Home Invasion ! ! !

What you may or may not be able to see are millions of siafu, red flesh-eating ants, assaulting our house. These pictures were taken after the worst of the crisis had passed. There were a few minutes when we were stomping and jumping. They were thick on the back of the house and about to enter the kitchen window when a visiting student and Diana discovered them.


Netto, the student, risked being swarmed in taking a broom to the wall and spreading ash along the foundation, which turned them away. Another student, Fikiri, came later and used some insect repellent used for the maize all around our house. After that treatment, there was no sign of the ants within a few minutes.


The siafu (ref: Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull) "move" during the rainy season and will swarm anything in their path. Most are small "workers" which, although they will bite, are a third the size of what the locals call the "defenders!" The defenders have huge jaws and actually rear up on their four hind legs, standing stationary against any threat as the workers march past.


Check out what Wikipedia has to say on them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siafu.

They have been known to kill humans, but they also have a benefit to humanity.

(the Wikipedia link & image below added to the update by the editors John & Kim Williams)
(above image obtained from the Wikipedia website on siafu)

Just another day at Idigima Secondary School in Tanzania, Africa.

Much love & blessings to you,

Gary & Joanne

The “lap” of luxury . . .

Editor's note: This, and the three previous postings, were all drafted about a month ago and sent during a time when they had a brief moment of access to power. We just received news that it appears as if the generator issue has been resolved - at least for now. Gary wrote to say, "Nothing is fixed for good...you just hope it lasts. So far so good. They found a small filter in the generator that was plugged with dust and dirt, so maybe we'll quit blowing gaskets and get some reliable usage." -John & Kim Williams


How weird is this? All of a sudden I'm a nursing station . . .

Tanzy's four kittens are just about ready to head for new homes. It will be sooooo nice to have them out from under foot!

We are praying for you all and so looking forward to seeing you in June!

Love,

Gary and Joanne

P.S. The beard came off today!

Tanzanian flag & patriotism

We finally retired the old tattered flag with a new national flag. Too bad there wasn't a breeze to unfurl it . . . It is against the law in Tanzania to own a national flag. You have to be a public organization with approved documentation to buy and fly it. When we share how flag waving is a common show of patriotism in the U.S. they say, "There are other ways to show that you love your country." So there you have it.

God bless you all, and God bless America,

Gary and Joanne

I’m “sew” busy . . .

Joanne continues to sew every day, trying to catch up and meet the growing demand of 865 students and their uniform needs. She has only 20 shirts to complete to be caught up, but trouser and skirt orders are increasing, as they have been told the new black and white uniforms for Thursdays and Fridays will go into effect soon. She has asked some of her students to organize a time-table for assisting her by cranking the wheel.


Love and hugs to all,

Gary and Joanne

A-tisket, a-tasket, wishing for a gasket . . . (that would hold!)

Just a quick note and update, as the generator has been very temperamental lately and we don't know when it may go down for the night. We've been getting a couple of hours every few days . . . An African Queen visited our home and enjoyed a soda! Actually, she is one of the new teachers, and her name is Queen. She had some interesting stories to share about her family and education. She is a Form VI grad waiting to enter university study.

With the Mid-Terms behind us and the scoring done, we're ramping up for the next term of lessons before the June exams. With our return to the States scheduled to start on the 19th and the final exam on the 17th, you can imagine how busy we will be.

Best get back at it. With the generator still having fits, we may not get this sent. Blowing gaskets right and left . . . don't know what the problem is . . . I think they had a professional look at it today, but not sure. It is on (and off) tonight, so am scrambling to read and maybe send some news. On top of it all, 100 copies of a form needs to be printed for reporting Mid-Term exam results, but we used most all of the ink printing exams . . .

Lord willing, we will see you around June 23rd.

Love and prayers,

Gary and Joanne