It is likely to be at least several weeks before tangible relief will be experienced in the form of more food actually being available, accompanied by lower prices for corn, rice, beans and other dietary staples.  But just the knowledge that relief is coming soon is a tremendous blessing!

Please thank God for answered prayer, and for providing the abundant rains which so many have been longing to see in western Tanzania.  This is a blessing for the school, the students, and the teachers, all of whom have been under tremendous stress from the drought, as well as the incredibly inflated prices (prices had risen over 400% on essential food commodities!).  It is also a tremendous relief to the communities around the school.  Nearly 80% of Tanzanians are subsistence farmers, which means they depend on what they grow in order to feed their families.   This has been a painfully difficult drought period for them all.

Also, please be praying for continued good rains in the future.  This rainy season and harvest will provide great relief.  However, it will take many good rainy seasons before the people and the land recover completely.

Field waiting for rain — in November this field by the school was ready to be planted…but waiting for rain! Now it’s growing well!

//

End of 2012 Holiday Update

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If you haven’t seen the Graduation and Ten Year Anniversary video yet, it is in the post immediately below this one.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers in 2012.  The needs at The Lion of Judah Academy for the coming year are very great, especially due to the ongoing drought and food shortages.  Please remember the students, staff and school in your prayers.

Loads of music, laughter and joy mixed together with speeches, food and the receiving of diplomas, certificates and awards, to create a memorable experience for the estimated 1000 people who attended..

The guest of honor was the Regional Commissioner of the newly created region in which the school is located, and he brought congratulations to and challenges for the graduates, as well as expressions of amazement over the amazing things which have been accomplished at the school in only ten short years!  His speech also challenged the school to seriously consider expanding to the ‘next level’ – a university!  (The Lion of Judah Academy trustees have been discussing this very subject, more about that will appear in future blog posts; for now suffice it to say the trustees believe God first wants us to fully complete what we’ve already started)

Director Mtebe’s address was also a highlight of the celebration (the speech was delivered in Kiswahili, but an English translation of his speech is here, and it offers a glimpse at some of the accomplishments of the school).

Mtebe Graduation speech

The speaker who drew the most laughter was former regional commissioner Mashishanga, who served as Regional Commissioner of Mwanza Region when the school started.  Not only did he entertain everyone with his wit, but he also recalled the very early days of the school, an effort by some powerful men to take control of the school, and his own pivotal role in protecting the school from their efforts.

But, of course, the highlight of the day was the awarding of certificates and diplomas to the graduates of Standard Seven (seventh grade), Form Four (secondary school), and Form Six (advanced high school).  Several of the Form Four and Form Six students were among the students who first enrolled at the school when it started, so that was an extra special treat!

We’ve prepared a five minute long video which shows some of the highlights of the day.

Saturday, November 3, is going to be a glorious day in the life of The Lion of Judah Academy.  Wherever you are, we invite you to join in the joyful praise and celebration of what God has done!

Ten years ago – September, 2002 – the first classes moved into classroom building A.  A few weeks later we held a special ceremony to dedicate The Lion of Judah Academy to God’s glory and service.

So much has changed since then!!

From 15 students in a borrowed classroom with a part-time teacher, to 620 students in 14 grades on a 50 acre campus!!

I – Hart – remember the day about three summers ago when I was standing in the middle of the campus looking around.  Mtebe, the school director, walked up beside me and, after a few moments of silence, said to me:  “I know what you are thinking.”

The surprise must have showed on my face.  He continued, “You are asking yourself, ‘How has all of this happened?  How has God done this?’”

Now I was REALLY surprised, because that’s exactly what I had been thinking!!

Mtebe concluded, “I know that’s what you are thinking about because I stand here often, looking around, thinking the same thing!”

It has been ten years of watching God pour out his amazing grace on this The Lion of Judah Academy.

Of course, declaring one day as the “ten year anniversary” is a bit arbitrary.  It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when the school began.  Was it the day in September, 2002, the first classroom buildings opened?  Or the day in November, 2001, when ground was broken for those buildings?  Or the day in August, 2001, when the first “official” classes of the school met in borrowed classrooms?  Or, perhaps, the third Sunday of October, 2000, when God spoke with unmistakable clarity about starting such a school?  Or the day – we can’t recall exactly when – God first planted the seeds which became the school, in the hearts of Mtebe, Pili, Lynn and Hart.

But, whatever date you want to use as the ‘starting date,’ the reality is The Lion of Judah Academy is a miracle.  Everything about the school is miraculous, from the first day until now.  And we believe God has plenty more in store for the school.

Recently Lynn and Hart were visiting a congregation which has been supporting the school from the beginning.  The pastor prayed, “Lord, bless The Lion of Judah Academy so the years which are ahead are even more blessed and wonderful than the last ten years.”

We not only say, “AMEN” to that prayer, we are also confident that is exactly what God has planned.  And we can hardly wait to see what comes next!

So, please, wherever you are on November 3, we invite you to remember all that God has done at The Lion of Judah Academy, and to join in the joy-filled celebration of this ten year anniversary.

By the way, that will also be the occasion of another very important milestone in the school’s life:  the graduation of our very first form 6 class.  Many of the students in this form 6 class were members of the very first classes at the Lion of Judah Academy!

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!

This trip has several objectives, in addition to renewing friendships and solidifying bonds with students, staff, and U.S. supporters.  We expect to be doing quite a bit of work on agricultural issues.  The ladies will be busy with several sewing projects.  One of them was a teacher and she will be doing a lot of individual and group tutoring.  We are exploring options for developing a program through which sponsors can help high-potential Lion of Judah Academy students with their university education…and perhaps even find ways for some of them to study in the U.S. and Europe.

But no one will get bored…there is always more than enough to keep everyone busy!

Please be praying for the group which, though small, will be engaged many projects.  We will be returning on September 3.

And don’t forget to pray for the terrible drought which is affecting East Africa.  People are suffering terribly.

A group will be returning to The Lion of Judah Academy for the Graduation and Tenth Anniversary Celebration in November.  We’d love to have you join us!  Feel free to write us through the email link on this webpage:

email Hart and Lynn

We’ve been saving a couple of stories we believe may help you see a dimension of the power of your support and sacrifice you usually don’t think about.

School Director Mtebe with his wife Pili, at graduation

Last November, at graduation, School Director Mtebe gave his annual report (that’s a Tanzanian tradition…at the graduation the principal/headmaster gives a ‘state of the school’ message to all the students, teachers, parents and other attendees).  He reported that, over the past school year, three parents of our students died in tragic accidents, leaving three sets of students orphaned.  He told all those gathered,

“Lion of Judah Academy is going to make sure these students are cared for, and they will have the opportunity to finish their schooling here.  These children are children of the school…we are their family now.” 

He assumed that would be the end of it.

However, later in the day the parents group approached him.  They had met together and made a decision which absolutely amazed him…and amazes us.

They told him, “We parents have all been greatly touched that the school cares so much for the children who have become orphans, and we know the same thing could happen to any of our children.  So we want to start a special fund for those children and others like them.  Beginning next term we want you to add 5000 shillings to each of our accounts.  We will pay that additional amount and would like it to be placed in a special fund to help provide for those children.”

5000 Tanzania shillings (10,000 a year) is not a huge amount by our standards…it comes to about $6.50 a year.  But it is a VERY large amount for many of our school families.  Keep in mind that most of our families are very poor to begin with…and they are in the midst of a terrible drought.

How amazing this is!  One more breath-taking example of how The Lion of Judah Academy is not simply teaching children…it is not simply creating a dynamic Christian community…it is not simply having a deep impact of the children and their families…it is actually influencing the way people think and behave, and what they value.  It is overwhelming to see what God is doing!

And another similar real-life example.

There is a older woman…a grandmother…who has a few grandchildren who are students at the school.  From the beginning she has been very vocal in her support for The Lion of Judah Academy.

Last fall she retired from her government job.  She had been promised a pension but, like all Tanzanians, she didn’t know if she would actually receive it or not.  But, lo and behold, she received a lump sum check for the equivalent of a few thousand dollars.  Of course, she needs to be careful…this must carry her through the rest of her life!

So what is the first thing she did?

Well, what is the first thing you would have done?  Decide where to put your nest egg to gain the maximum amount of income?  Buy a new car?  Pay off your mortgage?  Take a well-deserved vacation?

This lady did something which still amazes us when we think about it…she tithed her pension check to The Lion of Judah Academy!

When you make sacrificial gifts to The Lion of Judah Academy please understand, you are NOT giving ‘hand outs.’  Not at all!  You are giving to people who are so appreciative for your support that they often cannot contain their own gratitude for the opportunities and blessings provided through your generosity.

This is what the Apostle Paul was talking about when he encouraged the Corinthians, in 1 Corinthians 9, to give generously to the needs of the saints in Jerusalem.

 2 Corinthians 9:10-15 — ¹⁰ Now the One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.  ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.  ¹² For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.  ¹³ They will glorify God for your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with others through the proof provided by this service.  ¹⁴ And they will have deep affection for you in their prayers on your behalf because of the surpassing grace of God in you.  ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.

This is what corn looks like in drought conditions!

This is the third of three posts about the current drought and food crisis effecting The Lion of Judah Academy.  The first was about typical food served in the school dining room.  The second dealt with the severity of the crisis.

In Psalm 121 the psalmist is apparently experiencing some sort of distress and crisis…we don’t know what it was.  He looks up to the hills and asks, “Where will my help come from?”

Then he seems to remember!  Ah, yes!!  “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth!”

Tanzania and East Africa are currently experiencing a period of great crisis and drought.  At The Lion of Judah Academy the students and staff know, very well, that their help comes from the Lord.  Their “daily bread” comes from the hand of God.  And rain, when it comes, will be God’s gift to break this drought.

But they – and we – also know that God expects us to look to Him for wisdom regarding how to deal with problems once they come to us…and when that wisdom is given, God expects us to act on it.

We believe God has given us some important actions to take to deal with the devastating effects of the drought conditions which occur all to often in East Africa.  Hopefully this drought will end with the fall rainy season.  But whether it does or doesn’t, we believe God is showing us how to better cope with these times of crisis.

There are, we believe, three primary areas where God has challenged us to make improvements.

1)      develop a large school garden

2)      develop an irrigation system

3)      develop more effective agricultural techniques than those traditionally used in East Africa

THE GARDEN — Having a school garden has long been a vision…and started to become a reality about 15 months ago.  When our mission team visited the school last July (July 2011) we ate cabbage, tomatoes, watermelon and other produce grown in the school garden (see the photo album at the end of this post).  It continues to develop, becoming larger and more productive.   But in reality, the garden started long before that.  Slowly, acre by acre, God has provided – and is still providing – land near the Lake, with each piece adjacent to the next.

We needed two large well-like pits for the water system which would eventually be located there…but there seemed no reason to build them before we had electricity.  Until we realized that those pits would provide perfect ways to draw water by hand for limited irrigation.

Slowly our gardeners have been learning, sometimes by trial and error, how to properly plant, cultivate, and grow (who knew there are male and female papaya trees…and the fruit won’t grow if you only plant male trees?).

We will need to grow a huge amount of food in order to feed 350+ students on a daily basis.  But God is laying a groundwork for a large, productive garden which can be a tremendous help in times of drought and famine.

IRRIGATION – When Lynn and Hart first arrived in Tanzania back in 1999, we were struck by the fact that we lived on the shore of one of the largest lakes in the world – Lake Victoria.  Yet within fifty yards of the Lake crops were failing because there was no way to water them!  “Why is there no irrigation?” we lamented.  Well, we learned there were several reasons for that.  But one of the biggest was…and is…money.  Money to purchase the expensive pumps…even small ones.  Money to install and maintain irrigation systems.  And, perhaps biggest of all, money to pay for the fuel to run the pumps which pump the water.  Diesel, the most common fuel for pumps in Tanzania, costs over $6.00 a gallon!  At prices like that it’s much cheaper to buy the food than the fuel to operate the pump!

But electricity?  Well…if you could get electricity down to the pumping area…electricity is much less expensive to buy and much more efficient to use.  But there was no power running down that direction at all.

And THAT is one of the biggest reasons we have, all along, been working hard to raise funds to run electricity down to the pumping area for the new Lion of Judah Academy water system!

We absolutely need water at the school for the students and the staff…and if that were the only reason to have it, we’d still have made the water system a top priority.  But we have also, from the beginning, believed that if we did it right, we would be able to use that water to provide inexpensive…and life-giving…irrigation to the school gardens which didn’t even exist, except as God’s promise!

Often we have been close to giving up, thinking we would never achieve the goal of getting electricity down there.  But we knew that was God’s plan.

And now…the electricity will be installed very soon…we’ve already been to the electric company to pay for it!  And not long after the electricity will come the water storage tank, the installation of the pump…and the water!!  To the school campus…and to the garden!

MORE EFFECTIVE AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES – The Inlows and the Mtebes have many skills and abilities.  Agriculture is NOT among them!  Our Tanzanian board of trustees are talented and capable men and women…but they are NOT farmers!

At first glance, that might seem like a liability, if you need to develop a school garden.  However, our God has this amazing way of transforming liabilities into assets.  And one of the principles which has set The Lion of Judah Academy apart from the beginning is that we are willing to do new things in new ways, following God’s leading.

Traditional farming in Tanzania is hard…and truthfully, it’s not terribly effective.  But it is the only way they know.

For years God has been prodding us to think about other ways…better ways…to do agriculture.  But we’ve been severely hampered – we’re not farmers!

More recently God has been introducing us, slowly at first, and now with increasing speed, to resources for farming in East Africa which, we believe, may hold great promise for the school gardens.

One of those is ECHO – “Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization” – located just a couple of hours from the Inlows new home, over in Ft. Myers, Florida.  It “just so happens” that two old and dear retired friends volunteer there.  They invited us to come take a tour last January…and our eyes were opened to amazing new possibilities, as well as many ideas about how those possibilities might be implemented at The Lion of Judah Academy!  We next discovered that a former ECHO intern is now living less than an hour from The Lion of Judah Academy!  And, just last weekend, we had missionary friends, who are currently living at ECHO as “missionaries in residence.”  We spent hours and hours talking about agriculture in Tanzania!

This sounds suspiciously like one of those “God things”!

Then there is “Farming God’s Way,” another amazing resource God has introduced to us.

Farming God’s Way is a field tested and proven approach to more effective agriculture methods in arid regions of Africa, and comes with a wealth of training materials and practical, hands-on help.  We have spoken extensively to missionaries who are implementing the approach in their areas, with amazing results.

This follows a pattern we have experienced with God over and over again throughout the history of The Lion of Judah Academy.  He sets a challenge in front of us…like building a water system.  Like acquiring land for school gardens…when there was nothing but the knowledge that God is saying, “do it!”

Then, suddenly…almost miraculously…things come together!

Food starts growing in the garden.  The electricity is installed…so the pump and the water system can be completed.  And resources for how to more effectively farm in the African setting unexpectedly begin falling into our laps!

What a great God we have!  And He is doing it all in the midst of such a crisis and drought.  What glorious things God has done…and continues to do!

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where will my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

– Psalm 121:1-2

Finally, here’s a link to a few photo albums of the school.  Select the album “Water Project at The Lion of Judah Academy” to see several photos of the water project, the garden, and related things of interest.

Gnawing, relentless, unending hunger.  Not getting enough nutrients to keep your body alive, much less growing.  Or, worse, not getting enough to keep your children alive.

But that’s a reality many people face daily, including countless numbers in Tanzania

In fact, the government of Tanzania has declared the current food crisis in Tanzania to be a national disaster.  The World Bank has determined that food prices in many East African nations have reached their worst situation in decades.  TEARFund says 1.5 millions Tanzanians are “food insecure.”

And that crisis is affecting The Lion of Judah Academy.

The problem is rain.  When it doesn’t rain, crops don’t grow.  When crops don’t grow, people don’t have food enough to eat…much less enough to sell to raise money for daily needs.  It’s a vicious cycle, and it has not rained well in much of East Africa for three years now.

90% of Tanzanians are subsistence farmers.  That means they farm to provide food for their families.  When they can’t raise food because it hasn’t rained, they don’t have any other way to feed their families.  The result is famine and wrenching hunger.

And that is very true of the area around The Lion of Judah Academy.

You won’t see photos of malnourished, starving children at The Lion of Judah Academy, because we are going to do whatever is necessary to make certain our students have sufficient and nutritious meals every day.  However, that doesn’t mean the school doesn’t find itself deeply affected by this crisis.

Many of our “day students” (those who live at home and come to school for the day) are receiving only one meal a day at home…and that meal is often so minimal as to hardly be considered a meal.  Many of our boarding students know their families back home are suffering terribly.  And food prices are such that, while food is usually available, the school is having to put many other important needs “on hold” during this current famine, just to pay for food staples, which are costing 300% more than in normal times..

A similar crisis developed in 2005 – 2006.  At that time Lion of Judah Academy supporters rallied to raise sufficient funds to not only supplement the diet of our boarding students, but also to provide 35,000 meals, primarily to two groups of children:

1)  children in the village, whose families were suffering terribly

2)  day students whose families were unable to provide adequate food to their children.

This may not look like much to you, but this bowl of rice, beans and meat is a feast when you are hungry!

We are initiating a similar “famine relief program” at this time.  The funds will be used to help relieve the pressure of providing healthy meals for our dorm students, as well as to acquire additional food, prepare it, and feed hungry day students and, as funds are available, village children.

The structure is in place to accomplish this goal immediately.  We have the cooks, the kitchen, the distribution system.  And there are many, many hungry children within reach of the school.

The Lion of Judah Academy kitchen. Some cooking is done inside and, weather permitting, some cooking is done outside. We currently provide three meals daily to over 300 students. In the current food crisis, we can and we need to do more!

The cooks and staff have recently done a complete analysis of the school’s current food costs.  Right now, with the increased costs of feeding the children, we are spending $1.95 each day to provide three healthy, nutritious meals for each student.  That’s an average of 65 cents per meal.  For our dorm students part of that cost is covered by their dorm fees…but the costs have increased so dramatically that we are unable to even feed the students for what we are receiving in dorm fees.

The earliest this crisis can possibly be alleviated is around January or February, 2013.  That’s because the spring rains failed once again.  The next rainy season is this fall (around October-November).  If sufficient rains fall, that will be a huge blessing.  However, even then it takes time before crops are ready to harvest and food actually starts to become available.

That’s a long time away!

Can you help?  How about adopting this as a project for your family, church, school?

There are two primary ways you can provide immediate assistance:

1 – PRAY.  Always the most important thing…pray!!  Pray for the coming rainy season to begin early…rain regularly…and last longer than usual.  Pray for God to stretch the available resources.  Pray for ‘loaves and fishes’ type miracles right there at the school and in the homes and families of all those in the village and those connected to the school.  Ask God to open the hearts of those who have enough, and more than enough…prompting them to share what they have with those who have little or nothing.

2 – donate funds to help feed hungry children during this crisis.  You can donate through PayPal, using the “Donate” link above.  Or you can send checks to The Lion of Judah Ministries.  Information is at the “Contact Us” link above.

High efficiency wood stove on the right, traditional wood stove on the left (traditional stove is three stones, a cooking pot, and a wood fire)

In our next post we will talk about what we are doing now to help avoid the negative impact of a crisis like this one when it comes again in the future…and it WILL happen again!

As you may, or may not know, Tanzania – and East Africa generally – is in a period of severe drought, with accompanying food shortages.  We are going to provide more details about this crisis, and what you can do to help, in our next post here (within just a couple of days…we’re only waiting for a few details from the school so we can provide the most current information).

But in the meantime we thought we’d publish a typical Lion of Judah Academy dorm menu for a week.  Here it is:

Typical Menu from The Lion of Judah Academy Dorm. Click the image to enlarge

In the chart we’ve provided the Kiswahili translation for the various terms.  The Kiswahili is immediately to the right of the English words.

For instance, Monday in Kiswahili is “Jumatatu.”  Breakfast on Monday is Tea and Rice, or “Chai” (tea) and “Wali” (rice).  And so forth.

One food you will see mentioned frequently is “Ugali” – which doesn’t really have an English word equivalent, because we don’t have anything quite like it in our diet.  It is corn meal, boiled in water until it is a very thick consistency…a bit thicker than break dough before it is baked.  Ugali is a very important food to the average Tanzanian, and in many homes it is served almost daily.

Another food which doesn’t have an English translation on this chart is “Mchicha.”  This is often translated as “spinach.”  Mchica is leafy green vegetable, cooked like our spinach.

You will see quite a bit of protein – meat, fish and beans – on this menu.  The typical Tanzania school child will not have access to nearly so much meat and protein…but we are committed to providing the most nutritious meals possible to our students.

You will also notice that rice is served almost daily…sometimes twice a day.  Most Tanzanian diets will include much more ugali, and much less rice.  Rice is more costly, but considerably more nutritious (and more expensive!).

At present most of the school’s food must be purchased.  We have started a school garden, and it is providing supplies of a limited variety of fruit and vegetables.  However once the school water system has been completed (see School Water Project in Final Stage under ‘Recent Posts’ to the right) we will, at last, be able to irrigate.  This will tremendously expand our ability to grow our own fruit and produce, rice and corn.

Check back here in a couple of days and there will be a post on current drought conditions in Tanzania, and how The Lion of Judah Academy is addressing the crisis.

Workers in The Lion of Judah Academy Garden…which is already providing food through the use of irrigation

Photo montage of work accomplished on the water project…  (please note most photos are captioned.  Hover over the photo a moment and the caption should partially appear; hove over the caption for a moment and the full caption should appear)

We recently received a generous $12,000 grant from a German Christian mission organization, Hilfe fur Bruder, which has put us “over the top” in our fund-raising for projected costs of The Lion of Judah Academy water system.   These funds are designated specifically to help install electricity from the main campus down to the pumping station at Lake Victoria.

Running electricity to the pumping station is the single greatest cost of the entire project.  We have repeatedly been led to believe that the government and/or the government electric company would sooner or later provide the installation for greatly reduced costs, or perhaps even for no cost.  However, after years of hoping and delays, we have realized that if we want to have electricity we will have to pay for it ourselves.  Thankfully, various contributors have stepped forward and…praise the Lord!…arrangements are right now being made with TANESCO (the national electric company) for the installation.

This same electric line will also give other important additional benefits.  It will provide much needed power to the Secondary School and the High School, as well as other areas of the campus to be developed in the future.

At the same time the electricity is being installed, the last remaining unfinished component of the system, the 90 cubic meter (25,000 gallon) water storage tank is being engineered and construction work will begin soon.  Water will be pumped from Lake Victoria, into the storage tank which will be located on the side of the hill overlooking the school.  This tank will provide approximately three days supply of water to the school, as well as water pressure for the entire system.

In addition to solving obvious and urgent problems related to having a reliable water source at The Lion of Judah Academy — water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, bathing, laundry, construction, and the like — completion of the project will also provide several other important blessings and benefits.

– it will allow us to provide needed water to many villagers who live near the school, but have no source of water other than carrying it from Lake Victoria;

– it will allow us to disconnect from the Nassa Theological College water system, which is greatly overtaxed; this will be a great relief to them (we are so grateful for their patience and assistance!)

– it will enable us to irrigate the school gardens, which will provide tremendous help in times of drought and famine, like currently exist at the school

Thanks to all who have prayed, worked and contributed to reach this remarkable goal.  There is still work to do, but we can — at last — see the end!  Please pray for safety for the workers, as well as wisdom in the engineering and construction of the all important water tank.