So, God’s greater story….. 

During our time in Tanzania we were able to serve six hundred people of Karansi.  Three hundred, were the children of Punchmi School, another three hundred were Karansi residents. (Surrounding area).  Many came in there full dress and treated as a significant event.  This is what we went to do.  To be hands and feet of God and to serve those in need.  What happened was something far greater:   

When our medications and products where held by custom agents, it was unclear as to whether we would be able to do the job we had hoped to do, not realizing that there was something much larger at play....

We made contact authorities of siha district, wrote required letters, and conducted meetings with in-country officials.  One of which was the District Medical Officer who reports to the president of Tanzania, Andrew Method. 

Andrew Method - DMO showing plans for new hosp.       Team members with Andrew Method - New Lab buit by CDC U.S.       Todd in front of Siha distric hosp.

Although we never did get our medications and products released, key issues were brought to the forefront, and key opportunities presented themselves with the District Medical Officer. As a result, we have opportunity to partner with an entire district of Tanzania rather than just one village. We will be exposed to and train 180 community health care workers of the Siha distric, (2 for each village), serving the 80 villages of Siha. We will be able to reach those village’s schools and people, and serve the greater needs of its people…. Specifically, in the five areas outlined below, in a letter to me, by the DMO of Siha District Dr. Andrew Method; below:

 Dear Sir

Greetings from Siha, Kilimanjaro 

I hope all is well,

I am writing to say thank you for your interest and continuing support to Siha district following the conference call we had last week.

I\'m, personally and on behalf of my office and the government we recognize your support and appropriate very much what you are and willing to do. At anytime we will be available to works towards realization of this project

As we discussed on the call, there are several areas which we can cooperate in supporting district efforts to improve health services and wellbeing of our community (as stipulated in our health policy and government priorities ), particularly in the following key issues:

Enhancing public schools health outrea
                               - TB screenings

                                - Nutritional status and support

                                - Oral health

                                - Skin diseases 

                                - Audiology 

                                - HIV testing, counseling, education

                                - Reproductive health (Menstrual hygiene)

                                - HPV vaccines in school

On job trainings and exchange programs

                                - Maternal and child health (Natal and pre natal care)

                                - Non-Communicable diseases - Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension

                                - Facilitate exchange programs for doctors from Tanzania to visit and learn from USA and US doctors to come, train and learn   

Mobile clinics - support vaccination services at community level

Community Health Care workers - Training in assist community health education in addressing issue on maternal and child health including home delivery and notifiable diseases. and, any Infrastructure support

I hope we can have continuous discussion on how to proceed. And be informed that anytime you want to support anything there will be no any problem and my office will oversees to facilitate all required procedures

Remarkable to say the least; We are scheduled to return three more time before the end of the year; First trip being July 19^th,in conjunction/partnership, with Morehouse College Medical School; We will be taking three teams of three (med students, Interns, doctors) to serve four additional schools in the Karansi area; We will establish and ongoing relationship between the Medical school program and the Siha district hospital and health system; We will cross train American interns and medical students, and Tanzanian doctors and health care workers; These Med students will rotate to Tanzania to learn rural medicine practices, and the doctors of the Siha district hospital service, will learn from our U.S. doctors and students the latest approaches to medical needs and treatment practices. 

Through this partnership we will be serving a greater portion of the Tanzanian people. 

We have established a separate 501c3 corporation, whereby other churches, and medical systems, and business entities can be brought into partnership on behalf of this effort enhancing the effort and service to the peoples of Tanzania. 

If everything had gone the way we planned, we might have missed the hand of God at work. We might have counted our successes as foregone conclusions and missed the wonder of a much greater purpose unfolding all around us. We prayed, and asked you to pray, every day for the safe delivery of our meds, products and staff, but it was God\'s perfect will that the meds and products never came. In their absence, a great alliance was formed with critical, government medical leadership that is opening doors, which could create a mutually beneficial relationship going forward for a long time to come.  

God gave us overflowing salve for the soul to share in a hug, a handshake and a smile, a caring exam, a literal aseptic washing and treatment of the feet, and provision of dry wool socks for the children of Karansi.  We learned that our own tools and skills can be useful gifts..., but they are not essential.

We are honored, grateful and humbled to have been tools in the hands of the Creator, the Potter, the Almighty God, the Loving Father; The Great Physician. 

Tanzanian Team                               U.S. Team                                    Combined Teams                       Todd & Maggie - Sponsored child #3 \"Hollyness\"

Thank you greatly for your support both in finances and in prayer.

Dear Friends, We have arrived back in Atlanta after 22 hours of flight from Kilimanjaro, to Dara Solom Tanzania, Amsterdam Netherlands, and across the Atlantic ocean to the U.S.   This said, I have some remarkable sharing and will try my best to provide a flavor of what we experience over the past week of service to the children of Punchmi Christian School and the people of Karansi Tanzania....  

At Perimeter, we have been listening to the pastor team talk on the topic of “Greater Love” for the past several weeks.  The first Sunday we were with the villagers of Karansi, we attended their church, photo below.  

We were a bit late to service and had to enter a side entrance and walk behind the podium where he was speaking…. Self conscious as a group, as the pastor addressed the congregation, he proclaimed, \"You are not visitors here. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all one body.\" Not a single one of us missed the connection to the message of Greater Love we\'ve been hearing at Perimeter. We were overcome with gratitude to experience just a moment of what true inclusion looks and feels like. 

When you are instantly a minority in a country or group, you are keenly aware of it, His comments and love of inclusion took our breath away…. God invites us, God justifies us, and God adopts us, giving us all rights, privileges, freedoms, and protection, this was modeled by that proclamation and covenant as we arrived to meet the villagers we went (came) to serve….   

In the first hours of the clinic, we had to begin without much of our medications and medical supplies, as they were being held by the Tanzanian Customs agents….. Apparently, the proper documents were not filed appropriately, nor did they match enough for those in charge.   This first day, Monday, we process about 150 Punchmi school children through the clinic.

It was rainy season in Tanzania, as I have mentioned, and immediately we began to see the trends of foot fungus, skin problems and other weather related issues.  A few of the kids are having such an issue with it that it has become systemic, causing swelling the legs 

Kids get one uniform through sponsor ship and that means one pair of socks, many of which when shoes were removed, were worn through and soaked.  Kids here walk ½ mile to 3 ½ miles to school every day.  On dirt roads washing away from the rain.  They walk home on the same roads, and live in huts or concrete block house without modern appliances.  Not a lot of daily bathing in the homes…

If everything had gone the way we planned, we might have missed the hand of God at work. We might have counted our successes as foregone conclusions and missed the wonder of a much greater purpose unfolding all around us.

This said, the kids start with daily devotional every day and the joyful gratitude they feel and express every day through song and worship, would put you on your knees for sure, as it did us….

The second day went swimmingly, exception of being able to retain our meds and supplies from the customs agency of Tanzania.  That said, it provided opportunity for us to be in contact with government officials we have been attempting to meet and work with for some time…. Phone call were made through out the day, letters were written, which were required, and the efforts continued, all the while the clinic to serve the children of Karnasi continued. 

God at work through trial… What this did, was allow us to be hands and feet of God in his greater story and his bigger picture.  We eventually ended up meeting with the District Medical Officer of the Siha District, where the village Karansi exists…. This District Medical officer reports directly to the President of Tanzania.  Here go, God at work in a much greater way – an opportunity to serve an entire district in need, beyond the village of Karansi….  

More to follow, and the completion of how the greater story of the meds and the expansion of medical services to the siha distric and other schools... 

Also Posted on Perimeter Go-Jouney Site under Updates: 

Saturday / Sunday: 

We woke up to our hotel compound, met with the key people of Puchmi Christian School, toured the school facilities, became familiar with the village, its background and its cultures.    We were able to visit the village market, and tour the buildings we were offered to conduct the clinic activities in, a towns (village) church. And, we reviewed our logistics plans for setting up the clinic. 

Sunday morning was spent at church in the village.  

These people typically spend three hours or so in church on Sunday mornings, and it is clearly evident that they love our God.  

So freely open with their hearts, so committed to enjoying our Lord and Savior, so unabashed about revealing their hearts minds and souls, and so not afraid to show their total dependance on Him.  We are amazed and inspired by it… Beyond, they are so welcoming and so glad to have us with them that it sweeps your breath away…. 

The schools masters comment’s and pastor’s comments Have been; they are so overwhelmed that we would give up so much, come so far, at such an expense, to travel to be with them devoting our selves to them… 

They have liked it to: Christ  leaving his place of majesty and status in the universe, to be with man on earth, aid, assist, and commit to being in relationship… 

To be on the receiving end of this, stuns us…! 

The rest the day was spent setting up the clinic rooms, pharmacy, supplies, pharmacy items, and writing justification letters to the District Medical Office in an attempt to get half our medicines and supplies released from the customs office….  On another note, we captured this shot of two kids looking through the peep hole of the church compound doors to get a look at us…. “Classic” 

More Updates to follow 

Todd Whitson 

Tanzania Medical Missions 2018 

Perimeter - Go-Journey Team 

Greetings to all: 

Medical Missions Tanzania, Spring 2018 - Support Team Update;

We are making final preparations for our trip to Karansi Tanzania Africa.   Our scheduled departure is this Tursday April 19th 2018.  Before our departure a prayer meeting will take place on April 17th at 8:00pm at Perimeter Church\'s prayer room.  We welcome all who would like to attend and encourage for prayer at that time if you cannot... We pray that the children and peoples of Karansi and all of Tanzania that we touch, see God in us and trough us in what we say, do, and show.... We pray for Gods protection and safety in our travels and activities.  

We will be traveling as a Feild team of eight, and meeting up with a in-country team of eight more. (4 doctors, 3 nurses, 1 translator).  Our travels will be an estimated 34 - 36 hours total travel time, with 21 hours in flight. ATL to AMS to JRO.  

We can not adequately express our appreciation for your support both financially and/or in commitment to prayer.  Our efforts would not be possible without both.  They are essential, vital, and necessary in order for this mission trip to be possible. In this it is as much your effort as members of the team, as it is ours as feet on the ground.  Every role on and within a team matters, is essential for its overall success.  

Again, our current trip will serve 300 children of the PUCHUMI Christian School in Karansi and an estimated 400 villagers to whom the clinic will be open to after the children are screened and given care.  Plans for a second trip to follow this one are already in the works and its aim will be to model this trip, serve some of the other public schools of Karansi, which is estimated to be 2000plus kids, within just two or three months time from now. 

We are to go to all nations, preach the good news, and do the good works for the body, as opportunity presents, as He has set before us to do, and love one another.... This is His great commission and commandment. 

Thank you again for your willingness to step forward, jump in, and support the effort with your contributions... 

All the best 

Todd & Maggie