Back in the URTZ

Dear Friends,
We have now been back in Dodoma for about a month and are feeling very settled and at home. We had a shaky start as after a great flight we broke down in the car around 3 hours from Dodoma and had to be towed home by a petrol tanker! But we got there safely and 2 weeks later our car was finally roadworthy again. It has been wonderful to catch up with friends, to get back into routine and to settle back into our home.

Thank you all for your encouragement, hospitality and friendship whilst we were back in the UK. We had a great time and it was wonderful to see so many of our family and old friends and to make some new friends.

Christine is back to a very quiet office. Beatrice who she worked with over the last few years is now studying at the university so Christine is on her own, though hopes to be able to employ someone else very soon. Thanks to everyone who made generous contributions to the work of the youth office whilst we were back in the UK, Christine is now planning several projects such as a continuation of the small loans scheme for youth groups, seminars in music and worship and training in youth bible study, so it is a busy but exciting time. There is still a lot of fundraising to do for the recording studio project but even this is well on the way. Please pray that we find the right person to work alongside Christine and that the funding continues to come in so that we are able to support him/her.

Paul was thrust straight back into the thick of it on his return to the university as due to staff changes and sickness the Physics laboratory courses had collapsed. With the help of Mr Mwaka who stepped down stairs from Biology to help out, things are now ticking over well and Saimon the lab scientists is due to return shortly after an improvement in his health – an answer to prayer. Paul has also been teaching on the Physics Teaching Methods and Special Relativity courses but still finds that he has plenty of spare time having not as yet taken back the responsibilities of timetable and database coordination. Please pray that Paul seeks God’s will in what responsibilities to take on this year. There are many new possible exciting opportunities and projects both academically, administratively and pastorally as well as existing areas of need. At the moment he’s not rushing into anything.

Thanks to everyone who bought a CD of the University’s English choir we managed to return with a lovely keyboard which is a real boost to the worship in the English service. The English choir is still very small after so many members graduated last year but they struggled on in our absence and we are now trying to build it up again. Please pray for new members and growth of the choir particularly in the new university year which starts in October.

Christine also continues to sing with the Swahili choir of the local parish congregation. Sadly Revival choir split after a number of problems, so Christine now sings with “Kikuyu Gospel Singers” with many members of Revival and many new members. Please pray for the development of this new choir and pray that the remaining issues following the split are resolved quickly and peacefully.

The boys have enjoyed the month in school and have now broken up for their long holidays, and will start back again in August. Isaac was proud to be captain of the lions team in the nursery and reception sports day and Daniel took part in the end of year assembly singing in sign language with his class, as you can see in the pictures above. We have new next door neighbours, mission partners from CMS Australia who have four children, including a boy in each of Daniel and Isaac’s classes, so they are all very happy.

We were able to visit Kilimatinde a couple of weeks ago where we went to a fundraising event to raise money to wire up the church and vicarage as electricity will be coming to the village later this year which is very exciting. Meanwhile the electricity supply here in Dodoma is very erratic at the moment as a big hydroelectric power station has had to close down due to water shortages. We are therefore having power-rationing here with regular 12 hour power cuts. The university has invested in a large backup generator for when there are cuts during working hours which hopefully will mean that Paul’s lab sessions will be undisturbed but unfortunately it does not cover the staff houses so candles and torches are still in regular use at home and we are aiming to get a gas cooker very soon!

With much love and blessings,
Christine, Paul, Daniel and Isaac.xxx

Containers and Cheerios

Dear All,

Just a quick last post before we head off back to Tanzania on the 24th of May.

With a lot of help from St Austell Besom and staff of Plymouth University the container was filled and sealed on Tuesday. With over 50 computers, over 600 books and nearly 100 boxes of apparatus it was quite an undertaking and we are very grateful for all those who donated things, space, their time or their labour.

Less than two weeks now remain with one official link visit still to do and many people to say goodbye to. Please pray for us as we tie off loose ends, travel, and settle back into our life back in Tanzania.

Thankyou for your ongoing support and may God bless you all.

3 weeks left!

Dear friends,

3 weeks to go! 3 weeks today we fly to Dar-es-Salaam and then straight on to Dodoma and back to life as usual! We have been really blessed during our time here by the interest so many people have shown in our work and by the way so many people are praying for us and keen to support us. Please pray for us as we prepare to travel and as we adjust back to life in Tanzania, especially for the boys as they cope with another transition. They have thoroughly enjoyed their time in the UK but are now looking forward to going back and seeing their friends again.


We have been continuing to visit all of our link churches around the country and it has been wonderful to see you all and get to know you. Thank you all for your warm welcomes, encouragement and support. These pictures show lunchtime after the service at Chilcompton, and Paul preaching in the evening service at Saltford.

The next week will also be very busy as Paul is finalising the container which will be sent to Tanzania on 10th May. He has managed to collect books, computers, lab equipment, furniture and lots of other things from various generous donors. All of this is now being collected together at Plymouth university who, as well as donating equipment, have agreed to allow us to store it until the container comes next week. Please pray for Paul as he collects all the equipment this week, and pray that all the contacts he has who have promised items or assitance will do so and that everything will come together, and for the safe and trouble free arrival of the container in Tanzania.


One of the boys' aims when coming to the UK was to see some castles, so a visit to Granny and Granpy in Cardiff was a great opportunity for this. They had a wonderful time. Here they are at Caerphilly castle.

We have also enjoyed receiving several visitors - thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to come and see us - we really appreciate it as it's lovely to catch up. This picture shows our friend Rachel enjoying an afternoon on the beach with the boys.

During Holy week we went to Spring Harvest in Minehead with our good friends the Groths, for a wonderful time of relaxation and refreshment which was much needed during this busy final month in the UK. We had a great time and the boys loved their group the "Whizz Kids".
At the end of March Isaac turned 5 and as usual wanted a big party with all his new friends. Here he is in his new Buzz Lightyear costume with his favourite girlfriend, Stella.

With much love to you all. God bless
Paul, Christine, Daniel and Isaac.xxx

Visits and visitors and the joys of Cornwall

Dear Friends,

We are still enjoying life here in the UK, though are missing Tanzania too. We have had a wonderful time visting churches and friends and family, and receiving lots of visitors too.(including cousins Thomas and Adam, and Christine's mum, shown on these pictures) It is great to catch up with you all. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to come and see us and to everyone who has been so welcoming on our visits to you. Thanks to all our friends in St. Austell too. We really value our time with you. We are now past the half way mark as we plan to return to Tanzania in late May. We are enjoying the spring weather, the daffodils and the opportunities to walk on the coast path and enjoy some of the beautiful areas around St. Austell.

We are keeping ourselves busy as we are still trying to find equipment to send back to the university in a container. Things are coming in slowly but it is looking possible so please if you know of any sources of equipment such as computers (not too old), university level books, lab equipment, musical equipment please let us know. Christine is also looking for funds for some of her projects, particularly the recording studio project and the small loans project and has been searching for various trusts and organisations who may be able to help. We are very grateful to everyone who has helped us with donations for this so far. Please pray for God's provision for our work.

We are also looking to boost our own financial support through CMS so that we are able to continue serving in Tanzania for the next 3 years. We are so grateful to all of you who support us as individuals or through your churches. If you don't already, please consider whether you or your church are able to support us in this way. Please again pray that God will provide all that we need.

The boys continue to enjoy life at school. Daniel has been learning about Jamaica this term, and Isaac about Australia. This picture is of Isaac telling the tale of "Sheila and the 3 Kangaroos" at their school performance. (some resemblance to Goldilocks and the 3 bears) They also love their swimming lessons. This is Daniel with his teacher, Ross.

We have a busy 2 weekends ahead visiting link churches in the Bath area and then will be looking forward to Easter and the chance to spend some time with Paul's parents before going to Spring Harvest with some good friends.

With much love and God's blessings,

Paul, Christine, Daniel and Isaac.xxx

The Chill, Churches and Cornish Cycling

Dear Friends,
We are now gradually acclimatising to the cold of the UK, though the boys did enjoy a trip to the tropical dome at the Eden Project which really felt like home! Here they are with Grandma at the “Baobab bar” – definitely a taste of Tanzania! Since the end of December we have been settled in St. Austell in a lovely little cottage which we are renting as we have very good tenants in our own home. We are very happy here and it has been wonderful to get involved with our church here again and to catch up with old friends. We have started attending a house-group and Christine has re-joined the worship group. Paul has been helping out with the “Besom” Project run by the church to practically support local people in need. We have also been enjoying the beauty of Cornwall and doing some walking on the coast.

A few weeks ago we attended the CMS Partners in Mission conference at Clanfield near Oxford. It was a wonderful chance to meet other mission partners and to relax, learn, worship and pray together. This picture shows Christine at the conference. Unfortunately this coincided with the boys’ first week at school so we left them at home in the capable hands of Granny and Granpy. They are going to a local C of E school here in St. Austell. Daniel found it hard to settle for the first few weeks but they are now both doing well and making a few friends. They have also started swimming lessons which they are thoroughly enjoying. Daniel has been getting lots of swimming badges and Isaac was delighted last week as on the same day he could suddenly both swim and cycle without help.

We have had a few more very enjoyable visits to link churches. We are very grateful to you all for your continued support and for the great welcome we receive wherever we go. We look forward to meeting many more of you over the next few months. This picture shows us with the wonderful mission team at Hart Plain Church near Portsmouth.

Whilst here in the UK we are also trying to find some support for some of our work. Paul is trying to collect equipment for the university to send back in a container. He is particularly looking for computers (2nd hand but not more than a few years old), university level books and laboratory equipment. If you know of a school, college or company who are clearing out old equipment please let us know, or get in touch for more information. Christine is also trying to raise funds for some of the youth projects, including the recording studio project. For this project she is also looking for donations of studio equipment or electric instruments, which must be of good quality. If you are able to help in any way we would be grateful.

Also if anyone would like to buy or is able to sell our CD to raise money for the studio project, or our English choir CD we would be grateful. Please get in touch

With lots of love and blessings,
Christine, Paul, Daniel and Isaac.xxx

A White Christmas

Dear Friends,

Firstly apologies for not writing a proper blog entry for 3 months, but hopefully you have received our updates and link letter in the meantime.




Our last couple of months in Tanzania were very busy as we were handing over our work to colleagues as well as saying our farewells. Christine’s main focus was a very big fundraising event to raise money for a recording studio which we hope to develop in Dodoma. The studio will be a huge benefit for the local youth choirs and will also be a source of income for the youth office where Christine works, where we are really struggling for funds. The event took place at the end of October and was a great event involving several choirs performing together with speeches from various important people. The guest of honour was the Chief Justice of Tanzania, Augustino Ramadhani, who contributed generously towards the project. In total we raised around £4,000 and together with funds we raised previously we now have around £5,000 towards the studio. We thank God for this encouraging start, but please pray for the project as we continue to work towards our target of £20,000.

Early November saw St John’s very first Graduation which was a wonderful celebration of three years of hard work by students and staff. The event went well and kick started the new academic year which had been delayed due to the General elections which passed peacefully. Paul managed to hand over all responsibilities and see the new timetable into action with a few days to spare before our flight. We had a small leaving party with some of our closest friends before we left which was a wonderful time of sharing together, though sad to say goodbye for the next 6 months. The picture at the top shows members of Revival choir giving us a leaving present, and this picture shows Christine feeding cake to the university chaplain, Bishop Ntiruka at our leaving party (a Tanzanian tradition!)

We arrived back in the UK at the end of November, probably at the coldest and snowiest time. We have spent the last month travelling, firstly to CMS house for a debrief, and then to London for a medical at interhealth. We made the most of this and had a few days in London which was a great time – the highlight was building a snowman in St. James’ Park! After this we went up to Manchester and spent a couple of weeks with Christine’s mum. During this time we were able to visit 2 of our link churches – the Avenue Methodist, Sale and Christ the King, Kettering. It was lovely to see friends again, and we very much look forward to visiting all our other supporting churches over the next few months.


For Christmas week we went up to the Lake District where we stayed in a big old farmhouse with all of Paul’s family. We are now in St. Austell where we will be for our remaining 5 months in the UK. We are renting a little house here as we have good tenants in our own house. It is nice to be settled, to catch up with friends and to get involved with our church here again.

As well as visiting our supporters we also hope to do some networking and fundraising whilst we are back in the UK. Paul is planning to send back to Tanzania a shipping container (or two?) and so is busy calling on all the contacts he can in the hope of finding schools, universities or businesses having a clean out. We’re primarily looking for good quality second hand computers, university level text books and scientific apparatus in quantity but so far we’ve yet to strike gold. Please contact us if you think you may be able to help (or know someone else who can).
Christine is trying to raise funds for a number of projects including the recording studio, the small loans project for youth groups, seminars in youth bible study and seminars in music and worship. If anyone has any ideas of organisations she could approach, or if anyone would like to do some fundraising for us (maybe through your church youth group or music group) please let us know.

We’re really sorry we will not be able to visit all our individual friends we would like to see during the 6 months we are here. However, we do welcome visitors here in St. Austell, and we would love to see you.

Please pray for us over the next few months as we settle back into life in the UK, travel around our link churches, and for the boys in school.

Lots of love and blessings,
Paul, Christine, Daniel & Isaac.xxx

Parties and Performances

Dear Friends,

The main event this month was Daniel's 7th birthday. We had a great party in the garden with lots of friends, and this is his Tom and Jerry birthday cake, which was quite a challenge for mummy! Tom and Jerry and lots of other old fashioned cartoons are all the rage here in Tanzania!

Last weekend Revival choir entered a big competition here in Dodoma. It was organised by the health department of CCT (the Christian Council of Tanzania). Choirs from all denominations could enter and had to write and perform 2 songs raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and a Christian response to the issue. We came 3rd out of 19 choirs and are now taking part in an X-factor style competition including just 10 choirs from 4 regions of Tanzania. It will be televised on local TV each Sunday for 6 weeks starting this Sunday and people will vote for their favourite choirs by text until there are 4 choirs left which will enter the final. Please pray for us, especially this week as we do some more filming for the TV. It was a wonderful weekend. This picture shows the choir after the event.

Christine has been running a youth bible study with choir Revival called Mwamba Salama (Solid Rock) and this picture shows some of the group. It is a very good study guide in Swahili covering all the basics of Christianity and aimed particularly at youth groups. Christine also hopes to run a seminar at work to train youth officers from all the dioceses to use this recource as group bible study is very uncommon in Tanzania, and there is a real need to encourage youth groups to read and discuss the Word together.

This picture shows Isaac with some of his class who led their school assembly recently for the first time. Isaac did very well and is very happy to stand up and perform!

At the University we are getting ready for graduation including finalising assessments of who is able to graduate or not - this is obviously a difficult task and tensions are high with a need for a balance of compassion and justice.

We are busy getting ready for our return to the UK in November. We fly on the 21st November and will spend a week in St. Austell followed by a few weeks up North, and then will settle in St. Austell from Dec 27th. The boys will be going to Bishop Bronscombe school for a few months. Please pray for us all as we prepare for this. We are looking forward to seeing many of you soon.

Love and blessings,
Paul, Christine, Daniel and Isaac. xxx