The Joy of Children (10-25-2024)

Who knows joy better than a child?  They can find it everywhere….in a tire with a stick, in a ball made of duct tape, in teaching Swahili, in looking at pictures, in dancing.  There are several examples of this in the first few days of this journey in Mwatasi.

The first day, we climbed up a hill to a schoolhouse.  The children in the community were not in school at this time due to  standardized testing.  It was so tempting…there was a bell sitting right there just waiting to be rung.  So Mike grabbed the wrench, struck the bell and out came one of the teacher’s from his house inquiring about “Can I help you?”  What we learned is that the bell is rung to start the school day and for emergencies. Way to go Mike! 

The graciousness of this teacher was astounding.  He went back to his home, grabbed the keys and encouraged/invited us to tour the school.  Many of us are teachers and were intrigued by the teaching styles.  His enthusiasm and pride in wanting to show this random group of people visiting the village was love in action.  He walked us around, showing the various classrooms and showcasing the talents of the 500+ students that walk this courtyard.  When Beth shared that she was a teacher, he grabbed her hand, looked her in the eyes with a shared understanding of what commitment is required to teach.  It was inspiring and created a few teary eyes in the group.

Do you remember how to play?  Seriously jumping in, being creative and finding joy in the very simple things?  That was evident in so many ways throughout the village.  The children from the village followed the Trinity group everywhere we went.  They jumped for joy as our bus returned to the village.  The children crowded around Heather near the church as she showed a Dr. Seuss video attempting to sing the ABC’s.  Walking down the dusty street, there was an impromptu song of Hokey Pokey.  Every single adult, from the villagers to the Trinity team, were smiling with the interactions.

The children in the village have learned to care for each other, irrespective of the core family unit.  Small children were often carried by other children when they grew weary or tired.  None of the children required adult supervision to find ways to help out getting water, grabbing the laundry or shelling the cobs of corn. 

The visit to Bomalang’ombe was a true inspiration. Many people across our community have supported and prayed for this school throughout the years.  We were greeted by students clapping, waving, and singing to welcome us to the school.  The Trinity team exited the bus to join them in the songs and procession to their campus.  For over a mile, the students, teachers and the Trinity team danced our way to the main gate.  (NOTE:  This would be like walking from Trinity to the drive in, but on dirt roads. The students had no difficulty, but we definitely needed water when we arrived!)  The students walked with us holding our hands and presented us all with bouquets of flowers.  We were overwhelmed with joy and felt like we were being treated like royalty. 

The welcome from the school made it feel like we truly were family.  The headmaster, Mr. Tibery Mbossa invited us into his office, brought out his guitar and we sang “How Great Thou Art” together.  It was a joining of voices in English and Swahili that elicited goosebumps.  For the next two hours, we toured the facilities noticing several improvements and changes over the multiple years of Trinity’s involvement.  At one point, we were detoured off the path as a large copperhead was spotted on the trail.  Yikes!

When we returned to the main area of the school, the team was surprised when the men and women were asked to go to separate areas.  The women were presented with beautiful Tanzanian skirts and the men Tanzanian shirts.  This was entirely unexpected and such an endearing moment of friendship.  The team posed for pictures dressed in our new African attire.  Again we were overwhelmed with the love we were shown.  Our visit ended with farewell songs, a talent show from the students and the invitation to return anytime we were in Tanzania.  They encouraged us to always call this our home.  So impressive! 

Through the support that Trinity gives yearly, the leadership team thanked us for investing in their children’s lives.  For many students the impossible becomes possible.  We felt honored to be supporting the future leaders of Tanzania by supporting the education for these young students.  What a gift Trinity has given to the 27 sponsored students by supporting the tuition costs over multiple years.  It provides an opportunity that otherwise might feel unattainable.

As we departed, there were handshakes, hugs and a few tears as the Trinity team loaded into the bus.  We felt joy throughout the day and Mel said it best to the students, “I see God in you!”

In blessings and love,

Marie Liberda and Beth Payne