Area Photos

Corner of Double Road and Chagga Street in Moshi. I called this Dala-Dala corner because the Dala-Dalas (local buses - see the van bottom center) stopped here. This was also where most of the flycatchers would gather to watch for tourists.

Tanzania Coffee Lounge - our main hang out and Internet Cafe. It was too hot for my normal Americano so mostly I would drink Coke Light with the occasional Fanta Orange. Notice the Maasi guard in the bottom left of the photo. He was one of two who were always at the front door.

Two Maasai Warriors - Pappae and Little Ruben on guard at Ngorongoro Crater camp at night. Pappae was the Maasi who guarded our camp at night to chase away the occasional hyena.

Nambe Falls located about 4800 feet up Mount Kilimanjaro. After that hike, Gwen, Jenifer and I decided it would be fair to tell people we climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. We could conveniently leave out the part about how high we climbed. Kili is 19,340 feet tall so we only made it about 25% up.


My First Million!!! This is One Million Shillings, only about $900 US, but it looks impressive.

This is Gwen standing on the stairs inside the salve caves. These caves were carved from the coral reef bedrock of Zanzibar Island and used to "store" slaves waiting for a ship shortly after the slave trade was outlawed.

Gwen and Jenifer on Safari

View of Kilimanjaro from my hotel window

This rainbow appeared as we were leaving Ngorongoro for the last time. We all took it as a sign from God saying everything would be OK. This was the perfect way to end a very stressful and emotional trip.

Final Orphanage Photos

Mama Mursale's Room Completed

Completed "Squatty Potty" - yes it is clean. The ugly brown stuff is old grout that was never cleaned off by the tile man. We scrubbed as much off as possible but Chua is going to try to get some solvent to clean it up even better.

This is the boys as they enter for the first time.

Here they are after a shower. They are wearing the new clothes donated by the people at church. Amos is wearing a plaid shirt giving a thumbs up.

Here they are on their beds. Amedeus is the one standing up.

The photos do not show as dramatic a change as I would have hoped but we did the important things like electrical and plumbing. Here is a list of all that was able to be accomplished.

• payment of old water and electrical bills to begin new service
• re-wire entire building and install interior and exterior lights
• re-plumb much of the building
• install exterior water storage tank
• knock out wall to provide interior entry to bathrooms
• install separating wall between boys and girls bathroom
• install two showers, two squatty pottys, and two sinks
• install metal security gate and front door
• close off front windows for privacy
• screen all windows
• build 14 beds with mattresses
• scrub walls in Mama's room
• paint Mama's room and bathrooms
• wash walls in main great room
• clean and paint exterior building to use as living space for security guard
• sweep and mop interior
• sweep exterior

There is a Christian School in Tennessee who is also raising money so hopefully soon they will be able to resurface the main floor and fully paint the interior. Just those two things will make a big difference in the look and feel of the home. The boys don't care that it is dreary looking inside, they are just happy to be there. In fact, they are all excited to know they will be going to school soon. I do not know how long they have been out of school but many of them asked when they would be able to go. Our children in the US do not know how lucky they are to have access to quality education so easily.

I started this blog by calling it a journal of faith in action because it was my faith in Jesus that gave me the desire to make a positive difference for others. I really had hoped to find a "door" to a new life of service. I did not find that door. Oxford dictionary defines faith as "complete trust or confidence and a firm belief especially without logical proof". I have faith that some positive came from this trip - I have faith that The Lord put the money we brought to the best use - I have faith that good lessons were learned by all involved. I also have faith that there is more to come!!!

I have to say one final thank you to everyone who followed our journey!!! Knowing you were out there thinking about us, praying for us, and routing for us made a big difference - especially during those times we were most discouraged. THANK YOU!!

KwaHeri Tanzania

Good Bye Tanzania! Gwen and I have moved up our flight and are leaving Tanzania this evening. We will return to Seattle Sunday afternoon. Upon returning from safari we realized that our work here is done so why stay longer than necessary. The Collazo family will stay until Monday as planed.

We are very ready to come home. This trip has not really gone as planned but that remindes us of how to make God laugh...tell him your plans. God has his own and better plan and we can not always see that right away. The best thing about this trip is that 14 children are living in a home they did not have before. Gwen and I went by the house to say good bye to Mama Mursale and the children - it was difficult saying good bye to these children. They are so well behaved and want more than anything to be hugged and loved. Ruben took some photos of us all. That Amos, the oldest, is smart as a whip - I just wanted to pick him up and put him in the taxi with me. He would do well in the US. God willing we will meet these children again.

We are now in town for one last post from the field, lunch and to say good bye to the "flycatchers" who have become our friends. One of them named Kesh carved some cross necklaces for Gwen and he was at church last week by Gwen's invitation. He had been to other churches in the area that had told him he could not come to church with his dreadlocks so he was wary but we assured him God does not care about his hair. Hopefully he will continue to attend. We have not seen Saleem for a while so we will look for him. Since we moved into town we have really gotten to know some of the local people and it is sad to say good bye.

Once I am back home I will make at least one more post with some photos so you can see the children. I also would like to share some things about Tanzania and their culture. See you all soon and thank you again for all the support!!!

Move In Day

Nothing happened on Saturday as we had hoped BUT yesterday in the middle of church Phil came to say the boys were about to move in. Needless to say we rushed out of church just as a student, Frederick, was getting up to preach. I felt so rude but there was no way we could miss the boys coming to the house for the first time. When we got to the home we got some sodas and cookies for the boys and waited for their arrival. I do not think the boys knew where they were going - they walked in the door very timidly. We handed them soda and cookies and they lined up along the wall to eat and drink. They we so well behaved! After a few minuets we asked Kashenge if they knew this was their new home. He told them but there was no real reaction. I am not sure if they did not believe or did not know how to react. Then we told them to go pick a bed, it would be there very own bed. At that point they all raced for the same two or three beds and I thought a fight would break out but it did not. They worked it out and in a few minutes each had their very own bed. I went around and gathered names and ages which I will list for you.

Amos - 14
Chukru - 13
Amedes - 13
Kelvis - 12
Evans - 12
Juma - 10
Jackson - 8
Isreal - 8
Kelvin - 7
Collins - 4 1/2

There are two other boys that should be here but Kashenge said they were at church. They did not show up all afternoon so I am wondering if they will be there today. After they choose beds we handed out airplanes and cars and we all played. It was so much fun - boys are boys all around the world. Little Ruben had a great time playing with these boys that spoke a completely different language. After a while our group left to go eat but Gwen and I stayed. Mama Mursale had asked Gwen to stay for lunch so we did. I was a bit nervous to stay and eat but it turned out to be a very tasty beef stew over rice. I was concerned that there would not be enough to go around and I felt guilty about taking even the smallest morsel of food from these boys but it turned out to be more than enough for all of us. Gwen reminded me of the four loaves and two fishes story in the Bible. She was right!!

While dinner was cooking the boys had a shower and put on the new clothes the people from church donated. After their shower I got my Swahili book and started asking questions. Many of the boys can speak some English. Amos, the oldest, was fascinated with my book and he and I were reading and telling each other how to pronounce the words. Me telling him the English and him telling me the Swahili. We were joined by Amedes and all three of us were on one bed with our heads in a book. It was really cool. Both boys are very smart and Amedes likes to sing. At dinner each boy had their own bowl, spoon, and juice cup!! We sat all together on three beds and ate. After dinner we headed back to our hotel but I left the Swahili book for Amos. It turned out to be a really good day!!

I have tried three times to upload photos but Blogger is not cooperating. I also took a wonderful sunset photo of Mount Kilimanjaro from my hotel window. I will try to upload them later. We are all going on safari tomorrow morning and will not be back until late on Friday so I will not have access to a computer again until Saturday, November 3. We will be spending 3 nights in the Thompson Classic Camp at Ngorongoro Crater with Thompson Safaris. I hope you all have a great week and thank you again for all the comments!!

Beds Delivered

On Wednesday Gwen and I had breakfast at the Carters house to welcome Ruben, Leslie and Ruben. They were pretty tired from the long flights but they were settling in just fine. After that Phil dropped us at the orphanage and we did some cleaning. When someone laid the tile in the bath rooms it looks like they did not do the final wipe when they put in the grout so all the tiles are covered in this cement-like ugly brown gunk. We scraped with trowels, paint scrapers and steel wool to get as much off as possible. It still looks bad for US standards but it looks a lot better than it did. There is still work to be done on one of the bath rooms so we were only able to get one spic and span clean and ready to use. Then we swept and washed the floor in Mama's room and swept the main hall. We swept us so much fine red dirt but when we went back today it looked like it had never been swept - UGGGGHHHH!!! That is Africa. It is similar to West Texas in that the find dirt gets everywhere and it is a loosing battle to fight it.

While we were at the house today the beds were being delivered along with the mattresses. The mattresses are just sturdy foam - they are comfortable but they do not last long. That is what everyone here sleeps on. We arranged the beds, put on the blankets and arranged Mama's room. The kids just have mattress covers and blankets but Amy gave Gwen a flat sheet to put on Mama's bed so she will be a little more comfortable. Gwen had made Mama an apron and some house clothes so we hung those on the back of the door. Leslie brought some nice towels and soap from the states so we laid those out on the bed like a B & B.

Neither shower is draining right and one toilet is not flushing properly so the workers will be back tomorrow to make those repairs and it looks like the kids can move in on Saturday. The second bath need to be scraped clean from the ugly brown grout and washed down but that can be done once they move in. Hopefully the next time I post I will be able to tell you they are in the house. Keep these kids and Mama in your prayers please. They are not used to living in a controlled environment so this could be a bit of an adjustment.

God Listen

On Tuesday Charles Ngoje, the preacher of the Moshi Town Church, took Gwen and I out to Nedja Penda, a bush village where the church has planted a bush church and school. We drove about 20 minuets east out of Mohsi on the "Interstate" (a two lane black top road with speed bumps) then turned south. About 10 minutes later we turned off the black top road onto a two rut dirt road of dry, red, sandy soil. The road wandered around bushes, cactus, and Baobab trees past many single room homes until we came to a red brick building. It was just past noon and the children had been let out of school but when they saw Charles' car they came running back to the school. At school we met the teacher, a young man of about 25 to 30 years of age, his name is God Listen. Yes, that is his given name. The mortality rate of children is very high and many parents will give their babies names such as this to give them a head start in life. Charles tells me of people with names such as God Help Us and God Love. God Listen is a soft spoken man but those children listen to his every word. He had the children gather in the front of the room in two lines, girls in front and boys in back. Then they sang a song. I don't know the song but I heard Yesu (Jesus) and Mungu (God). I asked how much it costs to go to this school and Charles tells me these children go for free. I asked if the government pays God Listen's salary and Charles says no God Listen does this for free. PLUS not only does he not get paid, he walks 3 hours each way just to be able to teach these children how to read and write and teach them about Jesus. What dedication - walking 3 hours each way in 90 + degree weather because you know these children need a teacher and you are called by God to teach them. I was speechless at that point. God Listen is listening to God!! We can all learn a lesson from God Listen!!

School in Nedja Penda

Gwen Teaching the Children

Mama's Story

Mama Mursale is the lady who will be the house mother for this orphan home. Gwen and I had the chance to meet Mama Mursale and ask her a few questions. We met her at Kashenge's office. Gwen saw her coming up the street and she was very animated as she walked but as soon as she walked in the door she was quiet and withdrawn. I am sure it can be intimidating when two strangers have come half way around the world to ask you questions. Kashenge told her who we were and that we wanted to get to know her better. He asked if it would be OK for us to ask questions and take some notes. She quietly said "ndiyo" - yes in Swahili. She responded just the same to most of the questions we asked. Mama Mursale is a Muslim from the Machama tribe and she has two children, ages 2 and 5. Kashenge had asked her husband and her to be the house parents many months ago. Her husband was born with a heart condition and he became very sick and died a couple of months ago. How ironic - this woman who is assisting children on the street will be able to use this facility to provide a home for her own children now that her husband is gone.

Gwen asked what we could do for her, she gave the typical mother answer, "please get my kids into school." As long has her children are taken care of that is all that matters. Mama Mursale can read and write and she can understand some English so she will be keeping records of the children. She will also be cooking, cleaning and in charge of discipline. Gwen asked if she needed any help doing these things and she said no, lets get into the home and she how it goes first. We are not sure how long she has been with these children but it is apparent that they trust her and have some type of bond with her so thankfully she is still able to take on this task in spite of loosing her husband. After meeting Mama Mursale we feel this will be a win win situation for both her and the orphans of Moshi. They will have a caregiver and a safe home and she will have some purpose and ability to care for her own children.

Tanzania has a program where these orphan children can go to public school at one quarter the normal cost. Once the kids are in the home they will be tested and placed into school. Mama Mursale's children will also be eligible for this program so her oldest son will be able to start school without delay.