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Newsletter March 2019

We want to fill you in with some of the happenings in our lives over the last few months. There are tales of sickness, rejoicing, death, changes in lives and a furthering of God's kingdom that He is doing.

Oberti, the son of mzee Josefu (deceased) and Martha and brother of Teresia (Anne's friend) came home very seriously ill with stage 4 Bilharzia. He had a seriously swollen stomach and we took him to KCMC (the referral hospital 15 minutes walk from our home). His home is near to the church (35km from us). He was given 3 expensive injections and he improved and was sent home. After a few days he had a relapse and was sent back to KCMC, where he became unconsious. He was given 3 more of these injections, but he remained unconscious for 4 days. The nurses did not expect him to recover. However, he recovered and he put his life right with the Lord. The doctors recommended that he could be sent to Dar es Salaam for a further operation, but as the family have no money, this was out of the question. He was sent home, and he had an amazing testimony. He went home to be with Jesus and we had the funeral 2 weeks ago, which Abraham took. Since Oberti's passing, his older brother Onesimo and his family have come right through for the Lord, with big changes in Onesimo's life.

In the same ward as Bariki, Anne found another Maasai boy (Melubo) who had been savaged by a hippoptamus while herding goats. He comes from Loliondo, North of Serengeti, far away. He was taken to 2 hospitals before KCMC. Each one said the leg has to be amputated, but his father refused. After 2 and a half months in hospital, the leg is beginning to heal. His father has sold all his cows and one acre of land and the bills are still very large. He still needs to have a skin graft and all the metal pegs taken out but the doctors can only say it is God, so some weeks to go yet.

While Oberti was in KCMC a young Maasai boy, Bariki, fell out of a tree as he was being stung by bees. He broke both legs and one arm and smashed his teeth. Again, the family are very poor and a generous friend has paid for a lot of the expenses. His mother comes to the church. He is out of hospital but one leg is infected and is not quite right so he has to return to hospital.

While all this was going on another Maasai boy, Zakayo (an orphan, aged 19 who also comes to our church and is sponsored to a school in Arusha), 3 Sundays ago, became very sick and we took him to KCMC. He had very low blood levels and problems with his heart. He was given treatment and came out of hospital 2 Sundays ago (3rd March). He stayed with us that night mand he went back to school, feeling fine. The next day in the evening , he did not feel well and he died with his blood levels very low again. We buried him last Thursday (7th). He really loved the Lord and he had a very good testimony among all.

The passion fruit on the farm are not producing the volumes of fruit they should be doing. They have been heavily pruned and we should see a substantial change in 3 months.

Really there is far too much to write of all that the Lord is doing. We just want His name to be glorified. We are very grateful for all who pray for us and the people whose lives touch us and for the gifts we are sent. We are also grateful to the Lord for every breath we have and his superabounding love and enabling us to be Jesus to those around us.

Lots of love from Steve and Anne.