Dear Friends and family: April 4^th -13th 

This is an update from Kibidula, Tanzania. Friday April 4th the missionary students had a birth-day gathering for the grade school teacher who is from Norway. Hannah really enjoyed the few children who were there. Dad enjoyed all the sweet stuff, and I just enjoyed the faces. We left so we could put things away at the house. We had our Swiss neighbors over for lunch. I had cabbage cooked in oil, salad, and potatoes with egg. It is different cooking without seasonings. A little oil and a lot of salt. We will try not to get too much salt. Brent went to church in the evening and the little one and I stayed home. I got something with MSG in it. IT was NOT fun. Hannah has been coughing for a while now. The lady from Switzerland said, the colds here are strong. They can last up to 2 months. Please pray it doesn’t have to last that long. There is a young girl the age of 18 who comes to prepare the dog food. They start like a camp fire on the dirt and put the water on to boil. The smoke is so strong it makes your eyes burn. How she could sit in all that smoke is beyond me. Just for a dog!!!! I really was humbled by this. At that age you would have not been able to pay me enough. She probably gets less than 50 cents. I am saddened by this. Everyone needs money so they do what they have to. She was so kind, and as always smiling. I need to smile all the time, a great big smile, because I never had to walk a day in her shoes. Help me God to smile and be thankful.

We have been cleaning up the garden so we can plant vegetables.(just like home) Sabbath Hannah was under the weather. We went to church and they had a formal introduction for the Waggoner family. I am no longer Shari, but “Mama Hannah.” We went to our Tanzanian friends Baba and Mama Sanga’s home for lunch. After Hannah fed the chickens some grain and the dogs some bread, she started coming around. She loves the animals. Then we came home, and our neighbors came over to swing. Then we left to go to Mosiers home for Jack fruit and popcorn. Popcorn hot off of the stove, and a fruit that has the consistency of chicken and tastes like bubble gum- strange but true! This fruit is as big as a Black diamond watermelon and hangs from a tree! This is quite bizarre!

The next morning we got up around 8:30am. Then we went to some more Swiss friends who have 6 children. Hannah had a nice time with all the children. They were feeding the chickens lettuce from the garden. She has beautiful gardens and flower beds. It was like a little paradise. Then we left there around 3pm to go back to Mama and Papa Sanga’s. He has a vehicle that needed some work done on it. We ended up staying there and talking with them a long while. We ate and ate passion fruit. Hannah absolutely loves the Sanga’s. We ended up eating super there, and getting home by 8:30pm.

Today I made bread in the wood burning stove. Brent said it was the best bread I have ever made. It raised so nicely, then BAMB! The over door shut hard and the bread fell, but it still turned out nice. I made a mama bear bread, and Hannah made a baby. We put peanuts for the eyes, nose, belly button, and claws on the feet. We ate most of the mama and all of the baby for lunch. You could say we were as hungry as a bear! We went to ask daddy something, who is working down the road. Hannah fell in the mud! She handled it pretty good. She really likes it here but she really misses her dog, Miss Kitty! We miss everyone A LOT.

Today we started making bread early in the morning. Hannah tristed and squeezed the bread (kneeding at age 3yrs.) The bread turned out pretty good. We made 4 monkeys that ended up looking like squirrels because the tail really rose. Then we made one bear. The bear may be sour dough bread because I could not get the stove hot. The wood is wet plus no kindling, and I’m still learning. We gave the bread to her little friends here. Then we worked in the garden and I got some seeds planted. We live in the home of Jason Fournier who is on furlow for 3 months. We will leave before they get back from the states.
Hannah will be 4 on the 14^th. We have read that when a Jewish child had a birthday long ago, he first of all thanked God for life and gave to others gifts; showing his love toward God by giving. I hope we can raise our children this way. We went to prayer meeting at Mosier’s home. It was on the topic of encouragment. Do we use encouraging words when talking and dealing with our family. May God help me! I know Christ is able to help me if I will only be still and ask before I speak. “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath.” James 1:19. There was a lady there named Salome. Her eye lids would not open all the way, only a sliver. This women could speak English , well. She also road her bike home up hill in the dark after the meeting. Wow! Are you feeling sorry for yourself? You should not be! It goes to prove when you rise above your problems with Christ you can accomplish much.

Today is Wednesday. Brent left to go 5-6hr ride to where we will be working in May The roads were so muddy it took 9 hrs. He had to do something with the wood and other things. I am very glad to stay behind. He said he was taking Papa Sanga, so not to worry about lunch (they were coming for lunch!) The neighbor asked me for lunch. Then after lunch someone came to the neighbors home saying, Sanga’s are at your home! They were very kind as always. Brent forgot to tell me he was not taking Baba Sanga. Anyway we ate the bear with jelly, and juice. That filled their bellies at least. In Africa there is no extra food to pull out of the refrigerator, because there is not one. There is nothing to pull out of the freezer either. If you have company you cook that day.

Friends were going shopping in town. I did not want to take Hannah, because I did not want her to get anymore new strains of colds, etc… Praise the Lord! God knew all about it! They said, just give us a list and we will get your stuff! Yeah! Yeah! Now Hannah is sleeping quietly in bed. We are back to our routine of taking a nap in the afternoon.

There is a lady here who has AIDS and has had twins. She has no family here either. My friend Marybeth Mosier is taking care of her and the twins right now. She is making sure she gets the medications and formula for the babies. They are 4months old now. They are really cute. Oh God what should be done for these little ones. The dad is already dead. The mom looks very ill and is. If you would, could you pray that these babies will find just the right home.

Friday I went to Mosier’s to see if they needed some help. I was able to help a little, while she saw patients. It was nice to experience O.B. again. She was doing a prenatal check-up on a baby only 22 weeks along. The parents get so excited when they hear the heart beat for the first time. We ate with the Mosier’s. She has comfrey!!!!!!! I am so excited. This is wonderful for salve. She also grows another herb for AIDS. She is very resourceful. I found out some interesting things from her. You need to sort through the wheat, rice and corn before you mill it, because it has “Rocks” and “Rat Poop!” Sounds great doesn’t it!!! I guess if they haven’t died from it, I suppose I’ll live also. Yucka Poo!! I was telling her the corn I had milled tastes awful. I can not eat it. She said, “They probably already spayed it with POISON” Great! I think I’ll throw that out and count it as education. She said you have to make sure it does not have mold, rat droppings, and rinse it well if it is sprayed. I was thinking, “Hmm America is really quite nice!” Well, apart from the food , the people are great. Actually it’s like chocolate! People know it has mice droppings in it, yet they say, “Love it, just love it!” So, I guess I’ll say it also , and get by. Then Friday night they had a nice worship. We sang some English songs.

Sabbath day we went to church. We went with the little children. Hannah and I only knew 1 word “Yesu” , it was a challenge. We did a lot of clapping. Hannah said, “Mom, lets not go there again, util we know the language! O.K.” I agreed. We had the Sanga’s and Pam and Ben from S. Carolina over for lunch. “Oh No! We forgot to put wood in the stove before we left for church.” There was one propane burner that we used to warm the food. The wood stove would not get hot enough. I made juice out of passion fruit and held them over util the food was ready. We had a real nice time with all of them. Then later that evening I gave Salome a massage. She is Tanzanian, but speaks English very good.

Today is Sunday. I folded laundry and cooked a little. They take the corn off the stock when it is very old and hard. They roast it and eat it one kernel at a time. This makes you feel full, because it has taken so long to chew. Smile!! We had that and egg sandwhiches for lunch. Then I went to visit a neighbor. Brent is making a little fireplace for the girl who cooks the dog food. This way the smoke will not burn her eyes. Termite mounds and sand are what is being used for mortar. We have had lots of rain today. One of the African girls is coming through the gate with a 5 gallone bucket full of sand on her head. They are incredible. I will write more later. Love all of you.