Nyota Kids are Thankful

We're so thankful for the contributions made by our interns, Steve Denler and Tom Shank. Steve and Tom were here with Wild Hope for 10 months, helping to coach the Nyota kids in football, English and life. During their time in Tanzania, growth was seen in all 3 of these areas as the Nyota kids benefited from focused attention and relational connection.

Steve and Tom brought encouragement to the inner city community of Unga by reaching out to the kids and believing in them. Steve gave much of his time to football training and took the U-13 team to the East Africa Cup in Moshi where they were recognized for their integrity and good play. Tom poured hours into Nyota's English Club, helping kids become more comfortable in this much needed language. Together, they built friendships in the community and hosted times of Bible study and deeper discussion with those who were interested. Steve, along with Oliver Lo, also spent countless hours designing and building our soon-to-be-launched fine new website.

The Nyota kids gathered to show their appreciation and send the guys off as their time with us came to a close. Their love and affection were very apparent :-)

Thanks so much, guys! God bless your next adventures!

Dinner at Tom and Steve's!

Hello all! This is Tom, writing on behalf of the Wild Hope team. Steve and I are the new, or not so new, interns who arrived last October and we're excited about growing with the team until our departure on the 29th of July 2010. Our focus is mainly with the Nyota Football and Leadership Academy, but we also get the opportunity to experience most of Wild Hope's facets. Its a real treat! : )

Recently, we decided to host what we dubbed a "Love Feast" for a few of our soccer academy members. There are currently about 100 young men participating in this sports program based in the slums of our city. The dinner was planned to be a time when some of the guys would be invited into our home as a free space to simply live together for an evening; no stress, no pressure, just the freedom to be open and be loved on. Steve and I invited them to the food we cooked, and we also encouraged the freedom to discuss life, particularly life with Christ. The mood we sought was community growth--the power in which we sought to bring it was the Holy Spirit's.

To say the least, Steve and I felt like it was a huge success in every aspect, except maybe the quality of food! I am not the best cook :-) As massive amounts of food were consumed, laughter filled the air and smiles were shot across our circular sitting formation. When our bellies were filled, we began to digest conversation on several topics: money, church, and prayer. It was such a blessing to see these young men who are often faced with a legalistic, polarizing version of Christianity (where it is commonly taught that your sole expression of faith is seen inside a Church building on Sundays) break open into the honest yet challenging ground of grace. Freedom of speech amongst the youth is not commonly received well in their community, so imagination and honest response is often stifled. But that evening, they dialogued back and forth, sharing opinions, and their struggles about Church, prayer, and their faith.

One of the most shocking, and heartbreaking moments that night for me was when one boy turned to me and said, "What about money? It can get you everything." It was hard for me to say to my friend, who struggles in poverty every day, while we sat on my lush, well-kept grass, "Money isn't everything. It can't buy you happiness. It can't buy you love."

Throughout the course of the evening we transitioned from conversation and spontaneous scripture reading (as we tested things together or struggled to make a point) into soccer and guitar playing. I think God might of had this life together in mind when he sent his Son... and when he sent Steve and I to Africa to join Wild Hope. Blessings!

We Celebrate!

It's so good to stop and celebrate!

We threw a "Staff Appreciation, Christmas and Goodbye Danny" party not long ago :-)


New Wild Hope shirts were a hit :-)


Lovely Faith, our bookkeeper.


Some of the men took over the roasting of the goat.


Josephine and Lillian enjoy the stories.


Thanks, Danny, for all your help with everything! (And, yes, we'll get you another FANTA right away!)

Not long after our staff party, the Nyota Football and Leadership Academy took time to celebrate a good year together.


Future soccer stars?


Cool enough to be a star already!


The younger kids cheer the year.


Peter gives an overview and look ahead chat.


Chase helps give out awards.


Steve with Oscar and Mama Oscar. Steve lived with this Nyota family during his 6 week home stay.

All the festivities reminded us that we have so much to be thankful for!

Real Talk About HIV/AIDS

(Photo: Students attending our Health and HIV/AIDS class.)

"Why are Tanzanians dead because of HIV/AIDS? Why are Americans not dead because of HIV/AIDS? Why?"

The questions left by students in the question box last week were nothing if not frank.

HIV awareness campaigns are not new to the gritty urban settlements of Africa. What is less common in these communities is an environment of freedom where every question can be asked. But can this subject of HIV/AIDS, taboo even after years of education, really be dealt with candidly?

Enter: a little team of folks from Trinity Presbyterian, Santa Ana, California, and a little team of Wild Hope staff here in Tanzania.

Now, give them five days with forty high school aged young people and let the learning begin!

To our great delight, the team from Trinity stepped up to the challenge with grace and boldness. The forty Tanzanian students who attended Wild Hope's Leadership Academy module, Health and HIV, were truly blessed.

Every evening, the questions/comments box was filled with slips of paper--

"What can I do when I know I have HIV/AIDS?"

"Most of the bosses they want sex with girls to give the job and the girls say yes because they don't have job, nothing to eat, so they agree."

"I know 20 people who have died from HIV."

Preparations each evening were sobering, yet God was faithful to grant wisdom and insight. By the end of the week, the comments reflected the thankfulness students felt for what they had learned and the environment in which they had been led.

Seasoned teachers from a local school affirmed that the permission to speak openly was a big step forward for all of them. The students already know, first hand, what HIV/AIDS is. Yet for many of them, this was the clearest information they had received on cause and prevention, not to mention the myriad of related issues that surround the disease.

This is the beauty of bridging cultures-- we can take each other to new places and be changed for the better as we journey together.

Our visitors from California might not be able to quantify exactly how their experience with forty kids in a severely challenged neighborhood within Arusha changed their lives. They'll just know that it truly did. The young Tanzanians who attended won't forget what they heard in honesty and freedom regarding topics of grave importance. From practical health tips to matters of hope and faith, they've been impacted and inspired.

And we are the lucky ones! What a joy it is to bring our friends from opposite corners of the globe together. What a pleasure it is for us to play matchmaker :-)


(Photo: Ashley Sparks of Trinity with one of the students.)