We had the priviledge of having Pastor Yohana Nzelu, the Headmaster of Mwadui Lutheran Secondary School in Tanzania, Africa visit with us over the weekend. He is the same pastor my husband met and spent time working with when he was in Africa this past May. What an incredible visit it was! Pastor was our special guest for our mission Sunday and he preached which was a real treat for us. He needed some coaxing from Hubs, though, because he was afraid his native accent would be too hard for us to understand. I'm so glad Pastor Nzelu agreed to it. Later that afternoon, he presented some information about the Lutheran school in Mwadui and its current needs. There are many! They live so simply over there, it makes my attempts at living simply look much too complicated and cluttered yet. But even with their simple lifestyle, they lack some of the basics. The school is a boarding school because many of the students come from up to 100 miles away. The public school system is lacking, to say the least, so when there is an opportunity for families to send their children to a private school they will do it.
So, the boys need a new dormitory. Right now, all of the boys (over 100) are divided into two classrooms. Their beds are lined up head to toe, and wall to wall. The school is in need of a new kitchen and a multipurpose room. The multi purpose room will be used as a dining hall, a chapel, and as a meeting place for various groups. Right now the children eat outside under the trees which is fine for half the year. But during the rainy season, it is not so comfortable. Chapel services, prayer services and the like are held in classrooms and hallways - where ever they might be able to fit the children. So a multipurpose room would be so beneficial! They are in need of fencing around the entire school. Some of the children are orphans and are in need of sponsorship. This is a need that really hit home with me. Hubs and I will be looking into this further, praying about it, and hopefully will be able to sponsor one of the orphaned children so that he/she can continue to receive an education, along with special love and letters from the United States.
By the grace of God, we were able to send Pastor home with a generous check from our congregation. He also received gifts from my in-laws' church in Tennessee. It was just so amazing to see God at work in these three congregations which, geographically, are so far apart from one another. It is such a blessing to know such generous people who are willing to help see the Lord's work is done. What a weekend!
