Habari

Habari!  "What's the news..?"  Last week's blog took a stroll out of office life, etc., so thought we'd do the same this week too

passing the inevitable roach or two...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and through lush garden

 

passing the neighbours car

We do miss the abundance of fruit on trees in our Dodoma garden (the mangos would be at an end but both lemons and avocado's would be ready...) A look up into the trees here shows us the jack fruits which are soon to be ripened

 

 

 

 

They taste like sticky bubble gum with a pineapple twist, not so easy to eat and not so appealing to look at, eh?!

 

Now back to mama Kambanga's account of the Kilimatindi safari's:

 

Chidudu has a lot of people and the increasing numbers of Christians are progressing well in learning the word of God. 

 

 The evangelistic team has purchased an old church that was used by the Roman Catholics for the Anglicans who were meeting under a tree.

 

 

 In November Mr Jez and Carina Simpson came to join us for the day as we shared the Gospel with the adults, children in a separate class and also the medical clinics offered.

 

 

 

 

 

 The Chidudu village elders spoke with Mr Jez and thanked him and MAF for transporting the evangelists and the medical team and to ask for the continued support from MAF.

“If the MAF flights stop there is a danger of many children dying from the lack of vaccination as well as the expectant women suffering from lack of relevant attention.”

 

 So it was with sadness that we learned our permission to fly has been suspended last month, tho then granted us an extension a few weeks later .. meanwhile this report arrived, from our Flight Operations Officer Emmanuel:

 

 

During our suspension we didn’t fly to the Kilimatinde safari. It was so hard to inform everyone in the village which we are flying to and the nearest villages who are also served in those clinics. Some people came from far to get the clinic and other services as normal and were very surprised when they were told ‘MAF are not coming, sorry come next month’.

 

The co-ordinator I work with is Mama Kambenga in Dodoma who told me about how the villagers received the news:

"Emma, I spoke with CHIDUDU, they are very sad because of the cancellation in January. When we announced the cancellation one of the pregnant mother didn’t get the news, she prepared herself for the Friday clinic. When she arrived at the clinic she was told the plane won’t be coming today. (picture the scene: searing heat, long walk-perhaps an hour or two, no shade, no rest/refreshment, further walk) When she was on her way home she felt the delivery pain, but the baby came out first with legs instead of head and NO one was there to help her, the mother died together with her baby.

The village elder said is hard to tell all the villagers and other villages about changes or cancellations so, maybe next time we should consider them and trying not to change the dates or even days. What I told them though it was hard, is to accept this for now and to understand how  things are sometimes changed from what we plan."

 

Moving on from village life, even further afield, we're pleased to show you a shot of our new Flight Training School......more pilots to reach isolated communities, down under in Meereba!

 

  

A stroll back to our house where a small pile of CHRISTMAS CARDS has just arrived and await us, they only took 2+ months to get here, better late than never eh!  Thank yououou!  Have a good weekend.  Gods blessings, our love, Jez and Carina xx