The Shipping Container out of Global Samaritan in Abilene, landed in Mombasa over a month ago and has been sitting on the dock racking up a daily charge of $65 dollars a day.  It finally got to Arusha on Thursday followed by a big crane to off load the container onto the pad out at the land.  Unfortunately the crane could only lift 7 tons and our dear friends from Nacogdoches and Temple had loaded nearly 10 tons of goodies into that container.  It was loaded from front to back and top to bottom with building supplies, play ground equipment, power saws, mowers, an incubator, furniture, high chairs, diapers, car seats and even a trailer, to name just a few things.

Jack Pape who was out at the site with Matt writes that it was quite precarious as the crane made some scary attempts to get the container off the truck.  They ended up having to sit it down and unload items out onto the grass to get it light enough to pick up, swing it over and sit it down on the pad.

There is an old song that keeps popping into my head as I write this little blog, “You loaded 16 tons and what did you get, another day older and deeper in debt.”  I’m sure our guys who didn’t get home until after 10 that night felt another day older!  A big Thank You to all involved in another great adventure in Africa!  There is never a dull day at our home for abandoned, orphaned and at risk babies in Arusha, Tanzania.

Two new babies joined the Neema family this week.  Beautiful Patricia whose mother cannot keep her is getting a welcome kiss from Nanny Zawadi.

Noreen whose mom died of AIDs, is eleven months old and weighs just 8.4 pounds.  This precious baby is HIV positive, severely undernourished and is battling pneumonia tonight.  Please help us pray for complete healing for this baby girl.  Psalms 77:14 tells us that God is a God of miracles. We could use one for this little one.

Her medical bills are going to be high this month. It would be awesome for some cool doctor’s office to take on the sponsorship of medical bills for Neema.  There are some months when it is tough to pay the bills.

But I am so glad that Neema House never refuses to take a baby no matter in what condition the baby comes to us.

The long awaited Five Aggies for Christ: Hayley Strawn, Alex Miranda, Cole Dotson, Chandler  Young and Andy Hounsel, have arrived at Neema and from all reports and the happy looks on their faces are having a blast helping with the building, holding babies and doing some volunteering at the local  government hospital.  Whoo Hoo!  Go Aggies!

And finally the “David and Lyndy Edwards Home for Widows” is going up on the land.  It thrills my heart to be able, with God’s help and the generous help of the George and Dorothy Dawson family of Abilene, Texas, to build this home for women who have lost so much in a land where people have so little left to lose.

May the LORD our GOD look with favor upon you.

Dorris and Michael Fortson