Fellowship with Friends

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From time to time we are asked over to have dinner in homes of our Tanzanian Brethren and we love sharing this time of fun and family fellowship.

A normal meal will consist of beans, rice, chapati, and some form of vegtables... greens or a mixture of other foods together... This week with the Rachels being here we had all been invited over to two different homes. The home of Josphpat & Anna Massawe and their 3 children and Elijah & Mama Judy's home with their 3 children as well, which is the house behind John Hall's home. Each one of the families were very gracious and hospitable in feeding our large families and its such a humbling and honorable experience to know what they have sacrificed in order to have you in their homes. The food, & the Cokes they purchase all costing hard earned money... and with it all comes a great deal of love and thankfullness for you and your family as well. They consider it a great blessing to be able to have guests in their home, just as we all do!

We love taking small gifts over to the children and the families as is customary here in Tanzania as you are a guest in someone's home... But the true gift is the time spent together getting to know one another on a more personal level. Of Course Everyone loves to break out the family pictures and show you their life stories... Families are the same everywhere.. and the baby pictures are alwaya a must see!

But Far too often I forget to write about each of the families we visit with in the midst of everything else that goes on.... So I wanted to share these pictures from this week with you and there are also extra pictures of our family here living together with the Rachels family while they are staying with us for two weeks, we have gotten so very close in such a short amount of time as we always do to those staying in our home...

We have a Map of Tanzania on the wall that we have everyone sign when they come over and it is filling up so very fast! I hope that we get to add your name to it as well very soon!

We also went out this week on Wednesday afternoon and visited the orphans at Joy Foundation there in Boma Ngombe and delivered some sweet homemade teddy bears, made by the Marble Falls church of Christ in Texas. They were brought over with Greg Neil and we gave them to the 70 children who live there and then still had enough to pass out to the 57 children at the Nursery school the next day as well! Thank you to everyone who had a part in making those sweet smiles glow! I saw kids kissing bears all over the place, giggles and smiles that made every stitch worth the making!

I have so many pictures from the Nursery school this week and today I got more detailed information on each of the children individually from the head teacher, Mary. I also sat down with Teresa and we interviewed Timothy to get the most accurate details we could on everything involved with the school. We sat down and went through the record books and got names and took pictures of all the children, made a list of who is needing help with their school fees, and who was in need of a uniform. My sweet husband when I came up to him open armed with bug eyes and the list of 24 kids who didn't have uniforms and asked him what could we do, handed me the money to take to Mary to have them made right away. There is a mother in town that makes them for the school. There wont be any children in the Nursery school without uniforms now! Brent thank you so much!

I know that it may be strange to mention here... but Brent has a heart of gold and I love him so much for it! I don't know what I'd do without him! We are trying to get a web-page on our www.TanzaniaMissionReport.com together with the pictures of all the children and make sure that each one has what they need for school.... at $3.00 a month for school fees... I'm making it a personal goal to make sure that these all get taken care of... Mary was so humble and honest in sitting down with me going over each one individually and sharing their stories with me that it just broke my heart... She had excluded her daughter Agape and the three orphans that live in her home from the list of those in need of help with school fees, because she says she wanted to make sure that the others fees were covered first...
This is another long heart wrenching story, but Mary is a young widow herself, supporting and raising 5 children alone, volunteering at the nursery school to help the 57 children there... (yes they got a few new students today...) and running up into town in the afternoons to try to sell ice cream on the streets to make money to feed the family.... Such a strong and devoted woman... We are currently studying with Mary, because with a heart like that you know God has great plans for her life! But I went back and added the three orphans and Agape to the list of those who are in need of help as well... When I told her, she smiled and shook her head in tears... Things like this, make me cry, make my heart pound, and motivate me more than ever to to more!

I dont know about you... But I'll do whatever it takes to get the 3$ a month for these children raised! If you have ever wanted to do something along these lines, let me know... I'll be working on it.

It's been an amazing week in service to the Lord here in East Africa! I hope and pray that you've had the same blessing where ever you may be!

IN CHRISTIAN LOVE ~ Julie Richardson

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Comments

[kup]

Sweet pictures, Sweet People
Really enjoyed seeing the wonderful pictures and reading about your week. Very exciting stuff and worthy. Always seems like everyone is really happy and having a wonderful time in Tanzania, those are good things. So glad all is well and you are well and enjoying being missionaries. God bless. just ken

[Jennifer Rachels Dix]

Thank You
Thanks so much for sharing this blog and keeping us up to date on all the great work you are doing! Forrest is my cousin and it's so great to be able to see the pictures and read updates! Hello to Forrest, Teresa and girls!

[Mildred Whitlock]

Thanks for such good reporting
Dear church family, I just wanted to say again how much I appreciate your blogs and reports of your life in Tanzania and serving God in such a selflessness ways. Your are reaching out and touching people in such positive ways and I pray that God will continue to bless you all with a bountiful harvest from all your efforts. Love to all.