Dear Cherished Interested’s,

We took a break today.. After helping to move kitchen from the house next to us to the Old Headmasters house, a move into a mostly re-done now office space, we drove bravely into town. Just Hilda and I, no indigenous help nor facilitation until we got to the Pharmacy.

There the bright young Mohamad was glad to see us. Of Indian sub-continent lineage, he surprised his parents by leaving the UK after getting his Masters in Pharmacology and came home to Tanzania. Tanzania where his gifted brilliant mind is not told to fit inside a box that disengages it from people and what troubles them medically. He does not live to count pills and fill the prescriptions written out by others. He does those things but lives to listen and turn his internet of the mind to use for the faces with problems that come before him.

Hilda is mostly out of the woods now and thanks to Mohamad’s efforts a missing medication has been found and is now with us to complete what her body needs to function more optimally.

Too bad, almost, because they then made me talk about what I’ve been dealing with ineffectively and not talking about for two months, since Covid, to keep Hilda at the center of our medical efforts. Just broke fast after sunset and took a dose to hopefully handle what is likely amoebic dysentery. Maybe I should be tired.

Yes, since Ash Wednesday I’ve been fasting from supper to supper. This became more important after the dear young one whom I was supporting by fasting alongside became severely anemic and had to stop fasting entirely. I’ve been hungry before and this is no big deal. However, if amoebic dysentery is a culprit in my guts, getting rid or it will be a tremendous gift. Sorry to talk about such things but it’s in our weaknesses that these amazing relationships happen. Relationships that would never have happened if we had never had weakness and need.

So yes, I see Jesus in the face of a young, brand new father, Islamic Pharmacist. If I can just continue that and see Jesus in the angry, self-loathing, face of the Tanzanian Traffic Cop who gets paid so poorly that he must randomly wave cars to the side of the road and extort a few shillings so he and his family can eat. If I can just continue that and see Jesus in every face, even the teenage boys with nowhere to go and nothing to do and no food and only anger to make their skeletal forms matriculate through days of utter desperation. How dare I drive by in a car! How dare I have a car!

We are safe here. Their culture is a strong one that guides them even through such desperation demanding respect and most of those angry boys have a faith promising hope. May that hope be ever answered in those tiny ways that they can see but we have often become blind to.

We are safe here and we are as helpless to affect what Russia is doing than anyone else. We are sought out for our age and Nationality to question about what is going on in eastern Europe yet again. We encourage them as we encourage you as we encourage ourselves, to pray.

You all are amazingly good at that. How dare you Pray! How dare you know the God of our Prayers! Don’t stop! Pray without ceasing.. Ephesians..

Which brings me to a mistake from last time, Blog 20, Numbers Chapter 6.. Not numbers chapter 7..

We’ve been running 7 days a week for weeks. I’ve had no time to even start to work at getting into classes. I’ve had no time to go look for my deceased Maasai brother’s spouse. I’ve had no time to go find my deceased friend's business partner, someone who is my friend too. I’ve had no time for all those pieces I juggle.

I put them down and ask you to help me pray them. The work pushed into our downturned palms is beautiful, amazing and so very important. I sometimes find tears leaking out of these old eyes at the impossibility that I am being used in any way at all for it.

There is now an office close to the house, easy short walk, ribbon across the doorway cut by the Tanzanian Minister of Social Welfare Saturday. There is now staff to help wrangle the amorphous hopes and dreams of empowering those with the dirty hands of serving by serving them. A coalition of NGO’s helping each other with what each has found to work on the ground. Helping each other by sharing specialist staff none can afford on their own. A serving seen and valued by the imperfect government of a small nation of impoverished yet beloved people.

That is what the office is for. It is not our idea. We fell into it. Each heart we have been brought into contact with in that falling into this time and place is worth what we can give and do and not just because they are those who also do. That is Monday thru Saturday.

Sunday is English service at 7. Silverleaf Academy Sunday School for 40 or so boarding students at 10. The Small Things Children’s Village Sunday School for another 40 or so whenever we can get up the mountain. Then earnest anguished sharing of the weekly Lutheran church texts with those old and young women and young men who serve the littles at the children’s village..

They sang to me again this week. Those Mama’s of babies saved from death or perhaps even worse.

Sunday is my most important day because it is work that receives no financial compensation and no one else is doing it. Thank God for Hilda’s house and Hilda’s truck and the work we get to do that helps to bring that house and truck to where we have them for Sunday too.

Instead of attending English worship at the Cathedral this coming Sunday I am to preach at a village church by insistence of the pastor who will be at my side translating into whatever language he feels is best for those in attendance. Then the Sunday schools and time with Mama’s of the children of failed families. I wish and pray such challenge come into each of our lives. We come alive in ways we don’t know when we know we aren’t adequate yet walk into the work none the less.

Power just went out then after a bit came back.. who knows for how long.. No power last night.

I need to be on the road to the airport before sunrise tomorrow. Going to save this and get some sleep.

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What to Pray for:

Our armed forces families, our leadership, our people, whole world round, all of Gods kids -

All the tough and blessing expressed above –

The love of folks –

Whatever is on your hearts and minds for us –

For our children and grand-children who miss us.. we miss them too.. for the Army family in new quarters..

For Makumira Secondary School looking to share stories and partner in some way with a foreign school, Great leaders, teachers, students, programs, strong backs, minds, and hearts –

Gratitude for my dear friend and Brother in Christ who will write now with my dear friend Reverend Dr. Justin Mungure -

For our health to stay ahead of whatever is before us –

For a way for us to invest with our experience and even financially in support of local industrious people so we can afford to stay and continue to make a difference one face at a time –

For those who have braved the donate button to discover Kajun Crofton, our daughter who helps getting each one of your donations to us and every blogpost to where you can read it -

For each and every one of you –

Each and every one of your prayers, your precious conversations with God –

Prayers, Your Prayer, Even our groaning prayers makes all the difference..

Vern W

May Life be as Music to your Heart - May Music be as Heart to your Life 

- May Heart be as Life to your Music -