As many of you know, Joanne has applied her sewing talents in a big way here at Idigima Secondary School in Tanzania. The treddle sewing machine, however, has been a constant frustration. Her solution was to hand carry her machine from Iowa all the way to Africa, literally. It never left her side until it was safely set up in our house here.
However, she only got to enjoy a few seconds of powered sewing before the generator peaked and her foot peddle burned out. Not to be stopped by the lack of electricity, we tried and failed a half dozen different methods of connecting the machine to her treddle cabinet. One of the students came to help with laundry one day and brought a window crank handle she'd found along the way, which gave birth to a new idea. The result is a hand-cranked sewing machine! It actually works and is a great upper-body workout. As sewing projects begin to pile up, the remedy came in the nick of time...or is that a stitch of time?
We've given a "torch" (flashlight) to the student president, Justin, so that he can see students safely home after evening study at the school.Best to all in the Lord,
Gary and Joanne
