Neema Means Grace

Our first stop today was at the Ushirika Wa Neema Deaconess Centre. Everyone appreciated learning about the life of the Lutheran Sisters as we strolled the campus to see, gardens, cows, chickens, ducks, rabbits, turkeys, pigs and trees bursting with fresh fruits. The Deaconess Center is a forty-acre Garden of Eden from which life saving ministry emanates throughout the entire region.

The sisters butcher their own cows and make their own communion bread.  They run elite boarding schools and clean toilets.  They have committed their lives to service in the name of Christ. To be in the presence of the sisters is to be humbled.  To know them as friends is to be blessed beyond measure. When you visit there the Sisters promise they will keep you in their prayers after you leave. That alone makes the marathon journey to Tanzania worth all of the effort.

We left the deaconess centre to head to one of their main ministry sights, the Neema Orphanage in Kalali.  As we arrived at the orphanage, we walked past the homes filled with children to have some tea with Rev. Urio and Sister Agnes before we visited the children. As we passed by, the sound of children crying and carrying on could be heard all the way back down the mountain. Sister Agnes told us that the kids are only upset because they see us passing by without going in to play with them.

After tea, we had a wonderful time playing with the older kids (3 and 4 yr olds) out on the grounds.  We brought Frisbees and toy cars and soccer balls so it was a joyful time for all! It turns out that Sister was right. These kids were so happy to spend time with us that we didn’t want to leave. When I saw that one little girl had wrapped herself around Natalie’s legs to keep her from leaving, I knew we would not be on time for our next stop!

We bounced down through a deep river gorge and back up the other side to Machame Lutheran Hospital. We were on our way to visit the incredible hospital and to experience a wonderful program being administered by our good friend, Bob Kasworm. Bob works in Tanzania helping to improve the healthcare system especially at Machame Lutheran Hospital.

Through his work at the hospital, Bob identifies families suffering primarily from AIDS who are also suffering from poor and unhealthy living conditions. Working with local contractors, Bob arranges for a small but solid home to be built usually next to the shack the family had been living in. Each house is built using donations from churches and individuals for a total cost of about $4,000.  The new homes do not have electricity or running water but they are dry and safe places to live.

The boy pictured to the left is named Prosper. He is 17 years old and lives in a poorly built scrap-wood shack with his family. Prosper has extreme epilepsy and a developmental disorder that is most likely cerebral palsy. It was absolutely heart breaking to see their living conditions and to see Prosper sitting in the dirt and mud.  Prosper's family is on the list of those hoping to receive a new House for Health home.

A completed House for Health

It was a long and emotionally draining day so I diverted from the schedule and had Oskar pull off down a narrow side road that led to the most unlikely and beautiful Lodge tucked back in the forest.  We had cold drinks overlooking the gorgeous landscaped grounds.

During dinner this night at a cool little roadside pizza joint, our group was so moved by the day that we took up a collection.  A pad of paper was passed around to see if our group might get a running start at raising the $4,000 to build a new house for Prosper and his family back up the mountain.  By the time the pad made it all the way back around to Sue where it started, the commitment from the group was large enough to build not one, but two entire new houses for families in need.

If you decide to participate in our Tanzania Vision Trip next year, I will take you to visit Prosper's family. They will be living in a better home than the one they live in now.  Tanzania is a special place to be, and I am here with a special group of people!