I Was Just Sitting There... waiting for chapatis

CHAPATIS! Best thing ever. Never get tired of them.

I Was Just Sitting There... in the grass

in beautiful weather watching the Lulu girls practice soccer in the churchyard field with the duka-lined streets and hills in the background. What you can't see in this picture is how LOUD it is! There was a wedding that day in the church so there was like at least 3 different types of music dueling each other.

Support Mwanza Charity Craft Association

This past weekend the Lulu project (among others) had a booth where we sold our handcrafts to locals in Mwanza. It was a very successful 2 days, which shows that our goal of having a storefront is possible! Please think about supporting this Gofundme site, which is raising money for a shared store for Lulu and several other NGOs like ours in Mwanza.

Here are a few more pictures from the Craft Fair this weekend. It was the best one yet!


A shot of a group that supports street children. The kids do skits and acrobatics to raise money for the center.


Chris was not only on the planning committee for the event, but he also MCed a little bit and was in charge of a very successful raffle. *

Me looking slightly dazed at our booth. Photo by Corine t'Hart

*I think for the first time in my life I won something. That's right, I WON a raffle! And not any old raffle either. I won a night away in a smancy hotel in Mwanza! YIPPEE. Secret (free) getaway coming up soon!

Halloween in Mwanza

Halloween isn't something that's much celebrated outside of America; that's why it was such a nice treat for us on the 31st to be hosted by our Dutch friends and fellow missioners for a Halloween party. I don't think that was the original intention, to celebrate Halloween, but they did it up really good and we had such a nice time. In fact, Chris and I were one of the only Americans not dressed in costume. Oops!

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures myself. But I got these from one of the other folks who was there that night.

Corine and I making a concoction.

Chris borrowed this mustache for a few minutes so he could have a temporary costume.

I was justting there... at a dispensary

I was there on business for my work at the Health Department to learn about their system of data collection. This dispensary has a completely computerized, paperless system for client data entry. I was quite impressed!

Oh, and check out the serious drama happening on the TV.

Smokey (2007ish - 2014)

We got our puppy, Smokey, in 2012 right when we first moved to Mwanza. She was already a few years old by then so I'm not exactly sure when she was born. She's my first-ever dog (outside of my family growing up) and I'd been waiting for her for many, many years. She was my buddy and loved to spend time with me.



Even though she was supposed to be a "guard" dog, living outside and guarding the house, she's been an important part of the family and has been with us through all the ups and downs of the past few years in Tanzania. She was poisoned back in 2012 when we were robbed and survived it like a champ.

Unfortunately, she got sick a few months ago; we thought it was a cold because of the change in weather. It ended up being worms that aren't treatable.

Smokey loved to dig holes in the ground (much to the annoyance of her parents). She was a true African dog and loved to lay in the full heat of the midday sun. Sometimes I thought she was dead because she'd lay there so still for so long. She knew exactly what to do with a cat when it snuck into the yard, but she had no clue what to do with bones that we gave her as a treat. Even though she was the sweetest thing, she did have a forked tongue so maybe she had a little evil in her after all.







I'm gonna miss my little buddy very much. It just won't be the same at home without seeing your smiling face.