I began this post as I was busy preparing to leave with David’s Kidz Uganda 25 in December. I’m just cleaning up my unpublished posts and finishing them. Here’s what I wrote with updates.
Packing
These are photos of what went into my checked luggage, staged for packing. Of course, a lot of it did not come back with me!
Welcome to my most recent musings. Christmas is coming, and I leave for Uganda in 12 days. Gathering things to pack, shopping with my husband, and wrapping gifts. Pleased to meet our granddaughter Faith at the train station, readying paperwork for tomorrow’s early run on the way there.
We had a good chat with our lovely granddaughter, Faith, a beautiful young woman excited to have time off from college. She was eager to share about her first trip into the city with friends. We had a good visit and meal with her family and animals when we got her home. it was a blessing to see them all and share our bounty of Christmas gifts with them.
Vehicle problems?
Did I mention that Faith used our KIA Telluride during her vacation because her mom’s car broke down on the way to pick her up? Which is why we headed down after our early run for work. A couple weeks after, they got a used minivan at a good deal from an individual.
With a bit of cleaning and fixing, it served them well. Until Joanna was driving Steve to a doctors appointment, and someone backed into it coming out of a driveway. Alex was able to fix it. But in February, he was waiting for new parts to put in, when he was coming home from work and got swiped by a woman at a corner. The van was totaled, but God is good! We were at his house for Steven’s birthday, so when he called, John and Joanna went to rescue Alex. Caleb & I were able to stay with Steve. SO, we plan on picking Faith up from college for Summer Break. Please pray for the transportation needs of their family.
Books
I have read three or four books and am halfway through another. I think I’ve said that I’m reading books from my stash to pick some to take to Uganda and leave rather than send them to Love Packages.
Well, I did get several books read and also purchased two Bibles to leave. I was able to give the books to Michael & Esther, who help Bishop Makka. Esther loves to read and couldn’t wait to read my book! [Bishop’s wife, Brenda, is also eager to read my book] I gave them the two Bibles, Esther claimed the blue one and Michael claimed the black one. I am so blessed to be able to bless them with tools for their ministry.
Uganda 2025 Davids Kidz
You will have to check out previous posts to find more of my writing about the Uganda 25 trip. It was an amazing time of adventure and growth. I encourage you to look into joining a short-term mission trip, as the Lord leads. There are lots of excuses for not going. The Lord can take care of them all if you are willing! “Here am I LORD, Send Me!”
Welcome back for part two of my David’s Kidz Uganda 2025 trip. Today, I will start with a short video I took as our first camp began in the church at Walukuba. On the left side is the registration table. That’s Dr. Moses in the blue shirt. Triage is the table next to it, then the medical & dental clinc area, next is the pharmacy area, then the prayer corner on the right where you will see two members of our intercessory team, Aneysa and Mary Ellen, flanking two of our interpreters.
We had two days “cutting our teeth” on Walukuba, finding out what worked and what didn’t. In this village, the prayer tent where people were ministered to as they waited, and also the children’s ministry, were outside. We returned to the hotel for lunch from this village, because it’s close. This is Bishop Makka’s church. He leads David’s Kidz Uganda.
Bishop Fred & Brenda Makka’s church podium
Prayer was the glue that held this whole mission together. Pastors John & Kristy Camp, founders of David’s Kidz, start planning and sowing for the next trip as soon as they return… if not on the travel home! We had a prayer list several months before we left, with specifics added to our prayers as time went on. We all appreciate the prayers from our team at home! Thank you all. We felt the prayers lifting us up and enabling us.
A couple of days after arriving, we had team meetings. Our intercessory team met, and we prayed down healing and mighty acts of God. I know the other teams laced their gatherings with prayer as well.
In the camps, I began with the original schedule for the first two days, mornings in the prayer corner with the intercessory team, then helping with the children’s ministry in the afternoon.
In the prayer corner, we prayed with each person as they finished with the clinics. It was important for me to pray blessings over each one and to put the medicine that was in their hands into God’s hands. Not positive exactly, but by the last camp, we had over 100 documented salvation prayers said in the prayer corner!
In the Bible Story group, I acted out Eli in the story of God calling young Samuel. We let the children act out the story with us when we finished, so they got several times to hear the story. I shared testimony of how I hear God, Beth shared how she saw a vision of what God wanted her to do. After telling them how God wants to talk with them, we sang a few songs with motions with that group. We asked if any of them wanted to know Jesus, and several did want to.
The second day, I was in the Bible Crafts group. This group was basically a Bible story told, coloring pages and crayons passed out for them. My sponsor child, Winnie, helped me this day. She is an excellent helper! It was so good to spend time with her.
Winnie and me!
We were in Buyella Wednesday and Thursday at a Catholic church. This village was far enough away that we had boxed lunches out back of the church instead of returning to the hotel. Each day, the people who came to the camps were fed mugs of porridge for breakfast, and plates heaped with rice, covered with beans and a little bit of meat for lunch. You wouldn’t believe how open people were to the gospel with free medical care, two free meals, and care for their children!
At Buyella is where my schedule diverged. From day three on, I spent both mornings and afternoons in the prayer corner. I felt the Lord’s leading in this. It kept me out of the direct sun and protected from mosquitoes. I am sun sensitive and also allergic to malaria preventatives. Besides, there were so many people coming out of the clinic that it was all hands on deck to keep them from leaving without prayer!
The church at Lugolole
Lugolole was the third village, where we spent Friday and Saturday. This was a smaller church, so the registration area and prayer corner were in this tent in front of the church. There were also two tents set up on the lawn for the Tent Ministry, where our worship team ministered to the people who were waiting for registration. We had a demon possessed woman delivered at the back of those tents!
I will share one story that sticks out to me. Winnie, my sponsor child, is the average height, build, and structure of young women in David’s Kidz. With their close cropped heads, it is difficult for me to distinguish Winnie. So, I would ask each of these girls if she knew Winnie because I’m her sponsor.
With this connection, I hugged and loved on many of these older girls. The last afternoon at Lugolole, one of these girls came running to me in the prayer area, telling me I must follow her. She took me to the school where David’s Kidz were in a classroom. The leaders were handing out backpacks to each of them, and I ended up standing outside.
Well, our youth from our team were getting ready to hand out candy to all the kids before we left. Another one of Winnie’s friends came running up to me and latched on. I held her, snuggled her under my chin, and we just stood there together. She felt feverish to me, probably had malaria (malaria is not contagious).
This was a defining moment for me. I was overwhelmed in such a good way that the tears were flowing uncontrollably. Someone standing near us said the girl was sleeping on me. What a privilege to be Jesus incarnate with this precious soul!
On the long trip back to the States, I watched The Blind Side movie, Michael Orr’s story. It’s amazing how it connected me to the kids in Africa I’d just left! I really understood Michael’s story because black culture in America is not far away from African culture.
I’ve said it before. It’s all about perspective.
Many people I worked with in Uganda want me to come back next year. I told them I won’t, because many on this team will come back. I want to leave room on the next team for new people to go so they can experience and get the vision for what David’s Kidz is doing and how we can help support them and spread the Gospel.
Winnie told me how happy she was when they called her name in church, letting her know her sponsor was here. $35.00 is a small price to pay to change a whole generation of Ugandans. I encourage you to see about sponsoring one of David’s Kidz if you don’t already. If you do, seriously think about being part of Uganda 26! They need medical and dental skills, preachers, intercessors, worship leaders, and children’s ministry. Youth do a great job connecting with the kids and young people.
As promised, in this post, I will share more about our team’s two weeks in Uganda. So much happened, I’m still unpacking – literally and figuratively! It may take several posts to share. At the end of this post, I will include a link to the Uganda Sharing video at Airport Christian Fellowship Church in Dexter, NY, so you can hear directly from 8 of us that are from the Watertown, NY area.
Instructions:
One of the first instructions we got during our first breakfast at Source of The Nile Hotel in Jinja, UG, was “If you’re going to complain, you have to sing it in an operatic voice.” I see this as good practice for “real life”. What a mirth-inducing act!
Some other cautions while in-country were don’t use the tap water for brushing your teeth. There may be things in it that your body can’t handle. Thankfully, our hosts provided us with cases of water bottles that we could use.
As the saying goes, “an army runs on its stomach” and we were blessed with good cooks, great servers and abundant food at the hotel.
We were told not to eat fresh vegetables or salads. We could only eat fruits that could be peeled due to the possibility of digestive disturbances. There was always watermelon and pineapple available; once in a while mango, and many bananas/plantains.
The hotel served cooked vegetables at each meal, including mixtures of carrots, green beans, cauliflower, onions, and sometimes green peppers.
Potatoes of some kind were usually part of the buffet, as well as rice. They offered cold cereals, porridge, and sweet breads for breakfasts. There was a griddle where one employee made eggs to order and had sausages available.
We ate various versions of fish, goat, beef, chicken, and pork. It was not always easy communicating what exact meat or potatoes we were putting on our plates, but most of the food was excellent.
Note:
We were staying at a 4-star hotel, which sounds extravagant, especially for a mission trip. Actually, it’s part of the plan to keep the team as healthy as possible. It also frees us up to minister in the villages and not burden them or our team. As a contrast, on my trips to Ukraine, we stayed with trusted families in the villages.
Excursions:
Pastors John & Kristy wisely gave us time to assimilate before we dove into the intensity of 6 days of ministry in 3 villages. We had one day of shopping in a couple of shops where our leaders knew the two women who owned them. It is difficult financially and spiritually to shop in random shops that may put curses on their merchandise or try to take advantage of Americans. Even at the approved shops, we prayed over our merchandise to cancel any curses when we got back on the bus.
One day, we went on a boat cruise on Lake Victoria and got to see where the lake met the Nile. Lake Victoria is large, second in size only to Lake Superior! It was an honor to get to see the fishing boats and the shacks by the water. Here’s a short video I took at the confluence.
It’s nice that Pastor Kristy birthday is at the beginning of our trip. Bishop Makka said they enjoy the opportunity to have a party! We went to the village of Walukaba to meet the David’s Kidz staff and for them to meet our team. They fed us cake and sodas before taking us out to see the school and the new temporary housing. There was a fire that left some families homeless, so these units they’re building will have a couple to oversee things and several apartments for people to stay in temporarily.
After the tour, we went to their golf club for an even bigger party for Kristy. Joan had set up a balloon arch, and since Pastor Kristy had a vision of our team dressed in superhero capes, they put an actual cape on Kristy! It was a long day. Things in the restaurant began to get rowdy, so we headed back to the hotel.
David’s Kidz Uganda 25 team
Next time, I’ll share about the camps we did. Here’s the promised video link:
Philippians 1: 6 … being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
So much has happened since my last post. The Lord will need to let me know where to start. I have been back from Uganda since the 14th, and as my husband John says, I’ve been on “couch duty” several of these days. We’ve had snow events, inauguration day, and more during my days of reverse culture shock.
A winter sunset in Henderson, NY
With head cold type symptoms since our final flight to Syracuse late last Tuesday evening, it’s been difficult to start anything. Of course, physical things came to a head- looking like thrush in my mouth- during the holiday weekend. Then we were snowed in yesterday, so I finally got to the doctor for diagnosis and medicine today.
Along the road in Uganda
Coming home two weeks into our church’s 21-day January fast, I wasn’t sure how to join them, but God knew! We fasted our regular diet and living conditions while in Uganda, then I’ve been having smoothies for breakfast, only eating two meals a day, because of my sore mouth since I returned. The reason for fasting is to buffet your soul to let your spirit rise up. That mission is accomplished!
This is the book I’m currently working on. Carlie really puts forward a good explanation of the basis of fear, beginning with Genesis 3. Eve had an identity crisis. We need to understand our identity in Christ. Through the 10 spies, she shows how we fear because we think we’re responsible for taking the land the Lord has for us. No matter how many mighty acts God performs, we fear because we forget He is able. Through examples from the Bible and personal experiences from her husband Ashley, other friends, and her own life, I recommend this book as a primer for living a life free of deception and fear which come from the enemy
I’m deciding what to use for my devotions again this year. I knew I didn’t want to start while I was busy on our trip, which is why I started Carlie’s book. Yesterday, I was watching a friend on LinkedIn (sorry, I can’t find her videos I watched or think of her name). She’s a biblical scholar and was talking about how to read the Bible. She recommends using The Daily Bible, and it sounded like a good place to start for 2025. I found the Daily Bible in large print on Amazon, and they tell me my delivery will arrive on January 29th, so I look forward to working my days around the daily readings through January 2026.
What are you using for your own devotions this year? Read any good books lately? Let’s start a conversation.
This is my David’s Kidz sponsor child, Winnie
I will share about my actual mission trip in my next post. I pray that your year is starting well and that the Lord’s favor shines brightly for you.
Celebrate! It’s May, and God is on the move! I want to honor my youngest grandchild, Ashlynn Hope. Today is her 8th birthday 🎂. Friday the 10th is my youngest son Alex’s birthday. On May 14th, I will be 61. Then, on May 18th, grandson Jackson will be 12. Not to mention, my niece Kristen’s birthday is on the 17th, and don’t forget Mother’s Day on the 12th! What a busy month of blessings from Father God!
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The nation of Israel’s anniversary is May 14th. Let all those who love Israel rejoice and be glad, for the LORD’S promises are truly Yes and truly Amen!
Joel 2:21 Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you— The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.
We have been experiencing a lot of rain these past few months. A few days ago, the above scripture came to mind. In the natural, I sense that the Lord is sending both the early and the latter rains at the same time! In the Spirit, I believe this corresponds with the reapers overtaking the sowers of the Gospel.
John 4:35Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
Souls are so ripe for the harvest that many are eagerly accepting salvation with very little prompting. Check out testimonies from Iran Alivehttp://www.IranAlive.org and Voice of the Martyrshttp://www.vom.org Ministries for some examples. Also, Crossroads Prison Ministry is looking for Spanish-speaking mentors because they have an increasing backlog of Spanish student lessons waiting for them. Most of these students have questions about their identity and salvation. They cannot wait! http://www.cmcarcelario.org
Sorry, I realize I have a book review page, but I’m going to share some reviews on this post. I recently connected with author Noel Williamson. His first book I read is, Love is Like a Bag of Popcorn. In this book, Noel shares from personal experience from his first attempts to ask a girl out, leading you through popcorn, sports, movie, TV shows, and pertinent Scripture references, all the way into his newlywed days. I recommend this book for everyone from teens to adults who are looking for tips on godly relationships, whether you are married already or not.
Next, I read Job Loss AppleSauceTrusting God after Job Layoffs and Finding Comfort in Applesauce. You’ll need to read to the end of the book to find why he capitalized the S in AppleSauce! The way Noel handled things will help others navigate the job market and other life changes. As with the popcorn references in the first book, Noel was clever with his apple references continuing in every chapter! I read each book in an afternoon [of course it was raining] they are short, interesting books. In the same Amazon order, I acquired Willamson’s third book,A Salad Bowl of Wisdom Life Advice from a Diverse Group of Adults. He begins with interviews from a couple people in their 90s, then a friend in her 60s and another in his mid-50s. His original plan was to interview people in their 80s, 90s, and above, but realized his younger-older friends have a lot of wisdom also! I have not had time to get far in this book yet [we were blessed with a dry day], but his easy, personable style is refreshing. I recommend you check out Noel Williamson on Amazon!
By the way, if you have read my book or listened to my audiobook, Musings Along Life’s Journey, please leave a review on Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, or anywhere you post reviews. I thank you in advance!
If I wish you Jesus and Shalom, I wish you everything! May you be blessed and be a blessing, finding joy in all you give and receive from the loving hand of Father God. Until next time, Shalom!
Welcome to the next edition of this bible study. 2 Corinthians chapter 8 tells us of the grace God blesses us with as we give ourselves to the Lord and then give what we can. This section is a major truth of living with God and supporting each other that holds true even today. Let’s work through these verses.
Abundant joy! We attended Lauren Daigle’s concert at PPGPaints arena in Pittsburgh on March 8th
2Corinthians8:1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.
So, the churches of Macedonia were experiencing great afflictions and trials. They experienced deep poverty. Yet, they abounded in the riches of the grace of God because they found His joy and gave liberally out of the things they had.
3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
Abundant blooms as only our God can create!
Their hearts were in such a place, in love with fellow believers, that above and beyond their ability, they freely wanted to give to minister to the saints. I just read news from ministries that I am involved with. The Joshua Fund is ministering to those amid the war and chaos going on in Israel. Iran Alive is ministering through electronic means to the people of Iran who have had enough of Islam and their government. They hear the good news of Jesus and are eager to follow Him, even if it’s dangerous.
Also, Crossroads Prison Ministries, reaching those incarcerated with Bible correspondence lessons and mentoring. They are celebrating 40 years of ministry, multiple testimonies from Crossroads students, volunteers, leaders, and mentors. All these ways to sow into what God is doing these days, the ones I’ve mentioned are a very small portion of avenues to be part of what is spreading the gospel in these days
5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well.
Surrender as Christ did
The Macedonians show a critical step we all should follow. First, they gave themselves to the Lord, then to the will of God, and finally, to others. The Apostle Paul is encouraging others to follow their example and experience this grace for themselves.
7 But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.8 I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.
In Christ, we are meant to abound in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, in our love for others. As we aspire for these things to manifest and develop in our lives, we should be diligent to sincerely love others as Christ loves us all.
A testament to the faith of another generation
Right now, our church knows God wants us to expand our church greatly. With human understanding, there is no way our 300 people can raise the funds necessary to make this expansion a reality, aiming toward a facility that will accommodate 1,000 people.
But God! I get multiple appeals to help others most days in my mail and email. Add to this the desire to contribute to our church building project and community needs, and it’s overwhelming. But God!
What if it is my job not to give money, but to spend time in prayer for each of these needs? Am I doing right in praying for others to give financially where I can not? Is this a time for me to examine my use of the abundance God blesses me with?
I think we are to first dedicate all we have to the LORD whose hands it comes from. Then, we should ask for wisdom to decide what is our part of blessing the opportunities that the Lord allows in our lives. We are not obligated to give to every cause that comes to us. There are many good things to support, but what is your responsibility? Only God knows, so ask Him.
Mark 14:7 For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always
This verse comes from Judas Iscariot saying the expensive oil Mary poured out on Jesus’s feet should have been sold and the money given to the poor. This is where discernment is needed. The appeals for our money and time and resources will never cease this side of heaven. It is good to give to the poor in body and spirit, but Jesus said we can give to them whenever we want. Of course, this doesn’t mean we are to go into debt by giving to everyone who asks or demands. Again, discernment!
I bless you to abound in all things as God allows, according to his riches found in Christ Jesus. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He cares about each one of us He created. Look to Him alone for your provision, and may you abound in all that Christ purchased for you. Shalom, my fellow pilgrims!
Elephant crossing at Teringhetti Park from our safari trip.
🙊 Well, a new episode of Kairos, God’s perfect timing. I told you my book debut would be on Saturday, March 18th, but that plan is changing. My publisher Sabrina is starting a course of radiation, the assistant librarian left and a replacement has not been hired yet, and the librarian is taking a two week vacation. Not to mention, I’m in the middle of two dental appointments, getting a cap on a tooth, in transition with my office remodel, and still readjusting from reverse culture shock after my time in Tanzania. Yes, I’ll share more later of the construction team trip from Tanzania 2023 with Wall Builder’s missions.
😀 Wow! That was a mouthful! The new day for my reveal/ book signing will be in April, after Easter. This will give a chance to get the publishing done and books to me through the mail, which is a bit less predictable than it used to be. I will let you know new details as I get them. Due to these happenings, the part of steadfast I am using today is committed. I am steadfastly committed to seeing this publishing journey culminate in God’s perfect, Kairos time.
Galatians 6:9 Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. [NLT]
The back cover of the proof copy of my book.
Sabrina and I have been working on the final editing before printing for almost a week. I’m glad the time pressure is not as intense as it was last week when Sabrina mailed the proof on Saturday, and I received it Thursday afternoon. 🙃 it would not have come together by March 18th at that rate!
🙂 I finally chose and started my devotional books seven days ago. I am using two 100-day books that the Spirit is coordinating to bring good to me. They are: GODS heart for you by Uta Milewski and Unbridled Faith from the Horse Farm by Cara Whitney, wife of “Larry the Cable Guy”, Dan Whitney.
🧑💻 Today’s scripture in the first book starts with Jesus saying, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” You don’t need to be afraid that you can’t do what the Lord asks. He will make you… Use your gifts/talents he’s given you, and He will add things to your life as you humbly serve and follow.
Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen. [ESV]
💞 God is doing this in my life! I am letting Him use the talents and gifts I have, and He is making me what He needs and equipping as more opportunities come. Every time I’m close enough to my pastors, the Spirit uses them to speak forth the things God has… and is… doing, and confirming the gifts and graces manifesting in me.
😇 The second book uses Matthew 5:13, You are the salt of the earth…” We must protect the biblical truth in our life from the ideologies of this world, or we won’t have the salty flavor to bless the lives around us. Cara encourages us to grow and mature spiritually so we can minister to those God brings into our lives. Let’s join Cara in this prayer:
🙏 Lord, I don’t ever want to lose my saltiness. Help me to grow that they may see Your good deeds. Amen.
🤠 God is really moving if you’ve been keeping track. I have been asking the Lord to rekindle the fire that burned through in other revival/renewal times. Asbury seminary is a case in point. I live close to Adams, NY, where Charles G. Finney was working in a law office when he caught the fire and was redeemed. I live in Henderson, where he had family and spread the fire to. Yesterday, we drove north to Brasher Falls to celebrate our daughter-in-love Joanna’s birthday, passing through a similar route as Finney, the bands of praying women, and revival fire that followed. I’ve had multiple trips that way and noticed a couple of churches along the way that have recently “extended the corners of their tents” as the prayer of Jabez notes.
👮 Also, I hear of those in our federal government putting forth new legislation to bring down some of the evil things that have been put in place, as well as offenders being exposed and dealt with. This doesn’t mean things are going to be easy because there are adjustments that can’t be made without some things being torn down or demolished. Trust in the Lord and do not be dismayed. Good things are happening, and many more shall come if we do not faint!
A touch of Tanzanian beauty found at the lodge we stayed at.
NOTE: I began this page while in-country on my mobile app. I am just getting back to finishing it. Either there’s too much in 15 days to know what to report, or the enemy doesn’t want you to hear about this trip! I have included a smattering of photos since I was group photographer. This makes it a longer post than usual.
We are nearing the end of our team’s time in Moshi, Tanzania. The thing we noticed first here is the way they drive compared to back in the States.
Our view of Kilimanjaro from the lodge
First, they drive on the left side of the road, thanks to their time under British rule. Second, I have not seen a stop sign, but there are strategically placed speed bumps and roundabouts. There are “tap taps,” motor bikes, people walking, buses, and vans all crisscrossing each other or passing. After a few days of riding in the vans to and from the Bible College from our lodge, it came to mind that it’s organized chaos! Note: this was in Moshi. When we traveled three hours on the way to our safari in the Terenghetti Park, we were on the main roads and this chaos was much reduced! This monument gives thanks to those who brought clean water to this area from the mountains.
This has been an excellent mission trip. Our team meshed quickly. We all have worked well together and had each other’s backs, shifting to different positions when needed. We have had Godspeed and accomplished more work in the time we had than expected.
The money we paid for this trip has been well spent. We are staying at what they call a lodge. Americans would probably call them something like duplex cabins. Hannah and I, being the only women on this team, share room 12, directly across from the pool. We each have a three-quarter bed, bedside table, and lamp. There is a shower in the bathroom and a room off the bedroom with a place for our luggage, a counter, and a wardrobe. I’m told a big reason we are at this place is because it’s one of the few lodgings that have air-conditioning! This is helpful for drying my swimsuit overnight, and it’s lovely to be able to use the nice comforters on our beds.
Our room at the Ameg Lodge in Moshi Tanzania
Hannah and her dad Brian are using the most important piece of equipment we had for building the walls. Praise God for providing the cement mixer and fuel! The photo to the right shows Brian, Pat, Mickey, and Edwin with the wheelbarrow used for mortar. Below that are Logan, Muhamed, John Wicks, Brendon, and Jerry (sorry, I’m not sure the name of the other Fundi). On the bottom right is Bill, our foreman, resting during lunch break. He eventually found he’s also allergic to the malaria meds. On the bottom left is where we ate lunch. Those water bottles hold 1.5 liters and the crew each had several of these a day! No one went hungry on this trip unless they chose to.
In this collage are the preschool children. A woman from the school has started a preschool in the church. The Muslims are bringing their children, the children are finding Jesus, then the parents are finding Jesus! Under that photo is the monument to Kilimanjaro mountains where their water comes from. Bottom left you see Logan helping Edwin. In the foreground is the wire they twisted together to go in the lintels. Top right is Brian and Jerry putting together the forms for the lintels over the windows and doors. Bottom right shows Daniel getting some shade & hydration while John and (I’m not sure) Muhamed or Jean Claude finishing consult. Notice the ladder leaning on the water tank? Oh, and the Fundis do not like to use the power tools.
This is the evening we met King Ole Kunay, king of 6 million Maasai tribe people who live in 6 different East Africa countries, and his niece Joyce. He is a medical doctor, his son is attending medical college in Moshi, and Joyce is an engineer at an organic coffee farm at the base of Kilimanjaro.
I am glad Terry and Marilyn Weaver, who were missionaries at the Kilimanjaro Bible College for twenty-five years, are here to guide us through this trip. They have been friends with Dr. Kunay for ten years, giving us this chance of a lifetime to meet him.
I’ve been dealing with a rash that’s been spreading. This evening while we were waiting for dinner, the middle photos are from the sitting area, Marilyn said this is the kind of rash she gets from the malaria medicine. She said it’s more likely if you’re allergic to antibiotics, which I am, and malaria risk is low due to the dry weather. Did I mention it’s been in the high 90s here when it’s usually in the 80s? I’m glad I brought a box of antihistamine pills that I’m taking at bedtime, and anti-itch cream I can use during the day. My young partner, Logan, also has a rash. Some of it is caused by the lumber we’re working with. Thankfully, Terry was able to get us a corticosteroid cream that’s helping. Between that, stopping the antimalarial pills, and the bedtime antihistamines, my rash is clearing up quickly and I’ve no problem sleeping! It was a pleasure eating in the open-air dining room at the Ameg Lodge. We had a delightful buffet meal each breakfast and dinner, and the servers were very helpful and friendly. Oh, Marilyn got stung by a bee at breakfast one morning. She headed right back to the kitchen to get some papaya seeds to put on it. They work miracles on bee stings!
These are photos I took around the lodge the day I left. The pots on the posts are lit each evening. It’s a mixture of lavender and citronella. You can see they line the walkways.
Last but not least, here’s a smattering of photos from the safari. Those are Maasai tribesmen with their cattle. They have abodes all the way to the edge of the park.
I encourage you to check out John Wicks, Wall Builders, or Marilyn Wilson Weaver on Facebook to see more photos and stories of this endeavor. The second team was able to erect the trusses we built, make the smaller trusses, and finish the roof before they left.
Musings along life's journey 