Newsletter

Orwas Newsletter March 2014

Playground

On Saturday, we helped at the playground ministry. It was really fun. Around 100 kids were there. When they came in, we put them into groups based on their age and moved them through different stations including: balloon relays, bowling, coloring, swing, slide, bucket toss and more. After they played for a while, we gathered them for the Bible lesson. This week's lesson was about forgiveness. There was a cute drama that showed the kids how much God loves them and how He forgives their sins. There was a "judge" who sent them to prison and then Jesus (played by George) set the captives free. The kids had a lot of fun. We also had a chance to survey the general health of the kids so we can fine tune what our mini health education/clinic will focus on. We noticed a lot of skin infections and a child who obviously had giardia. There weren't as many wounds that needed care as we thought, but there is a need for de-worming. So we are going to invite the parents and hopefully have enough de-worming medicine to give out to all the kids. Here are some photos from the day.



(Welcoming the kids and putting them into groups)



(Ring around the Eli. Although he looks confused in the photo, he thought it was so funny!)



(We had the balloon station. The real challenge was keeping Eli from popping them.)





(Taking a water break. It was so hot. I had to make sure Eli stayed hydrated.)



(Kids sitting for the story)



("Prisoners")



(Being set free)

New Friends

The more we are here, the more we are meeting new people and feeling more like a part of this community. There are lots of different people in Moshi. Of course the locals are here. Then you have ex-pats (international workers) here for work, either for NGOs or for-profit businesses. Then there are the missionaries. At first we felt isolated and alone. Now, we have friends in each group. We have friends who are Tanzanian, friends who are from Kenya here to work, friends who are missionaries and friends who are here from many other countries for work.

One such group I have been introduced to is a group of moms who have a baby club. Once a week they meet at a different mom's home for two hours for a chance to talk and let their kids play together. I first went when Eli was eight months old, but wasn't able to go again for many months because it took place during Eli's morning nap. Now that Eli is taking one nap later in the day, I have been able to go a few more times. It's great to see Eli interact with other kids. Plus it's fun to go to other people's houses where there are more toys for him to play with. His toys at our house are mostly spoons and bowls! Last week, baby club was at Pearl's house. She lives here with her family because her husband works for TPC, a huge sugar plantation. It's privately owned and ran by ex-pats from all over the world. The land goes back to the colonial days and has a very different feel from Moshi. It's only 30 minutes away, but feels like another world. In the midst of sugar cane are clumps of houses. Nice ones too! Here is a picture of the group on that day. Doesn't it look like a tropical paradise!? The ladies there that day were from France, US, Mauritius, Sweden and UK. It's a very international group



Making friends has been an answer to prayer. It helps with the loneliness and homesickness. Of course it doesn't replace home, but it is a big blessing.

Ministry Meetings

This week has been a busy one for us. We had a couple neat ministry meetings. The first was with the leaders of the playground ministry. They wanted to do more for the community than the Saturday morning playground activities. They knew our church was in the same neighborhood as the playground and that we have a heart for that area. They also knew we have experience in medical outreaches. So we met to discuss what we could do together. The result was a small medical outreach in April doing wound care and malaria testing. The week before the outreach, we'll send flyers home with the kids letting their parents know what is going on. Since this is our first time and our resources are limited, we aren't doing any mass marketing. We don't want to be flooded with people needing help and not be able to help them. So, this will be a trial. In the weeks ahead we'll be gathering supplies and training volunteers on how to help. We'll keep you posted on the progress.

Our second meeting was with a missionary from San Diego, named Michelle. She has been serving in Tanzania for a couple years and is stepping out to begin a new ministry. She has a vision to set up a shelter for young moms with no place to go. It will offer them a two year program, giving them a place to stay while teaching them skills to be able to support themselves and their children. They will live in a place where they feel loved and get to learn about God's love for them. Michelle is in the beginning stages of setting up her ministry and is visiting many places in Tanzania to do research. She is meeting people who have ministries similar to hers to learn from their experiences. This week, she was in Moshi and learned about us through Gary and Leslie, the leaders of Agape Project International – the ministry that just put on a medical camp in Kenya. They suggested she contact us so we can meet and get to know each other. It's always nice to meet people from home. Michelle's heart for the Lord was very apparent and we loved spending time with her. We love her vision and know it is very much needed. Hopefully we'll see her again when she passes through Moshi again in a few weeks.

George is Home!

George arrived home safely yesterday after being in Kenya for the medical camp. It was a very successful camp. Over 1800 people were seen. Many came to know the Lord. Woo hoo! It was a good week and George enjoyed working with the team. We are so happy he is home. Eli was ecstatic to see him. He had the biggest smile on his face (they both did actually!). Thank you all for your prayers.

19 Months

Eli is 19 months and such a hoot. He is talking so much. I tried to come up with a list, but there are so many words that I lost track. He is starting to combine words like: "Mama sit" and "see doggie." He has also just learned the word "mine" which I am sure we'll hear a lot more of soon! He says mostly English words, but also knows a few Kiswahili words: Dada and Kaka (this means sister and brother. It's what you call someone whose name you don't know. When you need something at a restaurant, you call out "Kaka", if it's a guy, and he'll come to help.), wewe (it means "you"), hopa ("here"), paka (cat), babu (grandpa) and a few more.

The big thing this month is the implementation of "time outs." He has been very independent and a little naughty lately so we needed to do something to help him make better decisions and think about not doing something naughty before doing it. It has been wonderful. He doesn't need it often, but it has really helped. There have been very few tantrums and some of his naughty behavior (dumping out water, pulling Nala's ears etc) has decreased. He handles them pretty well. We tell him to go to time out and he goes and sits against the wall. After a few minutes, we tell him he can get up and say sorry. Then he comes and gives us a hug. Am I a mean mom for taking photos of time out? Maybe. Here are a couple photos...



("Eli... are you supposed to pull Nala's ear?" "Nooooooooo.")

Eli has started showing interest in using the toilet. George's sister gave us her daughter's old potty so we have it out to get him used to it. Throughout the day, we give him opportunities to use it. He has used it a few times and it has been so exciting. We do a big cheer and dance. One time, Eli got so excited by the cheering, he promptly picked up the potty and flung it across the room, with the contents flying out!



(Eli is a multi-tasker. He practices his drum while on the potty!)



(The potty also serves as a good table for the drum!)

I know I always say, each month is the best. But it's true. Each month gets better and better. Eli does so many funny things. Tonight, after I put him to bed, we heard him yelling "George..... George..... George. Papa..... George." It lasted a couple minutes. We were cracking up. He never calls out after we leave the room and he has only said "George" a couple times.

Here are some photos from the past month:



(Who needs a spoon?)



(He loves wearing our shoes.)



(He has learned to interact with toys better. Previously, their only purpose was to be dumped out everywhere and thrown.)



(Eli loves reading. He often brings books with him when we go out.)



(He is very aware of music and loves dancing.)

Good times!

Church as a Party of Two

The last two Sundays, Eli and I have gone to church alone. Normally when George is gone, we stay home. That was for a couple reasons - difficulty with transportation and Eli's needs. With the car, it's much easier to get around so that was no longer an obstacle. Usually, George and I split watching Eli so we each can enjoy at least part of the service in peace. George takes the first half and I take the second. Without George, it would be just me the whole time so I wondered if it was worth it to go. The answer is yes. 100%. I found out that people just love us to be there and don't mind if we are running in and out with Eli. I was told this morning that they are so happy I am coming even without George. They knew it is hard and appreciated the effort.

Eli did pretty well. He was able to stay in the service during the first half. During the second (the sermon), we sat outside the door so he could run around a little while I could still hear. Both weeks, we had to leave a little early. It is not uncommon for church to be three hours. Eli usually sleeps at 11:30. Church starts at 10:00 and since he no longer sleeps in his stroller there, he starts to hit the wall around 12:30. In order to spare everyone from a major meltdown and big distraction, we tried to quietly duck out.

Last week, Pastor Zac talked about prayer. He sighted many Scripture verses showing how sweet our prayers are to the Lord. It was a good message for me. Sometimes I don't want to "bother" God with what I deem to be stupid prayers. Why would the Lord want to hear my pleas for restoration of electricity? Now, anytime I feel hesitant to pray, I go right to the Lord. He doesn't want us to hold anything back. Obvsiously He knows our thoughts, but desires the relationship with us that prayer brings.

This morning, the time of singing was awesome. The place was rockin! Totally joy filled. I love the word "joy." It expresses overflowing and abundant happiness. That is what I felt today.

I love our little church.

Busy Camp

The medical camp in Kenya is going strong. It is day three and they have already seen over 900 patients! That's only with four doctors. Needless to say, they are working hard and so tired. George has been busy too doing lab work, wound care, injections and helping in the pharmacy. Many of the cases have been typical for this area: stomach issues, body pain, typhoid and malaria. One of the cases that stood out to George was a malaria case that was very severe due to delay of treatment. The child was brought in convulsing. Fortunately, he was able to get treatment and we pray he'll improve. Another was a few boys with jiggers. Those are bugs that burrow into feet, toes especially, and are very painful and itchy. To get them out you literally have to clean the area and dig them out. It's extremely painful. George says every child in Kenya who grew up in a village (as opposed to big cities like Nairobi) has had jiggers. They are common due to lack of shoes. Another child came in today with a massive absess with the bone exposed. It's heartbreaking, but hopeful too since they have this opportunity to get help. Many people are asking for prayer from the pastors and yesterday 30 came to know the Lord. Please keep praying for the team as they continue the camp this week.

Joyce

Joyce's story is one that is very common here. Joyce is around 16 years old and is in the equivilent to 9th grade. Her older brother, Joseph, struggled in school and wasn't able to continue past 8th grade. When kids don't do well in school, they are left behind. So, Joyce became the family's next hope. Her mom had a baby around six months ago and there is also a six year old girl at home. Money is tight, as is the case with most people here. The only income their family has is from their dad selling roasted corn on the roadside. It barely covers their food. Sometimes not even that. Besides food, their biggest concern is paying for Joyce's school. Without an education, Joseph's job prospects are few. Manual labor is his only option, if it can be found. Our pastor asked us if we could help them out by giving Joseph a job. We don't have the funds (or need, necessarily) to hire anyone at this point, but we agreed to have him come over a couple times a week to help us with yard work. Even though, we give him the money and he is a young adult, I am sure he hands it right over to his mom. Despite this, they still needed help to pay for Joyce's school. School is the only hope people have here for a better way of life. It's the biggest burden parents have. We know of so many families whose children stay home because they cannot afford to go. It breaks our hearts and we wished we had a giant fund to help them all. Fortunately, the funds were there to cover Joyce's school fees. We just wanted to say thank you to everyone who gives to and prays for African Harvest of Hope and us as well. You are able to directly give hope to kids like Joyce. We can't everyone, but we do what we can. We don't always call attention to help given to individuals here, but we want you to know that you make a difference. Really and truely.

Thank you.

Kilimanjaro Marathon

Last Sunday, the Orwas participated in the Kilimanjaro Marathon. Ok, not the Marathon, but the 5k "Fun Run" that went on at the same time. The Marathon is an annual event and is a big deal here. Last year, George was out of town so Eli and I walked down to the route to see the runners go by. It looked like so much fun that I promised myself I would do it the next year (the 5k, NOT the marathon!). Here is Eli last year.



Look at that cute, chubby 6 month old. Where did the time go?! Anyway, this year we did it with a cute, chubby 18 month old. As the weekend approached, I kept telling George we needed to register. As of the day before, we still weren't registered and Eli and I had bad colds so it looked like it wasn't going to happen. Saturday afternoon, George took Eli to town so I could rest and wallow in my cold misery. I was so happy when he called saying he was registering us. I still wasn't sure if we would be well enough to actually do, but it only cost $2 to register, so the risk wasn't too much.

Sunday morning, we felt well enough to go and headed out of the house at 7:15. We walked down to the start line and waited for the gun to go off. Well, no gun went off, but eventually someone yelled for us all to go. There were tons of people there for the 5k. It started on the main highway, went through town and ended up at a small college stadium. It was a blast. We greeted several people we knew and planned for a late in the game win by Team Orwa. George carried Eli on his shoulders the whole time. Eli did great, except for when he spilled a cup of water (given to him by a volunteer on the road) on himself (and George's head). Much to everyone's surprise, Team Orwa did NOT win the 5k. We weren't exactly last, but were in the last 10%!

We had a nice time. I LOVE community events. I love the sense of teamwork and "oneness" it brings. It was fun to see so many people come out and participate. I cracked up when I saw tables of water along the route with volunteers running along side to give water to the people doing the 5k. Like we were the marathon runners! At the stadium where the finish line was, there was a big party. People were cheering for the marathon finishers, music was playing and food was available for purchase. Due to our colds, we left shortly after arriving. The streets were closed so we couldn't go to church that morning. It worked out well so that we could rest.

Fun day in Moshi.

Medical Camp

Today George left for a trip to Kenya. The ministry we worked with in August (Agape Project International) is doing another medical camp in Kenya and invited us to join them again. Unfortunately, Eli and I weren't able to go because it costs a lot for us to travel as a family and being out of his routine is challenging for Eli (which means it's challenging for his parents!). I am bummed to miss this ministry opportunity, but am happy George is able to go. Plus, we are all planning on joining them for the following medical camp in August. The camp is put on by a team of Americans and Kenyans and will occur for five days in remote locations where there is a lot of need for medical help. There will be doctors to see patients and medications available, at no cost to them. Most important, they will have the chance to hear the gospel and pray with local pastors, if they desire. At the last camp, many people came to know the Lord and over 1300 people were given medical treatment. George will be there to do lab tests as well as fill in where needed (such as in the pharmacy and injection area). Medical missions will always have a special place in our hearts and we are honored to be apart of API's extended family. Please pray for George and the rest of the team as they work all day (early morning to late at night) to give much needed help to the community. May the Lord clear the way of obstacles and speak to each person that comes.

(Eli and I would love your prayers too. Our family isn't whole without George with us.)



(At last year's camp)