Annelapage

pawpaw and cabbage

2012-01-28T21:58:00.000-08:00

Here are two other items we have available almost all the year round. Peaches are seasonal, and we are making the most of them at the moment, but pawpaw (same as papaya) is an amazing fruit, used for many purposes such as eating :o) tenderising meat, helping to clean an infected spot or wound; In my earlier days as a laboratory technician we used the enzyme papain, an extract, as part of a test for the Rhesus blood group. My faith in God increases when I think how the different parts of creation are interlinked.

Last week I was gearing up to having most of the morning to prepare lessons, when the form IV 'O' level Bible Knowledge (BK) students came knocking on the door "We want a lesson, can you give us one" they said (all in Kiswahili). I couldn't refuse a request like that, especially as the period was free. Normally at that time I would have form III BK, but they have not yet started, due to the delay in their national exam results coming out, from when they were studying in form II last December. Pray that they return soon, and that there are a good number. Meanwhile I am very thankful for the extra time, because the form IV's are a little behind in the syllabus, so we'll use it to catch up a little.

peaches and cream

2012-01-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Almost every weekend these days we pass a certain village on the way to Kilolo and stop by the roadside. Lots of children crowd around the window of the car pushing bags of peaches in at us until we've decided which one to buy. Next day is 'peach cooking day', as well as bread baking, rice boiling, water heating, onion frying, chicken roasting, and maybe, just maybe cashew-nut cooking as well.

I forgot the milk. It comes at around seven in the morning and needs to be boiled. Before term started I was getting very enthusiastic about lighting the cooker before breakfast, then we had porridge and toast (done on the griddle) and boiled the milk, AND had hot water to wash the dishes. Now we're back to reality and need to get to school by 7.30, so unless I start at 5am it won't happen.

However, what does happen without fail each day we're in Kilolo is that we get a small bowl of thick cream off the milk after it's been boiled and cooled; Together with those peaches it's as near to heaven as we will get.

Not sure of my theology? You would not be the first to raise a question mark.

Village walk (long!)

2012-01-14T18:54:00.000-08:00

Last Monday was Kevin's birthday, and we did a special walk together to visit a friend's family in Lulanzi, the nearest village to Kilolo. Batazari came to guide us, and we followed paths through tall Eucalyptus woods, newly planted maize, beans and potato plantations, and stretches of grassland which had some beautiful wild flowers out. We saw several schools with the students having a break on their first day back in 2012. One of them was Batazari's old school, and his sister was studying in another. His Mum cooked us a wonderful meal which gave us strength for the return journey; getting back to our house was quite a relief at around 4pm.

Our school starts back this coming week, so pray that the new headmaster, John Sichone can feel welcomed, and give a good lead to staff and students.

The electricity is still six metres away from connection to our house, and we wait and watch and wonder how long it will take. Weekends in town are still a big part of our lives, catching up with old friends, doing internet, and playing volleyball. Every second Sunday the Iringa Christian Fellowship meets, and it is wonderful to worship in English!

Udzungwa Mountains

2012-01-05T22:57:00.000-08:00

I was too busy climbing mountains over the holiday time to do blog updates, so am now doing two in a day!

The Udzungwa mountains are something else! We stayed at a hotel at the base, and climbed each day, over a thousand feet to the waterfalls, where we swam and did some rock climbing, then on our way back down it rained in the rain forest. Whatever dry clothes we had left got wet.

So many different types of trees, and monkeys swinging from the branches. It was classic!

Christmas

2012-01-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, we've had a good time over Christmas! Have I mentioned my family here in Tanzania - Hope and Anna and their kids? We went there to celebrate on the Day and met up with another friend, Helen, who had traveled from northern Tanzania to join them in their new home. I had decided to give away some of my books (Aaaargh), so each of the kids received either a school prize or something like that. :(

Kevin had brought some marzipan back when he visited the UK in November, so we enjoyed some of the classic flavours as well. We did end up with two cakes, one for before and one for after dinner!

That morning Kevin and myself had given thanks to God in the Cathedral church in Iringa, for our marriage. We asked that the offering could go towards roofing a village church (in Mtitu) which has recently been built, but was being washed down again in the heavy rain. I have since received a message from a happy Pastor of Mtitu, who was thankful for the gift. Pray that they get the roof on before more rains come.

Graduation (again again)

2011-12-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

After the Christmas service in Iringa, we drove up to Kilolo the next morning as we don't like driving at night. It takes longer now because the road is full of corrugations and our shock absorbers are spent. Getting spare parts is a challenge - prayers please!

I sat with the students that morning (Wednesday) as they wrote their Old Testament exam, and then spent the rest of the day marking and having a rest. I fell asleep in a chair while Kevin did all the work in the house! On Thursday we made a Christmas cake in our wood-burner stove, which was hotter than expected. It's the first cake I've cooked in it, though we bake bread every week, so we should be more practiced than we are!

Yesterday was the graduation, and some happy students have now finished their three month course and gone home for Christmas. It is the last of its kind, because next year the Diocese of Ruaha hopes to move the six month course from the Amani Bible School in Iringa up to St Michael's in Kilolo.

Christmas service - Iringa Christian Fellowship

2011-12-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

This evening we sang and laughed and shared a meal together in Iringa with some good friends, thinking of the birth of Jesus and the message of peace that he brings to us all. The children took part in this nativity scene as part of the service.

Recently at the Secondary School in Kilolo someone read the verses from Isaiah "How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news; proclaiming peace, announcing news of happiness - our God reigns" (Is 52:7). That is the Christmas message, and there's another place where it says "it is close to you, not far away, in your heart and in your mouth".

How amazing that we have this message so close to us. There's no need to go overseas to find it out! Have a look at Deuteronomy 30:12-14, and Romans 10:6-8. Happy Christmas right where you are!

He lost the ring but he won the game

2011-12-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

It happened last week! We were playing volleyball, and during the last game Kevin bruised his finger. We went back to Kilolo the next day, hoping it would get better, but after a few days he agreed that I should cut it off with a hacksaw! I cut a metal guard out of an empty tin, put it under the ring, and started hacking. We had to have a few minute breaks, but eventually it came off and I didn't even injure him! Where it had been on the finger was white, but it's now looking a lot better.

During the same week I was not well either, with a stomach bug, but I was all right to set a test for the Bible School students and mark it. They graduate next week, so please pray for them as they go back to their homes for Christmas. The Secondary School students have already gone, and teachers will have a break soon as well. We hope to celebrate with our friends in Iringa.

On Thursday we had electricians in to our house to get the wiring finished so power can be connected. The wooden post, which has been standing outside the house for two and a half years at last has wires attached, though it has yet to be connected! It will make a big difference having a fridge, electric kettle and lighting. Planning our food will be easier, and we might even get some variety! At the moment we have to eat beans and rice when all the fresh produce runs out at the end of the week, and it's hard to plan exactly how much of everything we need to cook on the wood burner.

Bees, buckets and marmalade

2011-11-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

Look at the beauty of the bees! They moved in around a month ago, and already the honey is almost dripping from the combs. They've built a house for themselves which blows me away! It is in our store. This has implications, because we keep things there. I wake up at around 5am to put things away and take them out for the day, like our jembe for digging in the garden, dry wood and sticks for the fire, and the hose pipe for filling our tank with water. When they first moved in we wondered, but it didn't take long to decide to let them stay. We just have to move softly without banging around too much, and eventually, perhaps they'll give us some honey!

This past week we also managed to make some marmalade. Maybe it will lead to an identity crisis, or perhaps one of us will just have to be Pooh and the other Paddington. It was like a full production line using the wood burner stove to soften the peel, then chopping and boiling it all up. Mmmmm.

Cleaning the water tank involved one of us climbing in to it and the other lifting out buckets of leaf-mould-polluted water until it was all swept clean with a dustpan and brush.

The electricity lines have almost reached our house too, so we may well have our fridge working soon. And we had a visit from some old friends who have been involved in building the school since its first foundations in the year 2000. So much excitement, and lots to thank the Lord for. Pray for safety for the Secondary School students as they go away on holiday until January.

New Bibles in two languages

2011-11-19T00:10:00.000-08:00

These Bibles are for use by the students of St Michael's Secondary School, and have been given by one of the supporting churches of the Diocese of Ruaha, St Michael's, Chester Square. They are in the 'Good News' translation, and its equivalent in Kiswahili. What a step forward; to be able to learn not just the Bible but the language as well!

We have had a few challenges recently: Last week the fire, and this week a hail storm. I've never seen one like it in my life! The rain started with big drops and suddenly the roof was echoing with multi-gun-shots, or that's what it sounded like.

It went on for around an hour; long enough for me to get myself soaked as I carried the lunch from our outside kitchen to the house. Juggling an umbrella, a kettle of boiling water and trying to avoid the torrents off the roof while I opened the back door was an Experience never to be forgotten!

There was not much warning - just a black cloud coming towards us, and then suddenly the rain. Afterwards it stopped and tried to pretend it had never happened, except that the ground was covered with white-pebble hail stones. As we don't have a fridge, I gathered some of the icy stones to cool the milk :^)

Bush fire, empty tap!

2011-11-12T02:51:00.000-08:00

That's our house in the background; one a group of five staff houses in a small area behind the school. The bamboo and eucalyptus trees around us are very dry.

Kevin arrived back from Wales last Sunday morning in Dar es Salaam, and traveled to Iringa by bus - a long journey. We had a night in Iringa before going on to Kilolo, and the following night we woke at 1am to the smell of smoke coming in through the bedroom window. It was all a panic, as we thought it was right on us, but in fact there were 50yards to go before it got to the house. The staff and students came out to fight the fire with branches, and water from the tap. Thankfully the wind changed direction, but then the water ran out. We did have a little water in a tank which I had filled the week before with a hosepipe, so that was used to completely damp down the remaining cinders which were being reignited by the wind for around 2 more hours.

We are tired but very thankful, so please continue your prayers!

Isimila Stone Age site

2011-11-06T06:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went with some friends to this amazing place near Iringa. It is like going to a fossil area and walking through the mists of time. The erosion has left these pillars of sandstone all down a gully - perfect for dramatic photographs.

Since my last post all the CMS Africa people have been to Nairobi for a conference. I found it very inspiring to see a new mission experience being generated in Africa. If was hard going, both the travel and some of the encounters, but it did leave me with a knowledge that God is at work here, and will continue to be, praise him.

Kevin flew from Kenya to the UK for just a week for Rachel's graduation, and he is arriving back today. Meanwhile I drove back from Kenya together with Ben and Katie who have taken over Neema Crafts, and the long journey grew even longer when we ran out of both money and fuel. No cashpoints were open as it was Sunday, and the pumps were empty, so was our tank. When we pulled out of an unsuccessful petrol station we were waved down by a man who told us we could buy petrol in liter bottles. Wow. I eventually bargained with him to sell us thirteen of these for a twenty dollar note. That took us far enough to get both money and petrol in Morogoro.

We were so tired by then that we decided to stretch the journey to three days instead of two. God gave us a beautiful place to rest on the way - with enough money to pay for it. We're not short of money - just a cash-flow problem!

Graduation (again)

2011-10-14T23:13:00.000-07:00

Pictured above is Gerard, the student who walked away with the most prizes. Maybe "Prize Giving" would be a better name for the celebration, because at the time the Form IV students had not even started their 'O' level exams. Now, three weeks later, they have finished and left the school, and another year group will take their place in January.

Among this year group are some students studying Bible Knowledge. Please pray that their enthusiasm for reading the Bible will continue to grow as they start on Luke's Gospel and the book of Acts, and pray too for the next year group starting in Form III.

Kevin and I are having a weekend break in Iringa again, and are feeling a bit more rested now. We think the altitude in Kilolo is one of the reasons for our tiredness (It's nearly 7,000 feet above sea level), but there must be other factors, such as traveling to Dar and back the week before. I am feeling a lot better now, though not yet 100 per cent healthy. Thanks again for your prayers.

A special visitor

2011-10-06T19:07:00.001-07:00

Last month we came to Dar es Salaam to meet Rachel at the airport, and drove straight back to Iringa the same day. That weekend Rachel had kindly agreed to help out doing the children's programme at a camp-out for the Iringa Christian Fellowship (ICF) where we worship. I joined her doing this (to give the parents a break!) We went back to Kilolo on Sunday, where the timetable was equally demanding - Rachel joined in with the kindergarten, as well as sitting in on some lessons in the secondary school.

We have enjoyed ourselves visiting the game park, a stone age site, Bagamoyo and a coral island - some places we rarely visit, and today is the day we part again. Pray for safe travelling for all of us; Rachel back to the UK and Kevin and myself back to Iringa and Kilolo.

Students in the lab

2011-09-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

When I was at school, we didn't even have slide rules or calculators - we just used logarithmic, sine and cosine tables!

Now look what's happened in a part of Tanzania where access is difficult, electricity and running water haven't even reached our house, we use buckets for flushing the loo, for lighting we use candles, solar or kerosene, and a wood burner for cooking.

The school laboratory has twenty computers for students and teachers to learn skills, and teaching (by Martha) officially started two weeks ago. Kevin, as lab manager, keeps the whole thing operational.

What more can I say? I'll have to take a leap out of the dark ages...

Palm Tree Garden

2011-09-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

We're having a week's break again after mid term exams which I am meant to be marking now! I wanted to call this place palm tree paradise, but there are some parts of it that remind us that we are not in paradise, such as the mosquitoes. I had around 60 bites on my ankles on the first night, so in ten days’ time I’ll have to watch out for malaria… Now in the evenings I’m wearing shoes and socks – if Kevin minds, he hasn’t told me :^)

The drive from Iringa took nine hours on Saturday; we took turns, only stopping for short breaks. This is after eight weeks of the Secondary School term, and three months of Bible School as well (for me), so it all left us quite tired. We pitched our tent and then went for a swim - perfect. There has also been an opportunity to go to the dentist (what's new?) and doctor (that's new) as I have had pain still and want to find the cause. Please pray again about this, giving thanks that it is not as bad as it was. Also Praise God for an opportunity to rest now.

Bible School Graduation!

2011-08-27T00:43:00.000-07:00

Three months later... This is the first group I have taught since getting back to Tanzania, and it's not even meant to be an official course! There's no Principal of St Michael's Bible School in Kilolo, so we are just stumbling along until someone can be appointed. The students made an amazing effort in their studies, and wrote high quality answers. I know this especially for the Old Testament, which I have been teaching one day a week. Even the graduation felt like a full-blown college ceremony. In January next year Bishop Joseph is planning to appoint a Principal and move the six month course from Amani Christian Training Centre (in Iringa) to Kilolo. Amani CTC will continue with the one year and three year training in Bible, as well as life skills.

There is a development in the Secondary School computer laboratory: a new teacher has been appointed just a few weeks before the students were scheduled to begin lessons. This will make a big difference to Kevin as the Computer lab manager because it would have been difficult for him to teach as well, so Praise God.

stone-age

2011-08-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

Near Iringa, on a rock face are these amazing paintings which appear to be from the stone age. Kevin and I went to have a look at them together with a new friend, Roland, who has just arrived from the UK to study language and then go to work in St John's university in Dodoma. The paintings were discovered recently and are difficult to find; this was our second attempt!

Last weekend was a sad one because the new-born son of Philip and Happiness Magawa, (our second master) died suddenly only three days after his birth. We went to the funeral on Friday, and visited again over the weekend to share in their sorrow. The teachers and students were very involved in carrying the family through this time, so as well as praying for them, give thanks for the supportive community we belong to.

After two weeks in Kilolo we are having a break in Iringa, getting over a throat bug which made it difficult to teach; Thankfully it's on the way out, but it left us both feeling quite tired. Last Saturday Kevin baked his first bread in the wood burner stove, and now he's got himself a job! I made some breakfast cereal out of maize flour - 'stone-age cornrocks' would be a good name for it. If you leave it to soak overnight, it's (just) edible by morning.

fan club

2011-08-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here's our latest fan. He spends a lot of time trying to spot us through the windows - whether of our house or car. We drove up close to our house yesterday, turned off the engine and watched him pacing the joint. Up and down our garden, and then he shewed us why he likes us - we have some wood off-cuts lying there, left over from the tree-cutting, and he started pecking at them. Not sure if there was anything worth chewing, or maybe the smell of cut eucalyptus was good! mmmmmmmm

a scary moment

2011-08-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

We had some trees chopped down beside our house because they were threatening to fall on it, and then one of them did! But it was only on the corner of the outside loo, and though the metal roof was torn, there was less damage than if it had happened at night and onto our bedroom!

The man with the chainsaw was a bit 'trigger happy' so I'm glad the whole experience is over and we have some firewood for our cooker. Some of the gum trees were long and straight, so they were cut up into 2 x 6" beams for buildings or furniture. Now the front 'lawn' is covered in sawdust. Someone else was interested: Since the trees have been down, we've had regular visits from a Ground Hornbill. He's about 3 feet tall, black with white wing-tips (wingspan around 4ft) and has a red throat! His call is like a drum-beat!

Showing off

2011-07-24T00:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks for your prayers - we had a fun weekend (or two) with some friends who came from the UK to do a survey on a water project. It's in the Pawaga area where the Diocese is installing Kilometers of water pipes, and also poignant because it's where I used to work. Hugh and Tricia have told us stories of people who now have water piped to a stand near their homes; before this they had to go down to the river, with the risk not only of disease, but of being bitten by crocodiles as well.

Hugh took this photo as I was crossing the (same) Ruaha River on a pulley. There are no crocodiles that far up, but I have seen hippo footprints in the mud. Whatever disease I have, it'll be exotic!

They're in!

2011-07-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

The computers have arrived at last! Last Tuesday was the biggest day since we arrived in Tanzania - at least from the technical point of view! The supporting organisation, Global Outreach have an office in Iringa, and they brought the twenty computers to St Michael Secondary School, Kilolo to be set up.

As for the rest of our life, suddenly everything increased in pace and intensity, so we'd value your prayers for our health and sanity.

Together at Bagamoyo : )

2011-06-29T06:34:00.001-07:00

At last we're here, married! This is where I was when Kevin wrote that historic email, I replied in the positive, and we became virtually engaged!

When he came to Tanzania to visit in April last year, we stayed here for a few days, swimming morning and evening, enjoying the tropical fruit and beautiful surrounds. It will always hold a very special place in our hearts, and we are overwhelmed again by God's goodness, bringing us here again. Again I am having a tooth fixed in Dar, so we have to drive there tomorrow (5hr round trip), and back to Iringa on Friday (9hr drive). It is worth it, to experience the peace.

Mmmandazi

2011-06-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

After teaching from 8-10.40am, teachers are hungry! During the break until 11.40 tea and mandazi (like a doughnut) are available, and this provides a forum to share a few jokes and news/updates from the headmaster as we sit round talking together. Lessons continue until 2pm when the students have other activities such as cleaning, debates or games like volleyball and football.

This month (June) most of the school are on holiday, with just the form four students present doing their mock 'O' level exams. Kevin decided to take the opportunity to study Kiswahili for three weeks, and I have been staying with him most of the time, traveling to Kilolo once a week to teach Old Testament at the Bible School. Next week we will both take a break at the coast at Bagamoyo - the place where I was when we started talking together on the internet!

weekly bread

2011-06-14T03:21:00.001-07:00

This doesn't happen very often - once a week is enough! Here's the amazing wood burner cooker which keeps us sane at the same time as working us hard! When it's alight and burning, everything happens, including bread baking, cooking meals and hot water for tea, bucket showers, filling thermoses and tomorrow's shave! This last is a new development for me, and it's definitely better to get the hot water ready and into a thermos the night before, as life is quite a rush in the mornings.

We start work at 7.30am most days, though on Mondays and Fridays it is 7.15. That seems a lot earlier to me. Getting to school only takes a few minutes, and the students all line up outside before classes start at 8am. I rarely teach at that time, and have been going back to the house for a rest most days, while Kevin works in the computer laboratory on a proposal for the development of the lab. Thanks for your prayers. We are both enjoying the break during school holidays, staying at the campsite while Kevin studies language and I mark exam papers - lots of essays in Kiswahili. It's good to read how much the students understand the Bible - pretty impressive.

Volleyball

2011-06-04T02:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't made it to the games in school, but Kevin went and got this photo. It happens around twice a week and there is volleyball, football and netball available. You can see the ground is drying up now after the rains finished in May. We can expect dust and wind now, together with cold temperatures as it is winter here! No snow, and it's a pleasant climate, though the sun's rays are very strong because the atmosphere is so thin at nearly 7,000ft above sea level.

The school holidays started yesterday, so please pray for the students as they go home for a month. Kevin begins his second three week period of language study on Monday; I'll stay there with him and do some lesson preparation among other things. I am feeling better after taking some treatment for stomach upset (amoeba) but there's still some grumbling, so I will take a longer course now, while there are fewer responsibilities to respond to!

Seven students

2011-05-26T04:18:00.000-07:00

Next week we have end of term exams, which are important here in Tanzania. They count towards the overall outcome of the course. Over the last weeks we have been struggling to keep up with the Bible Knowledge 'O' level timetable. The school had visitors, so one period was cancelled, the students often have a detention or sickness which prevents them from coming to a lesson, then last week I forgot what time I was meant to teach, so they all waited for me and I didn't turn up!

Later in the morning I started trying to call them together, and they told me what had happened! I felt like crying... However, three of them came together during a period later in the day, and I hope they have passed on the subject matter to the others. Because we started late in the school year we need to catch up on the syllabus. Please pray that we can do this next term. Holidays are during June, and Kevin will be studying Kiswahili again for three weeks while I try to get rid of whatever it is that's causing the problem. :o/

Where are they?

2011-05-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

This is what it looks like when you walk in to the new computer laboratory. It's a vast improvement on when we arrived, because the desks are now arranged as the manager wants them - that's Kevin, by the way. He's not teaching (yet) but has been assigned the set-up and running of the lab. Whenever we come to Iringa we visit the offices of Global Outreach with a hopeful feeling. They are providing the computers, maybe one day soon...

Realistically, there are lots of issues to be addressed, like bees and lizards who come in to visit. The security doors need mending, and a battery pack needs to be installed before they come.

I am teaching seven form three students Bible Knowledge, plus all of form one (around 80 students) Religious Education. I'll be starting back at the Bible school as well soon, teaching Old Testament. Your prayers are appreciated!

Send-off for Tula

2011-05-05T03:05:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we had an amazing celebration for Bishop Donald and Gladys's daughter, Tula. It was particularly poignant because he spoke at our own wedding last September in Wales. In the church service it was as if the speaker was talking to Kevin and myself personally! Among other things, he mentioned that Rebecca in Genesis was ready to go even though she had no idea what the future held with Isaac.

Kevin is pictured above together with the Diocesan Secretary, Pastor Jackson Mwidowe who is responsible for getting things done when no-one else wants to! He and our new Bishop, Joseph came to visit the teachers at the school in Kilolo just before Easter, and gave us encouragement when quite a number were feeling a bit low after the headmaster left mid-April. Please pray for the staff as we all make this big adjustment.

Sunflower season

2011-04-29T02:02:00.000-07:00

Everywhere we go we see beautiful sunflowers! They are grown for the oil, but don't always grow this tall :o) One year, a long time ago I planted a couple of acres of them. It was a fun experience, but I didn't make any money as I'm not very business minded!

It's also the season for weddings - today (the day of The One in UK) we are having a 'send-off' for Tula, the daughter of Bishop Donald and Gladys who spoke at our own in September. Then the family will go to Morogoro for the actual wedding. I went to the hen party last Tuesday as well.

This whole week Kevin has been trying to get his Tanzanian driving licence. the process takes ages, so please pray for patience and perseverance.

morning all :o/

2011-04-22T02:35:00.000-07:00

We're in Iringa now for the Easter break, but have spent some time in Kilolo where Kevin has been invigilating for the students as they do their mid-term exams, and I have been resting! In fact I'm still not 100% healthy with a bit of pain in my middle, but thankfully it seems to be getting better, not worse.

The Bible Knowledge students did average to poorly, but that's not surprising, as they hadn't had very long to get into gear. Pray for them as they have a break, and us. We are still amazed at how everything has worked out like this. Not many would have such an honour. Praise God.

Rat traps

2011-04-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was in our house! My books have been chewed up, and we were being kept awake at night. Our fruit had holes in it in the morning, so the rat had to go! but there were two, so it took a whole week of setting two traps each night. The first one was caught on Monday, but the second, not until Thursday. We feel much freer now. One night I woke up and felt the rat on my arm. Eeeek

After my petrol incident I managed to get back all right, and we had a camp fire the next weekend together with Kevin's fellow language students. Last night as well we camped there just to have a weekend off, and I decided to sleep out under the stars. It was a tremendous experience watching the moon go overhead in the sky and the tree shapes above my head, listening to the river sounds as well.

Lost in the mists of time

2011-04-09T01:22:00.000-07:00

This is an old picture of the car just after I collected it from the docks in Dar es Salaam in March 2009.

Last week I went to Kilolo to teach, and guess what? I ran out of petrol! I never run out of petrol, but I did then. The engine just stopped! I was near the top of a hill, so I asked some kids to push me to the brink, and coasted down (dropping some money out for them as I went) and along the flat as far as I could go, then pulled over and parked on the side of the road.

I took my mobile phone and an umbrella, and the small amount of cash I had, and started walking! First I called in at the nearest house to ask them to look after the car, then I walked on through a nearby village to a farm where they found me a bit of petrol they usually keep for the lawn mower! My friend drove me back to the car, made a funnel out of a plastic bottle, and put around 3 liters of petrol in. He also lent me some money. The booster took me on to Kilolo where, amazingly there is a petrol station. Where is my brain? Somehow lost in the mists of marriage, perhaps?

Hope and her family

2011-04-02T00:24:00.001-07:00

When we arrived we found Hope and her sister Anna and all their children still living in the little rented house where they've been since 2001. Hope works at St Michaels Secondary school as the secretary to the headmaster, so she's been keeping my house in Kilolo occupied, while the rest of the family live in Iringa.

Unfortunately their rented accommodation in Iringa has just been sold, so they have to move out in the next three months. I'll try to fill you in on their story in the next few blogs, and keep uou updated on what happens next in their lives.

Kevin has just finished language school so we plan move to Kilolo on Sunday. The next unbelievable thing is happening! Keep praying that we make the adjustment all right, and more than all right! Thanks. It's a big step.

language homework

2011-03-23T05:51:00.001-07:00

"Kevin, what's that thing above your shoulder?"

"Oh we get those all the time."

I can't keep away from Kevin these days. We've managed to move from a tented banda into a cosy wooden banda overlooking the river. I just took these two pictures on the webcam as we sit drinking tea in the Neema Crafts Cafe.

Teaching at school comes a poor second in my mind, and I had to gather up all my determination to drive to Kilolo on Monday in order to start the 3rd year Bible Knowledge students off on their 'O' level course. Unfortunately we arrived in Tanzania too late for the form IV to continue with theirs this year.

Please pray for us both as we teach and learn.

flashback

2011-03-17T03:24:00.000-07:00

Kevin had a great time with Ella over the Christmas period. She is my sister's granddaughter, and very cheeky!

We didn't spend much time packing as there wasn't too much time to think about it. However, at least we brought the wedding shots.

Thanks to some very good friends we have a couple of beautiful albums and lots of digitals. We're catching up with all our friends here, and enjoying sharing the photos. Praise the Lord for all his goodness!

Kevin is studying hard at Kiswahili. Anne is still recovering from the journey and a 24hr stomach bug. Nice to have an excuse to stay at the Riverside Campsite Language School with Kevin!

Back to Kilolo

2011-03-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

Today we had another day in the landrover! After a week's rest in Iringa in which we set up our internet connection (only managed one of them; it is good to have several back-up systems, which we are still working on) and catered for a few other basic needs, we traveled to Kilolo.

I forgot the camera, so this photo is an old one from 2009, but it gives an impression of what happens at the end of every school day; the students all line up for a few minutes before going off to a late lunch.

Recently the school has been going through hard times, so we'd value your prayers for the teachers and students, and of course ourselves as we adjust to a new life style! Kevin starts a three week language study, and Anne will start teaching next week.

A day's travel in a landrover

2011-03-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

We flew British Airways overnight to Dar es Salaam on Monday 28th February (this time last week), and spent the next day in a very hot environment!
It was a relief to get to Iringa on Wednesday evening after another day's travel in a landrover together with Bishop Joseph and Lilian. Wonderful to be here at last!

It was good to spend time with our fellow workers, but we were all so shattered from our recent experiences that it was a matter of just getting to our destination, rather than discussing anything en route.

Today Kevin and I both feel a little more human, even after a very busy day yesterday going to a worship service in Swahili first, then one in English, and afterwards visiting some friends for lunch and others for tea.

We really do appreciate your thoughts and prayers. God is Good all the time!

Expectant!

2011-02-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

We hope to fly on Monday! After a very long wait, we went to a selection weekend and on Sunday were given the go-ahead to travel to Tanzania. There are still a few hoops to jump through, but we anticipate and expect to be going.

Keep up those prayers, as until we get there nothing is certain. Also the preparation for going is quite demanding, as you can imagine.

wedding

2010-11-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

The day was a glorious, sunny one, and I am lost for words to express how wonderful it was. This picture says it all! On 11 September we were married near the Llangollen Canal, and have been amazed at God's goodness to us before and after.

Redcliffe College

2010-05-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a rainbow experience coming back here, and two nights ago this is what was over the College! I was already in bed, tired because of the 'hepatitis hangover', but Kevin took this amazing photo and it is a picture of our experiences since arriving here. God's promises are coming true step by step, and we sense that never again will we go through the same degree of trying experiences of our past lives. The best is yet to come!

We are studying a six week 'Pick n Mix' which is not too strenuous - good for both of us!

2010-04-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

This is the highest mountain in Africa and we almost flew over it! Kilimanjaro (over 19,000ft above sea level) was beautiful when we saw it from the air, at around 34,000ft.

I have some explaining to do because I haven't updated this blog since January... Hepatitis was the reason, and it laid me low for the whole month of February, after arriving back in Tanzania. I have never slept so much in my life! I gradually started working again, then Kevin came to join me in March, and helped finish off the packing up so I could return with him in mid April. We are now both at Redcliffe College in Gloucester, and I am feeling almost back to normal.

New Year's resolution

2010-01-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

To get married! This may come as a surprise for most of you - I'm in North Wales now where Kevin lives. I went out on the streets in Wrexham with him yesterday as an observer for Street Pastors, and we picked up about 18 bottles (which could become weapons otherwise), gave out a few pairs of flipflops to people wobbly on their heels, and sat with a guy who was a little over the top for drink. This is what I feel the Lord calling me to do eventually when I get back from Tanzania. That's not yet, but He has confirmed it by giving me a new friend who has turned into a fiance! How good is that?

Kevin wants to spend some time in Tanzania first so he can find out what he's let himself in for in that context. Pray that we can find God's plan together with CMS and manage to be in the center of His will for both our lives.

Graduation picture (at last)!

2009-11-18T03:16:00.000-08:00

What a relief... I copied most of the photos from my old laptop onto a cd and then did a virus check on it and it was clear! So now I can start again, and here is the photo I wanted to share from the school's graduation of form four students. Lilian and Maida asked for this shot to be taken, and now they've left the school. Form two have also taken their national exams and gone home, so we are left with a small group of forms one and three students.

It is nice because now the Bible Knowledge class can be on a better day, (Wednesday) and we can catch up a little, because on Mondays one or other of them were often not there. Even so they are still struggling a bit with keeping up to date with homework.

Elizabeth has come through her operation well, and is staying in hospital to get her confidence back walking - the first operation left her unable to walk without a frame or crutches, so now everything is a new experience again.

I am looking forward to coming to UK in December after the next set of exams are over - pray that I can get the marking finished before leaving.

Viruses

2009-11-03T02:08:00.000-08:00

Apparently my old laptop which has all my pictures on it is riddled with viruses, so I'm going to have to get a new camera which agrees with this (new) laptop - maybe when I come to UK in December... I'll be around for a few weeks visiting my Dad and other family and friends. Meanwhile I need to somehow get the photos off the old one, free of infection.

Here in Kilolo we may get electricity soon, and it will make a big difference to life. At the moment I have to go to town or the farm to charge batteries and do a longer time on the internet. Keep up those prayers!

Pray too for Elizabeth Phillips (84yrs) who is going to have another hip replacement next week in Dar es Salaam, because the first one wasn't a success.

Antibiotics!

2009-10-18T03:32:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't been feeling that great all week - just because of a scratch on my shoulder which became infected, and wouldn't heal! The scratch itself was very minor, so I ignored it at the time, but perhaps because of swimming in a dam or the river, it became infected and more painful as time went on, so ten days later I decided 'something must be done'. I started a course of antibiotics on Monday and was very glad to finish it yesterday, because of being kept awake at night as well as a bit of stomach upset. However, it has healed and I am feeling much better now, so am very thankful for that.

During the week I was finishing off marking exam papers, and the kids have done well this time round, answering with well thought out essays. That did make it take longer to mark though, and I am glad to have finished that too!

Still having problems with my laptop, and downloading photos, so please continue to pray for my camera! Thanks!

Synod

2009-10-09T04:10:00.000-07:00

It does sound boring, but I'm really enjoying this Synod of the Diocese of Ruaha! It meets once every three years, and this is going to be the last one chaired by Bishop Donald Mtetemela. We're going to miss him, but are praying that God will make it clear who the next Bishop is to be, for next year. Meanwhile as we talk about what's been going on since the last one in 2005 it's quite exciting to hear. There are some discouragements as well, such as: The question was raised why evangelists sometimes leave their churches and return home. They are 'missionaries' though, and need support and training for the cross-cultural move, when they are sent to open a new church. Hopefully, as a result of this discussion, in the future this will be included in their courses at the Bible schools - one of them is where I teach, St Michael's Kilolo.

I was hoping to include a picture, but have been having trouble again with my laptop, so will try to get round the problem... Keep up those prayers!

New Dining Hall

2009-09-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

In the Secondary school the graduation ceremony planned for next week is to be held in the new dining hall pictured before (and after) the roof was put on. It will involve all the form four leavers (74 students). They haven't yet done their exams, but when they do, it will be difficult to gather them together again, so it's done before the 'O' levels.

I have had a lot of difficulty connecting to the internet recently, so only now am able to update my blogsite. Actually I'm in Bagamoyo, 70km North of Dar es Salaam, camping while I get a root canal done on a back tooth. It will take a week, and is giving me a break, for which I am very grateful.

Bible School Graduation

2009-08-14T23:14:00.000-07:00

This week the Bible School students in the picture graduate after three months' study. Two of them still struggle reading but their skills have improved a lot during their course. They both wrote good answers to some of the questions on the Old Testamant exam paper which I set for them. In fact all of them did well, and I feel quite encouraged by the way they answered the questions, with understanding as well as knowledge.

This weekend Elizabeth's daughter, Sue returns to the UK after a four week visit. It's been fun spending time together having picnics by the river. The water is not quite as cold now for swimming, but it's still a struggle to get in!

Bumps

2009-07-24T01:40:00.000-07:00

This looks dangerous, but I can assure you Christina came out smiling! It was her sixteenth birthday and her friends and sister gave her 16 of the best! I managed to get back in time for the party from teaching in Kilolo, and also caught up with Elizabeth who has just arrived back from UK. She's had an amazing time travelling up and down the island; For her, being driven around by friends has also been part of the uplifting experience. Back in Tanzania now unfortunately the hip replacement is giving her trouble, so please pray for a good resolution for that.

Also pray for the Bible school students who will be doing exams in two weeks' time at the end of their three month course. And give thanks to God that I'm feeling happy and healthy, still able to swim in the river at weekends,and teach the whole school (and some) during the week!

Holiday is over...

2009-07-09T00:12:00.000-07:00

Rachel has adopted this little lamb and named him Smudge, and I've had fun feeding him too. His mother decided she just couldn't cope with two lambs! You can see how dry the grass is. The rains don't come back until November or December.

It's been a relaxing and fun time just staying at the farm during the holidays. Unfortunately they had to come to an end, so today I go back to Kilolo for the start of the Secondary School term. I'll be back some weekends, and Elizabeth returns from the UK next week, so I'll have to come and visit anyway. The Bible School students are doing well, and their three month course will finish mid August.

My daily bread

2009-06-24T02:51:00.000-07:00

This is the bread I made in my wood oven in Kilolo. It tastes good! In fact I take some with me to Kibebe Farm most weekends when I stay there. During the holidays I'm spending a lot more time in Kibebe because it's so relaxing and my friends make me so welcome there. Rachel (9) and I did some painting of pictures, including one of their house.

Elizabeth is still in the UK and seems to be enjoying herself. She went to the wedding of her grandson and saw her great grandson as well. She'll be coming back mid July together with her daughter and granddaughter!

Everybody needs good...

2009-06-12T01:52:00.000-07:00

...neighbours... here's Mama Ndokole and her daughter and their vegetable patch, which doubles up with mine. Did you know that chicken wire keeps chickens out? There are loads of chickens around and up until a few weeks ago none of us could plant anything. Then we put up some wire and... it's like magic! Everything's growing. Now my neighbours are a happy bunch.

The bees have kept out of the cooker, and I'm having a holiday!

...and smoke

2009-05-25T04:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the smokey kitchen...

Bees

2009-05-25T03:21:00.000-07:00

This chimney belonged to me first, I tried to tell the bees, but they decided the cooking smells were so good that while I wasn't looking they set up home there. Poor things when I lit the fire lots of them died and fell into the bend and blocked it. Result; next time I lit the fire all the smoke came back at me. I even had tar running down the cooker, and tears running down my face. So I made a wire bee hat for the chimney, to reassert my ownership. My garden helper, Edward took the thing to pieces, cleaned it out, I put the hat on and since then I've had a smoke-free kitchen.

It's been quite a difficult month because of the bees and also a very full teaching schedule; internet connection that didn't stay connected long enough for updates, and I was taking treatment for Giardia, a little stomach bug which is very pretty under the microscope, but made me feel uncomfortable. The treatment is worse though! Now the Secondary School are starting a month's holiday, so I just have the Bible School one day a week. I'll be able to catch up with friends a little, spend time working on the house, and perhaps get a few days' break away somewhere. I go to the farm most weekends, and that is a good place to relax.

Birthday

2009-04-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

I think there was a bit of confusion whether it was a birthday cake or garden. Anyway I've planted lettuces and carrots in Kilolo, and this was a gingerbread that reminded me of that.

The secondary school has just had half term, and the Bible school students are graduating, so I have a few days off here and there. I am nearly finished with the marking of exam papers. Suddenly the students are writing real essays in Kiswahili, not the one-liners I've had until now. Great, that's what I want them to do, but it makes marking a much longer process! Maybe I'll change the format next time...

Today Elizabeth left for her epic three month trip to England at 83 yrs old and just a month after a hip replacement and before that a broken leg. I've heard that the seven hour trip to Dar es Salaam went well, and believe God will take her safely on the plane with Rebecca her granddaughter. Prayers please!

Dolphin-fin

2009-03-21T00:52:00.000-07:00

Here he is, enjoying the palm trees of Oyster Bay in Dar es Salaam! I went on 3rd March, and on the way the vehicle I was in overturned completely and rolled back onto its wheels again. We all survivied with minor injuries, but the vehicle looked very sorry for itself and wouldn't drive after that. The rescue vehicle took a while, but thankfully we were able to get to Dar the same day. I collected my ten year old Daihatsu Terrios the next day and am calling him Dolphin-fin because he has extended the scope my life and I had lots of lovely swims in the Indian ocean that week.

Next day Elizabeth had her hip replacement in Dar, so I was able to spend time there in the hospital together with her family while getting a tyre change and service done. She walked the next day and is slowly developing that skill again.

It has taken me this long to get back onto my blogsite, because I had some difficulties with connecting to the internet. They are still not sorted out but I am borrwing a friend's laptop again...

On my cooker...

2009-02-28T04:16:00.000-08:00

...I've been making bread and heating water for a hot wash! It also cooks my dinner and heats water for the neighbours. Not a bad addition to the house, methinks. The doors are going on to the outside kitchen next week, and someone is working on the garden, making it look less like a building site. Last week I managed to get a new little laptop set up so it can do internet in Kilolo, and next week I am hoping to collect my new car from Dar es Salaam. What a lot of changes coming together; I won't know myself in a few weeks' time!

On a more challenging note Elizabeth has broken a bone in her hip through a fall, and will have to go to Dar to get it fixed. Meanwhile she is in a lot of pain, so keep praying for her healing. Thanks.

...and thorn trees

2009-02-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

I decided to show you a picture of one of my favorite types of trees. This one is near the farm, near where I swim, when the river is down. At the moment the water is too high, and I'm not cycling either, so I do need to work out some other form of exercise. Someone suggested skipping; I will be a skipping phenomenon before long. Watch this space.

At the Bible school we have six students for three months, mostly mature, and it does make teaching easier. We cover more ground, and the questions they ask are very interesting, leading to some good discussions. At the Secondary School I have started to teach 'O' level Bible Knowledge in English as well as Religious Education in Kiswahili. It takes a bit of getting used to. At last we found some past exam papers, but I still don't have a syllabus... I do have some idea of the Bible passages to be covered, and the students are keen. As they say: "With God's help we will succede."

cats

2009-02-06T08:05:00.001-08:00

...are more intelligent than bats. Before I'd put the screen up in my window I was awoken at around 2am by a cat jumping off the chair beside my bed! I just caught sight of the shadow running into the sitting room and round the wall by the light of my torch, but quick as lightening it was back in my bedroom and out through the open window again, leaving a muddy footprint or two on my wall. Then I noticed a human footpring just beside the window as well. mmm interesting. Hope it got there when the men were putting up the ceiling boards. (Don't worry, the bars on the window are too close together for anyone to get through, and anyway Kilolo is much safer than Iringa.)

Back at the farm I found Elizabeth had had another fall, and is now dependent on others for almost every need. I am helping her at night when I am here, and her son Richard comes accross from his house when I am in Kilolo. Not an easy situation.

Teaching is a bit stessfull as well, as I have been asked to start teaching 'O' level Bible Knowledge as well as Religious Education... A big vote of confidence but hard work.

Bats

2009-01-24T00:35:00.000-08:00

For the last two weeks I've become an amateur carpenter, making a wire netting cupboard for food and putting up fly-screens in the windows. I was pleased with the result, but the local bat population were not so happy. One evening I had a batty visitor flying around, and then again at 1am, because my bedroom windows aren't screened yet, and I like fresh air; one flew in and did close shaves on my face...

When it flew through to the sitting room I got up quickly to open the front door, because it kept batting itself against the wire netting in the open window there. Even when I stood in front of the window and shone a torch in its eyes it didn't seem to take any notice ('blind', I said to myself, 'blind as a bat'). So I tried scraping my shoes on the floor. That did the trick. The bat didn't like the sound, and flew away. Next week I'll do the screens on the bedroom windows.

Back at the farm now for a rest over the weekend, I found Elizabeth had had a fall. It just caused bruising, but was a shock to everyone. She is feeling much better now, but will have to be more careful in future. This is a picture from last November at Victoria's birthday party. From the right; Margaret, mother of Joyce who is a near neighbour, Elizabeth, mother of Richard who runs the farm, and myself on the left.

2009-01-12T01:09:00.000-08:00

Here's the famous cooker being carried towards my house. It is now in the outside kitchen covered in cement 'droppings', but will soon be clean and in its place, I hope. The day of the big Move was Saturday, and it went more smoothly than I anticipated. I was afraid things might get stolen or broken on the way, because the road from Iringa to Kilolo is very rough and there was an overnight after loading, before setting off. However in the event it was like the disciples must have felt when they saw Jesus walking towards them on the water; 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith' and then 'Peace, be still' And so I was, on Sunday, the day after the move. And now I'm in!

2008-12-20T04:58:00.000-08:00

Bagamoyo was a good place to go! I only had two days there, but it took away all the tension that has been building up inside me especially about building! I don't like building houses, I've decided. Lots of people are helping in lots of ways, making life a lot easier, and eventually it'll get done. Meanwhile keep up those prayers, and here are a couple of pictures of the seaside just for fun.

2008-12-07T23:13:00.000-08:00

After two or three weeks of painting walls and getting ceiling boards up, in between teaching and marking exams, I'm finished! But I like the result, with cafe olee and ivory in the sitting room and light olive in the corridor. I mixed the paints, and made up the names as I went along, so now just need a rest from it! I am going to Bagamoyo for a relaxing three days on the beach. Sun and sand here I come!

The cooker arrived but wouldn't go through the door, (better than getting stuck in it like a great hippopotomus, I guess) so it will have to go in an outside kitchen. That floor needs concreting first and plaster put on the walls, so yet another delay... that's life here. Full of delays and disappointments, but the end result, if you survive, is very satisfying.

Elizabeth came back from South Africa happy and relaxed, but glad to be back. Her son Will received the 'all-clear' on his cancer, so he and Amanda can relax until the next check up in six months' time.

...and the river... is up like a raging torrent after the rains started, so my swims have had to be curtailed, hence the attraction of Bagamoyo. Bye bye for now

Exam prep

2008-11-23T05:44:00.000-08:00

This week the secondary students are doing exams, whereas the Bible school are doing revision, with exams next week. I've helped them all I can, and prayed for them in the class - something appreciated, as there is a lot of apprehension. No one likes examz! (oops) Pictured is the shortest student in the school winning the prize for being best in his class during graduation, a while ago. Bishop Donald is giving it to him, with Headmaster Mgeni in the foreground.

I am hoping to be able to go to Dar es Salaam sometime during the break over Christmas, as it is the first opportunity I've had to get away since arriving in March. I need to get a tooth repaired and feel like a shopping spree! Look out shops... Today again I went for some exercise in the Little Ruaha river. Its quite cold, so unlikely to get dangerous animals, though we have seen hippo poo on the bank. Never seen the animal himself/herself.

My weekend swim

2008-11-09T05:17:00.000-08:00

This is the famous river, and though I look as if it's going to wash me away, I'm securely sitting on a rock. My good friends who live near the river welcomed me again, and today we went there for a bit of fun and a swim. I feel so much better for it, and able to face the weekly travel and teaching in Kilolo! I am very blessed with so many good friends around. Elizabeth, who I usually stay with has gone with her son Will and his wife Amanda to South Africa to get a check-up on his leg. He had a partial amputation after being diagnosed with cancer. He still walks around and sometimes kicks it off by mistake!

House preparations

2008-11-02T23:38:00.000-08:00

On Friday I ordered a cooker for the house I'll live in in Kilolo. It is an enclosed wood burner with a cast iron plate for cooking, and an oven. Like an Aga I suppose, but more elementary! I am looking forward to getting it installed in around three weeks when it is ready. I just have to get ceiling boards up, wiring done and the plumbing, then I should be ready to move. Not putting any dates on it because it may take ages still, as everything does here.

I've had another wonderful weekend on Kibebe Farm. Elizabeth had her daughter and husband staying with her from the UK, so I was with her son Richard and Victoria and their family, just next door. They have made me feel part of their family, and it is such a good experience.

Weekend

2008-10-27T00:52:00.001-07:00

This weekend has been like a good holiday. There's a lot going on at the secondary school, and it is good to have a break from it. The headmaster is helping teachers and students work together to get through the worst of it. I am still on the sidelines to some extent. If i start explaining there'll be no end, so please be content with these snippets of information, and keep us in your prayers.

Meanwhile I have been staying with some friends who live near the river, so I have been able to have a daily dip, as well as some fun on a picnic by the river, floating down the stream on inflated motor tyres. They had constructed a clay oven and then baked pizza in it, and I thought to myself 'I don't deserve this life'. God has been very good to me!

'O' level exams

2008-10-18T02:30:00.000-07:00

This is the first year St Michael's school has done 'O' levels! The science teacher, Diane had pneumonia just before she was meant to get all the practicals set up, and there is no technician to help in the laboratory.

Guess what! I had a flashback to one of my previous lives, the one where I worked as a medical lab technician in NW Tanzania, and had some fun making and marking various coloured fluids and bugs. Thankfully there were no complaints, and I'm just going to have to resist the temptation to get more involved. Have to keep the bible school as my top priority...

Recovery

2008-10-11T02:01:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I decided to go to the police station and ask for my old laptop back! Normally stolen items are kept until the case is finished, so they can be used as evidence, but they agreed I could sign them out until needed. That was a great relief, but I'm still unable to do internet because my old laptop seems to be lacking. Maybe I can get it fixed.

Meanwhile I went to a camping retreat last weekend run by the Iringa Christian Fellowship (ICF) and feel quite refreshed and restored. This last week's teaching has been fun, and I am beginning to get a feel for each class in the secondary school. The Bible school has just started again, with 10 students, and I am finding it easier to memorise names now. Not everything is new!

Hope and Anna arrived in Ngara (the opposite side of Tanzania from here) on that Sunday (28th) after a three day journey, and the family had waited for them for the funeral. That is unusual, but Hope is now the senior member of the family. They came back to Iringa yesterday (Friday) after a dramatic journey. Just as they were nearing Dodoma on Thursday the front wheel of the bus came off and it lurched to a halt, just missing a ditch. If it had rolled it might have been a different story, but as it was no one was injured. It happened mid afternoon, and as the darkness came the police took all the women and children to Dodoma for safety, leaving men and luggage with the bus (Brave men!). Fortunately later that evening mechanics managed to get the bus back on the road, so the journey continued. My two friends changed buses in Morogoro and came on to Iringa.

We had an electric storm in Iringa yesterday, and I was in the middle of an email when everything went dead, and I had to abandon it. Now at a generous friend's house updating this blogsite.

Graduation

2008-09-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the fourth year students of St Michael's Secondary school graduated. They are the first intake who started in 2005 and I was there when that happened, so it was a special day for me and for them, and for Bishop Donald who came from Iringa as the Guest of Honour. This has been his dream for a long time.

Actually the students haven't done their final exams yet, but in all schools here they graduate first because after exams are completed they are free from School rules, so more difficult to control! Reminds me of Redcliffe where my MA is just about to be put to the exam board, but I graduated last year with my year group before we all went to the four corners of the globe... (try to picture a 4-cornered globe). I think we must be more difficult to contol now too.

I have some sad news as well: On Thursday Hope's father died. He'd been unwell for some time, and she had spoken to him the day before, but she and her sister Anna (Mama Kiri) are still travelling now (Sat) and will hopefully arrive tomorrow. The school staff met and asked me to accompany Hope to Iringa as they didn't want her to have to travel alone (She's secretary to the headmaster). Then I asked Bishop Donald for a lift back for the graduation ceremony.

Tz detective story

2008-09-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

Well, what do you know? Most of my stuff has been recovered! Last Thursday one of the detectives assigned to the case found a 14 year old boy selling a laptop in the marketplace of Iringa town. There were two people involved, and both were taken to the police station. I was contacted next day by the Administrator of the school for deaf kids (SfD) where I was living, and we both went to the police station, where I identified it as my laptop. Then we all (2 detectives, 2 culprits, 2 victims) went together to my old house where the boy described how his small friend had climbed through the window to take the stuff! Then he took us to a house next to the SfD where we recovered some things (my speakers and a DVD with my name on it) .

The boy had an older brother who we then collected from school, and after a bit of reluctance, he took us back to the same house and dug out three bulging sacks from the garden. We made a circle of chairs and tipped out the contents to find the rest of my CD's and DVD's (including one with my picture on the front, made by my Redcliffe College friends, David and Grea) and lots more things, plus some sheets and curtains belonging to the SfD, taken after I moved out. The detectives listed everything, and now it's all at the police station, so I am no better off just yet, but at least there is a miracle of those kids being stopped in their tracks.

I hope that whatever happens, they have a change of life-style for the better. Thanks for your encouragement Vaiva and Susie!

struggling

2008-09-03T04:18:00.002-07:00

Hey it's good to be back online again after a break - not because I wanted it but because I literally had a break-in around three weeks ago. The signs are (according to detective agent Lapage) that an adult taught a child how to get through a very small hole in the door where a pane of glass was broken. The hole was big enough to pass a laptop and a lot of what goes with it; speakers, headphones, DVD's. Very sad, as it's difficult now to do emails and blogs, but what makes me even sadder is that (if my theory is correct) the child now knows what to do and came in last Friday and again on Saturday, taking pens, notebooks, my store of cashewnuts and bombay mix! Aaaagh... how will I survive? But I'm more upset that the child is learning a way of life which might grow into something bigger later on.

On Saturday I left the house at 11am and cycled the half hour into town, left my bags with my friends' driver and cycled back to find the third break-in before 12.30. Unfortunately I fell off my bike while in town (silly me) and the bruise began to swell on the way back, making a mighty big bump. My friends were expecting me to come and stay, so I tied it up with a rope to stop the swelling and arrived in a heap and all tied up. They intied me and set me free, administered ibuprofen, icepack and bandages, lots of rest and good food; since then I have been feeling much better. I am staying on a local dairyfarm with Elizabeth Phillips who's husband died three weeks ago, peacefully in his sleep. I think she is glad of a companion now. It's half term break at the secondary school, and the bible school has a month out, so I am resting and recouperating. Wow, do I need it! I've moved my stuff there until we can sort out something more permanent.

School debate

2008-08-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

Pictured is a debate for all the secondary students under the gums trees, in the afternoon sunshine!

The language is English, as it is for all lessons except the ones I teach, ie Religious education. A bit ironic, as most other teachers are Tanzanians. I think it's because RE deals with issues close to the heart, so it helps if it is in a 'heart language'. The syllabus is written in Kiswahili, and is very helpful.

In the background you can see the classrooms, a cylindrical rainwater harvesting tank, and the corners of a new classroom being built by a visiting team from a UK school in partnership with St Michael's, Kilolo.

Secondary Students

2008-08-03T04:38:00.000-07:00

Here's class 1B of the Secondary School. I teach them for the second double period on a Wednesday morning, after 1A for the first two periods. When tea break is over I go to 2A and then 2B, all double periods. On Thursdays its the same for forms three and four, both with A and B streams. I thought it was going to be much harder then I am finding it so far - maybe I'm still in the honeymoon period. The classes enjoy reading passages from the Old Tesament like Moses and the burning bush, and sometimes I act it out to liven things up. Together with lots of laughter, I hope the amazing message of God's love and mercy is communicating itself.

Bible school students

2008-07-27T03:22:00.000-07:00

This is me in full teaching mode - Riziki is standing next to me and she is head of the Bible School. I asked the students to write their names out in the same order as in the photo so I could try to learn them. I've been teaching them Old Testament, Theology and English - the last is not my favourite, but we muddle through.

I'm still doing my weekly commute to Kilolo for the teaching at both schools - two days at the Secondary, and a day at the BS. The rest of my time is spent travelling, lesson prep and having fun with friends!

Doors and windows

2008-07-04T23:32:00.001-07:00

This is the latest view of the house in Kilolo. It has doors and windows, but no ceiling yet, or washing facilities. The Academic Dean is on the right in the picture, and another teacher has the keys in his hand. They will be my neighbours when I move into the new house. It may be a month or two yet.

I am happy where I am living outside Iringa. It means I can visit old friends more easily, and I also have electricity, access to the internet and other luxuries which won't be available so easily in Kilolo.

back on my bike again

2008-06-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

I've been silent for a while because I had malaria or something! Was laid flat for a few days, so went to stay with my good friends David and Elizabeth Phillips on a nearby farm. They looked after me and got me back into working order. I managed to get to Kilolo to teach in the Bible School as usual, and met up with a visiting building team from Tearfund. They were fun to spend time with. Now they've gone, but more teams are on their way. I'm off to Kilolo today on the bus, but when I'm in town it's the bike I like...

getting to the other side

2008-05-29T07:54:00.001-07:00

This morning I woke up in a beautiful campsite after a fun evening with the people learning language there. I had to get to town early, and that involved a 20 minute walk along the river to a pulley crossing (you can see the rope and the seat - above my head in the picture - it's quite safe, just a bit scary to look at)...then a climb up the hill on the other side to my friends' house where a car goes in to town to take the kids to school. It was an early start, so I had to have a rest when I got back to my house! Then I cycled back in to town, and now I'm relaxing again...

The secondary school has exams, so I am teaching at the bible school only for a month. Nice to have time to catch my tail. Why do I keep going round in circles? (only joking.)

fresh corn!

2008-05-23T01:19:00.000-07:00

The season for roasted corn has arrived, so after a long day of teaching, I enjoyed this amazing refresher from Hope's garden (shamba). It helps keep the hunger away until the evening meal!

2008-05-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hey, my house in Kilolo is coming on - the people there were putting in the floor when I visited them last week! This is my teaching gear...

Still going three days a week and staying with Hope who lives in the village in a rented house. Very kind of her. I'm finding the teaching great - didn't expect to enjoy it so much, but I guess I have a God who knows and loves me more than ever.

The mango season is over, but I'm eating mulberries given to me by Elizabeth and David, grown on their farm, where I go at weekends for a break.

2008-04-30T01:27:00.000-07:00

Hey I visited the new house last week and this is what I saw... No worries, as I have a very comfortable house just outside Iringa at the school for deaf children run by the Diocese. I am teaching two days a week at the moment, so go and stay with friends each week. Hope is Secretary to the headmaster of St Michael's school, and Riziki is head of the Bible School, so I take it in turns with each of them.

I'm loving it, and at last getting used to the altitude - felt quite tired at first.

Arrived

2008-03-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, This is my family here in Iringa - Hope is in the middle with Lydia to the left (I'm behind them - boo!) Kenny on the far left and Anna far right, with Chrisophena and Baraka. Behind all of us they are drying some chicken feed in the sun (when it doesn't rain) and beans harvested recently, and the maize crop is growing very well. Hope is working in Kilolo as secretary to the Headmaster, just visiting for the Easter break... so when I get there I'll have a friend :^) Anna her sister is doing lots of small income generating projects, and looking after the kids. It's great to be back!

all the greats

2008-03-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

Ella is the best and most perfect great niece that anyone could have. I saw her for the first time last week, and it may be a long time before I see her again. Oooo. She has made my brother-in-law into a grandad, and my own dad into a great!

I am off to Tanzania on Saturday - if my residence permit comes through! Keep up those prayers!

Valentine's day

2008-02-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the best ever! We had a pudding party here at college and I was surrounded by friends who prayed for the future. It's all good, and love is in the air!

My last essay is done and dusted, and in. Now there are just a few more weeks left until I fly to Tanzania on 15th March. Most of that time I'll spend in Devon, staying in the house of a friend, and being part of my church family. God is good.

still at redcliffe

2008-01-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

January has come and I'm still here, still expecting to go soon! I'm enjoying the extra time in College, and have made some more good friends. They seem to get better and better! I am living in the family's house and sharing the kids.

The weekends are all taken up with visiting churches to raise support, and that is why I've been delayed. But I am finding it quite inspiring to go round and talk the walk. Lots of stories to tell! I expect to leave Gloucester in mid February and leave UK for Tanzania in mid March.

Overlooking Gloucester

2007-11-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

I am leaping into the future now! My studies are almost over - just one more 6,000 word assignment to finish in December and then I should be all set for the next step. Perhaps I'll take a break somewhere first, and visit a few friends. Look out world, I'm coming!

summer

2007-10-30T02:17:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I went to the wedding of a college friend, Beth, who was marrying Mike in a field in North Wales. It rained and the sun shone at the same time, and we danced into the evening as the mud became wetter. It made good paint, and catalysed some mud fights. Although I haven't been to Glastonbury, I felt as if I had this year!

Now in October I am back at College, unexpectedly again, because my departure to Tanzania has been delayed from November to February next year. I finished my dissertation, but am still working on the last module on leadership. It is part time, and College offered me a job working in the kitchen and cleaning. Nice to be out of the books and letting my brain go into neutral sometimes!

My brother Phil and his family

2007-07-19T04:22:00.001-07:00

DSCF0937, originally uploaded by anne lapage.

I've just come back from a great visit to my brother in Shrewsbury in their new house. Went to see the latest Harry Potter film with them, and admired the marble in the kitchen! Back now in Redcliffe, I'm still working on my dissertation, but nearly through. I have to write another 6000 word assignment before the work is done.

bath visit

2007-07-13T09:02:00.001-07:00

DSCF0698, originally uploaded by anne lapage.

We had summer early this year, during term time. Now, in July, the rain has come, but at least I can look back at some good times with college friends, like this day trip to Bath together with Amani and Esther, Leah, Polly and her Mum, Tsehai and Polina.

Summer's arrived

2007-04-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, it's so warm in April! We seem to have skipped spring this year, and I am now more than half way through this course!

I spent Easter in Devon, went to the beach and swam in the freezing water after being splashed... so I had to. Saw lots of lambs as well on my sister's farm.

Back again...

2007-02-06T04:56:00.001-08:00

Hey at last I can get in to the site to make an update! It's been too long since this has happened. Hello world! I had a great time over the Christmas break in Norway and then with my brother and his family. Then for New Year I joined Polly and Jan in Leamington Spa - perfeck. Now I'm well in to the course again, doing an option on 'Narrative and mission'; telling stories is fun and an effective way of sharing God's message.

Wednesday Worship 5th Dec

2006-12-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

Hey did you ever end up crying all the way through a worship session? Well today we did some praying together in College devotions, and the words of the songs were so what I needed that it made me tremble with the sense of God's presence, and cry in thankfulness for his faithfulness.

Tuesday already 5th

2006-12-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

This is where I run out of things to say - lots of brain work and not much doing makes Anne a dull girl, or something like that. Ah well, hope it won't last for ever, but it's certainly good to do some thinking through of issues related to working as a missionary, while writing these essays!

2 December

2006-12-02T05:46:00.000-08:00

Saturday at redcliffe college is a quiet day - lots of people away, but the pressure is on to get these essays done. I'm working on one called "can 'good news to the poor' be at the heart of a missionary theology?" well, can it?

1 December

2006-12-01T01:56:00.000-08:00

This is amazing - I have managed to navigate myself into and out of this blogsite several times now, and am begining to feel like wanting to go on the internet. For those of you who know me this is a big breakthrough - it always seemed so far away; the possibility of surfing in cyberspace. So at the beginning of december, maybe a new 'me' is emerging. Watch this spot!

The picture is from the west coast of Norway when I did some swimming and 'surfing' in the North Sea!

Autumn musings 29 Nov

2006-11-29T07:02:00.000-08:00

Today I learnt how to set up a blogsite. here it is, and you can share the gloucester colours with me! I'm in the middle of writing a long essay but this is a great break mid afternoon when I'd be asleep otherwise.

remembering on 30 Nov

2006-11-29T06:47:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, I was just thinking of the time I enjoyed in Norway this summer together with my good friends there. It seems a long time ago now, but when the wind is blowing and the rain pelting down, I have to remember "This will change"!