School Board Meeting with Parents, Students, Staff, and Villagers

The rains came early this year. For the farms, that's a good thing, but for students to make the thousands of bricks needed to complete the next phase of buildings, that's real bad. The solution was the suggestion by the school board and headmaster that every student contribute an additional 10,600 shillings ($6.25) for the purchase of bricks that area villagers had already made. While this is a real financial burden for many, the suggestion passed without much discussion. The genius of the plan is that it will enable the school to complete ALL of the academic compound buildings this year! What a burden that is going to lift from the shoulders of future students!

What a blessing that is going to be to the growing student body! How wonderful it will be for the laboratory equipment that has been donated and stored in our house to finally be used in the practical exercises! How thankful we are to the special gifts of our supporters that moved this plan forward.

You see, although the bricks and sand are the responsibility of the students, parents and villagers, VST has committed to the provision of timber, roofing and cement. It was YOUR faithfulness to the Lord in sharing in this ministry that will "cement" the raising and enclosing of the buildings.

Your Hands & Feet in Tanzania,

Gary & Joanne

"HELP! I've been robbed!"

It is not uncommon for clothes to disappear from clotheslines in the village. We advise students to take turns watching their laundry on wash day. Recently, however, we've had something of a crime wave.

Students have reported ghetto locks broken and food, money and clothes stolen. We had one student come for assistance after his ghetto was gutted by fire; he'd left his kerosene lamp burning to buy some food.

Finding a Form II student sitting on the side of the road crying is the most heart-rending. He'd financed a duka (small convenience shack) he'd built himself, in order to make money to pay school fees. One evening, someone broke in and cleaned him out. We'd visited students near his duka the day before and purchased some items in support of his enterprise. He'd been so proud and happy to serve us.

Life just isn't fair much of the time, but we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are living in His will. It will be interesting to watch this boy and see how he responds to this sad event in his life.

Your Hands & Feet in Tanzania,

Gary & Joanne