Monday, Monday....

We have five new volunteers as of this weekend. There are two girls from the U.S. and three British guys. So, now there are 15 of us total. It is nice that we have some overlapping so we will teach the new crop what we have done and how they can carry on once we are gone.

My aim is not to make these entries sad every day, but lately I have been experiencing a lot of tough moments. It is hard to live in Tanzania. So says every native I have talked to- unsolicited.

Mwadenny was not at school today, so I asked Grace if she would find out where he was, while I was teaching this morning. She went to his hut and saw him bawling dressed in an African khanga- a typical sarong-type wrap that little girls wear. She asked his neighbor why he was not at school and was told that no one has ever potty trained him, so he has wet all of his clothes and had nothing to wear to school, so she had to put him in a khanga. After school we walk the kids back to the village each day, so Jenny and I went to see Mwadenny. He was still dressed in the wrap and was eating a bit of Ugali and drinking some water. He never smiled. He wouldn't even look up at me when I crouched down next to him and said his name. I think he was embarrassed and sad. Bless his heart.

So many of you have been mentioning Gunda in your comments and emails. Please continue to pray for him. Today I found him in our supply closet with Zenyeto, the villager who helps us teach. Gunda is afraid of P.D. and gets upset when he sees him. Zenyeto was putting the puppet in Gunda's face until he walked backward enough to be against the wall shaking his head "no". There was another teacher watching, and other children and they were all laughing at him. To say that I was mad would be a great understatement. I grabbed Gunda's hand, told Zenyeto to stop and coaxed him out of the room. There is no excuse for such behavior. While I realize that some of these actions are done out of ignorance, it is extremely hard to watch. It makes me extremely frustrated to see that these teachers did this in front of other kids. They will think that this attitude is appropriate because they look up to their teachers. I will give praise, though, to Gunda's brother. He is pictured below. He is an awesome kid. He holds Gunda's hand and is very protective of him. I am so thankful for his heart and relationship with his brother.

Gunda's brother, Alfani
Jenny and me "lapping it" on our way into the city in a car that was far too small for all of us!

Here is a video of what we see each day as we ride into Kunduchi village. Notice, at the end of the footage, how the children attack the van! This happens each morning. It is a wonderful feeling to know hat these kids feel loved so much that they show their excitement in this way EVERY single morning. I don't think you could ever tire of this!

motiono.com/watch/EieNueRr