Dear Cherished Interested’s, March 10th, 2024
The last death-toll we found from the bus wreck two weeks
ago was 25. We were not needed to facilitate
any foreign based group affected. We
were home though for a young local Maasai Mchungaji to come find us, sit on our
porch, and talk briefly about two of his family who did not survive that same
bus wreck.
While talking together on the porch, he got a phone call
regarding the, unassociated, death of a baby, also very close to him too. This is a place of much death, tremendous
maturity about death because of that, tremendous suffering in spite of that
maturity. Joy chosen over and over in
defiance.
Please keep doing your most precious work and pray often..
Pray for YWAM, YWAM families, Tanzanian families and choose
Joy, over and over in defiance of death.
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Our Sunday activities are reduced and may be changing even
more.
Yesterday, Saturday, we walked the few kilometers to
Makumira Seconday School to drop off today’s message written from ELCT, local Lutheran
church, scheduled readings.
Today we went to English service in Usa River at the
Cathedral. Other than that,
communication needs to be limited for the moment.
Two precious people from where we served for over two years
on the mountain found us this morning.
They were both overjoyed and thankful and beautiful and amazing and heartbroken
and strong, chins up even with tear brightening eyes that drank us in.
I wish to protect anyone who connects with us from there.
So, sadly, I no longer feel comfortable being completely
open about that situation.
I write openly here for those with the wisdom to pray.
I wrote that leadership a very kind e-mail inviting them to
stop hiding behind children who have no one.
I invited that leadership to learn from those same children,
who had been given permission every week for two years, not to be victims of their
situations but, grateful. They deserve
to be grateful.
Grateful for each other.
Grateful for the Mama’s, and teachers, and all those who care for
them. And, grateful for themselves. And God who gives them all those things.
Through God’s provision to these precious littles, comes opportunity
to serve their vulnerability and need.
Leadership, even confused leadership, deserves gratitude too.
With that gratitude comes tremendous, vociferous and voluminous
joy. Just watch children who have no one
by blood anymore and still choose to teach so much good.
I did not expect that, but it was wonderful to watch, learn,
and participate in teaching.
We are outside at the choice of others who are full of fear
with no where to turn but themselves.
Please, let’s keep them all in prayer, they are all God’s
children, served and serving, and God will continue to do wonderful things
with, through, and even to them.
Our faith is no mistake.
Please, let’s use that faith here too.
Thank you!
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Her brilliance makes up for our linguistic weaknesses. She is truly already fluent in English and
comes regularly to borrow books, then return them to borrow more. She loves coming in like she owns the place,
because she does.. and loves finding
Hilda, so focused on something she[Hilda] is not in the world, and then Hilda jumps,
with loud funny exclamations, when she, who is so brilliant, appears quietly
and unexpectedly by an elbow.
She is our neighbor.
Her mom, who is a joy, is off to work.
Her dad, who is awesome too, is in bed sick. She just walked into our house, like it was
her own, and found us to talk to. Hilda sent her home with a cookie to give
to her dad. She came back immediately for
another. Hilda is walking
next door with her to check on her dad, who is in bed, sick.
You know Hilda. This brilliant
she, who knows we and our house are hers, like our daughter Kimmy from across
the Mt Baker Highway and who also knew that decades ago, is four years old.
She is four years old and stands taller than Hilda’s elbow,
looking more like seven or eight years old, having grown nearly a foot in our
few short months where we are. Four,
growing so fast it hurts to watch, and full of energy and multi-lingual brilliance.
She is a joy. And
yes, she can have this house too. We
miss you, Kimmy, but are reminded of you and all our children, daily.
Happy Birthday Margretta, Katherine, Kimmy, nephew Paul!
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Was taken to a College in the nearby bush. Found a mostly intact diesel generator from
the late 90’s. Radiator, shroud, plumbing and some bolts lain
on the floor nearby but water pump missing.
Detective work, with the two people who stole me away to
that generator, got us the water pump with impeller and case broken, seemly by
intention, in ways that make neither the impeller nor the case reusable in any rebuild.
Then, thanks to my faithful Islamic contacts, was able to
send the pieces of the water pump off north to Nairobi in hopes of finding
replacement, seals, gaskets, mounting bolts..
Pray please that we are going to save this generator for a College
that serves older students who serve their bush communities by becoming vital
lay leadership in their congregations.
Need to be careful here too as the amazing Maasai mother who
serves her diocese at this place deserves protection from possible jealousies
and corruption. She has also asked that
we consider teaching English there. We
are not nearly Swahili fluent enough, however, perhaps God can make a way. If that was to happen, consistent electrical
power is necessary for our medical needs.
Much more consistent than is there now; which is none.
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Last Christmas I failed you.
I had hoped to have a book ready, printed locally here, and sent home to
you. We got swept up into a necessary
boondoggle for our edification and the edification of those doing the
boondoggling, if they so choose to be edified.
WE now have help. The
book, which is completely the fault of local Mama’s, is being edited in two
languages and we pray that it will be affordably printed here before we, likely,
head back to the states.
I know, but we have to try..
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NO news yet on this. We were expecting to hear a week ago Friday but,
as is usual with UN funding sources or Government funding sources in general, efficiency
and consistency are not priority.
Hilda has been asked to serve under an amazingly beautiful
and energetic Korean American Christian woman looking for a way to teach young
Tanzanian women science. Predominantly women
living in the bush. Hilda may be teaching
teachers for a while again.
Many things need to be managed by God for this to be
possible, including expenses.
Thank you again for the praying you do..
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Still working the problem that we think will likely see us
heading home to America in a couple to few months. We are doing the best we can. We are able because of God. God is listening to each of you.
You who read and pray and suffer along with us. Please believe what we get to see. Thank you for praying our strength and
guidance for each moment with each face.
Folks like you are beyond
precious. vwilliamson@sprynet.com
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Really blessed while deeply under attack.. all of it is spiritual.. I wish I could teach that to everyone so they
could truly know it. I didn’t know it
for far too long.
Please keep crumpling us up and throwing us at God. That is where we need to be. God will sort us out.
One day at a time.
Just like how you each live. Just
one day at a time.
Thank you, each of you.
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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..
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 –
For our health to stay ahead of whatever is before us –
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 your 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
