on behalf of the One who loves us more than we even realize, and He does immeasurably more than we can even hope for or imagine.
Richard and I planting a tree together. If he only knew how significant it was for me...
John and Joshua, our two Kenyan teachers
Teacher Michael helping spread manure on a freshly planted tree with students
Bernardy and Marecella holding up their seedlings
Angel Secondary students...the best in the world.
March 29, 2011
14:30
Mwita and Menganyi, and my possible future
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This weekend, God allowed me a glimpse into my future. We have two Angel House boys that are seniors, studying in Musoma Utalli this year because Angel Secondary started with freshmen-sophomore-junior classes only. It was wonderful to be able to sit and talk with them, do a little bit of shopping for their school needs, let them show me their latest exams, and talk about their future. Sunday morning, Lawrence and I were even able to attend church with them there at the school.
I have known for a while that God is sort of stirring up something in my heart related to further education. So many students in this country fail their senior year exams that not many of them think heavily about their future beyond secondary school. Angel Secondary has become a school who welcomes students who have failed in earlier years to rejoin high school and try again to capture the necessary knowledge. I believe so completely and so strongly in the kind of education our staff is providing our students, that I envision a need in another year or so for our organization to have an endowment fund for students who will be looking at Forms 5&6 (similar to junior college and a prerequisite for university), teaching college, police academy, and college. And I see myself somehow fitting into the role of raising money for the necessary scholarships it will take to place these students into those positions. Because of opening the school, we have grown from having 50 children of all ages, into having more than 200 children under our care, mostly teenagers. I ask for your prayers in these coming couple of years, that we could not only prepare them before they arrive at the next chapter, but that we would work to prepare ourselves to be ready to serve them by walking hand and hand with them on to the next step of their journey. I believe that some of these children, Angel House and Angel Secondary students alike, will be the leaders of this country in the future. Whether they go as far as Dar es Salaam as a member of Parliament, or if they become a small business owner who employees four workers, I believe that God has led them to Angel to grow in their leadership skills, their knowledge and passion for education, and in their personal faith journey. It is quite the community, and I can't wait to see where God takes us next.
Mwita, me, and Menganyi after church on Sunday
14:15
Angel Secondary Talent Show
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Our students and teachers are absolutely amazing, and have unbelievable talent! We recently experienced a taste of how well rounded they really are. Our Friday afternoon talent show allowed us to hear their poems and songs, watch their acrobatic stunts and dances, and allowed them to display the gifts God has given them beyond the academic setting. How lucky are we, to be able to share life with these.
Angel Secondary Scout boys
A skit about traditional circumcision practices in the village
Our head girl, Benadeta, reciting a poem
Rosie (red shirt, middle left) with the freshmen girls 'beauty contest'
13:43
generosity that comes from the heart
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on monday as i arrived to school, i was presented with a chicken. i am privileged to sponsor a young man named marwa, one of our neighbors in Gamasara, to go to a nearby primary school. he has helped Angel House with various odd jobs for the last year since he failed his 7th grade exams that would have passed him into secondary level education. i told him if he'd go back to school this year and pass his exams, we'd hold a spot open for him at angel secondary for next year's freshmen class. he goes each morning with a renewed sense of hope, and i'm positive he will pass his exams this coming year.
here, hospitality is a big deal. invitations come often for us to visit a staff member or student in their home, and the invite usually includes a meal and an ample amount of time spent together; on several occasions it has resulted in carrying a chicken home as well...if you go to buy a chicken in the marketplace, you pay 7,000 tanzanian shillings, well over the average daily wage of a casual worker in the area. i am reminded over and over again about generosity, and how far i have to go in this area.
the stool in the picture below was a recent gift from mama mgesi, a friend and one of the ladies who helped build the school. I think I wrote a blog about visiting her house (and thus carrying home a chicken) last fall sometime. this stool is a traditional Kuria tribal seat, made all from the same piece of wood, and very comfortable to sit on. it made my day to receive it, because i felt like she understood that i value their culture and their traditions so very much. incidentally, it is sitting on our porch, piled with recent produce from the kids' shamba...some vegetables sent over in the form of seed packets a while back, now harvested.
life is so good here. it is a hard life for so many of the people that we live around, and they go without more often than they should have to, but in lacking material wealth, they focus heavily on being hospitable and sharing the little that they do have. i pray that these amazing souls that i rub shoulders with on a day to day basis will rub off on me, that i might forever be growing to be more like them. life is so very good, when you have people like those that surround us to live it with. i feel honored to be where i am and do what i do.
March 04, 2011
17:27
the long and short of it
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Time. Something I never seemed to have enough of when I was living in the states. And yet, it seems to be one thing that we in Africa have in abundance. No matter to what extent we try to Americanize our lives here into seeming busy and trying to get our to do lists accomplished quickly, the fact of the matter is that we can really only move at the pace that the society around us enables us to. A good example would be the school registration that we have just last week finally gotten to hold in our hands...a process that began last April with an application for a permit to build, included several trips to the Ministry of Education in Dar es Salaam and multiple inspections, and the fruit of which means that we can register our students for national exams and be 'official' in the eyes of all manner of educational and government authorities. I can say that I was fairly close to being fixated on the process in some ways, but my enthusiasm for obtaining it didn't really help us acquire it any faster. We just had to do as much as we possibly could, and be patient and allow things to transpire.

Which should be a good lesson learned for this next thirty days of my life. Lawrence and I have applied for a visa that would allow us to come to the United States to be married and travel around speaking about Angel Secondary School and our work here in Tanzania to various churches, community organizations, and individuals. We applied in late October for the 5-month process, and expect to hear on or around the first part of April. If it is approved, we will be married in Derby this summer, and we'll soon be riding horses and vaccinating dad's cows together down in Texas. If not approved, I'll make a short trip home to see family, and we'll soon be planning a wedding to be had with his family and friends in Kenya.

I know how I want it to go. But that doesn't necessarily mean I get what I want. And knowing that to be true is helping me learn how to be more patient and more content than I have ever had to know how to be before. On one hand, I simply cannot imagine NOT spending every day in our brand new school, teaching English, playing guitar, and learning from our staff and students. And on the other hand, there is no other place I want to be than the April 30th Heyroths-to-Jimmy-Buffett concert in Kansas City, a trip my dad has entitled, "Let the culture shock begin."

Lawrence and I were sitting together one evening last week during the very last days of February, and I asked him in advance for a few extra globs of his wonderful patience this coming month. Because while I know I can't do anything about it, now that March is here and I know that I'll soon know, one way or the other, about my future...I am stressed. He's good for me in a lot of ways, but his gentleness and patience are two of the best pieces of spiritual fruit he's been given, and hopefully some of it can rub off on me, too, as we grow old together.

So, though the days are long and the weeks are short as usual, life is different in some ways these days. I am learning how to wait. All over again, because it seems, though I have been down this road before, maybe I forgot how, or didn't learn very well the first time. I wait, not for the calendar to roll by, but for God to change me...for Him to give Himself glory through my life in the days that remain between now and the next step. And slowly, He will work in me until I arrive at a later point a more patient and content-with-whatever-comes-my-way person.
February 13, 2011
6:55
happy birthday, mom!
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

happy birthday to the best mom in the world. we took these the day before your birthday, but then experienced a week long period where our phone cable was stolen from the house, so no internet...but better late than never, right? from the teachers at Angel Secondary School in Tanzania, all the way to Hamilton, Texas we love you.
February 01, 2011
8:56
seeds of hope
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Thank you for the awesome seeds, Melvin Hansen, John Eastin, and the Northern California Rotary club! Mwita, our farm supervisor was ectstatic, as are we. The Angel House shamba consists of over 100 small sections, and each child is assigned a few to tend - rotating the soil, planting, watering, and weeding. All the food is incorporated directly into the orphanage food budget and saves Angel House a great deal of money. This great gift of a box of over 200 packets of seeds comes with a realization of how huge God is - this Rotary club is the friend of the grandparent of one of the youth families from Woodlawn, the church I served as a youth director for six years prior to coming to Tanzania... Melvin is a college friend of Sarah and Anna Watkin's grandad and Elizabeth Watkin's father John Eastin, who has become a child sponsor recently and shared with his friend about our orphanage.

Our entire goal here is to plant seeds, whether tangibly or intangibly, and water and tend those seeds to the best of our ability during the time we're privileged to be here with these children and in this community. We're not sure when the fruit of our work will be seen, and that's okay, because the Master Gardener can see the whole picture, and most days, that's good enough for me.
January 27, 2011
23:32
In other news...
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Angel Secondary School has been my heartbeat and my every thought for as many weeks back as I can even remember. Because of the great intensity of time and effort put towards opening the school, most of my blogs have been about Angel Secondary and the progress within. However, there is learning taking place even outside Angel Secondary, and I wanted to share a few stories of students from Angel House Orphanage who God has provided an opportunity different from our new school.

In Tanzania, when a school is opened, it is almost always opened with Form 1 students (freshmen) only, and the school grows its own examination classes. Because our goal was to build Angel Secondary for all of the Angel House kids, of which we had a great number of Form 3 students, we opened with Forms 1,2, and 3. Which left only two students (our senior boys) without a new school beside their house. We are so happy God made a way for them, too. Mwita Magabe and Menganyi Joseph have been accepted and have already begun classes at Musoma Utalii, a private boarding school approximately 80km from Tarime. Eric and I had the opportunity to stop in and visit them last week while we were in Musoma, and they are working super hard to stay ahead of their classwork and studies. Though we miss them every day, it is exciting that Utalii is not too far from home, and that they have this fantastic opportunity to enter into a school that has Advanced Level (Form 5 and 6 are preparatory classes for someone who would like to attend university). I am grateful to the headmaster, as he is the only principal we could find willing to agree to take a student from Form 4...usually they won't let students transfer during their last year of high school, so it is a huge blessing to us to have been given this opportunity for the boys.
Paskazia, one of the Angel House girls who lived with us until early 2010, had a baby named Junio a few months ago. Girls are not allowed to continue on in secondary school if they are pregnant, and since before Junio even arrived, Paskazia and Anna and I have been brainstorming together about a skill that she could learn and turn into a business. My colleague Pam, in addition to being a nurse, is an excellent seamstress, and had a pattern for an adorable bag; this past week, Paskazia started sitting with Pam and learning how to cut and sew, and will be starting her own small business of sewing purses made out of the local African cloth. Next up on the agenda for Paskazia is to start having a few lessons on saving and small business, and to begin the process of looking for clients and shops who would be willing to sell the purses. Pictured here are Paskazia with her first finished bag, along with Junio and Pam.

God is good. All the time. And it is a blessing to see Him in action here in so many ways.
January 19, 2011
23:14
starting school
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Zach, our administrative assistant and right-hand man
Choosing the correct size of school sweater
Valency and Saidi, our freshmen giants

Reporting to classes for the first time

Leah with her new uniform
22:03
First days of school
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The past few days have been full...first bus departs town at 6:30am, second at 7:15am, not to return to town until 4:30 and 5:15. Learning how to stand at attention in parade, trying to memorize the lyrics of the national anthem, being issued a uniform, furiously taking the many notes the teacher is writing on the big shiny whiteboard, taking in all manner of geography, history, physics, kiswahili, chemistry, biology, civics, and math. Speaking English during all periods for the first time. It has been an unprecedented week in the lives of many students, who would never otherwise be able to afford any type of secondary education. It has been years since some have graduated 7th grade; they have spent long at home without the means to study, until Angel Secondary offered them a scholarship for free or reduced rate. They are grateful for the opportunity, eager, and hungry to grasp their full potential. It is absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring, and there is no place I (and they) would rather be.
January 17, 2011
20:49
Opening Day 2011
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Today was a beautiful day...a start of a whole new phase of ministry...a beginning with many happy endings to come....the first day of our first year of Angel Secondary school. Students arrived early to turn in school fee slips, stand in line for their uniforms, be divided up into classrooms, and begin the process of diligently learning one day at a time for the sake of their own personal future. I feel so incredibly blessed to be a part of this project, privileged that God would allow us to participate in what He is doing here, and so responsible that everything we do as a school is for the honor and glory of God.

Angel House children

Morning announcements by school managers

Parade - like a genearal assembly at the start of each day.

Getting uniforms checked out and ready to go

Introduction of entire school staff
January 16, 2011
22:55
scholarship students
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We have had countless requests for scholarship assistance with school fees, and for this year Angel Secondary will be giving out approximately 15 scholarships to underprivileged students beyond the students of Angel House Orphanage. I have been humbled beyond belief this past week as I have sorted through applications, interviewed candidates and their parents/relatives, and watched them attempt to move mountains in an effort to obtain a quality education. As my tear drops have stained the papers while reading of their life situations, God has continued to remind me that this situation is one that is full of hope. Although their circumstances have been dire to date, Angel Secondary is here to make sure that their future is bright.

We are a long way from being in a place where each student that desires to join with Angel Secondary is able to do so. However, I have stopped worrying about the school bus we need, the ceiling boards for the administration block that still need to be put in, the other half of our textbooks we still need to purchase, and additional scholarships, because I have learned these past two years that God CONTINUALLY provides beyond what we can even imagine. I am so thankful for that, and for those of you who have been a part of that provision. It's a beautiful thing to be able to be here on the ground watching the results of generosity put into practical use. Below are a few of our scholarship recipients, with their new school as the backdrop to their bright futures.

Elizabeth Filibert and Bernardy ChaCha, cousins in form 2
These two are currently living with their grandmother who has lost a son and a daughter. Elizabeth is the daughter of her late daughter and Bernardy is the son of her late son.

Valency
form 1 (freshman)
This young orphaned man, if living in America would be the teddy bear football star. He was the most humbling interview I sat through, as he raised his hands to God to thank Him upon hearing the news that the school was going to pay for his tuition, and then burst into tears of thankfulness. Pray for him, as he lives almost 10 miles from the school and is currently looking for a place where he can stay in town so he'll be within a walking distance from the school or able to utilize our school transport.

Saidi
form 1 (freshman)
Valency's newfound sidekick, quiet & serious about this opportunity.
January 15, 2011
21:14
Angel Secondary's amazing staff
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Full staff of Angel Secondary School
Left to Right:
Joseph (2nd master and Kiswahili teacher)
Matiko (math and physics)
Michael (civics)
Holly (manager)
Lucas (Headmaster and Chemistry teacher)
Benson (English and Geography)
Joshua (History and Geography)
Liz (other manager)
John (Chemistry and Biology).
We are already so blessed to have each one of these on staff.
20:53
The week before school!
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Today marks the second to the last day before Angel Secondary School officially opens! Last-minute preparations are in full swing and it is good. We are blessed to have had our third and final inspection last week, passing with flying colors, so that we might open as a school registered with the Ministry of Education...no small feat around these parts.

Sign from the main road Administration block

Four classrooms

Putting up the flag for the first time

A beautiful Tanzanian flag for Angel Secondary School
January 04, 2011
20:41
new year's eve
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Liz and Eric & Lawrence and I
G5 - the affectionate nickname bestowed on us missionaries
the one I love
20:30
Happy New Year
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Thank you, you wonderful Ohio and Georgia people, that came and opened the year 2011 with us. Your service here has made a lasting impression on the community...many people are smiling more these days because of the great dental service they received, the younger children have not voluntarily come off of the new swingset yet, and we are so thankful for who you are and how much you each contribute to this project. Bless you all and Happy New Year!
New Year's Eve with Lisa and company

Selma, Lisa, Teddy, and Anna

Holly & Holly
Dentistry by Dave
The new big toy going up in the front yard of Angel House
December 30, 2010
22:36
a crazy beautiful week
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

we are beyond blessed this week with a total of 25 volunteers in the house in addition to us missionaries. dr. lisa, our major donor, is here with 23 of her friends and colleagues for a 4 day dental clinic in the village, and my good friend jordan arrived last night as well to be a set of extra hands for the next two weeks until we open up the secondary school. the more the merrier around here, and it has been a frenetic whirlwind of activity and fun to say the least.
children waiting to be seen by the dentists in Gamasara Village

Jordan's arrival back home to his kiddos
J and L
December 27, 2010
19:06
Living my dream
» ‎ AfricanFaithJourney

This past week, I have felt this intensity of life like never before. Every day, even with some major challenges yet to face, has given me such depth of joy that I can't even believe it. Is this what it is like to live my dream? It must be. Up until this past month, the school has been a distant dream with only the building project being the tangible thing, and though it's been very exciting to see it come together brick by brick, there is NOTHING like the feeling of seeing your very first class of students show up for their entrance exams like we did this past Monday. We have hired an incredible staff of teachers so far, and they are part of my joy...their passion for education and community development is so encouraging to my soul. We had over 150 students enter to have a chance to sit for an interview and exam, and I just cannot tell you how beautiful it was to see their faces, so full of a mixture of excitement and angst. I fully believe that these students have the ability to change the world. And it makes me think back to my first class of seniors when I entered into youth ministry; we started life together when they had finished 8th grade and I was a summer intern, and by the time I was youth director they were seniors, who will forever be one of my favorite groups of people. They are now impacting the world, and even impacting the students I work with. Paul has collected shoes and soccer uniforms from the Derby High School soccer team he coaches to send over and we'll be using them for our Angel Secondary soccer team. Amy's elementary school class gave up their traditional Christmas party this year to use that money for our students' school needs. What an amazing feeling to have those you have loved and shared life with turn around and do the same for the world around them. Life is beautiful.
Angel Secondary Staff

Matiko (math/physics) and Benson (english/geography)Two of my favorite teachers in the world

Angel Secondary staff working on vision and mission statements
December 26, 2010
0:28
Christmas Day at Angel House
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Today was the first Christmas that I can remember having not spent in Hamilton, Texas at the Heyroth farm. Though I missed and still miss being together with my family, it was beautiful to finish the candlelight Christmas Eve services and be able to have a slumber party at the kids' house until church this morning. We worshipped, passed out gifts from many different contributors, had a big lunch, and danced all evening at Goldland Hotel. Thank you to all who made this day possible, and thank you mostly to God for the gift of his son, Jesus.
Three little monkeys, giggling on my bed

The staff ladies preparing Christmas lunch
Mwita showing off his new clothes, shoes, and bag
An afternoon out (Rosie, Nossi, and William & I)

The annual Goldland kids dance, with close to 300 in attendance

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