Habari? :)

Note: The internet here is not super speedy (surprise.) so I am going to upload this post without pictrures for now, I will add some when we are back in Dar!

Presently I am with the Young Life crew! There are 11 of us in total here in Iringa. Nine white Americans, one Mama Irene (on Young Life staff in Dar) and our new friend and adopted group member Stephan—a young man from Germany who has been biking across the Middle East and all the way here and then on to Cape Town.

Between Dar Es Salaam and Iringa lies a very long and occasionally bumpy stretch of road. To occupy ourselves we played I Spy and found some pretty neat things. Like zebras and elephants and giraffes :)


Ok, to be fair all of those were sighted during a stint through a national park which comprised exactly 10 minutes of the 10 hour long bus ride.

Before we arrived in Iringa, Mama Irene tried to warn me about how cold it would be. I teased her quite a bit, and it has become a running joke. “Mama Irene, thank you for the advice, but you’re from Dar where winter means it’s 85 F with no breeze. What do you think cold is?” Iringa certainly is MUCH cooler (read: more pleasant) than Dar, and the evenings can be chilly, but I will certainly swallow my pride and give Mama Irene her dues if it actually gets “Cold” for this (pseudo) Minnesotan.

More to the point of this post: this week, we are lending out hands to the work of Neema Crafts (pronounced Neh-Ma, and it means “grace” in Swahili). Suzie, Andy, and their sort-of intern Derryl (who happens to be a Young Life girl herself!) are the most amazing people I have ever met. Words cannot describe the warmth, compassion, purpose, love, respect, and innovation present in their every action. Neema opened to give hope and employment to people in Iringa with disabilities. These people account for over 10% of the population in Iringa and in addition to being outcast by society, they are often disowned even by their own families. They are not only seen as being unproductive or even counterproductive members of society, but they are often believed to be cursed.

Neema employs over 100 people. Many work making the beautiful crafts they sell, and some work in the café cooking and serving (amazing) food. In addition to these positions, when they have the resources they also offer training courses and help with job placement in the community for those that they cannot employ at Neema. The goal of this project is not to single-handedly employ all 10%, but to change the attitude of the community; to open eyes to the ability of these individuals. Story after story of hope and empowerment poured from Andy on our tour of the property and the smiles of those working diligently on their crafts in the workshop.

One of the tour stops was in a small, make-shift physical therapy office. Here, Andy explained to us Neema’s desire to reach children with Disabilities in and around Iringa. Andy explained that you would see a reasonable number of adults with disabilities around Iringa, but you rarely saw children. If the number of those over 17 with a disability keeps getting higher, where are the children, he asked? Of course, if children with various medical conditions can receive treatment from a young age their prognosis is much better, the problem is that in many communities, the stigma of these kinds of ailments can cause families to hide their children away. The stories Andy told were so powerful.

As a vet, Andy was at a house one day vaccinating chickens. When one of the chickens ran under a large, overturned gain basket, Andy reached in to retrieve it. Instead of grasping the downy leg of a chicken, he was holding the emaciated leg of a child. The girl's arms and legs were drawn in tightly from cerebral palsy. Though African, she was pale from lack of exposure to sunlight. He assured the family that contrary to their ideas, there was hope for the girl, that with the right exercises and proper care, she could live a healthy and enjoyable life. He said, after working with them and providing hope to one family in the community, several other children with disabilities appeared out of the woodwork, from parents who had only been told their child was hopeless.

It struck me as such an image of salvation. Being sought after and redeemed. Being offered hope and a future where it seemed there was none. Eyes and skin used to darkness being exposed to the light. Not only did my heart break for those hidden children in Tanzanian (and realistically in many other places in the world), but it broke for God’s hidden children and certain ways in which I still have not been liberated from my darkness and hopelessness.

In Ezekiel, the Lord exclaims, “You will know that I am the Lord when I open your grave and bring you up form them. I will put my spirit in you, and you will live.” Clearly, that basket could have been a grave for that young girl as hiding certainly has been for many others born with disabilities, but she was brought up from it and given life. There are so many places where I need the Lord’s spirit and life.

With Neema, Andy and Susan believe and aim to prove what is so evident: God’s grace is a gift to all. We come to the table on equal footing and we all receive abundantly.