you know you wanna...

so the most pressing issue coming back from moshi, has been working on getting the rest of the kids at wisdom childrens center sponsored. there are 140 kids involved in the program and as it sits, there are about 47 with sponsors.

sponsorship is $35/month. this provides 1 meal a day, clothing, school supplies and helps with school costs. while school is technically free in tanzania, there are a lot of hidden costs associated, such as uniforms and supplies. team that with the fact that the older the child, the higher the associated costs. a typical school year can cost around $400 USD. the minimum wage in tanzania is $100/month, but keep in mind the vast majority of families there are WELL below minimum wage. in families that have more than one child, or are being raised by a family memeber, it's almost impossible to survive. every child involved in the program is either being raised by a single parent, aunt or uncle or grandparent.

this is probably the best case senario in terms of child sponsorship. while compassion and worldvision are great organizations, it's hard not to feel a bit of disconnect since it's so vast. we send groups at very least twice a year. this year alone, we'll send 4 groups. we get to know your child and sometimes their families. we visit some of their homes. i know the people who run the organization. i have complete confidence that all $35 goes to the child at their needs.

if you are interested in helping a child and making an impact on the future of tanzania, feel free to email me at mills.abbie@gmail.com for more information.

oh man!

well, i know it's been like eleventy-bajillion years since i've updated this, so here we go.

i'm now back in idaho...for the time being anyway. it's been a busy few weeks since returning from africa. i knew i'd have culture shock, so i was prepared, but it kind of came in waves. just as i thought i was doing pretty well, it'd hit again. God is so faithful though. right now, the main thing i'm praying about is what should my next step be. i might move back to seattle...or i might stay put for a bit. above all, i just want to be where God wants me. my prayer is that i will be able to get a job with a fairly low commitment level. i'd like to have the time to work on fundraising again and plan another trip back to tanzania to keep working on things on that side, as soon as possible. so, if you think about it, please pray for God's undeniable voice in all of this.

i've been slowly sorting through literally thousands of photos from the trip, so i'll get stuff posted in time. here is one to get you going though...just click on the photo and it should open to a full view. if not, leave me a comment and i'll fix it for you.

i'm back...

...and not completely stoked on the idea. i miss africa like mad and am already trying to figure out how and when i can go back.

i'm getting ready to leave for palm springs for a week to work on settling back in, so that'll be nice. i hope to go through photos with lindsey while i'm there and get some up here.

i'm not ready.

i haven't updated this is quite a few days cause things have been so busy. i've been more than a little overwhelmed. we've been working hard to finish up the project at yesuanaweza before we leave. the toilets are almost completely finished, the outdoor kitchen area is finished and plumbed and the walls to the school/pastors office are 3/4 of the way finished. lindsey and i have a little more painting to do, but it has rained the past two days, so we've had to put it off. we have one bathroom door to paint and 3 chalk boards to build, paint and put together.

we've been running all over tanzania, trying to see at meet all of wes' contacts as well. he knows some pretty great people here that are running some cool projects.

steve left yesterday. he was ready to get home. it was a pretty unsettling feeling dropping him off at the airport, knowing that in just a few days it'll be me. i've fought back the tears and disappointed feelings since. i'm not ready to come back.

this quite possibly may be the last time i update here until i get back into the states on monday. then i will do my best to fill in all the blanks and post a crap load of photos, so keep checking in.

i'm still alive!

...just been too busy to update. sorry.

projects

babu wes got in on sunday night, so we've been having all kinds of fun. (mom, he's kristen larsen's father-in-law)

yesterday, we spent the day running around visiting all the people he knows here and running errands. then we went out to yesuanaweza to talk with zachariah about the project we want to start this week.

we've decided that we are going to work on sanitation at the school/church building. right now, they have a squat toilet (it's enclosed like an outhouse), which is essentially a whole in the ground that looks almost like a bed pan with a hole in the bottom of it for waste to go down into the whole. it is a actual toilet system that many places use here. there is no plumbing on this one as far as pipes or water, but some in town have that. this one is just a very deep hole. get your mind out of the gutter. we will not be poo-diving!

considering the amount of kids through there everyday, you can imagine the rank smells and the absolute MESS inside. the walls are covered with bugs and it is just a breeding ground for disease, i'm sure. they have a 5 gallon bucket of water on the step that all the kids rinse their hands in. needless to say, IF they actually rinse which virtually does no good anyway, the water is just infected with everyone else's germs.

our plan is to pipe in water to a little outdoor kitchen area there. we hope to build a cement sink with a water nozzle to wash the huge pans that they cook the food for the kids in. their cooking area is very close there. they cook in huge pans set on cinder blocks over charcoal. next to that sink, we want to make a short sink for the kids to wash in. then we will start teaching them to enforce washing and cleanliness. this alone should cut down on a lot of the illness that they pass around. all the run off water from the sinks will be piped into the toilets to reduce the smell and have some type of sanitation. i'm mentally preparing myself for the possibility of lindsey and i having to wash down the insides of the bathrooms with bleach water. i can do it. i can do it.

so, this is our plan. we still have to put together a price list and see exactly what we can accomplish with our funds, but be praying that it ALL falls within our range. just this simple change will do so much.

not a whole lot today...

just wanted to check in and let you all know i'm still alive. i've been sick all day today, so no real excitement. i've had a headache, body aches and been really tired, so i'm sure it's just something i picked up from one of the kids. no need to worry. i did sleep ALL day today, so i'm hoping that'll kick it quick.

we have tomorrow off, so hopefully i'll be feeling a little better and can write more.

home visits

yesterday, we visited 5 homes, taking them rice, sugar, oil, and toothpaste. these were all houses of kids involved with yesuanaweza. we got to go into their one room mud houses. it goes without saying, but we take so much for granted. in some of the houses, there was one bed, but in others, none. they were dark, with no windows and a piece of wood or scrap metal for a door.

mom, one of the houses we went to was cecelia's. i got to meet her mom, mbika and her grandpa. he's a funny guy.we took pictures with them after we prayed together and he said when we show the photo in the states, everyone will ask "who is that young guy". mbika's prayer request was for a job. she does laundry jobs every once in awhile, but it's not steady work...not to mention, it's hard work and time consuming and only pays about 500 TSH/job which is less than 50 cents.

on thursday, i got to visit the little girl in the burn ward at the hospital again. i'd been thinking about her for a few days, and even though i visited the maternity ward that day, i needed to go check on her. she is the youngest of 4. her mom is a christian, so that was comforting to know that she's been praying too. she seemed a little more coherant and looked at me when i prayed for her. i felt a little more peace this time around, but please keep praying against infection, cause it's a filty mess in there.

today we are going to saturday school again, then to mohammed's for lunch. his wife asma is an amazing cook, so i'm excited to see what she makes. their son ibrahim is the most adorable little guy. he's 18 months and a total flirt. he's got the best little giggle. it's contagious.

well, i'm off to start my day.

disclaimer!

let me just say, i've been reading over my past posts, and holy crap...i should proof them before i publish them. it's so beyond my nature to post with spelling errors. i usually type as fast as i possibly can before i lose the connection and get it published. there...now you can forgive me and my obvious abuse of the english language.

so...we met the most amazing family tonight. i love them! shannon and carmen, our friends here from cali, are working with them on starting an orphanage out on the mountain....truly in the bush. it's about 4hrs. from moshi here. after talking to herbert, emily and sarah-their daughter-i'm so excited and dying to see it. they hope to bring the kids in within a month or so. i can't even tell you how completely comfortable i am with them after just meeting. they have such amazing hearts that are so apparently in line with what God wants to do. i'm almost positive that God brought them into my life as an encouragement and to open the door to get involved with them. when i come back africa, i'm nearly certain i will work with them.

tomorrow we have the nursery school and the hospital again. i'm already sort of dreading it, cause i know it will get to me. it's something i need to do though...and eventhough i know it's not right, i am fighting myself to not close off an make myself callous just to survive. my discomfort and pain is nothing compaired to what they are experiencing. please pray for strength.

we met up with mussa last night. he's a fun guy. he's 25, so right in our age group, and he's going to be taking us on safari next week. it'll be awesome.

we get to take pastor zachariah's car tomorrow. steve gets a driving lesson in the morning, and we're praying he doesn't kill us! ha! besides the fact that you are on the wrong side of the road and the car, it's a stick and you have to shift with your left hand. oh! and throw in the fact that the roads are absolutely insane and the drivers are 100 times crazier. should be an adventure to say the least!

health care?

not so much. yesterday we took porage to the hospital. i was offered a cup and in an effort to be gracious, i swallowed it as fast as i could. it's made of cornmeal, flour, water and a tiny bit of sugar, but you can't taste it. you know when you leave cornflakes in milk for about and hour? imagine that, but warm and just a bit thinker. riiiight.

anyway, their hospital consists of a few small buildings broken up into wards. lindsey , steve and i were all in seperate groups, which allowed us to see more of the hospital. i went to the childrens ward and the burn ward. it was heart wrenching. in many of the ward there are not enough beds, so people are doubled up in a bed or standing. while it's hard to see kids sick, the burn ward was what hit me hard. there were so many kids, and just a few adults. since most people cook outside in big pots on coal and fire wood, that is where most of the accidents occur. many kids get too close or run up to their mother's while they're cooking and end up with boiling porage or oil spilled on them. one little girl in particular that i prayed for has stuck with me. she couldn't have been more than 4 or 5, and had been there for 2 months. she had been left home alone, and when she got hungry, she tried to cook for herself. her dress caught fire and there was no one there to help her. she ran through the street until a man finally saw her and put the fire out. she was burned from head to toe. she layed in the bed, not making a sound, staring blankly. when i sat on the floor next to bed to pray for her, her eyes caught mine briefly. i felt so helpless. she layed under a small metal arch that held the blanket up from touching her.

at two months, we in the states, have a very good chance at recovery. here in africa, the outcome is uncertain until the day the last sore is healed because of the widespread opportunity for infection.

the culture is so different here. the kids are virtually left to raise themselves and their younger siblings. they learn very quickly to move out of the road when a car comes...just after barely starting to walk. they seem so forgotten. i was actually told that many families have 7 kids, knowing they'll probably loose a few to illness or injury. it's so common place, some seem to not even mourn the loss. on our way out to majengo where yesuanaweza center is, there is a coffin maker on the side of the road. everyday, we see them in the yard, building, sanding and staining coffins of all sizes. it's a booming business.

please pray that God will speak to the people of africa. it's time for a change, and it won't be a small one. the entire culture needs a drastic overhaul.

sabbath...and i don't mean black.

we took the day off today and it has been SO nice. we slept in just a bit, went to the coffee lounge, sat out in the sun and read. then we met with pastor zachariah over lunch to tell him our plans for the week. tomorrow we are going to help in the nursery school for a few hours, then take porage to the hospital. at the hospital here, not everyone has beds, and they don't feed the patients. the family is respondsible for feeding their own sick. the people who have to family or money don't get fed at all, which obviously doesn't help them heal. wednesday, it's just the nursery school and thurs. it's nursery school and hospital again. friday, we are going to do home visits to the widows and orphans and take them rice and other food. saturday, we will help out with the saturday school at yesuanaweza (God is able), the orphanage here. sunday is church. holy smokes!

oh! so the road here is REALLY rough and you have to weave in and out of vendors etc. to not get killed by the crazy drivers. they WILL NOT stop for you. i totally rolled my ankle today when we were out and riped up the front of my leg. it's all bruised and i have a huge knot on my shin. my ankle is totally fine, but i came away with a pretty sweet war wound!

we walked to shanty town today, which ironically is the beverly hills of moshi. it was so beautiful and peaceful out there...straight out of a movie. we actually ran into a guy on the street that we met on the plane. he is from the states and he came to climb kilimanjaro. it was fun to catch up with him and hear about his treck.

i feel like i'm finally starting to settle in and get over a bit of the culture shock, so that's nice. we're hoping to get things rolling next week as far as our safari goes. i'm getting more and more excited to go everyday. we've made lots of friends here from all over the place...a handful from the states, one from england and one from canada. it's been interesting to hear all their stories and what brought them here to tanzania. many are here to volunteer or are med students studying abroad .
every third person you meet on the street is going to open and orphange or center of some kind and wants your email address to no doubt ask for funding. it is evident to everyone here that a change needs to come about and while overwhelming, it is exciting to me to know that there is absolutely no shortage of areas to help. my biggest fear is returning home and being worlds away, feeling like i can't make a real difference.

God has been so faithful. i'd been feeling pretty discouraged the last few days, but i can feel your prayers. God has replaced my synicism with hope and joy and i feel like once again, i can take on the world. i know it sounds so cliche', but please understand me when i say that i truly can feel your prayers and they are working in me here in africa. please keep them coming. satan is not tired just yet, and i know he is busy planning his next attack.

still working on resizing the photos, so keep checking back.

funny story...

and by funny i mean i want to slit my wrist or kick a dog or something.

i finally got a few pics up, and what do you know...the actual part of the pic i wanted you to see is cut out cause it's too big and i don't have the time or patience to look for a program on this old computer to resize it. sooo...for now uh...sorry.

maybe tomorrow.

photos... finally!

cecelia and her brother. i finally got her to smile when i took a few pictures and showed them to her.

i'm sitting here waiting for my other pics to upload on photobucket, and let me just say it takes like ten thousand years to upload anything. photos may come slowly, but i promise i will get as many up as i can as often as i can.

so get this...steve got suckered into going to a crusade tonight, and lindsey and i "needed to rest" ha. you'll never guess who is here in moshi at this crusade....drum roll please...

the power team. yes that's right, the power team. those of you who grew up in church may remember the team of guys who would rip phone books and crush cinderblocks in the name of jesus... ::long pause:: riiiight. anyway, they are here and steve is basking in their glory.



this is the pit from my amazing avacado. note gnoman next to it to use as a scale to measure it's massive stature.

the end.

church

today we have our first african church service. from what i've heard, it get pretty wild...dancing, singing, the whole deal...oh and it's VERY long. we as the guest have to sit in the front of the church facing everyone. ha! sounds like no sleeping for me. : )

i think we are planning on taking the day off tomorrow, so i'll have more time to write in detail and HOPEFULLY throw some pics up. i can't wait for you all to see what i've been seeing. the kids, every one of them are so cute. it's not fair.

last day of vbs...wahooo!

don't get me wrong, these last few days have been amazing, but holy smokes...sooooo tiring.

the weather so far has been great. perfectly comfortable. today it's raining and other than the fact that we may not be able to play outside with the kids, thus making our day move much slower, i don't mind it. africa is beautiful. it's much like what you would picture. although i am hit everytime i go out by the poverty and devistation around me, i sort of crave it. it's real and raw. the people are by far the most welcoming people on the planet.

the major excitement of the morning was the fact that i bought an avacado on the street last night. let me just tell you, this in no regular avacado...in the states, it would cost about $10-15 considering it's size, but i paid only 500 shillings (approx. 50 cents). every morning, the hostel feed us breakfast for free. we have toast, hard boiled eggs, crepes, and oranges. i couldn't wait to wake up this morning to some avacado toast! and let me tell you...it didn't disappoint. oh, the little things in life.

photos are coming soon. we've downloaded them, but i'm running out of time right now, so i'll get them up today or tomorrow.

happy independence day!

this is going to be the lamest post ever, cause my mind is kind of mush, but i just wanted to check in and say "jambo".

hope you all are having a great 4th with your family and friends. things are well. here. we've met people from all over, and it's been incredible to hear their stories. last night shannon and carmen arrived (they're from so. cal and will be helping us out a little.) they are going to vbs with us today, so that'll be a lot of fun. we're hoping to get some pictures posted soon, so keep checking back.

i know my posts haven't been so informative, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask and i'll fill you in.

ciao.

ndiyo ndiyo.

we have our first day of vbs yesterday. holy crap were we tired. africa definitely runs on a different time table, that's for sure. the day was supposed to last from 9-2. needless to say, we ended up leaving at 4:30.

our day at camp looked a little somthing like this: when we arrived, the kids were singing songs. it sounded amazing! my heart literally jumped inside my chest. they sounded like a choir with harmony, clapping and a drum echoing from the rustic building that is home to many birds perched in the beams. after songs, steve spoke a little message (we're teaching the fruits of the spirit). getting used to have things translated was a little funny, but he did an awesome job. next we seperated the kids, older and younger. the older kids went with steve and they worked on english for awhile. when asked if they knew any words in english that they wanted him so spell so they could know what it looks like, one kids cleverly said "arnold schwartzenegger" ...don't judge me...i don't know how to spell it ok?! another word was "punctual"...oh the irony.

lindsey and i worked with the little kids. we did coloring and glueing crafts. the kids loved it. they did very well at writing their names on their papers. they were very eager to communicate with us in anyway possible.

next we played outside. there was game of soccer, jump rope, dancing...yeah...i took one for the team and joined in...and kids climbing all over us. at any given time, there were at least 3 kids feeling our arms, trying to understand why we're so white, no doubt and stroking our hair.

at one point, poor lindsey was being kicked and hit by a little girl while holding a sleeping baby. the kids are so starved for attention and touch and just to be hugged and held, it's overwhelming with just three of us and heart breaking. lindsey called over to me to help her get the girl to stop. i had a shining moment. you see it seems i'd confused yes (ndiyo) with no (hapana)in swahili. innocent mistake right? i kept telling her "yes" to which she delightedly continued going nuts on lindsey. it took a few kids and a teacher to get it all straightened out, but then things were fine. sorry lindsey. needless to say, lindsey and i reviewed terms in swahili when we got home. crazy mzungu, ha!

that about wraps it up for today. i've gotta run and get things ready for the day.

later.

we're here!

so after three LOOONG days of travel, we've finally arrived at umoja lutheran hostel in moshi, tanzania. life is most definitely different here. our hostel is great. we ended up with a communal living situation, our own bathroom, two bedrooms and a little living type area.

on our drive from the airport to moshi, we got to see alot of the area which was pretty neat. i can see already i will have no shortage of pictures to share when i get back. at one point, i was so overwhelmed by the fact that God's promise to me 12yrs. ago was finally coming to life that i got all teary, but was able to hold back...this time.

i have a pretty killer case of jetlag, which has been interesting, but other than that, things are going well thus far. i was awake at about 4:30am sharp, no thanks to the cock fight outside my window and the very loud muslims call to prayer.

we ventured out into town for a bit last night to exchange some of our US dollars to TZ shillings. the exchange right now is about $1 to $1130. not bad. we met a crazy amount of people out on the streets...mostly vendors trying to sell their hand painted art which coincidentally all looked the same. the people of moshi are very friendly and eager to talk to you and help. some of which i'm sure are just looking to cash in, but others genuinely friendly and curious.

today we meet with pastor zachariah to talk over our schedule for our time here, so i'll have a better idea of what is coming in the next few days.

we have internet here at the hostel, and while it's hit and miss on the connection, it looks like i may get to write more than i'd originally thought, so keep checking back! pray for wisdom for lindsey, steve and i as we talk with zachariah and decided which projects our money will help to fund.

till next time...

just hours away

i'm laying in bed recaping this last week in my mind. i had the best time i ever remember having. i loved every minute of my time with matt, showing him my city and showing him off to all my friends.


---> my hot manimal!




it's a pretty surreal feeling knowing that in just a few short hours, i'll head to the airport and my destiny will begin. i feel completely unworthy of the opportunity to go to africa. i've said it for the past 12 yrs. but i'm sure i will learn and be changed so much more than i will have to offer them. please keep steve, lindsey and i in your prays for wisdom, guidance and protection while there.

we spent the first few days in seattle working on these dolls that will be part of our kids camp. lindsey is pretty much a rockstar. she cut ouur and sewed 200 of these babies and we worked to turn them right side out and stuff them. thanks to matty and maryanne for all their help!





i arrive in moshi on the 30th, so i don't anticipate being able to post again until at least then...maybe a few days more depending on settling in and the layout of the town. i promise to write just as soon as i can though. and please, feel free to comment and keep in contact with me...a month is a long time to be away.

so the journey begins...

this weekend has been one of the best thus far in the 28yrs i've been around. i finished my job on friday, my boyfriend matt flew in from new jersey on saturday, we spent a few days in coeur d' alene with family and friends, then took off on our first mini-road trip to seattle.

i'm so looking forward to spending the week with the people i love the most here in seattle, not to mention shamelessly parading matt around for all to see. don't even worry about it.

regardless of the amazing amount of things i stuffed in bags and loaded into my car, i think i'm still in a little bit of denial that i'll be leaving for africa in just 5 days.

these are my friends that will be traveling with me...

this is stevo!

(sorry, dude. it seems to be the only picture i have of you...other than that one where you're sporting your lovely holiday teddy bear sweatshirt, of course.)




and the lovely lindsey!

(it seemed only right to stay true to form...)




we're selling these killer shirts to raise money for the HOPE project...

here i am!

i've finally put together a blog. how behind am i?! i've mainly started this page in an effort to keep you all up to date on my upcoming travels through tanzania, africa. but...who knows maybe i'll become an avid blogger and actually follow through when i return as well....riiiight.

i'm unsure at this point how often i'll have internet access while in moshi, but i'll visit here as often as possible to say "hi", let you know i'm still alive and walk you through my adventures in africa.

we are set to leave seattle on june 28th and return to the states on july 28th.

please please please feel free to comment. i'd love to hear from you!