Tanzania Day 8

Our lunch tomorrow!!!

 

Playing London Bridges with the kids.

 

Tresses are up.

 

Classroom we have been working on.

7am to 6pm today.  Progress is being made!  We completed the tresses to the point we will be putting on the metal roof tomorrow.  That is really exciting because it means the people will be able to use the building when we leave.  The entire building was started in 2006, but it has been very slow in progress because of a lack of work/witness teams to Tanzania because of the cost and travel required.  Anyway, the people are very joyous to see the end of this phase so near.  It is very easy to share in their joy as they work along side us.  Besides the roof we made and laid more brick.  My role was again to support the masons by lifting blocks and motor all day long.  My bones ache, but it was fun to work along side these young men.

I am developing quite the vocabulary in Swahili.

asante = thank you
jumbo = hello
mambo = what up?
poa = coooooooool
yesu = Jesus
yesu ni gia = Jesus is the way
yesu ni kweli = Jesus is the truth
dungo = mortar
t-fary = block
haraka  = fast
poley = slow
gausha = strong
pepe = candy (yes peee peee)
and much more....

We had a great time with the kids today around the site.  We are getting to know their names.  We took out balloons and bubbles and caused a near riot!  We are learning some of their names and they now are calling out to us.  One little boy brought a toy.  A little shell of a flashlight with some other plastic trinkets attached.  It was a joy to watch him so excited.  We are planning to give them many things tomorrow that we brought.  We wait till the final day so we do not have a mob.  We will be proclaiming Jesus as we do it.  Please pray for us!

Also pray that there will be many great interactions tomorrow.  We will be saying goodbye to the workers we have sweated with for over a week.  It is amazing how well we communicate now.  I wish we had more we could do for them.  Most of them have two sets of clothes at most and some do not have shoes.  Most only have flip flops.  As Americans, we have so much and yet, we always want more.  These people live on so little, but you would never know it by the way they laugh and have fun.  We have much to learn.  I pray that we will all find it in our budgets and our time to do more for the world.

Best part of tomorrow....they are butchering and barbecuing two goats right on our work site!  Can't wait!  The church wants to thank us with a feast.  Should be an experience.  I've also bought two soccer balls for the two little boys, Leonard and Sedgeway, that live on the work site.  They currently have a little ball made from plastic bags and twine.  They have been great helps this week and are great boys.  What more can a 10 and 12 year old want?

Well, one more work day and then off to 3 days of a safari.  I am looking forward to that!

Blessings from Tanzania,

Trevor