Bible Knowledge Taking Root

Ayubu

George Kibona

George Kibona, a graduate student featured in previous blog updates (2013-02-10), has made good on his plans to share the unity message by visiting area elementary schools. He returned to Idigima recently with his father to visit and share his goal to attend Bible college.

Meanwhile, current students are using lessons from Bible Knowledge class as a springboard into their sermon preparations for chapel services. Although they are usually preaching in Swahili, the scripture references and comments we hear about the sermons reveal that they are applying what they are learning. Pictured here is Ayubu, small in stature, but huge in his love of sharing the word of God.

PRAY FOR MORE AND MORE STUDENTS TO BE CALLED TO THE LORD’S SERVICE.

Seeing the Lord’s fruit,

Gary and Joanne Grenell

Life is a Vapor

Ombeni (seated) at his son's funeral

Ombeni

Many of you may recall an update about our dear friend, Ombeni (2011-06-12). He was at Idigima Secondary School from its beginning, teaching Swahili and Civics, and later served also as the Assistant Headmaster. He left Idigima a couple of years ago for a teaching position with the Iyula Secondary School. He married and had a son, Advent.

He and his wife, Jenita, had been in Mbeya town where their second son was recently born. Because of complications, the stay had been longer than planned. Leaving his wife and sons with Jenita’s sister, Ombeni had returned to the Iyula area to take care of school responsibilities and arrange for his family’s return. The day he left, Advent was running around the outside of the house and fell into an open pit; he died on the way to the hospital.

Advent's funeral

Standing beside the grave at 2-year old Advent’s funeral, the current Assistant Headmaster, Mr. Mgale, asked me what I was thinking. “Life is a vapor,” I said. He responded, “It is true. Life is only for a second, and then we must stand before God to show what we have done with our life.

Most of these people who are sharing here in the sadness of our friend will leave and go back to their business of struggling to get money to live. They will not think about their breath of life and who gave them their breath. They don’t do the things that count. They are only looking to get the “things in this life.”

Mr. Mgale’s summary of man’s nature seems pretty accurate, whether you are living in the affluence of America or the poverty of an African village. We all need to constantly evaluate our choices in life and consider the contribution we are making to God’s kingdom agenda.

On Easter Sunday, Ombeni came to visit us. I was away, preaching at an Easter Conference in the village of Itewe, but Joanne had a tender visit with Ombeni. She asked if she could make a suggestion for the naming of their second son. (The custom here is to wait and get suggestions from family members and birth attendants.) She suggested the name, Raphael, in reference to God’s ability to heal (Jehovah Rapha). Joanne wanted Ombeni and Jenita to see that this child may bring healing to their grieving hearts.

We ask that you join us in praying for Ombeni and Jenita’s comfort and dependency on God during this time of grieving.

In loving service to the least of these,

Gary and Joanne Grenell

Our Trip to Mlowo and Vwawa

Vwawa Internet Cafe

It was quite a process, getting about 150 students to Mlowo for debate and sports competitions.

Buses were chartered at the students’ expense, but for whatever reason, only one bus showed up.

It made three trips of about two hours each to get all of the participants and spectators delivered.

We were given seats on the first trip, so we spent the day walking through the little market areas of town with students, doing some shopping,

rocket stove for making fries and eggs

and treating some students to one of our favorite snacks - french fries (chips) cooked in eggs.

When we arrived at the school grounds, elementary students were marching around the perimeter of the grounds and singing. 

Thinking it would be a good video, I pulled out the camera, but the marching disbanded and the children came in a flood to be photographed.

We had the hard side of the debate motion, “A single party government system is better than multi-party,”

but the students were creative and confident in their delivery and we lost the debate by only three points.

Our girls dominated the netball match with a win of seven to two.

The boys had a harder time in the football (soccer) match, scoring early their only goal, while Mlowo scored twice.

Leaving the school grounds, we walked to the bus station and continued west to Vwawa, where we planned to meet with a friend on Saturday.

Upendo is the wife of Hagara, an assistant manager of a national bank whom we met during our first year here. While we were in the States last year, they had their first child, and before we got back Hagara was transferred to another region of the country, so we never got to see their baby boy, Ryan.

Upendo is a school teacher and needed to return to Vwawa to complete applications for transfer of teaching credentials from Mbeya Region to the new region of Shinyanga. We had a good visit, did some shopping and Internet cafe emails, and headed home on the bus.

When we arrived at the junction, where we leave the blacktop highway and start the 45 minute journey on dirt roads, rain was threatening and it was getting late. We opted to hire two motorbikes to carry us home instead of waiting for a transport truck.

Although Joanne’s driver experienced a flat tire, he was able to borrow a motorbike from someone and bring her the rest of the way home. Never a dull moment . . . and always the unexpected.

Love and hugs to all our dear supporters,

Gary and Joanne Grenell

Power Restored After 33 Days

After 33 days without electricity, power has been restored to Idigima Secondary School. Electricians visiting the school suggested that part of our problem was the buried electrical line, which was allowing moisture damage. Students dug up the line and strung the wire on poles.

Work on the diesel generator has resulted in the quietest and smoothest operation we’ve ever heard. These improvements came just in time for the Mid-Term Examination preparation. Lights in the classrooms allow students to study in the evenings and teachers in the houses to work on their exams.

We had the smoothest operation to date in the preparation of Mid-Term exams. Teachers were prompt in submitting their hand-written copies, electrical power was present for the typing, and teachers stood in line to proof and edit about 90 pages of exams before sending them to the printer.

We had the additional thrill of getting to type the exams for VST’s new Serejele Secondary School, located about an hour’s drive from us over dirt roads to the southwest. The Headmaster, Dominic, and English/Swahili teacher, Karen, came on a motorbike to edit and return with their exams.

Pray that the students will not give in to the enemy’s many temptations and distractions during this time of evaluation, but rather trust in the Lord for good recall and give him the glory in their performance.

Your Hands and Feet in Tanzania,

Gary and Joanne

A New School Year and Building Projects Continue

With the students back from break, it didn’t take long for them to be put to work. We have ten new classrooms that need cement stucco on the brick walls and cement floors. That takes a lot of sand hauled from the river, as well as water, and a lot of cement!

Murphy’s Law struck with a vengeance: the water line from our river trickled to a stop a couple of weeks ago, and it hasn’t been fully restored yet. Somewhere in the network of buried line is a build-up of sediment. So, the long lines of students walking from the river with water buckets on their heads - that was so common a sight our first years here - is once more the means of supplying water to the work projects. The truck has been present for the hauling of sand.

Then there is the matter of cement, which we’d been patiently waiting for over the past months. Well, did it ever arrive! Six truck loads, carrying over 800 bags, were unloaded by our wonderful, strong students.

Gary’s Bible Knowledge classes are in full swing, with the first weekly exams coming up. Joanne was sewing uniforms day and night to be ahead of things when her new Pre-Form English classes began the first week of February. So far, it is a small group, but we know that they will stream in continually throughout the year.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your faithful support of prayers and finances. We have had very few injuries during all of this work, and the students are in high spirits. The chapel speakers have been bold and uncompromising as they desire to glorify God and see Idigima succeed. We know it is also because of your prayers that we see victories daily in the lives of these determined youth.

God bless you as you bless others,

Gary and Joanne Grenell