Mambo rafiki!

Hello again! Made it to the internet cafe once more. Life here is still great, but busy as ever. During the past couple of weeks we have completed the first chicken shed extension and very nearly finished the second. The pit latrine we are building is coming on well, as is our first water tank. We start our second water tank on Monday. The water tanks are a particularly important part of our work out here because they make such a difference to people's lives. It prevents many water borne diseases by providing them with cleaner water. It also reduces the time people have to spend collecting water, enabling the girls to go to school and the women to do other work.

We have had a busy few weeks with health matters. We met a boy called Majani at church two weeks ago and his mother told us he had a hole is his leg as a result of an infected wound a few months ago. When he removed the bandage, it was more than just a hole - it was like the front of his leg was missing, and most of the bone was exposed. We arranged for him to travel down to Mwanza to the hospital there so he can be treated. The operation is going to be very expensive, but we have raised enough to fund it.

Another important person we have met is a young man called Mtani. He is 19 and lives in a village about 30 minutes out of town.When he was younger he fell out a tree and as a result is paralysed from the waist down. A previous team did a lot of work with him, sorting him out with a wheelchair etc. When we visited him, it was sad to find his wheelchair didn't fit him and that his legs were covered with sores. He also told us he broke his leg a few months ago when he fell out of the chair. We took him to the Coptic hospital in town where he stayed for 3 nights to have his sores cleaned and antibiotic injections to prevent infection in the broken leg. We are also in the process of getting his wheelchair adjusted to the right size. He's a really inspiring person, his faith in God is very encouraging and his smile is so infectious! It's really moving meeting someone who is so happy despite his disability in an area where it is very difficult for him to get anywhere. His dream is to open a shop, which we hope to enable him to do, especially as him and his grandma (who he lives with) have no source of income and are struggling for food.

The weather out here is very hot and sunny, which is great in some ways, especially when I get texts telling me how cold and miserable the UK is! However, this really should be the rainy season, but we've only had a few rain storms here, and the last time it rained was about a week ago. People's crops are not growing and food stores are running low so we are getting approached by a lot of people who haven't eaten for days. It's difficult as we are not able to help all of them, and the point of GoMAD is not to just hand out money. However, we have been able to provide some of them with work so they can earn money to buy food.I do find it quite hard that we spend the day with people who really struggle for food, then we jump in the truck at the end of the day, all saying how hungry we are and sit down to a good dinner every night at Eagle Lodge. We spent 3 and a half days without running water this week, which got a bit frustrating but in comparison to the people we spend most of our days with, we are still so blessed!

My Swahili is definitely improving. I love the language and I am getting more confident with speaking to the locals.As part of my logistics role, I am involved in buying a lot of the materials we need for our building projects. I can therefore order nails, steel, wood, roofing sheets etc in Swahili. My food words are good too, as I help organise the shopping list for our cook every morning.When it comes to talking to kids, however, I do lack some vocab which would be really helpful! I can greet them, ask a few questions and then I get stuck.If in doubt, produce some bubbles or a camera and everyone is happy! Being out here is also developing my clothes washing skills, as everything has to be done by hand. Nothing is ever properly clean though, and I have forgotten what white socks look like! I brought mostly the right clothes, although it would have been nice to have something else to wear around the house in the evenings but I've just had some African shorts made and I LOVE them! I have material to get trousers and a skirt too. The material is amazing, I walk into a material shop and just want to buy it all!

I am enjoying getting involved with lots of different projects in and around Musoma, including the orphanage which is a fab time to spend with some beautiful kids. Although you are sat down playing all morning, I find it just as tiring as building, especially when they're all grouchy. I am also getting involved with Rehema, helping to make Christmas cards, organising a Christmas fair next Saturday, writing their next newsletter and helping work out their private hire contract and costs. It's such a lovely place and the women who work there are great. The Rehema project is such a fantastic organsiation, who focus on helping women and children. They have a cafe open from Wednesday to Saturday each week, where they serve burgers, lasagne and other western food. The banana bread is just awesome! They have a craft shop next door, which I just can't resist. The products are all made by local women, all of whom have stories in which Rehema has turned their life around for good. Each week the women who work for Rehema have a bible study so they can learn more about God. They also have a support system for other women who come to them saying they are struggling for food or healthcare. They way they split their profits is very well thought out, including saving money for maintenance issues if and when they should occur, and putting money aside for a long term project they are hoping to start in the future.

Yesterday we had a spiritual reflection day, a time to spend with God, learning more about him and listening to what he has to say. We listened to a great sermon on the adventure of calling, got up for sunrise (of which I took 141 photos - the photographer in me will never die!) and went up Eagle rock again for worship at sunset. Some of the quotes that particularly spoke to me include 'We are immortal until God calls us home', 'God thinks you've got what it takes to be the person he wants you to be' and 'Life a life that demands an explanation'.

Today is a day off and then tomorrow we go to a huge church service where the three local churches in our area join together for a 5 hour service! I usually use the service time to read the bible. I am working my way through some old testament books, which I then study with others on the team. So far we've worked through Esther (cracking book - definitely worth studying!), Malachi and we are now on Ecclesiastes. Any suggestions as to which book we should pick next can be posted below!!!

I hope everything is well back home, we are very disconnected from news here and my short time with the internet is spent catching up on emails and writing my blog! I am actually enjoying being disconnected from the internet from most of the time, it is quite liberating.

Prayer requests:

Energy - being at our half way point, a lot of people including myself have hit a bit of an energy low. Pray that God will renew our strength and we will be re-energised.

Team unity - a couple of issues surfaced this week over some banter than has gone a bit too far, but these have hopefully been resolved. Pray that any other issues will be resolved quickly so we can stay close.

Opportunities - Thank God for the opportunities he gives us to share our faith with those we meet. Pray that we will have more opportunities to share his amazing love. Also pray that we will have more opportunities to build each other up in faith and to strengthen our belief in God.