The Legend of Pancho Villa

This is Pancho Villa, one of our Rhodesian Ridgebacks. He came to live with us about a year ago (October 2010)and is a full brother to Hector. When he arrived, he contracted Parvo and came very close to death. Two friends who were visiting at the time, laid hands and prayed over him. He recovered completely and has become quite a character.

Because one of Pancho's older brothers had an aggression disorder, his overzealous behavior gave us cause for concern, so we determined it was probably best to neuter him. Ed assumed the procedure was much like that of cattle and pigs, but was told by a veterinarian friend that was definitely NOT the way to do dogs.

So, she invited us to sit in on a couple of procedures at her clinic in Arusha. She showed us exactly how it was done, gave us both a little hands on experience. Snip, snip, cut, tie, stitch....very little blood....seemed simple enough. When we finished, Dr. Lieve sent us on our way back to to Dodoma with surgical supplies, sedatives, and post-op medication. Everything we needed.

By now, Pancho is 10 months and weighs about 80 pounds.
Thank goodness there are no pictures to post from the operation.
With Pancho sedated and asleep and our trusty guard, Amos standing by, our veranda became a surgical theater......and as the procedure progressed resembled those you see on television shows like ER or Grey's Anatomy. You would have heard the following conversation.

Me: Looks good..(as I am tying off an artery).....(pause)
Oh, Ed, that's a lot of blood....(pause)
Where's all the blood coming from?......(Ed still hasn't said a word)
This isn't good, Ed.
Ed....something's wrong.....(by now,the blood is squirting out and is now all over me, Amos, and Ed.

Amos: Babu (Ed) this is very bad......(Ed is still silent and working)

Me: (Panicking)...Ed, we need to call someone.

Ed: (Rather brusquely) Debra, this is Tanzania.....there is no one to call. Tie off the vein again.

Our poor little Pancho.....and there was nothing to do but stitch him up and wait. Amos was pacing around the veranda, shaking his head and saying "Babu, this is very bad". By now our houselady, Emme, has joined us and is wringing her hands. Pancho is resting and, thankfully, breathing. Emme and I lay hands on him and pray for healing. I went a step further and put on a CD with healing scriptures being read in both ENGLISH and HEBREW. Emme and I sat and waited for about 3 hours with the scriptures being spoken over him. It wasn't long before he began to stir and, understandably, he was a bit shaky. By the following day he was moving around and eating well. Ten days later we removed his stitches and he's been great since.

His bark and growl are still not quite as low as his brother, Hector, though.

This is Pancho today.

Psalm 36:6 (NLT) You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.

...and we pause for a commercial break

We loved hosting the team from Victory Life and, upon their departure, were blessed to be invited to stay at a new beach resort, owned by friends.
The best part is that it was "free of charge".

So here's a picture you won't often see....
ED on the beach

And then there's ME on the beach....

And US on the beach....

NOTE TO SELF....

Don't send Ed to the paint store..............unattended.

Proclaimer--Faith Comes by Hearing

Before we left the states in January, Barry Cowart, from Muleshoe, contacted us and said he wanted us to take a look at something and see if it is something we wanted to bring back to Tanzania. It was a Proclaimer, developed by Faith Comes By Hearing(http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/) , an MP3 player loaded only with the New Testament...........in Kiswahili. It is a dramatized version and not just reading and can be charged by electricity, a solar panel, or by winding it up. Well, of course, we thought it would be a great tool, but the hardest part was deciding where to place the 3 units.

The first unit, we gave to the Safina Street Network, which ministers to street children. They place it in their eating area and play it while the kids are eating their daily meal.


Earlier last year, we had the privilege of replacing a pump at the Buigiri Blind Rehabilitation Center for Adults. The pastor gathered everyone together, with Unit #2 in hand, and they listened, spellbound, to the Proclaimer, amazed at "the talking Book".

Unit #3 is multi-purpose. We have placed it in the work area and turned it on while working on pump repairs. Our houselady, Emmi, excitedly turns it on each day (and I might say loudly) for the listening pleasure of herself and the watchman, thrilled that our home is being filled with the Word of God. She takes it to her home on the weekends and said the radios blaring in the surrounding homes are silenced as everyone near can hear the Word PROCLAIMED.

Thank you Barry Cowart for connecting us with "Faith Comes by Hearing"

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17 NKJV)

EASTER--Resurrected !!!!

Yes, I am a little delayed on my posts, so I wanted to go back to Easter and share what a great time we had celebrating.
Of course, we all went to church, but then the Americans, here in Dodoma, all decided to get togethter for an old fashioned "pot-luck" dinner.
We enjoy sharing meals with one another, and it's usually something simple, like beans and rice, or beans and rice, or beans and rice. Oh, and beans and rice..............we love beans and rice.
This time we went all out and made all kinds of special stuff: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, jello with bananas (just like my grandmother's), mac & cheese...it was a feast.
There were 22 of us in all.
What a blessing each and everyone of these precious friends are to us here in Dodoma.


We just installed mosquito netting on the back veranda, so the tables and chairs were lined up and we served away.

"They worshipped together;....met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity---all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people." (Acts 2:46-47 NLT)

Mbuzi to Mpunguzi

That is Nexan on the far right in the photo below. She is an amazing woman and wears many hats. She supports her husband and his work with the street children of Dodoma. Their home is now home to 6 street children in addition to their own 4. In her spare time, she has a ministry to widows, helping them find ways to generate income and encouraging them with ideas.
Several months ago, when we were being given goats in appreciation for working on water pumps, Ed suggested to Nexan that a goat project might be a good money making venture for some of her ladies and he just happened to have a goat to get them started.
Naturally, the women had concerns about feeding the goat and fears someone would steal it. Ed suggested they take the goat, keep it for a few months, and see how things worked out.
You can barely see Goat #1 in the lower portion of this picture.

Flash forward 6 months. The "seed" goat has not been stolen. She is being fed. Nexan receives word the women are ready for a male goat to start producing.
She locates one at a good price in Ihuma. We leave at 8:00 this morning and drive 15 kilometers to "collect" the goat.
Yes, that's the goat in the back of our Landrover.
This very special "mbuzi" is going to Mpunguzi, about an hour's drive from where we are. So, we headed out.

It was hot and the goat had a "nervous stomach"...........enough said. I declined taking photos of that.

The happy ending is that several ambitious widows in Mpunguzi are now in the "goat business".

HALE of a Trip-TIA

TIA means "THIS IS AFRICA" and is usually spoken as a final expression when things just don't go as you expected them to. It's not usually a big surprise when there is a "shida" (problem)...just TIA.

As we made our way to Dodoma there were TIA's at many turns:
* drove 6 hours over dirt roads to get to Dodoma
* the steering went out on the Landrover
* there was dirt in my camera and it ceased to work
* the power was out at the house when we arrived after driving 6 hours on rough, dirt roads
* Sunday, we had to tow a car load of Tanzanians in a broken down car to church and then back to Dodoma (about 15 kilometers each way)
* We were invited for a fish dinner at friends on Sunday. I assumed it was evening....it was lunch. We had lunch at the Tanzanian church and rushed down the mountain (towing a car with Tanzanians) to eat fish with the Sprinkels, after receiving a call asking where we were.
* Monday had to hire a car and driver to take Jerry and Charles to see water projects
* Tuesday had to hire another car and driver to take Jerry and Charles to Dar es Salaam to catch their plane.

I think Jerry and Charles have pictures from those days..........I don't........I have a "shida" with my camera.............

Today........the Landrover is fixed and we can now steer with confidence. I am packing to go back to the States on Monday and my clothes look horrible from many days of hanging on a clothesline with blowing red dirt and a merciless sun............TIA.

Fine Dining--At It's Best

When we are working in villages, there is often not many choices of places to grab a bite to eat. Personally, I would be happier if we just carried a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter, but Ed likes the diversity of the places we have tried. The menu however, rarely varies. Sometimes you have to find a "mama" to cook for you.

We like dining "on the patio"..........

But if there is no patio available......

And then there is "fast food".............

They cook it while you wait............and you can eat it on the go.

Gratefully, neither of us has been sick.........................I still prefer peanut butter.

Built Ford Tough

Yes, that is a Ford F-250........in Tanzania. Actually the Tanzanian military purchased 14 of these trucks, which were built and customized in Brazil. They only took 12 of the fleet and our friend, Lance Whyle, found this one on a car lot. He had it "outfitted" to accommodate hauling pipes, pumps, tools, and all the stuff associated with the water work. The sad thing is there are no Ford parts in Tanzania. Occasionally, we have been able to secure parts from Kenya or South Africa, but for the most part, Lance has to bring parts when he comes to Tanzania. This includes parts needed for routine maintenance. I keep wondering what the Tanzanian military is doing for parts????????
With Lance's coming and going, he leaves the truck with us, so we can continue the water work in his absence.

If you look closely, you can see that the truck is further customized with a "Don't Mess With Texas" bumper sticker.

Tanzanians are fascinated with this monster truck and often have made the comment...."Oh yes, I hear that Texans like 'big cars'." (If they only knew....)

The bottom line is that this truck is "built FORD tough".
It has traveled roads which were nothing more than a path into remote villages, bringing life giving water to hundreds of people.
And it has carried nearly 2,000 Bibles, bringing the Word of God to those same people.

An All Nighter

I wrote about these kids in May in "Come as Children". These are the 4 Sprinkel children and their friend Amelia. Their family has been such a blessing to us since we came to Dodoma. There is not a lot to do for kids in Dodoma. They have climbed every mountain and hiked countless trails. They are dedicated in their ministry in the village of Ntuyka where they play sports and participate in a weekly Bible study in a local school.
I had been promising we would have a sleep over and all night movies some night. The Webb's (the people in whose home we live) have an amazing DVD collection so the Sprinkel's were anxious to watch a few. With Ed traveling the past 2 week, we set the date and told their parents to plan a night out.
We made popcorn, then each made our own individual pizzas, baked cookies.............and ate cookie dough while the cookies were baking.
I went to bed around 2:00 a.m. and when I got up at 6:30 they were still going strong. Their mom cooked breakfast for us at their house and they were fast asleep before we finished our 2nd cup of coffee.
It was great having these kids around.

Little Boys and Their Toys

As we have been out in the villages, kids come from all around to see what is going on as we are working at a well site. Some are just out playing with their toys and "drop by". There are no Gameboys, MP3 players, action figures, or even the old fashioned six-shooters.

The toys we have seen are hand-crafted, using items which we would have discarded in the trash.
This little boy's car was made from an old bottle with water bottle lids as wheels.

A ring from the top of a damaged plastic water bucket and stick is great fun. There is fierce competiton when several get together for a race.

This little guy had a sling shot and actually could shoot a pebble with some accuracy. He couldn't have been more than 3 years old.

It's easy to role play as a driver with a stick and lid from a plastic container. We have even seen something round attached to the top of the sticks that resembles a steering wheel.

Imagination is a wonderful thing.

Dagaa

This is dagaa. And this is not just any dagaa. This is from Lake Tanganyika, in Kigoma, where only the best dagaa can be found.
If you can't tell from the picture, it is small, dried fish, which could be compared to sardines.
This particular bag of dagaa was given to us as a gift from our friend, Willie, whose mother sent it by train from Kigoma.
Although this special variety is not available in our area, lesser quality dagaa can be found in the the market, in large baskets, where the aroma is easily detected. It is served with tomatoes and onions.....or chopped in ugali (Play-Doh-like substance made from corn flour).
We buy dagaa and mix it with ugali and it makes a healthy dog food, in the absence of Purina Dog Chow.
Although Ed has tried it and says it's not bad, I have been able to avoid it.
The day will come.......................................

Animal House

Our water work took us all over the Dodoma area the past 2 weeks. Just as soon as one pump was installed or repaired, we went to another, working all day long Monday-Saturday. What a blessing though to see these people so happy to get their water. In return, we have been blessed with to be a part of their celebrations as they offer traditional music and dancing and always a gift of some kind.....a Maasai shuka for Ed, fabric for me, a bag of bell peppers.....and a few........(ahem) animals.
Three goats, 2 roosters, and 1 hen.
The first chicken we gave to our guard and house lady, thinking they would cut it in half and put in their pots. They decided to take it to one their homes and start a little chicken business.......and low and behold, we had a rooster to add to their chicken business the next day. And then another rooster......which Ed processed and put into our freezer.
And the goats?.........
GOAT #1 was pregnant, so we took it to the street children ministry, thinking they would enjoy taking care of it.......sure enough, they are thrilled and it is cohabitating peacefully with their dog.
GOAT #2 is in the freezer with the rooster..........and we are having some for dinner tonight.
GOAT #3 served as a "seed" for some widows in Mpunguzi to start raising goats. We are anticipating future goats will be added to their collection

Ed, his "shuka" and Goat #2

Me and chicken #2

And the rooster that crowed at all hours of the day and night..........and ended up in the freezer.

Bubble Trouble

When working on water projects, sometimes there are so many people around to help, there is nothing for me to do, but take pictures. There are always children there to see what is going on, so I try and interact with them. Having a bunch of bubble gum did a great job to break the ice with this bunch of kids in the village of N'ghon'hona. My bubble blowing abilities generated lots of laughs, especially when one really big bubble popped on my face. That is not broken veins on my check in the picture........it is bubble gum.

My first reaction was to use the bubble gum and dab it around on my face and get it off........but considering all the hands I had shaken earlier, this simply was not an option..........so it stayed.

I just could not communicate to these precious children the art of blowing a bubble. One little girl caught on to the "stretchiness" of the gum and before we knew it everyone had their gum stretching it as far as it would go.
I can still hear Mama scolding me for doing this.

This brought back so many fun memories of blowing bubbles, popping them, getting the gum out of my hair, off my face, and going to sleep with it in my mouth only to find it my hair the next morning.

Here's Yer Sign - #6

Most "hair salons" in Tanzania are decorated with lavish paintings of people with all kinds of "looks". I've seen depictions of large women and men, elderly people, children, and always tough looking guys. Frequently the sign will read "saloon" rather than "salon".

This particular building caught my eye recently, in the village of Ihumwa, near Dodoma.

Take a closer look at the guy on the right......I'm not sure if the spot on his lip was painted there intentionally, or if it's a chip in the paint.......maybe it's a "fly on the wall"........or a fly on his lip.

Do you think he'll get it?????

Yes, Even in Tanzania

Tanzanians love Barack Obama. His pictures are everywhere.

This is a huge "18-wheeler" dripping with patriotism.

Sign painters are even advertising they can paint Pres. Obama's picture for you.