Getting a little help unpacking the goodies....
Look at the pencils we have received.... can we write with them yet?
Explaining the sharpeners are to sharpen all the pencils they've received...
the remaining chalkboards...
showing Jackson's letter...one of the donors.... to the teacher
.. children waiting patiently and shyly to see all their new resources!
teachers are just as happy as the children to receive these great resources...
Today we delivered resources from generous hearted people from all over the world. The story of the little preschool in Loiborsoit who despite their pitiful resources continued to operate and educate children from the surrounding area touched the hearts of many. God's generosity was expressed through them to these 40 children. Parcels arrived from the US, from Canada, from Australia, from parents and children alike.
Today, only 26 students were present out of the 40 who attend. They were shy but remembered our former visit where we had visited their school. This school is a worthy recipient of help because of the initiatives they are already taking and the sacrifice of the team of teachers who are underpaid or even unpaid and full of compassion.
We arrived at 9;30 am and we greeted the head teacher and showed her all the wonderful resources we had carefully sorted and organized into plastic containers and labeled. She was very excited and kept saying "What is this? ....wait, ... I think I know.... you do this, right? She loved everything and was explaining that she would keep some back to last longer...
We then had the children come in and we handed the gifts over to the teachers and pre-school committee (not sure how long they have been formed- possibly just today??) With each gift the teacher would ask if the children knew what it was.... many times they were unsure. They did not know what a bottle of glue was... some thought it could be fat for cooking. The toys they received were also secretly being examined with delight by the teachers and committee members. They quietly asked about the soft toy bear.... is this a lion or a dog? I realized... okay ... so they don't have bears here, but they loved them anyway.
After the handing over of all the crayons, chalk, paper, etc. etc. and a song from the children they were dismissed to go and eat their porridge for the morning. We were escorted to a nearby house for coffee and bread with margarine. The head of the committee and chairman (not sure what the difference is) sat and gave us formal speeches of thanks. They thanked God for us and also told us that they knew we loved them because of our willingness to drive on their road when it was so bad. We told them that we would pass on their thanks to the donors.
Next we were escorted to the college for trades and skills. It has a few things it is teaching: mechanics, carpentry and dressmaking with a bit of Bible thrown in.
The carpenter expert and mechanic teacher are very talented and this college is run for masai by masai. They have suffered a blow because of the recent drought with many of their students not even able to supply their food allowance. Attendance is down but they are confident they will recover.
Here at the college, we were also given bananas and sodas in the office where official greetings and introductions were given. We then proceeded to visit the pastor's wife who was 2 weeks overdue for the delivery of her baby, according to her doctors predictions. She also served us coffee and peanuts to thank us for coming to visit. On the way to her house we were asked to call by the local pastor's house to greet him. He asked us to join him for chai and when we explained our schedule he quickly ran into the house to bring out bottles of soda for us to have as we drove as a gesture of greeting and to welcome us to Terat. Time with Mama Ezra was sweet and after praying for the imminent delivery of her baby we headed back to the preschool. Along the way, Zebra, Wildebeest and Thompsons gazelle grazed nearby
On return to the preschool we were greeted with an announcement: "The food is ready!" We were desperately trying to leave before the rain came and the heavens were dark and heavy with impending rain. ... but to refuse... it may be better to be stuck in the mud..
So we went inside to eat lunch with our dear pre-school committee. A feast had been prepared to thank us. Rice, spagetti, beans, chicken and potatoes, mango, avocado, banana and oranges were all piled onto our plates. Mmmm the chicken was tender, the beans delicious and the rice and spagetti cooked perfectly. Mangos and avocado, bananas and oranges finished off the meal. Filtered water was served and then after the food we were presented with gifts. David was given a masai cross to hang around his neck and I was given a pair of masai earrings.
We left, fully blessed and thanked and amazed at the hospitality in rural Tanzania. Our drive home was somewhat slippery as the heavens opened and the rains fell.
We arrived home tired but happy after delivering the generosity of God's people on one side of the world to His grateful people on the other side of the world... Truly, God smiled on Loiborsoit preschool today... those kids will be drawing up a storm very soon.
Zebras by the roadside..
The road to Terat
Look at the pencils we have received.... can we write with them yet?
Explaining the sharpeners are to sharpen all the pencils they've received...
the remaining chalkboards...
showing Jackson's letter...one of the donors.... to the teacher
.. children waiting patiently and shyly to see all their new resources!
teachers are just as happy as the children to receive these great resources...
Today we delivered resources from generous hearted people from all over the world. The story of the little preschool in Loiborsoit who despite their pitiful resources continued to operate and educate children from the surrounding area touched the hearts of many. God's generosity was expressed through them to these 40 children. Parcels arrived from the US, from Canada, from Australia, from parents and children alike.
Today, only 26 students were present out of the 40 who attend. They were shy but remembered our former visit where we had visited their school. This school is a worthy recipient of help because of the initiatives they are already taking and the sacrifice of the team of teachers who are underpaid or even unpaid and full of compassion.
We arrived at 9;30 am and we greeted the head teacher and showed her all the wonderful resources we had carefully sorted and organized into plastic containers and labeled. She was very excited and kept saying "What is this? ....wait, ... I think I know.... you do this, right? She loved everything and was explaining that she would keep some back to last longer...
We then had the children come in and we handed the gifts over to the teachers and pre-school committee (not sure how long they have been formed- possibly just today??) With each gift the teacher would ask if the children knew what it was.... many times they were unsure. They did not know what a bottle of glue was... some thought it could be fat for cooking. The toys they received were also secretly being examined with delight by the teachers and committee members. They quietly asked about the soft toy bear.... is this a lion or a dog? I realized... okay ... so they don't have bears here, but they loved them anyway.
After the handing over of all the crayons, chalk, paper, etc. etc. and a song from the children they were dismissed to go and eat their porridge for the morning. We were escorted to a nearby house for coffee and bread with margarine. The head of the committee and chairman (not sure what the difference is) sat and gave us formal speeches of thanks. They thanked God for us and also told us that they knew we loved them because of our willingness to drive on their road when it was so bad. We told them that we would pass on their thanks to the donors.
Next we were escorted to the college for trades and skills. It has a few things it is teaching: mechanics, carpentry and dressmaking with a bit of Bible thrown in.
The carpenter expert and mechanic teacher are very talented and this college is run for masai by masai. They have suffered a blow because of the recent drought with many of their students not even able to supply their food allowance. Attendance is down but they are confident they will recover.
Here at the college, we were also given bananas and sodas in the office where official greetings and introductions were given. We then proceeded to visit the pastor's wife who was 2 weeks overdue for the delivery of her baby, according to her doctors predictions. She also served us coffee and peanuts to thank us for coming to visit. On the way to her house we were asked to call by the local pastor's house to greet him. He asked us to join him for chai and when we explained our schedule he quickly ran into the house to bring out bottles of soda for us to have as we drove as a gesture of greeting and to welcome us to Terat. Time with Mama Ezra was sweet and after praying for the imminent delivery of her baby we headed back to the preschool. Along the way, Zebra, Wildebeest and Thompsons gazelle grazed nearby
On return to the preschool we were greeted with an announcement: "The food is ready!" We were desperately trying to leave before the rain came and the heavens were dark and heavy with impending rain. ... but to refuse... it may be better to be stuck in the mud..
So we went inside to eat lunch with our dear pre-school committee. A feast had been prepared to thank us. Rice, spagetti, beans, chicken and potatoes, mango, avocado, banana and oranges were all piled onto our plates. Mmmm the chicken was tender, the beans delicious and the rice and spagetti cooked perfectly. Mangos and avocado, bananas and oranges finished off the meal. Filtered water was served and then after the food we were presented with gifts. David was given a masai cross to hang around his neck and I was given a pair of masai earrings.
We left, fully blessed and thanked and amazed at the hospitality in rural Tanzania. Our drive home was somewhat slippery as the heavens opened and the rains fell.
We arrived home tired but happy after delivering the generosity of God's people on one side of the world to His grateful people on the other side of the world... Truly, God smiled on Loiborsoit preschool today... those kids will be drawing up a storm very soon.
Zebras by the roadside..
The road to Terat
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