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Africa Mission Update
Tom and Mike will be reporting their progress in word and photos. Check back regularly to see what's
happening.
June 10, 2009
I just received a text
from Tom and they have been able to change their flights so they return to Houston this Thursday, June 11th. They have
had such a successful trip this year, it has been a real blessing. I am sure they are ready to have some "American"
food and we are ready to have them home because they been sorely missed.
Tom and Mike should arrive in Houston
around 11:00 am on Thursday.
Jeff
June 9, 2009
Hi all,
My scheduled return date is June 14 (return to Texas). We're looking at possibly
getting on an earlier flight. Don't know if it can happen as we're waiting on a return on a deposit we made
for welding tanks.
It's been a successful trip and Mike and I are looking forwarding to sending/posting
more pics online when we get back and have faster internet connections.
This week, if we can't make
it back early, we've got a few friends here we can visit and some things to do to prepare for next year. So, we'll
see how it works out.
Talk to you soon,
Tom
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| Children from the Chibuli Child Center |
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| Giving Bibles to Pastor's in Chibuli |
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| New well at Simbi |
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| New well at the Thoera Child Center |
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| Well in Thoera - Drilled last year |
June 6, 2009
We got back to Blantyre last night. Trying
to send you pics but it doesn't want to upload over this SLOW connection.
We successfully completed
a well for the children's center in Thoera. They're very happy about not having to walk back to Thoera's
well for water! We also drilled another well in the village on the West end of Thoera called Simbi. Couple of
problems, but it too is successful. Ernest and Terrence were very helpful. On our way back, we stopped in Chibuli
and helped the local Water Committee with spare parts and the use of our bailer and tripod. After chlorination and lowering
their pump cylinder (it may have been more than 18 meters above the bottom of their borehole) it may again have a good recharge
rate. It also had a lot of algae because they've repaired it before but have not used chlorine. So we left
them some. Gave spares for other wells and still have some to buy and send with Ernest. In total we may help 5
wells in Chibuli function closer to properly again.
Spent some time with our sponsored children. Some were out
of town but got pics with most and gave them the gifts that Lori Carroll sent. Gave soccer balls to three children's
centers: Nyachikadze, Chibuli and Thoera. By the end of our stay in Thoera, their ball looked ten years old and was
getting low on air (without a good pump to refill it).
The pastors really appreciated getting bibles in
Chibuli.
They're closing the cafe so I have to go. Hope you get this update.
Tom
May 31, 2009 I
heard from Tom today and he said that they were both doing well and had made significant progress. As of
today, they have drilled and developed two wells! Both of these wells are very good producers with a capacity
of at least 14 gallons per minute. The well at the Children’s Center has a pad and is awaiting a
pump. The second well was done at an adjacent village and is still in need of the pad and pump.
All of the final stage work should be accomplished by Wednesday with Tom and Mike heading towards Blantyre on Thursday. They
have a scheduled stop at Chibuli on the way back to Blantyre where they hope to repair at least two of three non-working wells.
If they are able to fix these wells then they will have a total of four working wells this trip. What
an amazing achievement! Please continue praying for Tom and Mike as they are finishing up these wells and attempting
the repairs. Jeff
May 28, 2009
It's been 11 days
since the last update and no, I haven't received any more information from Tom & Mike, but I wanted to remind
you all to continue to pray for them. They should be done with the upgrades to the drill and prayerfully drilling.
There are so few luxuries in the village and a cell signal is at the bottom of the wish list for what is likely to become
a reality. Pray that the Lord would give them wisdom for where to drill and plenty of help to dig the pits, round up
supplies as well as the mixing of concrete. I am praying for an encouraging update from them soon.
Jeff
May 17, 2009
I just got off the
phone and Tom and Mike are now in Thoera. They were able to cross the border into Mozambique with no trouble whatsoever.
This is quite an achievement, considering that they had a fair amount of equipment with them. When it comes to the border
patrol, it doesn't seem to matter that we are helping the people of Mozambique, they just want to know what they can get
out of it. Praise God for His favor!
Now that they are in the village they will begin upgrading the drill and getting
ready to start drilling the first of what we pray will be two wells this year.
Please continue to pray for the
appropriate drilling site(s) and the wells in Chibuli, Malawi that they will attempt to repair towards the end of this
trip.
Jeff
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| Getting prepared to go to Thoera and drill |
May 16, 2009
Greetings, We are
heading out for Thoera today, so if you’re reading this e-mail, it means that we stopped long enough to send it before
heading to Chibuli.
Our plan is to travel to Chibuli on Saturday. When we get there, we are dropping off
some donated clothing and other goods that Healing Every Nation received from the U.K. We will look at three wells that
are not functioning properly to see if we can fix them or take inventory of parts that will be needed to make them work. I
will meet the kids sponsored by members of my church and give them the notes and gifts that I was asked to deliver.
I also have 30 Bibles in the local language, Chichewa, which will be given to local pastors to give to those who have no Bible.
After we leave Chibuli on Sunday, we will cross into Mozambique where we will have to deal with customs about all the items
we are bringing in. Without going into too much detail, we would like God’s favor and guidance so that we are
not charged a lot in import duties or taxes. Plus, we want to do things properly and with a language barrier, that is
a task.
We will go to Thoera by Sunday night and stay as long as we need to stay to drill a couple of wells.
Mike has been working on forms that will speed up the process of pouring (one wheelbarrow load at a time) a concrete pad around
any well pumps we might install. He has also welded together a sifting device that can be used to sort out sand and large
stones from the pea-sized gravel we need to put around the pipe at the bottom of the well. There is still some work
left to do on the forms, but we are taking gas welding equipment with us to complete the work there. Mike has been a
big help and his engineering and metal fabrication experience would be very difficult to find in less than three ordinary
people.
We plan to exit Mozambique by way of Tete and the border crossing at Mwanza, Malawi. At
this border crossing we can permanently import all of our well drilling equipment to Malawi. It will be easier in the
long run to store it and access it each year when we fly into Blantyre. We cannot do permanent imports at the Marka
border crossing near Chibuli, or we would come back that way.
When we return to Blantyre, we will make sure the
drilling equipment is stored and protected from theft or vandalism. If we find out that a well in Chibuli needs supplies,
we may get what we need at then and go back to Chibuli to make as many wells work as we think we can fix.
That
is our plan, anyway. Only what God enables us to do will get done. This isn’t the kind of endeavor one can just
muscle their way through. So many things you might think are easily done in America are many times more difficult in
Africa. If you pray, mention us. We’re here to serve.
Thanks,
Tom Dake and Mike Herbert
May 10, 2009
Hi,
As you
may or may not know, I'm in Blantyre, Malawi getting ready to drill water wells in Mozambique. I came with a friend
from California to use the well drill that was donated to our church. While here in Africa, I am going to work with
some friends, Eddie and Vilma Brito, who are missionaries helping children in several places.
I'm doing
well. Haven't much to say as we have been experiencing the weekend slowdown when hardly any businesses are open.
Tomorrow, we'll try to hit it hard. I thought we were going to a friend of a friend's church today, but since
they were having a funeral, they invited us to a service tomorrow night. Not what I wanted. Wanted to get stuff
done on Monday as we hope to leave for Thoera (Mozambique) on Wednesday. Also, when it was known that we were free today,
we were invited to another church where Mike and I spoke briefly. Nice congregation. A very small affair in the
front room of the pastor's house. They made up for their small size with their big voices.
Everything
is going well otherwise. We did not have the drill brought to us like we asked. They only brought one part and
it wasn't what we needed for the hydraulic upgrade. So we'll be doing the retrofit in the village. I am
looking forward to one part of this trip, not coming back across the same border where we usually go. Those people take
advantage of the rural location and try to stick us for bribes. It's a hassle, but one we can deal with usually.
So we'll also see another part of Mozambique that I have not seen. Also, we'll see another village in Malawi
where people in our church are sponsoring 25 children with only one or no parents. It will be good to see them but Vilma
warns us that it's a hard place to spend any time. Not just because they have no electricity or running water, but
because the kids are unruly. She's never been a substitute teacher in America. ;^)
Just saw a guy
before I came here to this internet cafe who I had met in 2007. Nice guy. He noticed us and came by to say hi.
Justin. He's the brother of the guy who will be driving us down to Thoera, Terrence. They're both good
humored and patient with us when we act like spoiled Americans. Terrence was shot in the arm when men robbed Vilma and
another woman from the UK last year. He thanks God that he was only shot in the arm because the guy aimed at his chest
and only missed when Terrence ducked.
Food has been pretty good so far. We cooked lunch today and will probably
skip dinner since we're all full. Fried eggs, rice with a little tuna, large beans of some sort, with a tin (can)
of peaches and shortbread cookies for dessert. I have reacquainted myself with Nali, a pepper sauce that comes in a
variety of flavors. It claims to be Africa's hottest peri-peri sauce. Can't vouch for it, but it livens
up hard-boiled eggs.
Not sure how many wells we will drill or where we will drill them. But I think we'll
get to do more than just drill wells this trip and that will be fun for me. A bit of a change. Visiting the kids,
I'll be taking some gifts from their sponsors and some Bibles to people who can't afford them or find them in their
language.
I won't get to respond to individual e-mail as time is short and internet cafes are so slow, but
I am sending pictures to our church website. www.VineLife.org has a page devoted to our Africa mission. Also,
when I leave Blantyre, I won't have access to anything like e-mail, the internet, telephone, electricity, ice cream...
none of the essentials. So, you may not hear from me anytime soon. But just know that I wish you were here! ;^)
We could use another hand digging mud pits for our drilling fluid!
Tom
May
7, 2009
Greetings from Malawi!
Moody Banjee (how are
you? )
Didi Bueno (I am fine)
Dear Friends, I am writing from one of my favorite places
in all of Africa. A place with ice cream, pizza, and wireless internet. This place is called Kip’s.
Last year, I thought I met Kip. But apparently he was just a very friendly manager. The new guy is pretty friendly,
too. But I’m not going to call him Kip.
Mike and I arrived with minimal trouble. So little trouble, in fact, we were suspicious.
There were fewer airport security checks, fewer baggage examinations (none that I know of) and fewer hassles than most other
trips I have taken. The 18 hour flight from Washington, D.C. to Joburg only had one refueling stop in Dakar, Senegal.
We didn’t leave the plane but we got to stand up with getting knocked over from turbulence.
We spent an uneventful night in Joburg and
then arrived in Blantyre without knowing whether or not Healing Every Nations people would be here to meet us. They
weren’t. When we reached Eddie Brito, he explained that Vilma had not contacted him in two days when she was about
to leave Mozambique for Blantyre, Malawi. Later he found out that they had been stuck on a muddy road and slept there
a couple of nights. It’s not easy to call for a tow truck when A. there are no tow trucks, and B. they would probably
get stuck too, and C. your cell phone doesn’t work in that part of Mozambique.
I got the call from Terrence, Vilma Brito’s driver/assistant
in ministry, and he apologized. But I can’t help feel a little responsible. The road they got stuck on was
the road coming here from where our drill was kept. They were picking it up for us so we can make the upgrade here in
Blantyre. It’s amazing what kind of trouble Eddie and Vilma go through without people really knowing. Last
year, Terrence was shot and Vilma and a traveling companion were tied up at gunpoint and stashed under a bridge while the
robbers drove off in her vehicle. This year, sleeping by a muddy road probably wasn’t any more fun.
While we’re here, Mike and I are tracking
down some of the equipment that didn’t make it all the way here. It was a tube-shaped package that contained wire
mesh, 2 inches of metal pipe and some welding rods. Who knows what all that looked like in an X-ray. The South
African Airlines rep called me a minute ago to say it might be in Blantyre tomorrow (Friday). We hope it will.
If it is delivered, we will know that one more thing did not go wrong – having our luggage mistaken for nefarious goods.
Looks like we’ll
be in Blantyre a little longer than we planned. We probably won’t go to Mozambique until late next week.
Partly it is because without transportation, it is a little hard to acquire all the goods we will need for well drilling.
And a weekend is upon us when it’s impossible to find shops open. So, we will busy ourselves this weekend making
preparations and trying hard not to forget anything. If we do, we have a ready-made excuse. Learned it from another
missionary. You just remind yourself, “This is Africa.” TIA, baby!
I'll be sending some updates with photos to my pastor/friend,
Jeff Callicott. He'll be posting them on our church website: www.vinelife.org You can go there to check out
any news I am able to send. I may not be able to write often, but I can occasionally get a text message out to Jeff
and keep him up-to-date.
Feel
free to forward this to people I have missed.
Have a good month,
Tom
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