I came to the city alone for the weekend to help Baba (Hezekiah, the director) with a grant proposal. There is a foundation here that helps small non-profits with projects, I think through funding from different embassies. The first time you apply you can only apply for the grants of $7.5 million shillings, or $6,000 USD. But it seems like once you prove you're a good organization through that they can help with up to 125 million shillings. So hopefully I can help them write a good proposal.
In other awesome news, I started a relationship with one of the other team members, April. I had asked her to pursue a serious courtship-type relationship before the trip, and she was part of the initial 3-week team. She called and gave her answer after returning to the US. Talk about a long-distance relationship - 9,000 miles! Haha, so that's pretty awesome, I'm excited.
I am returning to the school in the countryside for the last time on Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully we'll be taking the initial batch of chickens with us, but they are proving more difficult to purchase than the staff had anticipated. So we may not see the first batch put in, but we expect to essentially finish the construction by Tuesday with the exception of the outside paint job (which isn't too essential).
It's really cool to see it all coming together. It's amazing what can happen in 9 weeks. We'll be sure to post pictures and tell you all about the end-product as soon as we can.
Oh, and this Wednesday to celebrate we are buying chickens to eat as well, as a kind of going-away present for the kids. So they'll all get to have some chicken for dinner and we'll christen the chicken farm. They don't get meat very often, so I know they're really looking forward to the "Chicken Party"

last supplies

I had to come to the city these past two days to gather the last supplies before we bring 1000 broiler chicks out to Shamba! Exciting.
We had a professional chicken farmer come to the site to inspect the progress and give us suggestions of what we need to do before our first batch comes in. He was very encouraging. He is very optimistic about the project.
I have gotten to talk with Dietrick a lot recently about how God is moving here in Tanzania and how God will use each of us to reach the world for Christ. It has been really fun. Whether I am here or in America, God has a huge vision to see the world reached and I am a part of that. wootwoot!
I have to go get chicken feed and vaccinations now. Then I am out to Shamba.
Lee

Moving Blocks

Hello Friends,
One of the big tasks the students at Hananasif are assigned to is moving blocks. When there is a construction project in progress, concrete blocks are needed. Usually over 2000. These blocks are solid sand/cement blocks that are made at Shamba. They weigh between 30-40 pounds. On Friday, after school all the guys at school were asked to move about 1000 blocks from the site that they make the blocks to the new girls dormitory. With very little complaining, we began the endless task. Because I am the tallest, it was easiest for everyone for me to pick the blocks up and put them on each students shoulder. So, my job was to check the block for centipedes (which are very poisonous here), then lift the block on the the head or shoulder of a student. Wow! My friends here have amazing endurance. We moved them all in about 2 1/2 hours. However I was virtually useless about 2 hours into it because my arms just stopped working. I really appreciate the hard work the students put into their school. They play a large part in building their school. With out them the school could not continue to be built. They are very committed and involved in each part of their school.
I will let you know how things finish out when we are back in the city on the July 1st.

Lee

Good Times

Hey everyone, this is Rachel! So after the longest day known to man spent in Amsterdam Tiff and I got in a couple days ago, and so far it has been amazing. No, really, amazing. I've already learned my numbers up to 10! Hahahaha! The kids are so eager to teach their native Swahili and learn English, too. We're on our way to Shamba later this morning and I can't wait for our 3+ hour trip out there. =] Too much to write in and not enough time! I will write more later. Take care!
~Rach

The Final Leg

It's hard to believe 2/3rds of the trip is over. The past 3 weeeks, the middle section, has been great. We got a lot of tiring construction work done, and the main physical parts left to finish are the plastering an the adding of the mesh.
We're leaving in a couple of hours for the school, but first I've got to go meet with some Aid organization that gets money from different countries' embassies. They can give between 5 million and 100 million shillings ($4,000-$80,000 USD), and apparently some pressure from an American would be helpful. Hopefully that'll go well.
Over the past few weeks I've been playing soccer very day with the guys at school. I played like 13 years ago in middle school, but I was never much good and haven't gotten any better. It's still fun though, and gives me a chance to get a good wrkout. I feel fitter than I have in some time, think I'll make a habit of this. They have a new teacher who's also a soccer coach, and he tells me I'm really good. I knew he didn't mean my ball-handling skills, but he explained what he meant was he was surprised a guy my size could stay in the game for 90 minutes every day. So that was encouraging.
I feel like we're getting to really know some of the students and they have a olot of trust now. This weekend while in Dar one of them took us to his house, which was cool. All the students at the school are chosen based on need, so you can imagine he lives in pretty tight quarters.
Well, in less than three weeks I'll be on my way back to the US. I'm sure it'll be hard to leave the people here, much as I miss those of you in the US.

Back in Dar!

Hamjambo rafiki! Wow, it seems like its been a while since we've been able to update, and so much has gone on! We have spent the last 3 weeks at the Shamba, hence no internet connection. Let me try to update you on whats been going on!

The chicken farm is looking amazing! Check out the pics Melinda put upon the blog. We now have floors, wall, and the beginnings of windows. It has been a tough 3 weeks full of lots of buckets of water, sand, kokoto, and cement. Yes! I must say, my muscles have been growing. I can now carry two buckets at a time and have been perfecting my skills carrying a bucket on my head. My goal for the trip is to be able to carry a bucket on my head with no hands. Ill let you know how that goes! This coming week we will be working on putting wire mesh on the windows and plastering the walls. I cant believe this thing will be done in less than 3 weeks!

The past few weeks have also been full of getting to know the kids and their stories more. From parents who have died to fathers who refuse to recognize them as their children, family members in prostitution and on drugs-these kids have been through a lot. It is really amazing to hear about what some of these kids have experienced in their short lives. You would never know because they are all so joyful and full of life. It really is amazing to see the hope that many of them have found in God and to see how God has really been a father to them. I feel like He has protected them from a lot of things and will use them for great things in their life. So many of them have big dreams to help the people in their families and to help the people of their country. One young man, has a dream to become a doctor and reach the world for Christ with people his age. How awesome is that!

This weekend has been great and relaxing. We got the last two members of our team in safely and plan to return to the Shamba tomorrow sometime to settle in for the last leg of our trip. 6 weeks down, 3 weeks to go. This time here is flying. Please continue to pray for our team. There is only a short time left here but I know that God will use it to fulfill his purpose. Woot woot! :-)

~Angela (aka Angel aka Malaika)

I've Arrived!

Hello world. This is Tiffany. I am so excited to finally be in Tanzania! It was a bit rough getting here.....Rachel and I had some difficulty in Amsterdam. We had a lot of trouble finding where to drop off our bags, changing our money, buying train tickets, and getting on the right train. Then we got lost in the city and spent 2 hours walking around trying to find Jordan Hostel. Finally we broke down and bought a map. This was a great idea. Another hour later we found the hostel. (I know, your probably thinking that with the map we should have found it in a couple of minutes. But without the map, we would probably still be there wondering the streets.) We checked in and took a nap, which was glorious, because we had not slept in like 36 hours. After our nap we found The Pancake Bakery and had a delicious dinner. After dinner we went back to the hostel to sleep. In the morning we safely found our way to the train station and then to the airport. After another flight (this one 10 hours) we finally arrived in Dar Es Salaam. We were greeted at the airport by Galen and Melinda. How excited we were to see smiling faces! We came to the City Center orphanage and spent the night. This morning (Sunday) we went to Dar Es Salaam University for a church service in English. It is amazing that no matter where you are in the world, God has a message for you. The sermon was just what I needed to hear. The point that mainly sticks out for me was when the pastor said, "Christian growth is not about your position, it is about your direction." A very powerful reminder that though we stumble and fail, we get up, brush the dirt off our knees, and keep walking towards Christ. After service, we met a man from Scotland that was at the church. He invited us over to his house for tea, and the pastor and his family came as well. What a wonderful experience to spend time with fellow believers. Christ is such a wonderful connecting point among all people. The man opened his home to us, gave us snacks, coffee, and tea and we had a great time just talking with everyone. (He also had a Western toilet that flushes...PRAISE THE LORD) The rest of the afternoon we met with a girl at the university to have lunch and then went shopping an a Westernized mall. Throughout the day we got to ride the Dali Dali (just think of a little tiny bus going really fast and shoved to the max with people). Overall, quite an amazing experience. We will leave tomorrow to spend 3 weeks at Hananasif and I cannot wait. The people of Tanzania are beautiful. They welcome Mzungu (foreigners) like they are family. When we were at the English service this morning, and spending time with the young children at the city orphanage, I am again reminded about the amazing beauty of Christ. I see image of God on the faces of these people and it is impossible not to love them. In all my travels, I am reminded over and over again that people are people wherever you go. I thank God every moment for this opportunity to be here. Thank you for praying for us and continue to do so. To God alone be the glory.... Soli Gloria Deo

~Tiffany

New Pictures of the chicken farm

This project has been so amazing. We are almost finish with the chicken farm. As of right now we have four walls, a floor, a roof, a storage room, and window and door frames. Next we have to clear more land, put the metal mesh up for the windows, plaster the walls and paint.
Saturday Tiffany and Rachel arrived in Dar around 10:30 pm. So now we are a group 6 instead of 4.
We are leaving back for Hanansif today (well maybe in the next 10 minutes). So no internet for the next 2 1/2 weeks.
But while we are gone Galen has informed us all on his developing plan of taking the Browns to the Superbowl. We are all praying for success in his future endeavors.
Talk to you when we are on our way back to USA.