Grassroots Ministry

A new school year!

Holly — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:30:45 +0000

Things are hopping at Angel Secondary School as the staff and students enter into their second school year in Gamasara Village! Changes this year include hiring additional staff to match additional two classes of students we welcomed this year, bringing the student body population up to just over 240. We are thankful for our new headmaster Mwita Samson, and thrilled to have our first woman teacher, Florence, as part of the staff team.

Angel Secondary School is currently offering over 50 scholarships to the secondary students who would otherwise not have an opportunity to attend school past the primary level, because of being orphaned or severely financially disadvantaged.

Our two new volunteers, Dee Ann and Carrilea, have their hands FULL with all the exciting tasks that it takes to help both the school and the orphanage run. Holly & Lawrence continue their tour of the United States, speaking to individuals, families, and community organizations about the orphanage and the school, in search of education sponsors and ways to continue the building expansion still to be done.

We are thrilled to report that the children of Angel House and the students of Angel Secondary are growing happier, healthier, and more knowledgable about the world around them every single day. Thank you, Grass Roots family here in the United States, for your continued support of this outstanding project.

September 2011 Newsletter

dhellinger — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:34:07 +0000

Grass Roots Ministries Newsletter September 2011

We are now posting Grass Roots Ministries’ newsletters on line. Please click on the link above to access the newsletter. If you are receiving a newsletter through the U.S. mail, please consider providing your email address. The ministry can be contacted at general@grassrootsministry.org.

Tipp City UMC UPDATE June 26th

tcumc — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:36:25 +0000

Greetings from Tarime,

This is written on Sunday, June 26th, the first day we have had electricity since the last blog. There was electricity for a couple of hours on 2 days, but we were not home to write. The blog of last Sunday took 6 tries between outages to send.

Everyone on the team is doing fine considering a lack of sleep, hot showers, electricity, pasta for every meal, fish with the head and tail still on, riding in the back of a pickup on the wrong side of the road, toilets that are flat to the ground and a language we don’t understand. Probably the most serious problem so far is that Judy lost our camera, but there are many other pictures from other cameras. Beth has become the official photographer and has taken over 800 photos so far.

The hostel is ready to start the roof tomorrow (Monday) and should be about finished by the time we leave on Wednesday. Dave is having good success with the chimes. We have had dinner with 2 of the Secondary School faculty. Tomorrow we will have lunch with Anna (Angel House Supervisor ) and dinner with Lucas, Headmaster of Angel Secondary School. These meals have been extremely helpful in understanding the local culture.

After our trip to the Serengeti, I can attest that the pictures in the National Geographic Magazine are not fakes, but real. The roads are gravel with big stones and rough on passengers and the cars. We were able to see elephants, rhinoceros giraffes, lions, cheetahs, hippopotami, leopards, gnu, zebra, and many more. Judy and I opened the curtains on our bedroom window at 3:30AM to find a water buffalo looking back at us about 6 feet away. As we crossed from the Serengeti to Ngorngoro Crater we stopped at the Olduvi Gorge in Maasi Country. This is a branch of the Great Rift where The Leakys made great discoveries in the 1960s and 1970s of fossils and ancient footprints. The trip back from the crater began at 7:00 in the morning and after 2 flat tires, a leaky radiator, broken roof support, heater that didn’t shut off for 500KM, (300 miles), water temperature gauge pegged on H, headlights that lit up the trees, not the road, and numerous police road checks, we almost made it home about 9:00 in the evening. After the second flat tire and a jack that didn’t work, Eric was able to pick us up in the pickup truck.

Larry & Beth

TCUMC Mission Trip June 21, 2011

tcumc — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:25:40 +0000

Greetings from Tanzania,

This is Tuesday night and the power just quit after being on for about 20 Minutes and I can’ see the keyboard. The team is doing well and having new experiences by the hour. Tonight we had dinner at the home of one of the teachers at Angel School. His enthusiasm and vision for an English speaking school was enjoyed by everyone.

The walls on the hostel are about 1/3rd completed. We hope tomorrow to complete another 1/3. Dave Pinkerton and his chimes have been a hit with the students. Some of them are doing very well.

Riding in the back of the truck on the road to Angel House is a challenge for those of us from the US. However, yesterday, the truck hauled 20high school students in back and 8 adults in the cab from Tarime to Angel House. The truck is a Toyota 100 extended cab with a small bed. The road is one long 2KM rut. The distance from the house where we are staying to Angel House is about 5 miles.

The weather has been similar to a summer day in Ohio. Heavy rain last night and thunderstorms in the area tonight.

Beth just emerged from her shower when the power went out leaving her in total darkness with a head full of soap. Our miners’ headlamps have seen a lot of use.

I had my first ride on a pikiki (motorcycle taxi) today. You hope he knows where he is going.

Judy, Beth and Dave were invited to teach at the Secondary Summer School Today. After the panic left, they set about devising lesson plans. They had a great time and were impressed with the faculty and students. The level of instruction was much higher than what we had heard is typical for Tanzania.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will work on the hostel, Dave is teaching chimes and we have been invited to lunch.

Larry Riesser
Tipp City United Methodist Church

Greetings from Tanzania,

The walls on the hostel are about 1/3rd completed. We hope tomorrow to complete another 1/3. Dave Pinkerton and his chimes have been a hit with the students. Some of them are doing very well.

The weather has been similar to a summer day in Ohio. Heavy rain last night and thunderstorms in the area tonight.

Beth just emerged from her shower when the power went out leaving her in total darkness with a head full of soap. Our miners’ headlamps have seen a lot of use.

I had my first ride on a pikiki (motorcycle taxi) today. You hope he knows where he is going.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will work on the hostel, Dave is teaching chimes and we have been invited to lunch.

Larry Riesser
Tipp City United Methodist Church

Greetings from Tanzania,

The walls on the hostel are about 1/3rd completed. We hope tomorrow to complete another 1/3. Dave Pinkerton and his chimes have been a hit with the students. Some of them are doing very well.

The weather has been similar to a summer day in Ohio. Heavy rain last night and thunderstorms in the area tonight.

Beth just emerged from her shower when the power went out leaving her in total darkness with a head full of soap. Our miners’ headlamps have seen a lot of use.

I had my first ride on a pikiki (motorcycle taxi) today. You hope he knows where he is going.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will work on the hostel, Dave is teaching chimes and we have been invited to lunch.

Larry Riesser
Tipp City United Methodist Church

Greetings from Tanzania,

The walls on the hostel are about 1/3rd completed. We hope tomorrow to complete another 1/3. Dave Pinkerton and his chimes have been a hit with the students. Some of them are doing very well.

The weather has been similar to a summer day in Ohio. Heavy rain last night and thunderstorms in the area tonight.

Beth just emerged from her shower when the power went out leaving her in total darkness with a head full of soap. Our miners’ headlamps have seen a lot of use.

I had my first ride on a pikiki (motorcycle taxi) today. You hope he knows where he is going.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will work on the hostel, Dave is teaching chimes and we have been invited to lunch.

Larry Riesser
Tipp City United Methodist Church

Tipp City UMC Tanzania Trip

tcumc — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:46:36 +0000

We have arrived at the Missionaries’ house in Tarime. It was another long day of travel. The team members are pretty tired getting only about 6 hours of sleep since leaving Dayton on Thursday and it is now 11:00PM Saturday in Tarime. The ride was long (10 hours) and bumpy. We saw some zebras and monkeys along the road in Masai country. We saw Maisi tending their livestock and selling coal by the side of the road. The terrain varied from dry semi desert areas to gentle mountains and green crops which included tea, coffee, sugar cane, wheat and bananas. We had no problems at the border crossing from Kenya to Tanzania because Eric has made friends with a supervisor who made the entry go without any problems. We ended our day by eating a delicious meal outside and enjoying the balmy breezes at a local restaurant. Tomorrow, Bonita preaches in the morning and in the afternoon we will go to another local church’s music CD release party for the debut of their CD the church made. The Angel House Choir will participate as they made a CD last fall (which can be purchased for $10).

Addendum: This was written Saturday night as the power quit. Today, Tuesday is the first time we have had electricity at night.

Larry & Beth

Study Tour

Holly — Sun, 08 May 2011 23:44:56 +0000

Recently we finished mid-term exams and have been enjoying a mid-term and Easter break since then – during this time, the top 10 students in each class were presented with a Study Tour to Musoma, a town an hour away that is on the shores of Lake Victoria and has much of it’s industry based around the lake. The students spent their day studying Biology and Geography – trade, communication and transport, marine life, etc. Many of the students had never been out of Tarime, so it was very exciting even to board the bus and head somewhere new and different.

End of the Day, Testing the Water of Lake Victoria Firsthand

A Boat Ride Around the Lake
Fish Dissection of a Tilapia Out of Lake Victoria
Our Head Boy Francis and Our Head Girl Benadeta

Composing Essays About Their Day Towards the End

My Sweet Girl

Holly — Sun, 08 May 2011 23:33:21 +0000

Once in a while in life, you cross paths with someone who is simply wired the same way you are, and for reasons unbeknownst to you both, you hit it off and become instant friends. Such is the story with nossi, who was three when i arrived in tarime and by far the youngest of all the 34 children at angel house. I don’t know what exactly it is that we share that makes us to be such best friends…though we’re both stubborn, we both love to voice our opinions, and we both love to play hard, eat a lot, and enjoy life…kindred spirits would be a good way to describe who we are to each other.

I’ve probably mentioned before that her adjustment last year took some time, when we added 15 children to our family. She was no longer the youngest, and therefore didn’t get all the attention. I think she’s done remarkably well in the transition, but every day she both gratifies me and breaks my heart all over again. When she arrives home from school, if I’m still in my office over at Angel Secondary, she comes in and asks for an assignment that she can sit beside me at the desk and work on while I finish up my tasks for the day. It is truly nice to be sought out, day after day. In fact, she often sidles up to me and we’re holding hands before I even finish talking to who I was originally talking to and I’m even aware we’re together again. But the part that hurts is when I leave. she and her sister were left by a mentally unstable mom in a dump when she was around a year old, found by the police, and brought to Angel House. Because of how traumatic all that must have been, she has some challenges to overcome, one of which is separation anxiety. Even now, after almost two and a half years of me being around, she generally walks me to the gate and stares glumly as I get on the motorbike to head off (on a good day), or cries loudly until I’m out of sight or someone calls her back into the house.

Lawrence and I have talked a lot about Nossi and a few of the other children, and what might be the best way we would continue to be a part of their lives in the future. At this point, adoption isn’t an option for us, since we’re both foreigners here in Tanzania and not married yet. But what we know to be true is that she will continue to be our daughter in every other aspect – whether that means helping pay for her school fees in the future, having her live nearby when she finishes her education, or just simply praying for her continuous healing and growth from now on. God is so good to have granted me the privilege of knowing this little soul, and today was truly a happy Mother’s Day for me, getting to spend it with her. May we all be so lucky.

Lunch Together with i.love.food.com

OH THE PLACES YOU WILL GO!

Regina — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:28:33 +0000

Many people know about Montessori from the prestigious preschools/nurseries in America. Here, they are just as important and well known. In Mwanza, “The Rock City,” there is a Montessori Training Center that educates men and women in how to implement these particular styles of teaching. There is a program for future workers of child care centers, such as an orphanage, nurseries, and Montessori Preschools. We have sent our first college bound resident of Angel House to this Montessori Training Center.

Sarah Sabai began at Angel House in 2005, she was only 12 years old. Her story is very similar to Cinderella. Her mother was sick for a very long time until she passed away and then her father died shortly afterwards. The Cinderella part is that they were living with her father’s second wife when he passed. He had left all of his property, and he was quite wealthy, to Sarah but the stepmother took it all and none of it ended up with Sarah. She was sent to Angel House as an orphan because her stepmother no longer wanted to care for her. Sarah was of the first class of Angels to graduate from secondary school in December 2009. This past year she studied in Dar es Salaam to retake her National Form Four Exam to get a better grade. Unfortunately, the school forgot to register her and she studied for an entire year without the chance to retake the exam.

In January, Eric began career counseling with some of the older kids and found out that Sarah wants to run a Children’s Home one day. So, he did some research and found this school in Mwanza. After a month of working on getting her into the school Sarah and I went to move her in. It was a wonderful experience as she prepared to say goodbye to the 47 brothers and sisters at Angel House. She had become a “mother” to many of the younger ones and a best friend to the others. Once in Mwanza, we did the last minute school supply shopping and got our hair “did.” Mine turned out absolutely hideous but the point was for her to enjoy it.

We are excited to see where she will go next. She is enrolled in a two year program but the possibilities for her future have more than tripled. Thank you to those that made her education throughout secondary school possible. And thank you to those that are now making her college education possible. She will be a changed woman and this project has taken a new step into the realm of possibilities for all the children of Angel House.

Mwita and Menganyi, and My Possible Future

Holly — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:23:06 +0000

This weekend, God allowed me a glimpse into my future. We have two Angel House boys that are seniors, studying in Musoma Utalli this year because Angel Secondary started with freshmen-sophomore-junior classes only. It was wonderful to be able to sit and talk with them, do a little bit of shopping for their school needs, let them show me their latest exams, and talk about their future. Sunday morning, Lawrence and I were even able to attend church with them there at the school.

I have known for a while that God is sort of stirring up something in my heart related to further education. So many students in this country fail their senior year exams that not many of them think heavily about their future beyond secondary school. Angel Secondary has become a school who welcomes students who have failed in earlier years to rejoin high school and try again to capture the necessary knowledge. I believe so completely and so strongly in the kind of education our staff is providing our students, that I envision a need in another year or so for our organization to have an endowment fund for students who will be looking at Forms 5&6 (similar to junior college and a prerequisite for university), teaching college, police academy, and college. And I see myself somehow fitting into the role of raising money for the necessary scholarships it will take to place these students into those positions. Because of opening the school, we have grown from having 50 children of all ages, into having more than 200 children under our care, mostly teenagers. I ask for your prayers in these coming couple of years, that we could not only prepare them before they arrive at the next chapter, but that we would work to prepare ourselves to be ready to serve them by walking hand and hand with them on to the next step of their journey. I believe that some of these children, Angel House and Angel Secondary students alike, will be the leaders of this country in the future. Whether they go as far as Dar es Salaam as a member of Parliament, or if they become a small business owner who employees four workers, I believe that God has led them to Angel to grow in their leadership skills, their knowledge and passion for education, and in their personal faith journey. It is quite the community, and I can’t wait to see where God takes us next.

Mwita, me, and Menganyi after church on Sunday

Angel Secondary Talent Show

Holly — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:19:49 +0000

Our students and teachers are absolutely amazing, and have unbelievable talent! We recently experienced a taste of how well rounded they really are. Our Friday afternoon talent show allowed us to hear their poems and songs, watch their acrobatic stunts and dances, and allowed them to display the gifts God has given them beyond the academic setting. How lucky are we, to be able to share life with these.

Angel Secondary Scout boys

A skit about traditional circumcision practices in the village

Our head girl, Benadeta, reciting a poem

Rosie (red shirt, middle left) with the freshmen girls ‘beauty contest’