Safina

We're getting ready to welcome Amanda Reeves, a lovely friend (whom we used to take to Crusaders each week with Oli and Asher, many years ago!), now grown into a beautiful woman of God, just completing her nurse training and who is arriving next weekend from the UK to stay with us for a couple of weeks, to volunteer with SAFINA STREET KIDS!

Meet Andrea, our next door neighbour on the compound here; she runs the Safina work, with a team of 8 local volunteers

Here are some photos of the area and precious children, many of whom have been sleeping on the streets, perhaps "working" on the rubbish tip, often with no parents or perhaps none that will/are able to offer them care, some with nowhere to call home - they are offered food, a bed and somewhere safe with "foster parents" whilst a more permanent solution is found.

A local "beauty spot"?

Makeshift home for some youngsters

Look at this precious little one, amidst all the rubbish, living there with others, some as young as 3 or 4 years old

They sort through rubbish in order to sell, hoping to make enough for a meal...what an existence!

What can't be scraped up and sold is burned, polluting the air with acrid smoke

Each week Andrea and Safina Street Kids team of volunteers go onto the dump to share the Good News

Many are happy to receive expressions of love and attention

They listen to Bible teaching and peoples' personal stories.. and pray to their Heavenly Father who knows and Loves them

What's talk without action:worthless - they need food! The New Testament says Faith without deeds is dead. Here's Andrea: regularly she and the volunteers go onto the streets, easily finding those who are hungry and invite them to eat

Andrea serves with AIM (African Inland Mission) ... sometimes donations are given to Safina for concrete or paint to brighten the bare floors and walls, for the foster home/orphanage or their school room, but money designated for food isn't forthcoming and there's no assistance from the Government whatsoever. If you'd like to help Andrea and her team to be able to give food to some of the 160 they're currently feeding and clothing then please drop me a line: c99oaj@gmail.com. Now we know what to do with all the bananas our many trees are laden with :o)

Sometimes the Police drop them off, other children have been invited in from the streets/dump for food, clothing and shelter






We're so pleased to be able to help and know Amanda will be an e.nor.mous blessing to them when she arrives next weekend. With such vast areas/distances and often dreadful roads in Tanzania we're combining the trip to collect her whilst helping re-locate south to Mbeya our final international MAF family from the compound here. Whilst in the area we're also taking the opportunity to meet with one of SIL/MAF's pilot's who works with Wycliffe Bible translators in that district, to see the amazing work they do down there. So we won't be here to blog next week. See you in August!

Staircase up to Jez's office, adjacent to the hanger, here on the compound

I was challenged this week by reading some words from Jackie Pullinger who has worked (since the year Jez was born) with drug addicts, prostitutes, gang members, etc., in Hong Kong and China and will close with this: ‘God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet. The trouble with so many of us is that we have hard hearts and soft feet.’

Over and out
Jez and Carina xx