Jambo! Today was our first real day of ministry. We all woke up feeling much better after a good nights sleep and a good breakfast. Jon led our morning devotional and then we headed out on our team bus.
We spent today at the Kindness Children Care Orphanage. They currently house about 40 kids aged 2 - 25 in a very small facility with only 4 bedrooms. Each bedroom has two sets of bunkbeds and sleep as many as 14 kids in one room. (2-3 Children per Bed). The property they are on is rented so there is not a whole we can do to help with space, but we were able to paint all of the walls inside each of the bedrooms. We broke into teams and the students took turns either painting with Jon and the other adults or outside playing with the kids with me. We did a shortened version of our VBS programs teaching about the parables of the lost sheep, the woman with the lost coin, and the prodigal son and told them that if they have Jesus, they are never alone. We played with the parachute, sang some songs, played lots of games like the old favorite, Bada Bada Goonie (Duck, Duck Goose), and mostly just loved on the kids.
Our students have been amazing, jumping right in to their work with great attitudes and helpful spirits. They finished painting the inside walls and will be painting a mural tomorrow inside the main living area. We have also agreed to help them place a metal awning roof across an area in the back where they cook and eat so they are able to eat and cook shielded from the elements. Tomorrow will be our last day there as we will be focusing on the schools for Disabled next week.
Everyone is still doing well. We celebrated Nicholas Wong’s birthday this evening after dinner but we did not request a “cake” because the last time we were offered Tanzanian cake it turned out to be a roasted goat staring at us. It was delicious, but not the traditional birthday cake we are used to. Nicholas graciously came along with our group as a TCA graduate sponsor this year since we needed more adults and he has been a fantastic help to us already! Happy Birthday Nicholas! Also, happy Birthday to my brother, Kelly Green back in Dallas.
I don’t know how many know this, but this year we were scheduled to have one of our long time favorite sponsors, Ty Westfall, go along on the trip as our one and only additional sponsor from home. But just 3 weeks ago, he came down with some health issues and was told by the doctors he could not travel. So Jon put out a call for help and we ended up getting 3 fabulous people to come along, including Nicholas, Brian Millet (who has been with us 7 times before), and my sweet friend, Tammy Carroll from our Adult Bible Study class at our church in Rockwall. We are so grateful for their willingness to rearrange their schedules on such short notice and come along with us, especially since it was at their own expense! Of course, we are also happy to be joined by Jon’s cousin Steve (who has been a missionary with AIM in Africa for many years), as well as our good friend, George Ndungu, who has spent countless hours making arrangements for us before we got here, and our local host, Felix Mwetha, from the Arusha Evangelical Lutheran Church. We also are joined by our interpreter from last year, Joyce, and our driver, Charles. All work right alongside of us painting and give of their time, taking leave from their own jobs while we are here for almost two weeks.
I am trying to get pictures on this blog but I’m having some technical issues. Hoping to have some added tomorrow when I have more time to look into it.
Thank you so much for the prayers and please keep them coming! We are honored to be representing our TCA community, our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and so many of you who have supported us and entrusted us with your resources.
Sincerely,
Jenni Millet
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