The Path to Tanzania 

Many are shocked when I say I’ve been to Tanzania. Thinking why Tanzania? It’s in Africa, it’s dangerous, it’s far, etc. For me it’s been quite simple. There are many pieces of the puzzle that all come together, but here are some main factors that helped pave the path for me to go. The biggest piece is that I’ve always wanted to see Mount Kilimanjaro. My uncle went to climb Mt. Kili when I was in middle school and I so desperately wanted to go! Why? I have no earthly idea-and that’s just it; I had no earthly idea because I know that it was God’s way of impressing Tanzania on my heart. From where we stay in the village, you can easily see Mt. Kilimanjaro! Another piece comes in right after I joined Perimeter Church. I was trying to find a time when I would be off from teaching so I would be able to go on a missions trip. Last year’s trip to Tanzania lined up perfectly with my summer break! There are so many other pieces leading up to Tanzania, but for that I’d have to write a book! Everything all together with the trip’s mission for a Vacation Bible School made perfect sense to me. The dates lined up, I have wanted to go to Tanzania and it was God’s own design-not mine. There were many things along the way that God used to solidify my faith in Him, knowing it was His calling lining up with my desire. 

The School and Community

Perimeter Church has a long standing relationship with people in the community and the private school Perimeter helped plant. The school is in the village of Karansi, southwest of Mount Kilimanjaro’s peak. Siha Leadership Academy is an English medium school, where everything is taught in English. The school is partnered with Project Child to help sponsor students to go! Check out more info for child sponsorship and the school by going to the Project Child Website and UboraTZ for more information on what's going on in the community! 

Last Year’s Experience

My trip last year was with a team of 14 to run a Vacation Bible School. We hosted at the school and opened VBS to the entire village! It was truly incredible to see how God used the team to minister to more than 1,000 Tanzanian children! We were able to feed the children lunch and play fun games, sing songs and learn from one another as we learned about God’s grace. I absolutely fell in love with the people, the children, the village and the work of God. I cried when I left because I simply did not want to leave and immediately tried to think of when I could come back!

This Journey’s Mission

This year, our trip will be extremely different from my previous trip. We will have a smaller team and we will work more directly with the members of the village and the school. We have people working with education, business and community outreach. I will be heavily focusing on education. As a teacher in a dual language immersion school, I hope to bring my experience in immersion to the teachers and students. I plan to work with the teachers to help them find engaging ways to teach subjects in English in order for students to learn English by experience rather than just learning the rules (which we all know has way too many and are irritatingly confusing). I should also have time to work in what we think is Tanzania’s first public library; as well as time in fellowship with teachers and others in the community. 

Walter

As previously mentioned, the school is partnered with Project Child. For $43 a month, sponsors provide children with a uniform, two meals, all of their school supplies and tuition costs paid for! You can also sign up to be a pen-pall with students! Before going to Tanzania last year, I decided to sponsor Walter! Walter is 5 years old and is in the equivalent of our Kindergarten. He is learning English, but speaks mostly Swahili. Meeting him last year was part of why I just couldn’t bare leaving. I loved working with him on his letters and numbers. Being a Kindergarten English teacher, Walter was so proud to show me what he knew in English! I was able to talk with Walter through his older brother Ebaneza, who is becoming fluent in English. He also has an older sister named Vivian and lives with his aunt. Walter wants to grow up to be a pilot and see the world! I love him deeply, and cannot wait to go back and see him! 

What You Can Do! 

Pray: All I can faithfully ask for is your prayers! There is so much spiritual warfare on a trip like this and things always come up that create obstacles along the way. Please pray for safe travels, good preparation for our team, good health, minimal to no spiritual warfare, and of course for God to use this team for his glory, purpose and power for His Kingdom! 

Finance: If you find yourself asking, what more can I do?, then you can visit the link below with information on how to financially help support me and my team. I do not expect or ask for the support, rather provide the information if you feel led to do so. The goal is for each of us to raise $2,700 for the trip. This includes flights, a place to stay, food/water and resources we will use on the trip. Anything beyond that amount individually goes to the team as a whole! Stevie's Tanzania Trip Support Page

Sponsor: There are so many students who could use your support! If you go to the Project Child website, you’ll be able to find information about how to start sponsoring a child! Project Child Sponsorship Info

Final Thoughts

There is a verse at the school's fellowship hall/cafeteria. It reads: “Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created, “ from Esther 4:14. This was the first thing I saw when I walked in for the first day of VBS. To put it simply, I wept with joy. I was overwhelmed at how perfect my life has been to prepare for my trip to Tanzania. I have never related to a Bible verse so much in my life. Though I am not a queen pleading to a King for lives, I understood the context. God had prepared the way for me to be exactly where I needed to be in order to bring glory and salvation to God’s Kingdom. My experience with Tanzania has been by far the most faith driven endeavor I have experienced. I hope that I can continue with many more trips and cannot wait for what is to come in September. Please keep me and the team in your thoughts and prayers leading up to our trip and while we are gone! Thank you for your support and taking time to go through my letter! 

Asante sana & Mungu akubariki (Thank you very much and God bless you)!