Monday June 12

Today was a long and productive work day.  We spent the entire day at the Leganga Disabled School. We have now finished digging a 10 foot hole for a new latrine and have almost finished painting the entire kitchen area.  We were able to give walkers to 2 of the boys who desperately needed them.  The parents were thrilled at the simple gesture.  It was amazing to see how these parents brought their disabled children to school however they could.  Some came on motorcycle taxis, strapped to their parents with blankets, some being literally carried by parents on foot.  One boy's dad had turned a stool upside down and mounted it on the back of his bicycle using it as a type of child seat.  It's amazing to see how joyful they are despite such difficulties.   We will be going back tomorrow morning for the last day finishing up all our work projects and having a last meeting with the parents.   Hopefully, we will get to see the new stoves installed before we leave.  We have also been told they want Jon and I to plant a banana tree they bought in memory of our teams help as a token of thanks.

Tomorrow afternoon we will be doing our first day of VBS and are hoping for a good turnout.  Please pray that it will run smoothly and that the kids will learn the good news of Jesus clearly.

We are still waiting on direction regarding the Huruma Orphanage where we have planned to work.  As you know, we found out as soon as we got here that it had been shut down due to many needs the owner was unable to meet.  Jon and Steve went with our guides George and Felix to talk to some city officials today and had a great meeting.  We found out a lot of helpful information through this meeting.  The owner of the Orphanage was there for the meeting and has already accomplished much of the necessary changes they were written up and closed down for.  We are praying for discernment and clarity as to what our involvement should be.  We had already committed to helping them before the shut down, but we also want to be wise and discerning with the resources we have been entrusted with.

We found out that one of the things they were written up for was that the kids, as of May 2016, had not had a regular checkup from a doctor.  However, as some of you know, last year in June we took the entire group to the local hospital for full checkups.  The officials were unaware of this and were happy to check that off the list.  They informed us that they want the Orphanage to reopen since there are too few centers already and their main goal is to fix the problems and reopen it.  We were also told that if they meet all of the remaining requirements, they could file to have the kids brought back in as little as 2 or 3 days.  We are just beginning our relationship with the director of the Orphanage so we are guarded in trusting that she will meet all of the requirements, but we are also very aware that we may be the very help she has needed.  So please pray for guidance for us.  We must weigh the risks of trusting this Director with resources with our desired outcome of helping these children and ultimately showing them the love of Christ.  We will make every effort to be discerning and put safeguards and accountability in place.  We will keep you updated with decisions.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers!

Sincerely,

Jenni Millet for the group

Sunday, June 11

This may be short because the wifi has been off and on (mostly off) almost all day here.  Today we had an early morning 7 a.m. worship service at the Arusha Town Church that is hosting us.   We came back for breakfast and then headed out to see a local Snake Farm (clearly this was not my idea) and had an afternoon to relax.  Several of our group rode a camel or held a snake.  I chose to sit this one out for obvious reasons.  (Snakes). We then went to the local market where some of the church members have small shops and were able to find some souvenirs.  This evening we have been practicing for our VBS program, which will start Tuesday afternoon at the church.  Please pray that we would have many in attendance that need to hear the gospel.  The pastor made a point to tell the congregation this morning that they thought our program was excellent for the kids last year and that the teaching was great and  to make sure they invited any kids who don't normally come, so we are anticipating good attendance.

Tomorrow morning we will head back to Leganga School for Disabled to paint the kitchen area and continue digging a giant hole for a latrine, although yesterday they discovered a large rock at the bottom of the hole so we may have to use some physics and engineering skills on this one.  Jon and a few others will be meeting with some officials in town regarding the orphanage to determine how to proceed.  Please pray for clarity and wisdom to know where to focus our resources.  Everyone is doing well and enjoying working with the wonderful people here.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers

Jenni Millet for the group

Saturday, June 10

We started out today with a devotional from Ty Westfall reminding us to be bold in sharing the Gospel and a testimony from one of the hotel staff.  We headed back to the Leganga School for Disabled where we are digging a giant hole for a new latrine, which is currently deeper than Noah with his cowboy hat.  We are also cleaning and painting their cooking area, replacing their old, disintegrating stoves with new ones.  We spent a good portion of today scraping chipped paint and washing soot off of the walls so that we can paint them on Monday.  Of course, the highlight is always playing with the kids and getting to know them.  We learned that we are not that great at double Dutch jump rope but that Noah is a big hit playing the saxophone and Candace Redden is a child whisperer and full of great game ideas and activities!

We are still trying to get more information about the Huruma Orphanage, where we were hoping to work most of our time here.  Monday, a few of us will go talk with some officials to find out what exactly happened that they were shut down.  Tomorrow we will be going to the early early service at church (7 a.m.) and then taking a small break in the afternoon to visit the market.  The hotel where we are staying is very nice, quiet, clean, safe, and has good food so we are all doing well.  Thank you for your continued prayers!  This group of students is amazing!  They are hard working, inclusive, fun, and very kind.  Thank you for sharing them with us!

Sincerely, 

Jenni Millet 

Friday, June 9

This morning we visited the Leganga Disabled School right outside the city. We were immediately welcomed with big hugs and handshakes from every kid along with an enthusiastic "Jambo!" which means hello in Swahili. We played around with the kids for awhile, swinging them, dancing with them, or just holding them. Later we put on a puppet show depicting a crippled lamb at the birth of Jesus. 

In the afternoon we returned to the Huruma Children's Trust. Unbeknownst to us, the orphanage was shut down in March by the government. We found out on our arrival what happened. Right now, we are trying to figure out where the kids are, and what to do with the money and time we had designated for that orphanage. 

For the people who went on the trip last year, going back to Huruma was a emotional event. We had expected a grand reunion with kids that we had built a close relationship the year before, and finding the area practically abandoned was heartbreaking. We are happy to know that the children are probably in a better place, but we miss them dearly. 

Please pray for wisdom and discernment on how to use our new resources and for us to spread the love of Christ to Leganga as we return tomorrow. God bless! 

Love, Alexandra Mills for the group

Thursday June 8, 2017

We finally arrived safely with all our luggage after 2 days of travel and were once again welcomed by the church choir at the airport.  Now we are getting settled in at our hotel.  We are all trying to force ourselves to stay awake until tonight so we will be on the right schedule.  We have visited the School for Disabled where we will be working and will be heading to the market soon.  I will try to write more later.  Thanks for the prayers for safe travels.

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