Visit 2007
Martin and Philippa Grosvenor and their two children Steph and Elli made a visit to Arusha in 2007. We took the £4000, which had been donated by people in England, and used it to part fund a minibus and construction of a classroom at the Tuishime School.
Having sponsored children at the School since 2001 we weren't quite sure what to expect. We need not have worried as we were given a "never to be forgotten" welcome which brought tears to our eyes. We were greatly encouraged by the buildings, staff and children and saw the bungalow that the Masenges had given up to house the first pupils.
Philippa taught a number of lessons, daunting at the time, which showed the value that trained teachers can bring to Tanzania. Martin helped with general labouring and encouragement of the local labourers. Slowly the classroom rose and by the end of the visit the roof had been completed. The girls spent a lot of time playing with the youngest children, helping the teachers and teaching games. The school bus run to collect children was an unforgettable experience for us due to it being packed full of enthusiastic and noisy children.
We stayed with Felix and Naomi Masenge for three weeks. The atmosphere in their home was wonderfully welcoming and we had lovely times of chatting, prayer and Bible discussion. Life in Arusha was generally relaxing and colourful. The local buses were cheap but always jammed full beyond their number of seats.
Martin preached at Arusha Christchurch Cathedral and whilst the service was quite formal the choir was something else. The tunes, voices, music and dance were Africa at its best, a wonderful way to worship God. Martin also visited a number of other churches whose services were much less formal. One was in a half completed industrial building which had no walls but was full of lovely people.
We met many other people, who we are still in close contact with and can testify to the warmth of Tanzanian people. It was delightful to meet Moses and Mary Paulo, who gifted us two goats, one of which we ate for dinner. We have sponsored Moses, a Maasai, for many years and it was a delight to see how capable he has become and concerned for others. We visited the birth village of Moses which was like stepping back a thousand years, such were the huts and way of life. We met his stepmother, who is the matriarchal woman, and were warmly welcomed into her village.
It had been a wonderful visit and God had deeply burned a concern for Tanzania into our hearts. Little did we realise how life-changing the trip had been and how far reaching its consequences for us were to be.
