August 3, 2019

Jambo Friends!

Thank you for your support of our journey to Tanzania this Summer! We’re sorry for the delay in sending this update, but it’s taken us some time to process our experiences.

This year, the missionaries, David and MaryAnn Taylor, were there which was so great on many levels. MaryAnn works at Siha Leadership Academy as the director of the pre-school while David does a lot of mentoring and is completing a large project to translate the Journey discipleship curriculum into the Tanzanian culture. Their insights and experiences were invaluable to us as they helped us understand poverty, the role of the school, the value of this VBS and our lives here in the U.S.

Last year, I struggled with feelings of guilt and embarrassment over my material blessings even though I’m very grateful for them. I’ve thanked the Lord so often, yet the housing conditions in Tanzania have bothered me all year. I kept asking, “Do people want to live in a mud hut? Who am I to say how they should live if that’s how they’ve lived for hundreds of years? And yet, shouldn’t we strive, as Believers, to help people have the basic necessities of life, so they can focus on their health, education, earning a living, etc? I didn’t really have any answers, but it kept nagging at me. It was great to talk through these issues with David and Mary Ann. We realized there is poverty everywhere around the world and there are many causes. There is hope in Karansi now, mostly because of the success of the school, Siha Leadership Academy (formerly Punchmi). Education is the great equalizer and MaryAnn said the country is focused on the future.

 By returning to the village, we could see new construction and a hopeful attitude. The library that was built last Fall is a huge asset and really well stocked. It’s the only public library in the whole region and we’re excited to see the impact of it over the next few years! All the years that Perimeter members have been laboring there is starting to reap so much fruit!

VBS

We had close to 700 children attend the first week! We were running out of space in the classrooms and craft supplies, but we were able to be sure they had fun and heard the Gospel told through the worship time and our different activities. At the end of the week, we had assembly outside and we were able to speak about a highlight or special memory. Then we asked if any of the children wanted to, as well. One of the children, who is not a Siha student, said that being given lunch each day was a big blessing. Others mentioned the fun they had and learning more about the Lord. Several do attend church and have a love for God.

It was great for the school social workers to be able to help some of the public school children as well. One of them has major vision problems, but he could not receive help. We heard this week that the school leaders were able to buy him eyeglasses which will completely change his life!

Jake stayed for the second week of VBS and that session was attended by public school village children. They had about 500 total each day which was more manageable, believe it or not! The Siha school 8^th graders were in classes for exam preparation, as they need to pass them in order to continue their education, so he missed spending time with them.

The teachers and church members there would not organize a VBS without outside help because they do not have the free time that we do to create the crafts, buy the supplies, prepare it all, etc. It definitely added value as we shared the Gospel in an engaging way and gave the children a fun, safe place to spend part of their Summer break.

Our sponsored child and pen pal

The other highlight was visiting our pen pal in his home, which we did last year, too. This year everyone was more comfortable and his grandmother, cousins and aunts all greeted us. He’s a really good soccer player (holding ball below) and very smart, so we’re excited to see how he’ll continue to grow and succeed. Our sponsor child, Joakime (in black jacket), will graduate this November. He wants to be a doctor to help people. His teacher said they call him “pastor” because he does a great job of memorizing scripture and applying it. He is precious and we really enjoyed spending time with him!

There is a huge difference between the Siha children and the public school children. “Our” kids are fed, loved and taught in small classes where the Lord’s purpose for them is a primary focus. They’re confident, loving, joyful and well-behaved. They will do great things to continue to change their village and country.

You can learn more about the ministry, now called Ubora, at this website:

www.uboratz.com

Having our team consist of so many students was a great blessing as they really took ownership and led very well! I’m excited to see what careers they’ll pursue as their lives have been changed by this trip.

Jake’s Thoughts: My favorite part of the trip was being able to have conversations with the kids about life in America and how different life is there. I also enjoyed seeing people from last year, and how happy they were when they realized I remembered them. I loved their worship at the school. It was very impactful and it is amazing to see people in another country around the world worshipping God. During the VBS I helped with the puppet show. The kids loved touching the puppets and playing with them. One girl even braided one of the puppet’s hair! I had an amazing time in Tanzania and I hope to be able to go again next year. Thank you all for all the support on our trip! And I cannot wait to see what God has planned for the village in Karansi.

With our driver, Donald. We’re now corresponding with him. His father is a coffee producer and he sent us some wonderful Tanzanian coffee!

As a result of our trip, we plan to seek more ways to serve others here in our community and to take more time to develop relationships with people. The Tanzanians really do life together and help each other. There is so much we can learn from them!

Love in Christ,

Karen and Jake

We\'re packed and I think we\'re ready to go!

The prayer last night was powerful and needed. There has been a lot of spiritual warfare experienced by our team, so we\'re anticipating the Lord to move in a mighty way! He goes before us and we will not fear.

We\'ve heard that because of the drought and then subsequent heavy rains, that many of the families are experiencing hardship. Many times, the children suffer, so this week at VBS may be the only time they will feel safe to just be a child and we pray their hearts will be open to see God\'s love even in hard times.

You can follow our journey on Facebook in the public group, Tanzania VBS. The wifi is a bit spotty, but we\'ll try to post each day!

Thank you for joining with us!

Love, Karen and Jake

Thank you everyone for supporting and praying for us thus far! We are starting to pack and are eagerly awaiting the trip! In just two and a half weeks, we will be on a plane headed back to Tanzania! We are so thankful for all the support these last weeks! We are currently at 68% funded for our trip and we hope to be reaching our goal of $6,950 soon. If you would like to give and haven\'t already, you can go to https://www.perimeter.org/journeys/93/members/741.  Thank you all so much for the prayers and gracious giving to our trip! We greatly appreciate your support!

In Christ,

Karen and Jake