April 10th from Mama . . .

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The rains have been falling with just enough sunshine . . . Baby Junior is asleep in my bed as I write this . . .  The children have just returned from playing football and are sweeping the walk and taking their clothes off the line and upstairs…

In Search of Solutions . . .

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For those of you who may not realize, we are in our fifth year at Tumaini.  Oddo and I teamed up in August of 2009 and began caring for our first 24 children.  Most of those initial intake children have now been with us for more of their lives…

Not a typical Tumaini morning . . .

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Oddo and I started our day with a meeting with a young mother who has two infant children, Aloise two, and Junior, my guess would be less than a year.  The District Agent sent them to us with a letter, asking us if there was something we could…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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It is New Year's Eve and I am here with most of our Tumaini family.  Some of our older Lutherans have gone to church and Lohai drove them. The children had a choice tonight to begin their new year’s celebration with a movie (Merlin) or dancing…

...and the countdown begins

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The days are numbered until our departure . . . just 16 days until Mary, Reward, Lohai and I return to Tumaini to, first, help our children prepare for their end of year exams and then, to enjoy a safe and healthy Christmas together with a house…

I leave in Four Days!

Antimalarials? $280.00-Spices for our cook? $44.00- 100 backpacks? Free-you donated them! Extra baggage fee I must pay to take Christmas to 100+ on the other side of the world? $640.00. The look on their faces when they see the love you've sent…

Term II Report Cards!!

Back under the net from Mama...

I am writing this from under my mosquito net at Tumaini . . . an uneventful safari (trip) back to the children.  We (Canadian volunteer Tyra Swyck-Blake travelled with me) had an overnight in Amsterdam after getting checked in in Toronto with…

Kwa heri (Goodbye) from Mama . . .

I am leaving today for six weeks with our children in Tanzania and am anxious to reunite with our Tumaini family although it is bittersweet when travelling to one part of my family entails me saying goodbye to the other. All of our primary…

A Message from Mama . . .

Happy Birthdays to Anna (Big) July 21st and Rashid (only) July 5th!  We love you!!    The children are for the most part, well.  Anna (Liadi’s sister and not little Anna) was fighting malaria AND typhoid but I understand is on the…