Dear Friends and Family –

Our family has been bitten by the Tanzania bug, and Kacey and I (Lawanna) are headed back to our sister school, PUNCHMI, in Karansi in early November.  We would be grateful for any prayers and support you may offer, as this trip sprung up on our radar quite unexpectedly.   If you feel like God would want you to support us, right click on the link below, choose "open link in new tab".  On the page that appears, there's a blue button near the top/right side of the page which says "Support Lawanna":

https://www.perimeter.org/journeys/68/members/707

If you have time and interest in how we were called to join this trip, here it is:

There is a lot going on in the overall Perimeter mission to Karansi, Tanzania.  For the past 15 years, God has worked through our church and school to come alongside the folks in this village in the building of homes for widows, and a primary school for the children.  The latest chapters in this relationship include plans for a secondary school and the building of a library for the village – and God has pulled Kacey and I into these two projects. 

In Tanzania, children attend primary school (grades 1-7) and must qualify via national exams to then attend secondary school (the equivalent of grades 8-12).  Currently, there is no secondary school in the area, so Karansi children who qualify have no option but to attend boarding schools far from home.  PUNCHMI has done so well educating the children over the past years that there is now a large need for a robust secondary school in Karansi.  I have been asked to be a part of the leadership team that will plan, fund, and manage the building of this school. 

Separately, the library project started several years ago, with the intent to help transform this small farming village through the power of reading – a God sized task given a very low literacy rate.  The building was completed last year, and then outfitted with the necessary shelving and furniture earlier this year.  Our Tanzanian and US teachers collaborated regarding which books would be most beneficial, and various people raised the funds to acquire and ship the books to Karansi (no small task!).  After a tremendous amount of work, over 23,000 books sit ready to fill the shelves in this very small village in the foothills of Kilimanjaro!  This will be one of the largest collections of books in rural Tanzania.

On a more personal note, one of the children that we have sponsored (Vivien, Kacey's sponsor child) will be graduating from Standard 7.  She has done very well in school, and has qualified for secondary school.  In June, during the VBS trip that Dave led, Kacey and Vivien were talking.  Vivien was hoping to meet me, and Kacey said that perhaps we could meet next summer when we planned to return for another VBS.  Vivien explained that since she will be away at school, we would not be able to meet.  Kacey realized that it would be very difficult to ever see Vivien again.  She longed to attend the graduation in November, to show our support and congratulations to Vivien.

These three things came together for us in early October, and it seemed that God had opened an opportunity for us to go to Karansi to help gain context for the building of the secondary school, help with outfitting the library, and to support Vivien as she takes the next step in her life.  So, as we prepare to depart, we hope you will join us.

Grateful for all of you, 

Lawanna (and Kacey)

lawannaburgess@yahoo.com

https://www.perimeter.org/journeys/68/members/707

Donations are tax-deductible and must be made payable to Perimeter Church, who is training and sending the team and who requests that this be above your regular tithe and offerings to your local church. If I raise more than 100%, the additional funds will be allocated to the team fund, and, after that, used at the discretion of the Global Outreach Ministry Team.