Hello, everyone. I have finally got over my jet lag having arrived home safely on 2/2/09. It's now 2/5 and all I can think of is our incredibe experience in Tanzania. I didn't blog while there because we were, frankly, too busy and other things came first, which is God's work.
First of all, let me say we had an incredible team of people, all of whom put God's work first and not a one faltered in being totally involved in what we did. The team was divided into a medical group and Bonnie and I were in the "orphanage" or "grunt" group. I'll let the medical group report their experiences, except to say that when we visited Selion hospital it was so unlike an American hospital that it blew my mind. Poorly organized, dirty linens on beds with patients that were so terribly sick. I'm sure the nurses are dedicated, but thay have so little to work with, so backward in their teckniques and so ill staffed. At one point we became aware that the hospital had exhusted its supply of medications. It had NONE!
A word or two about Tanzania: It is summer there, 5 degrees below the equater. Sun is intense, temps were 95 to 100. People are everywhere, traffic is crazy, roads are terrible! People don't shop like we do. No Walmart! The streets are lined with vendors selling everything imaginable. Hawkers trying to sell their wares drive you crazy if you let them. All you can do is ignore them, yet they are still in your face.
We visited two orphanages, Humura, far from civilization, incredible poor, but the kids were terrific. Oh, if we could only be so happy, so satisfied if we had NOTHING! We brought them schoool supplies, blankets, toys, stuffed animals and bought them a 6 month supply of food. We sang for them, they sang beautifully for us and we prayed together. What an experience! There are kids that have been abandoned, parents have died, mostly of aids, and if they weren't at Humura, they would be street kids, surviving however they could. One of the boys was the one in the DVD that lived in a tree. He is a bright, lovable guy and will, God willing, grow up to be a substantial adult.
The other orphanage was called "New Paradice" where we tore down their old crummy kitchen and built them a new one in two days. A kitchen to them is simply an area that is walled, a dirt floor, where they cook in pots on a fire as they squat to tend it. The old one was black with soot, walls covered with creosote from the fire and NOTHING else. Now they have a new structure, a bench and a shelf. The old one had a "roof" if you could call it that, which leaked so bad they could not cook when it rained. Now they have a secure area with a corregated metal roof , that does not leak!! The ladies were so grateful for their new kitchen, that they cried and we cried with them. The kids, again, were wonderful, so innocent, they don't know how poor they are and how little thay have. We gave them school supples, stuffed animals, sunglasses and bought them six months of food also. Food consisted of rice, corn, beans, vegetables and we also included both personal soap and cleaning soap. Again, we prayed with them, we sang hymns with them and they insisted on cooking a meal for us in their new kitchen. It is amazing the meal they prepared for us. As you guess, there was no way we could refuse their invitation and it was very special to break bread with them. Hugs all around when we left and they all wanted to know when we would come back.
Enough for now, tomorrow I'll relate our experience on safari.
In God's love, Doug Wiley
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