Thursday in Tanzania

Today was a great day at school. For my PDS friends, I introduced the African children to "Matman" and they loved him! These kids are learning about the different parts of the body, so singing about Matman was a lot of fun. Then, PD came to talk with them about the parts of his body! To finish it all up, we sang the song "Body Boogie" and my new friends loved pretending to play the guitar just like you do! It was a lot of fun.

Mwadenny came in his new threads again today. He was happy as a clam until a little girl came up and hit him with a rope on the face. He was crying for several minutes and wouldn't stop. I suppose that, since he is mistreated at home, being hurt by anyone is really scary and sad- even more so than it would be for another child. I truly feel like I am beginning to understand how God is said to be our Protector. I want to protect this precious child from any more hurt or pain, because of my absolute love for him. I would do anything to rescue him from his pain- just as God wants to do for us. I am thankful that I have had this time with Mwadenny and am growing in my own faith because of him.

Today, Grace heard one of the volunteers talking to "Gunda" and using his name. She was shocked and told them that the word "Gunda" means "fat ass" in Swahili. She said that the villagers all call him that, as though it IS his name, but didn't realize that we were taught that,as well. We were shocked. Why had no one told us this? It is because they all view him as such an outcast that they don't realize that he has feelings and needs to be loved. Of course, we all feel horrible that we have been using that name over and over as we talk to him. His real name is Abdala. So, we are all making a conscious effort to overuse his real name in hopes that it will make up for our ignorance up until this point. Unbelievable.

Jenny and I are meeting with a woman, Geraldine from Dublin, whom we met earlier last week. She is a GVN volunteer in Bagamoyo, TZ only an hour away. We are going on a quick two day Safari in Mikumi National Park. It is said to be less touristy than Serengeti and much less expensive. We are really excited about it. I will be sure to post lots of pictures when we return Saturday night.

The kids lined up for their cup of water each day.
This is probably the cleanest water they ever drink.

You might be thinking that this little girls' off-the-shoulder look is haute couture....This is actually why her dress looks the way it does in the front- the zipper is completely broken. Many of our students come to school in dresses that look like this each day. These children are so in need of our prayers and love....and our resources, too.
Thank you again to those who helped contribute to my fundraising. I am planning to buy more clothes with a large chunk of that money so that these children can be in clothes that fit them properly.You are blessing these children's lives and in mine.
Just hanging out with my two fellas today!
Look, PDS friends, it's Matman on the chalkboard! Juma was helping the children point to different body parts. They are doing a great job learning their English words!
Steve, a British volunteer who is in Medical school, and Jenny worked on a little boy with an ear infection today. They are stars. Literally, I lasted long enough to take this picture and Mwadenny and I hit the ground running. (Notice that the little one is being held by his big brother. Siblings are very dependent on one another here, as the parents don't look out for them too much. They are always so busy working.)