Things I have learnt this week (Roxanne)

1. The children of Tanzania always wave eagerly when we drive by. They must know who we are and are very happy to see us!
2. MOST Tanzanians are very friendly and always wave as we go by.
3. It is not surprising why everyone needs to walk several miles for water. It is a quasi desert here - very dry. I have not seen a drop of water yet!
4. I have learned how paranoid I am of mosquitoes - 5 cans of OFF is 4 too many!
5. I learned to never complain about Saskatchewan roads.
6. I learned Tanzanians drink A LOT of pop.
7. I learned that if you are at a restaurant and they bring you warm tortilla bread with a bowl of red stuff, taste it first before shovelling it in - it may just burn your face off (just ask Katelyne!)
8. I learned that black coffee is actually quite good! It is grown, roasted and ground right here.
9. I learned that waving with your left hand is disrespectful.
10. I learned that eating eggs that have been sitting on a shelf won't actually kill you!
11. I learned that Tanzanians have NO rules: no seat belts, machetes are little kid toys, very small children play on the streets, scaffolding is made of sticks, everyone rides a bike, but very few have helmets. And the more people you can fit on a bike the better!
12. I learned that no matter how difficult their lives are here, they love to smile and seem very happy!
Until next time, take care and we will try to continue to blog when we can. Internet is very weak here. All in all, we are working hard and having a great time and learning a lot.

by Roxanne Richards

Windmill construction time!

Sorry for the delay in posting to the blog, the internet has been out of whack the last couple of days. We finally began the construction of our windmill. the village that we are at is called Nala. There are perhaps 500 children and 300 adults in the village. The children chased after our truck as we approached the well site. We began by digging four foundation holes, about one meter deep. Then we carried 50kg bags of cement and mixed it with a little sand and water we then filled the foundation holes with cement and rocks. We left for the night to give the cement a chance to set a bit.
We have decorated the fins for the windmill, with Canadian flags and wheat sheafs to represent Saskatchewan. If I may say so the maple leaves turned out especially well.
We are all alive and generally healthy, speaking for myself I tried a local hot sauce and it cleaned me out. We've had the odd scrape, bump, cut, or bruise.

People here are nuts about soccer and the One World Futbols are really popular.  The food is great. I particularly enjoy it, although I did travel with some picky eaters.

We've delivered several sacks of cornmeal and rice to orphanages and schools. These have been gratefully received. And the hospitality from the locals is inspiring. Christ is a central part of their lives.

I wish I knew Swahili better, you can pick up a bit from the tone and intention but it would be really nice to know more. Pray for us.
Mathew

Roxanne's message

Hello everyone! I can't seem to get on my blog,so I'm just using Vanessa's.  We have been here nearly a week and it's amazing how much we have done already. The compound where we are staying is wonderful. I have realized how resourceful Bro is. He does not waste a thing! Everything people donate to him, he will find a use for it, I learned that he has helped build over 700 wells/windmills in this area. In 2008 Bro decided to buy the factory to build the windmills himself, rather than sending everything to Italy. Since 2010 he has built 25 windmills from this compound.He provides water for 1.5 million people every day. This morning we sorted more clothes which will be given to orphanages and schools in need. Every day is an adventure. Katelyne, Kayla and Celine have found babies at the orphanage they want to adopt and I found a 14year old boy named Francisco, an amazing athlete who Dale Regel would love to meet!So I'll close by saying this is the most extraordinary experience I ever imagined. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to do this. It is bigger than anything I ever imagined.God bless and thanks for all your prayers, Roxanne Richards

Jambo! A mini update from the African PA Tribe

Jambo! Yesterday we enjoyed a tour of the compound and took turns in the Bro mobile (which is Brother Anthony's Golf Cart). We seem to be mingling with the folks here just fine. Vanessa and Roxanne helped do a bit of shovelling, tossing cement into buckets with the Cement workers cheering on. The buckets once half filled were then placed on the women's heads to be carried away... which is amazing as that would snap a canadian born and bred neck. The food here has been good! Deanna at the beach a few days ago enjoyed a delicious Chicken Tikka pizza and we all loved the some sort of lentil or chick pea masala dish that we enjoyed at Dar Es Salam compound. On the way back from the orphanage as I carried little two and a half year old Pando, the Sister that was escorting us attempted to teach me various words in Swahili but all I caught was Drizz (Banana), Karibou sana (welcome very much), Quahari(bye), I am certain that I did not spell any of those words right but it is what they sound like when you pronounce them or attempt to like me :) Starting a new day today had french toast with Nutella, no one is starving here although some of us have a hard time drinking the water as it has an acquired taste.

Mario

This little boy made my day. He lives at the Ursaline Sister Orphanage. His name is Mario. He is amoung the 50 children living there with Aids. They live here year round except for the two weeks out of the year where they are sent back to their families to restore their connection. I was overwhelmed with the amount of joy this child has. Every time the flash of a camera went off he would turn towards the light with a huge grin on his face. I am so thankful to have been able to contribute to this amazing place. I cannot wait to return and see my little boy again ❤️ 

Katelyne Bohman

The Compound and the Village of Joy

The CPPS compound we are staying at is quite large compared to the one in Dar es Saalam. Approximately 25 acres.  This includes Bro's and Fr. Tim's house, the guesthouse, two windmill wells, a garage, an office building, a workers building, the windmill factory where most of the parts to the windmill are made; two schools, one elementary, one a high school; a soccer field, a barn and a field for cows, a kennel, and a large garden. There is a chapel inside the guesthouse where mass is said at 6:30.
Yesterday we went to the Ursaline Sister Orphanage, The Village of Joy. We brought eight sacks of rice from the compound. Celine brought ball caps, Nina brought some Beenie Babies, Deanna and Jamie brought their One World Futbols, and I brought Saltwater Taffy. The Beenie Babies were handed out to the young ones who dragged them around for the rest of the day. The older kids immeadeatly began playing with the Futbols and we had a football match going in moments. A language barrier exists but soccer is the true universal language. After the game, and my goodness these kids had some moves, we had the opportunity to listen to the children make music. There was one boy, Francesco with a recorder, and the other childern played on drums. The drums looked as if they had been made out of old oil drums, but it didn't hurt the music. Then they sang songs the sisters had taught them in English including one of my personal favourites; If you're Happy and you Know It. Afterwards they busted a few moves to the rhythm of a drum and then we shared a snack. I had a chance to talk to some of the children who were learning English and I answered there questions about Canada and snow. Lots to see, lots to do.

Our day at the Village of Joy Ursaline Sisters Orphange