Connecting Hearts in Chalinze

Our September volunteers were invited to share an experience from their trip and today's post is from one volunteer named Barbara. 

Barb says, "I would like to share about a relationship that was formed.

On Friday, after we arrived, we got into a bus to go tour the Kulea offices, Church and the Kulea house. A gentleman sat next to me on the bus; his name was Yoeli. He said he was the Secretary of the Board for Kulea Tanzania. We continued on to tour the area.

The next day at the teacher training we handed out little bags of "goodies" for the women. They contained lotion, shampoo, costume jewelry and other 'girlie' items. One beautiful woman caught my eye as she applied lipstick from her goody bag. I commented on how pretty she was, gave her a smile and a thumbs up!

Sunday we worshiped with the congregation at Chalinze Baptist. We got to the church just in time: they were singing when we walked in and the church was full. They brought in plastic chairs for a few of us to sit in. The chair for me was placed right beside my beautiful friend!! I was already beginning to feel a kinship. 

After Church we led a women's ministry event. Pastor Cindy taught a lesson, we put on a skit, and later made some crafts together. It was an awesome day! During that time I had the opportunity to take some pictures of "my friend" and found out that she was 23 years old and has two children. 

We continued to see each other throughout the week as we spent time working with the preschool teachers and painting the outside of the Kulea home. She was one of the women that worked in the kitchen to prepare breakfast and lunch for the preschool children - always there working, with her baby and a smile on her face.

At the end of the week, when the time came to say goodbye to the Church, the women sang for us and presented us with gifts. It was a very emotional time for us! My friend presented me with my gift and I cried so hard I didn't know if I could stop! 

Then they gave us another gift - a dress worn by the Masai women. My friend presented it to me again and helped to drape it around me properly!

Then it was time to leave the church. We went outside and she took my hand and brought me back by the kitchen. There she presented me with ANOTHER gift!!! This one was in a brown paper bag. A man came up beside us and told me to wait until I got home to open it. This man, to my surprise was the same man I met on the bus ride into Chalinze the very first day, Yoeli, and as it turns out he is my friend's husband!! 

God works in awesome and mysterious ways! We both were crying now! She wiped my tears away with her hand. And we said goodbye until next time!

I am so in awe of how we could form that friendship even with the language barrier that was so apparent between us. God's love knows no bounds.

I thank Kulea for providing me the means to get there and experience it first hand. The trip, the people and the children will always hold a very special place in my heart. 

What an awesome opportunity it was. Thank you so much!!!

P.S. My gift in the brown bag was a beautiful wood necklace and earrings - I treasure it!! So unexpected and humbling to get gifts from the people of Chalinze. They are beautiful, big-hearted people!

Kulea Children in Tanzania (September 2013)

One of the best parts of traveling to Tanzania is hanging out with our Kulea Kids who live in the first Kulea home. We always take plenty of photos, read books and play games with them. Today's post is a gallery of pics of these precious children. It begins with a homework session at their kitchen table followed by some music lessons given by Pastor Dalmas Nzai. I know many people reading this blog are Kulea child sponsors, so I've put names with photos, so that you can find your child.  Enjoy!

Paul's math homework

Paulo (now is called Paul) working on Math

Mwajuma working on Chemistry

Amosi (now called Amos) working on Math

Rama's Geography paper

Salima (now called Salma) works on Math

Rama is working on Geography (like his seat?)

Paul is doing well on the guitar

Pastor Dalmas of Kenya teaching Amos (red shirt) and Paul (Patriots shirt) with Rama looking on (at keyboard)

                                   "You have put gladness in my heart!" Psalm 4:7

Amos

Pastor Dalmas with Paul

I'm holding Pastor Romy's niece and Habiba is next to me (she LOVES cameras - both taking photos and being photographed)

Debbie Kinnal with Rama (in Spiderman pink shirt) and Paul

   "They shall obtain joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Isaiah 51:11

Ashura Mtenda, our first Housemother, also has sponsors! Here she is with Kelly Lacourse.

Team member, Pastor Cindy is teaching Bananagrams to some very attentive kids! "Draw 7 tiles."

L to R Rama, Amos, Salma and Mwajuma begin Bananagram game

Eliza (always can be found with Ruth and Habiba)

Habiba - always so joyful!  It blows me away because she has experienced SO much loss in the past 2 years. Yet, here she is, an "orphan-no-more" in her new forever home! Only the grace of God can so powerfully and completely mend a heart like this!

Pastor Romy with his wife, Ashura, Naomi and baby Matthias (3 months old)

After church (wearing their choir shirts) Rama, Amos and Rajabu enjoy visiting with American team members

Kelly teaches Ruth some hand clapping games!

Gianna helps Matthias practice standing!

Rajabu -- love this kid!

Ruth Romy -- the oldest of Pastor Romy's 3 children. She loves doing everything with Eliza and Habiba. Ruth has a quiet grace about her.  Looks so much like her father!

"Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."
Psalm 126:5-6

In this season of Thanksgiving, we at Kulea Childcare Villages, together with each Kulea Sponsor, have much reason to rejoice because God saw the great need in each child's life and provided a way for their rescue. Only God could orchestrate all of this for their good. We count it a privilege to be a part of His wonderful plan and to see His joy written on each little face! 

                                                

'Visit Africa' team photos - SUNDAY in Chalinze!

It's hard to capture in a few minutes or even in a few hours, all that our Kulea volunteers experienced in Tanzania. I wish there was room to share with you their 2000 photos and tell the many stories. By blogging about a few days at a time, I hope you get a glimpse of what we were privileged to see and do in Tanzania. God is at work there, and we were blessed to be a small part of it. On Saturday afternoon team member, Gianna Nolin, and I had a sneak peak of Sunday worship by watching the choir rehearse.  Take a look --

Gianna watches choir rehearsal with baby Matthias.

Day 5 - Sunday in Chalinze, Tanzania

Reverend Cynthia Nickerson from Exeter United Methodist Church in New Hampshire was one of our team members as well as a new USA Kulea Board of Directors member.  Pastor Romy Mtenda invited her to preach on Sunday morning. 

Pastor Romy with Pastor Cindy

Pastor Cindy writes:

It was a humbling honor to be invited to bring the message of God's Word at the Chalinze Baptist Church.  As I looked out at those gathered, I saw the living testimony of Hebrews 11:1 - God's faithful regardless of circumstances, culture or length of time we have known each other.  I am tremendously grateful to Pastor Romy, his congregation and to Pastor Dalmas (translator).

I was a bit jealous of my team members who were sitting among the congregation with those smiling children on their laps! I loved having the babies and children on the mat to my left in the front of the church as I preached!!!

The afternoon Women's Retreat was such a blessing and I thought that as I shared scripture and words of encouragement with the women of all ages, I was receiving encouragement from them.  So lovely and so gracious they are!!!

Thanks be to God!!!

Pastor Cindy

Women gathered for afternoon retreat

Baby Musa, one of our sponsored children, with his grandmother

End of the retreat - a fun day!

The afternoon retreat included teaching from Pastor Cindy (Pastor Dalmas translated), small gifts presented to each woman by our team to remind them of how much God loves them, a funny skit about the day in the life of a mother, prayer time, and an opportunity to make two crafts.

Stay tuned as we look at the rest of the trip in future posts!  Blessings!