Kidete Experiences Living Water

Today, an special evangelistic outreach was held in the Kidete Village. Rev. Neema Mwaisumbe and Worship Leader Sedeke led the outreach effort. Eight persons made decisions to follow Christ. The day long outreach included preaching, singing, prayers for needs, and visiting with the Kidete village. We celebrate with the Kidete church the work of God's Spirit in the village.

The Kidete well was tested for water capacity. The well produced 1200 liters per hour (peak of the dry season) which is about 1/4 the previous April test. We are waiting on the official test results and projected daily capacity. The good news is that forty 5-gallon size bucks of water were provided to the village. The water was clean and pure. The anticipation of the water flowing to the village continues to build. We look forward to that in the very near future. Please continue to pray for the water to flow and for the wisdom in distributing it.

We are Home!

Forgive me for not letting everyone know that we are safely at home. Please remember Greg and Becky Wood. Her father passed away on Wednesday, the day we arrived home. This was not unexpected. Please remember the family in your prayers.

Stay tuned to the blog for updates on the Kidete well and evangelistic outreach efforts over the coming days.

Going Home

I write this from the Dar Es Salaam airport. We had a very good and rather quick trip to Dar Es Salaam from Iringa. We left at 5 AM and arrived in Dar around 2 PM. One of the highlights of the trip was the ride through Mikumi Park. We saw cape buffalo, wildebeast, antelope, elephants, giraffes, Zebra, and warthogs. We enjoyed our buffet lunch at the Kobel station in Chalinze. If you are traveling from Dar west, this is a great place to eat. Just ask Bonnie about the Okra and Tomatoes. Mpeli loves the fish. Betha, Mpeli and Neema's daughter, traveled with us to return to teacher's college in Dar Es Salaam. She is doing well and we pray for her graduation next spring.

Well update is that the pump test of the well will take place on Friday. We are praying for good tests. If the test give positive results regarding water flow, then water will flow to the village. We are all anxious to publish the pictures of that day.

Mpeli and I had the opportunity to sit down with the original well driller in Dar. We believe that positive steps were taken to resolve the issues in the best interest of the kidete village, DBL Farm, and Teleios partners. Most of all, this situation has brought to the front the Tanzanians who truly want the best for their country and its people. Too often I hear more negative statements about working with African businesspeople. It is always great to work with those who prove this view wrong. Thank you our partners for your prayers. As Mpeli said, "We have to give a person the opportunity to correct what they have done."

In about an hour we will board our plane and begin the journey home. As time and opportunity present themselves on the flights, I will work on the pictures and post them.

Clear Water but...

Today was a tough day. Some might wonder why I would blog the following information. I do this because we have nothing to hide or cover up. We learned today that the well will not produce the water promised in March. The excitement of the clean water of Saturday gave way to the reality of reduced water flow from the well. The well is being retested to determine the real water capacity of the well. The well will still produce the water needed for the village and the farm but not at the capacity presented in the original report.

Mr. Ernest Mziray has been great in working with us on the well. One of the true blessing of this experience to find a man that we can trust and who has a geniune heart for his people having clean water. In fact he has joined us as a partner in providing water for the Kidete village. We anticipate the well, tank, and clean water being no longer than two weeks. Adjustments have to be made to equipment due to the reduced water flow. But, you cannot believe how clean the water is. Ready to drink.

Mpeli and I will be meeting with the man who drilled the original well and who did not pump out the well in April. His official report contained the a promised water flow that was significantly reduced. You must pray for us as we meet. Today when children arrived with buckets for the water its was heart-wrenching. They had to be turned away.

One of the village leaders said of us, "They will leave now and never comejavascript:void(0) back. I will not blame them." You should have seen his face when I told him, "The water will flow. We will not quit until the water flows." He said, "I cannot believe this." In fact, he called Mpeli again to make sure this is what I said. Through this great disappointment we were able to share Christ with workers and the village not in praise for the water that flowed but in how we handled the disappointment of water that did not flow. I will do more posting hopefully tomorrow with pictures.

We leave for Dar Es Salaam at 4 AM. Hopefully, we will have time for a shower, rest, before going to the airport.

Not to forget we had a wonderful afternoon with the children. They are such a blessing and joy.

Weekend Report--WATER

Friday was a very interesting day. We began our journey to Mbeya (usually about a four hour drive)by having vehicle trouble just outside of Iringa. We had bought diesel at the Gapco in Iringa. Turns the diesel had been cut with Kerosene and a little water. After our great mechanic friend came with a new fuel filter we hit the road again. Then we had a flat tire. Once the tired was changed we were on our way to the next stop. By now we were way behind our schedule. Probably 20 miles out of Mbeya the Nissan stopped again due to the bad diesel. This time we had to call for a ride to Mbeya from one of Neema's brothers-in-law who is a mechanic. Then we learned that our hotel rooms Mpeli had booked five days earlier were not available. A long time friend of Mpeli's and a new friend of ours, Charles, found us three great rooms. We made it to Mbeya and to our rooms. We cleaned up and headed for Mpeli's mom and dad's for supper and a visit. To finish out our day, we were invited to visit with the the Regional Police Commander, Advocate Nyombi. He had been Regional Commander in Iringa. Mpeli wanted to introduce his father to Mr. Nyombi and for us to meet him. WE had a very enjoyable time and learned that Mr. Nyombi is a farmer at heart. He has been to the US and has had training in the US. He also helped us with finding a room for Saturday night as the Friday night hotel had only rooms for one night.

Saturday morning we headed for Tukuyu to visit Neema's parents. Her father is a great friend, Harry Mwasanjala. Floyd taught pastors and church leaders in the morning while Greg, Becky, and Bonnie visited with the Mwasanjala family. Floyd joined them for lunch. In the afternoon, we visited another church and heard of their vision of a nursery school and youth ministry. We left Tukuyu in late afternoon stopped at our new hotel--changed and went for supper at the pastor of Mpeli's home church. He is great bi-vocational leader. We enjoyed so much being with him and his lovely wife-she was such a joy full of laughter (great cook).

Sunday morning, we headed for Mbaliki Baptist Church for the morning worship. We did notice a little diesel leaking so had a brief visit for repair--thank our lord no major problems. The worship was great. The choir was excellent. One boy danced it seemed like the entire service. We enjoyed a brief visit with Pastor Fred, a DBL board member. Sedeke, our great friend of last week's work and the fence construction in March, invited us for a delicious lunch. His wife made Greg and Floyd, Tanzania coats. Hopefully tomorrow you will see them.

On Saturday, the engineer of the well pump project, Mr. Mziray, called letting us know that he had cleaned the well out --the drilling mud left from the March well drilling was out and the water was pumping clear. He tested the pump and new control box--everything went great. So, tomorrow Monday, we arrive early at the farm to set up the tank, water lines, and begin pumping the water, filling the tank, and distributing the water. We are all anxious and excited with the hope and expectation of seeing the water flow. We thank the Lord for making all of this happen. Our greatest blessing is that He would be glorified and praised.

Apologize for no pictures, but just arrived home from Mbeya. No internet connection there for the blog. So before bed wanted to shoot this basic info out. Pictures will be posted tomorrow.

Again, thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support.

All God's Children and Pray for Water

Today as the children studied Bonnie did not have a science lesson but taught from Acts 10 about Peter and Cornelius. After telling the story, beginning with Cornelius vision to send for Peter through Peter's realization that loves all, the children acted out the story. They were very good actors and enjoyed you. The children made puppets from paper plates and yarn many choosing blond hair! In the afternoon session what a time they had fingerpainting! They were amazed how the paint could be spread and designs made on fish cut outs. The children were very creative. Earlier we had studied the aquatic biome. As the fish dried in the sun, the courtyard resembled an ocean with brightly colored fish.

At the night devotion, Bonnie from John 3:161-17, 1 John 4:10. Once again she spoke of God's great love through Jesus Christ for the salvation of all mankind and the mandate for believers to love one another. Using three ethnic dolls from the Doll Ministry, Berea First Baptist, Greenville, SC, who had on beaded necklaces where the colors represented the plan of salvation. After sharing with the children, each child was presented with a doll of his/her own as a gift from the Christian brothers and sisters of Berea.

Meanwhile back at the farm, the trials and tribulations of the well continues. The good news is that the water tank was set, the lines dug, the pipes ready, and water was pumped. When the water flowed, everyone was so excited! Mpeli, Floyd, and Greg splashed in the water. Everyone was celebrating. Then, as quickly as the water gushed out to the pipe, it stopped. The power control box for the pump shorted out and everything stopped. The new control box had to be sent to Dar Es Salaam for repair or replacement. Pray that this will be completed and the box returned by Saturday. The engineer, Mr. Ernest Mziray, determined that there was too much mud in the water well. Greg agreed with him and it will be cleaned out on Saturday morning using compressed air. I know--this sounds strange to me but all the experts (Mr. Mziray and Greg say this is the way to go). The pump was not harmed. So now we wait until Monday to begin again getting water to Kidete village. We will arrive early on Monday and we pray that by noon we will be splashing again in the cool, clean water of the Kidete/DBL Farm Well. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12-13,18: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm...With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit" What seems like the constant obstacles are really greater opportunities for seeing the hand of God at work. The need for a clean, consistent source of water for the people of Kidete is a part of the transforming work of the Gospel. Not only will the people of Kidete obtain drinking water but also experience the Living Water, Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote,"Pray at all times..." We pray to remember that our struggle or adversary is not people but evil that seeks to rob others of the necessities for truly living a fulfilled life.

Tomorrow we head to Mbeya and Tukuyu to visit Neema and Mpeli's parents, Floyd will lead a conference, and worship in Mbeya before returning home in Iringa on Sunday. Pray for us as we travel and share with our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. As we live out the truth of the Gospel for all people.

The Lessons of the Day

Today was a day of learning. Greg, Becky, and I had the privilege of learning the finer points of making chapati. Our lessons in the average day of domestic care for a Tanzanian woman were not finished. We joined Elisabeth as she taught us the finer points of hand washing our clothes. Betha and Jonas also joined in the teaching as we finished our washing.

Bonnie left to teach at 10 AM. She taught a morning session and an afternoon session. The morning was filled with science lessons, celebrating God's creation, and a little "seed growing" exercises. The afternoon was filled with bible lesson and crafts as the pictures demonstrate. The children loved the sun catcher project which quickly turned into a necklace or jewelry creation as the pictures show. Some said that they were Masai. Also, the children love the coloring books that were created for the week. Tomorrow Bonnie finishes her lessons and crafts with a special surprise for the children.

Greg, Becky, and I learned the lessons of life in rural Tanzania. Again we were delayed in going to the farm. Then, we had delays in getting the materials that we wanted. But we finally were able to finalize the plan for the water system. Tomorrow we finish the project with the Lord's help. Praise the Lord! the Grundfos pump arrived from Dar Es Salaam this afternoon. Mr. Ernest Mzijay began immediately to prepare it for installation tomorrow. He has been a great asset to the project. We traveled to the Kidete and leveled the sight for the tank. Everything is ready to put the pieces of the puzzle together tomorrow. Join us in praying that tomorrow afternoon the people of Kidete will be getting clean, cold drinkable water from the Daily Bread Life Children's Home Farm well.

Near evening, Greg, Becky, and Sadeke returned to the children's home for repairs and evening devotion time with the children. Becky led the devotion tonight. Mpeli and Floyd went about gathering the last minutes needs of the tank part of the well project. Again, Mpeli said to me, "Now you know why we may go to town and spend hours on something so simple." The lesson of patience continued. The best and most unique reason for not having our order ready was...the pipe was at a Muslim shop and they were at the mosque. Again, we have to wait until tomorrow for the final piece to the puzzle. We continue to learn the lessons of patience. We continue to learn the lesson of everyday life of our partners in developing countries especially in the rural areas. But, we continue to discover persistence with patience and the necessity to trust in the Lord for all things.

Thank you for your prayers. We look forward to tomorrow and the great opportunity of a dream realized--water for Kidete because of the Living Water of Jesus Christ.

Tuesday: Preparation and Isimilia

We began our day waiting on the repair of a flat tire. While waiting we attended to other items. Greg also fixed a small electrical problem with the Nissan. Today we had our first meeting with the engineer responsible for the pump at the Kidete well. Mr. Ernest Mzijay and his team will be installing the submersible pump at the Kidete well. He was waiting on us at the Iringa Water District compound. He went over his plans, we questioned, and agreed on the process. Wednesday, Greg, Becky, Floyd, Mpeli, and Sedeke will set the water tank and water lines. Thursday morning early, Mr. Mzijay and his team will put in the pump. He says by evening on Thursday we will have provided water for the village. Pray for the great event. Neema Mwaisumbe's dream is that the well will be a gathering place for women. She prays for a Sychar type well ministry as Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. Pray that the well will be a place of changed lives by the living water of Jesus Christ. We are still short some funds in doing all that we had hoped but at least there will be water available.

After we left the village we traveled to the Isimilia Stone Age and Pillars site. This is an amazing natural wonder. As I hope the pictures show some of the beauty and majesty of this place. Also, this was the site of an ancient lake frequented by Stone Age hunters. Old weapons and tools abound in the area. We also saw several bee hives in the massive stone pillars. The Black layer on the top of the pillars is volcanic rock. One picture is of a rock hydrax. The ladder picture is the remains of a bee hive expedition. That must have been some kind of honey to go up that ladder on the side of the hill.

We returned to Iringa for a late lunch. Then we visited a friend, Anette. July 25-27 was an unbelieveable weekend for her. Her son was married in a great celebration. Her daughter was killed in a bus accident the very next day on her way back to school. We met her daughter a lovely, brillant young woman with a keen business mind. We prayed with Anette and her family and sought to encourage her. Bonnie, Becky, and Neema presented her with a kanga (a wrap)as is the custom in such times.

We finished the day with worship with the children. We sang, prayed, and Greg brought the devotional message. At the end of the worship time the children came and hugged us. What a great way to end a day. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Tomorrow Bonnie will have a full day of teaching the children. They are out of school for national exams. Two of the children, Teresa and Agrey will be taking their national exams for Secondary School. Their scores on these exams determines their ability to go on in the education. Please pray for them tomorrow and Thursday.

Monday, Monday

The blog pictures begin with one last picture of the celebrations yesterday with Becky and her new friend dancing with joy.

Today we started a little slower after a big weekend. Greg and Becky started their day making repairs at the children's home and continued throughout the day. Sorry but they forgot to take pictures of themselves working! Actually, most of the morning was spent trying to find a screwdriver. The mission was accomplished and the work did get started--no broken toilet, faucet, or screen with a hole is safe from repair now.

We visited a future site of a new children's home. This was exciting as everyone is patiently waiting for the final government papers before the work can begin. The work is located in an area that is experiencing a very high HIV rate. Also, we visited a farm that will be potentially beneficial to the orphan ministry of DBL. Bonnie loved the week old piglets. Pray with DBL as they move forward, plan and wait patiently as God leads them in this opportunity.

We returned to Iringa and DBL Children's home. Bonnie began her afternoon with the children teaching on the solar system. The children had a great time with her as they did a role play of the orbits of the planets around the sun. Bonnie finished her day by leading the evening worship time for the children.

Greg and Becky Wood, Floyd, Mpeli, Pawdre Scout (Chairman of DBL Board), Pastor Fred (Board member), and our great worship leader (he also helped so much with the fence at the farm in March)went to the farm to do measurements on the well and waterline. Tomorrow we will be finalizing the laying of the pipe from the well to the road. Our goal is Thursday night to see the water flow. We were shocked by our measurements. We measured again and again. We lowered the weighted tape into the well. Quickly we heard the sound of water. In April the water level in the well pipe (static water level) was 25 meters(about 80 feet)when it was officially tested. Now during the dry season, the water level in the pipe was just over 13 meters (42 ft). This means that we can expect more water from the well than previously tested. We have a strong water flow. We praised the Lord for providing the abundance of water. Yesterday the "water hole" in front of the Kidete church was dry. So, the contrast between the two water sources was really amazing. Join us in thanking and praising God. Just for the record we measured the well depth at 245 feet again.

You may be wondering what we are all doing standing around the well besides measuring. We were listening for the sound of the weighted tape splashing in the water in the well pipe. What a great sound! The excitement over the well is growing as we anticipate seeing the water flow. All glory goes to God who created the heavens and the earth and in His time has chosen to provide water for the Kidete village and the farm.

Sunday: Worship and Ordination

Sunday was a great day for us. The day was filled with God's Spirit and the excitement of His work in kidete and our lives.
We began with worship at Kidete. The church was filled. In fact for the first, there were not enough chairs for the people and children (2009 an item that has now been added to the 2009 Christmas Catalog). We celebrated together the Lord's Supper. Samuel Mwaisumbe, Neema and Mpeli's youngest son, made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Sedeke led the worship and praise. What a joyous time of celebrating our life together together in Jesus Christ.

In the afternoon, Neema Mwaisumbe was ordained to the the Gospel ministry. An ordination council of Tanzanian pastors in which Floyd was able to participate met and questioned and encouraged Neema. She shared God's call upon her life and her commitment to be obedient to her calling. The presence of God's Spirit was so real in the worship time. I hope to share tomorrow some video of the day. One of the most amazing sights was when Neema children and the DBL Children surrounded her hugging her while they danced together and sang. One of our partnersk, ACTS Fellowship in Greenville presented Neema with a certificate of ordination in recogniton of the Ordination Council's recommendation.

The most exciting thing happened at this meeting that was not planned. A woman spoke of the impact of Neema upon her life and a local businessperson spoke. They basically said, "We should start a new church here in Iringa." In a few minutes, Mpeli with the encouragement and support of the other pastors and those present was announcing the start of a new church. Right then, people started making financial commitments (none of our team this was all Tanzanian)to get a place to hold the first meeting of the church.

Samuel's decision, Neema's ordination, and the birth of a church all in one day was amazing.





href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWS-sO_SIHeQNjRDS1YQ59Rn21rNss7KMfF2UBa1Z3Xu735Lc2yI3yx2OxI6wJ-X6WLbPJdpDVHcuK04zN07cFXCwvOMF6Hgxg1mz_xpjVc0j3L-_2SVF8KFVjQgnDuoC2iMFA/s1600-h/Ordination+Certificate.JPG">


href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkViSTsjdiboJkYG1W_gfPEbepew56lNjm41m0ZXx4L9lLlOJasY1ESmQnzAUSAV_sq4qWyb3V85xDWh0YgH2f3WnwDfESBU7KqVMiQl4Lyt7trTLdqJEXbgjDy29QOYIt-LY-/s1600-h/Barclays.JPG">



Even more, the Iringa branch of the Barclay's bank wanted to do something for the children's home. So employees had come and painted the inside of the nursery school, library room, and vocational sewing center at the children's home. Their picture is shown here. This was the fourth exciting event of the day. One of the real goals as apart of the DBL Children's Home is for it to be supported by Tanzanians. We were able to witness this step as a local business invested in the lives of these children.