Jiggers in Feet and Jigging with the Diocese

It was bound to happen eventually, and last week, Amisadai found her first jigger bedded down beside her big toe in the bottom of her foot. By the time she noticed it (a blister-like thing with a black bit in the middle), it must have been a least a week old and was rather large! Remembering the complete hash I made of trying to get my jigger out a couple of years ago, we asked Mama Minja to help! She took a pin and scraped away the top and then slowly dug down around the sac of eggs. (This is the bit where I had pricked the sac and they all spilled out and it all got a bit messy!) Mama Minja carefully dug around and then pinched and pulled to get the whole thing out; it hung for all its worth as Amisadai grimaced and had to look the other way! But finally it was out … with its rather large and impressive sac of eggs (duly passed around to all for inspection), leaving a small crater hole in the bottom of Amisadai’s foot. 

Operation Jigger

Jiggers aside, we had a lovely time with Mama Minja and her family. We finally got the opportunity to meet her husband who works in Bukoba (about 400km away), a kind and very generous man! 

The Mongers and Minjas

Last week, Tim was chauffeur for the Deputy Archbishop of TAG Tanzania from Dar es Salaam. They went to a meeting of the Diocesan Council where Tim was officially introduced to the Council and given the opportunity to talk about our rural development work and meet key people of the Diocese. Tim was impressed with Dep. Archbishop Magnus Mhiche who was very supportive of developing our partnership together.

We had a full Sunday this past week; in the morning we were at Bishop Charles’ church for the annual TAG Mama’s Sunday in which all the women take the service. With it only happening once a year, the ladies make the most of it, and on Sunday we finished at 2:30pm! But it was full of singing and dancing and generous giving of gifts! 

Mamas Singing

Mamas give a window as a gift to the church for the new building

We went on from there to grab a quick bite to eat before getting to a big event at Zakayo’s church (MICC). It started at 2pm but we were rather late! In Swahili it is called a “tamasha” which I can’t say without thinking “to-mash-a-potato” and it takes all my effort not to add “potato” on the end or giggle! But a tamasha is a concert and it was a great afternoon of music and praise with hundreds of people turning out for it!


MICC Concert

The choir in their beautiful matching vitenge!

The Sunday prior was unexpectedly exciting. We discovered when we arrived, that there was to be a baptism after the service, at the hotel pool over the road. And at the end of the service, Joseph (our weekend guard) made the decision to be baptised. He chatted with the leaders afterwards and then we went along with him to the hotel and in the water he went! This public proclamation of his new faith and his desire to leave the old behind and live a new life in Christ was a joy to witness! With no towel or spare clothes, it was a soggy but happy ride home for a very late lunch!



Joseph's Baptism