January 2012 Newsletter
Dearest Supporters, 31 January, 2012
January, 2012 has been a month of hard work for everyone at Tanzania Christian Clinic (TCC). Thankfully, the container has finally arrived and we have been madly unpacking and distributing all kinds of needed supplies; these include a huge amount of your generously donated peanut butter and baby formula for the malnourished. Also a joy to find has been a large supply of clothes for needy children and adults, soap, medicines, clinic equipment, the much anticipated X-ray machine, a Kawasaki “mule” (not the braying kind) for hauling heavy loads, and a medium-sized tractor. All these items will tremendously help TCC’s work as well as aid the community. Heartfelt thanks go out to Cross Point and Sylvan Hills Churches of Christ, the Carlton, Nobles, Beck, and McMindes families, the students and Girl Scouts associated with Mars Hill Bible School, Garnett Electric and the doctors of the Bone and Joint Clinic (Florence, AL), and countless others of you who have given selflessly.
While we have been busy with all the above, Rick and Cynthia Nobles, frequent workers here at TCC, and first-time visitors Wendell and Kay Waites arrived here for two weeks. It is hard to describe how hard they have worked and what a debt of gratitude we owe them. While Wendell and Rick traveled and distributed World Bible School lessons all over Tanzania and established a new system for students to transmit them via internet, Kay and Cynthia have packaged hundreds of vitamins, taught numerous Bible studies in Maasai homes, and conducted daily Bible classes for children on our front porch. Today 58 attended and it is safe to assume that number will grow tomorrow! How thankful we are for these great servants and their love for God and people. In the next two weeks we expect three more visitors, Cherry House, a public health professional and RN (Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, Nashville, TN) and John and Bryan Willingham, electrical engineer and son (Cross Point Church of Christ, Florence, AL), who hope to get our X-ray machine set up and functioning in the clinic.
Meanwhile the sick continue to arrive at our door. Especially interesting this month has been patients in advanced stages of syphilis and several children with nephrotic syndrome. Folks with typhoid fever, malnutrition, parasites, pneumonia, and malaria continue to appear daily and we are finding some brucellosis (a cattle disease) that has been transmitted to humans.
And while you in the northern hemisphere are bearing with the chill of winter we in Tanzania are sweating through the hot, dry winds of summer. While the monkeys continue to hoot to one another, elephants are frequently spotted foraging and looking for water. Although the brief, heavy rains of December relieved TCC’s situation to some extent, we are still experiencing shortages of water and electricity. Thanks again to all of you who continue working to help us find a permanent source of water. Healing Hands of Nashville, TN generously had TCC’s property surveyed via satellite and water was found a few hundred to a few thousand yards from the clinic, but none on site.
Lastly, we pray for all of us to walk more intimately with our Master in 2012 than ever before. May we be like ole’ Enoch–he got so close that one day the Lord just invited him to come on home with Him!
Tunawapenda na Munguawabariki (We love you and God bless you),
Danny and Nancy Smelser