Grace, Strength and the whisper from God.

Next week at this time, we will be somewhere over Egypt en route to Tanzania. We know that our entire trip will be led by Christ who strengthens us. This trip already feels much different than the other 5 that we have been on. We know that there is so much more ahead of us to bring hope to those that live without.

God has groomed us during the last several years, he has shown us little by little or (kidogo kidogo hujaza kibaba) little by little it will arrive that these mission travels to Tanzania are not about us as individuals. Our hearts have been opened to serve....the poorest of the poor. We know that millions await a whisper of hope...maybe it is through me individually, maybe it is through our director Charles Mpanda, maybe it is through our NGO in Tanzania Simple Hope East Africa, maybe it is through all of our hands and feet.

The one thing we are sure of is we get our on knees to pray, Thanking God for putting the spirit in us to serve. Is this easy??? The answer is no,,,but that answer is also the right answer. We know that we lead our work through our hearts and nothing else!

Pray for our mission trip to be led by the spirit. Please pray that we can be the hands and feet of Christ, to bring love, hope, comfort and peace to all those we will see and serve.

Blessings and peace ~

Vitamins, Toothbrushes, Floss Needed!

As you have read by my posts, Tanzania is suffering! We are waiting patiently for our food to arrive on the container and it should arrive when we are there! Needless to say, people and situations are very desperate now and we will have to be careful in transporting and distributing the Simple Hope Food.

We know that vitamins are a precious gift. We are collecting donations of "chewable" children and adult vitamins. We will take these with us and give to those that are in desperate need of some nutrition. We would also like to take toothbrushes and floss with us. GENERICS are just fine.

If you feel called to help us in the next 2 weeks, please email me: simplehope1@gmail.com. You can send them to me at PO BOX 4 Menomonee Falls, WI 53052 or if you are in the area, I will come and collect them from you.

Your kindness will truly make a difference.

Blessings and peace ~

Responding to a call!

Last week we received word from Tanzania, that famine was rearing its ugly head! Due to lack of rains, the crops that were planted in the beginning of the growing season never germinated and weeds quickly took over leaving nothing to harvest. When your life depends on what you grow, this is a horrible situation. I will not even begin to describe what it must be like for families whose reality is waking up and looking at the dry fields.

After we received this email from the Bishop of the Meru diocese in Tanzania, we put our heads together and thought about food that we packaged here, shipped to Tanzania and had in storage! We had 50 boxes or 10,800 meals we could send to our sister village on the slopes of Mt. Meru. I called Charles, asked him to coordinate a "relief effort" and get some of our nutritious food to Pastor Nnko and his villages.

The food was delivered today! These meals will end up in the bellies of those that thought they would not make it another day.

My heart is truly happy (at least for today) that we were able to act so quick....with the help of our Country Director Charles Mpanda! He put everything aside to help the "least of the least"

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Thank you everyone for helping to pack this life saving food! YOU truly saved a life today.

Blessings and peace~

Quite the delay!!

The summer has really gotten away from me. I have to say, things are more than busy now for me, Simple Hope and the book! I am happy though and Thank God everyday for all the blessings.

In just a few weeks, I will be on my way (with Karen) to Tanzania. We are excited, nervous and full of much work ahead of us. NOBODY said that being a full time missionary was going to be easy and we knew that. There are no job descriptions for us, nobody has done what we are doing so we have to take each new day as it comes and know that we are being used as God's Hands and Feet to help those that suffer. Suffering...is happening all over our world. Famine is very much a part of life in Tanzania as well as Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda and the list goes on and on. Our focus will always be Tanzania. Our wonderful director Charles Mpanda is in touch with us on a daily basis letting us know that the country in particular the northern region where we are doing our projects is struggling with crop failure. The seeds that were planted in the beginning of the season never germinated because the rains never came. The rains that help fill up the water basins to create hydro electric power are not filled hence no electricity. The food that is in the country has risen in price so much that nobody can afford it. WHAT NOW??

My answer forever and ever is to HELP! We cannot delay. Imagine waiting for someone to think about donating $25.00 (yes your hard earned money) to help purchase and send a box full of nutrition that would ease the pains in your stomach! Imagine, waiting for someone to finish their big fat juicy steak that came off the grill with a side of potato and salad with a wonderful cherry cobbler for desert to decide if the extra money in their pocket is worth giving to help feed the starving people who have NOTHING! They didn't choose this life! They didn't wake up and say "gosh I hope don't have food for a few weeks"

We cannot delay. I am leaving in a few weeks to meet the food that so many wonderful volunteers helped pack! We will hand deliver to these mama's whose children are hungry! Our dedication does not end after we are done delivering...it will continue! Hunger never ends and neither does our love for our brothers and sisters in Tanzania. THEY NEED US!!! THEY NEED US MORE THAN EVER NOW!!

Help us at any one of our food packathons!! Set up your own packathon...Do something...Please don't delay!

Blessings and peace ~