March!?!...

It's March!!  We've been here in Tanzania for a year now, we must be having fun as time has flown (no pun intended!!)  We continue to await the rains to cool our temperatures and dampen dust levels; we're particularly glad for the (shared) use of a washing machine now that we no longer have our lovely mama Ruth with us - oooh you'd be amazed how grimy everything gets.. and how quickly! Often before I take the items off the line grotty brown marks appear, simply from the amount of grunge in the air!

 

Anyway, how are you ... has spring peeped her head through the soil yet.... oooh daffodils, crocuses.... ah me!  I recall snow still falling on Jez's birthday in May whilst serving in Sweden... I guess there are no spring flowers there yet then!  Pole!! ("sorry").   Seasons seem to blend into one here, tho we are assured it will soon get "cold" .. yeah, right!

 

Without further ado mama Kambanga will continue to take us to another of the local villages which MAF regularly flies her to, not only dealing with the physical but also the spiritual needs of the people:

 

MPAPA

Recently an evangelistic team did a four day safari to Mpapa and a lot of great things happened there. For many years now Mpapa has been under the control of the powers of evil, and the community lived in fear.

 

Teachers, doctors, nurses, church leaders and even village elders were scared of working for fear of witchcraft and being bewitched. Lots of people died under mysterious circumstances. The pharmacist was greatly disturbed by knocking on the doors of which he could find no one. The village elders were scared of working in the local offices preferring to work outside. Every time they went into the office, they encountered disturbing and scaring noises. Church leaders would suddenly fall ill and on occasion die. Therefore, every leader assigned to go to Mpapa was scared of going and when they went they did not work.

 

 

 

 

The evangelistic team preached of the power in the Name of Jesus. Those who had the powers of darkness and witchcraft came to believe in Jesus and turned away from that work.  Haleluya, they found freedom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tools of their trade were given up, burnt and destroyed by fire. That was when the whole village became peaceful. The leaders and other workers worked in peace without being scared. They believed the name of Jesus is all powerful and could see the results.

 

 

 

 

 

The Good News really is good news to these villagers.... and many many like them, in an environment that is so superstitious and where the physical and the spiritual are closely linked.  This week in the BBC News Monday 3 March, an account regarding "lucky albiono" people!!

"Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete has vowed to end the killings of albinos, which he said had brought shame on the East African nation.

"I'm shocked and saddened at the sudden upsurge in these macabre killings," he is quoted as saying in a TV address.

Albino people, who lack pigment in their skin, have faced attacks for their body parts, which witchdoctors believe bring good luck and wealth.

The president said such beliefs were false and fuelled the "ongoing evil".

 

Witchdoctors banned:

The UN warned last year that attacks on albinos were on the rise ahead of elections later this year, with politicians turning to witchdoctors to improve their luck.

"It is a false belief that if someone has the body part of a person with albinism, this will bring success in business, fishing and mining activities. This is what has been fuelling this ongoing evil," Reuters news agency quoted President Kikwete as saying in his monthly national television address."

 

Much work to be done still in this nation.....and very probably where you live too, just more hidden!

So here are some more facts you might find interesting:

>  MAF flies around 20,000 nautical miles every day

>  MAF carries out 250 flights every day, more than 10 every hour

>  An MAF plane takes off or lands at least every 3 minutes

>  MAF flies 637 passengers and nearly 22,000kg freight daily (not including passenger

baggage allowances)

>  MAF does around 167 hours of flying per day

 

Meanwhile back in the office there's a mountain of paperwork to plough through and interviews to arrange/prepare for the new finance officer role.  We've also had requests for help/advice from our YWAM Scotland friends (1989-99) and also Sweden (2011-13!!)....but look what arrived today: a very thoughtful package with a sweeeeeet gift, gratefully received: A,L,L,lb :o)

 

We best crack on then, two planes to 'keep in the air' this week: Kirstein in the Dodoma region and Steve down south in the Mbeya district - we'll hear more from him next week!  Pilot Jarkko is busy 'training' in Nairobi, where Logistics Stewart has just returned from; Pirita's busy managing office 'stuff' and Emmanuel flight following!  I best nip back and get the washing in before it needs another rinse!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have electricity today so are sending this early, just in case ... :o)

Love and greetings

from Dick Dastardly and Mutley (you can decide who's who!) xx

.. "catch the pigeon, catch the pigeon" ...