September 19 Update

Hello Friends and Family,

Good news! We have survived (though barely) training! Today, Sunday we had a church service with the other missionaries here at Madisi Secondary School. We also found out where each of us will be moving. We have been placed at Bukimau Secondary School, which is in the same region we are currently, Iringa. It doesn’t seem too far from here, but here, everything is far. So, Wednesday, we will leave with two other girls who have also been placed in the Iringa Region, to be dropped at our village. Matt and I will temporarily be placed in a house in the village, which is apparently directly next to the school, until our house is finished being built. We don’t know a whole lot more about the school other than there is currently no electricity. They are in the beginning phase of building the “administrative building” and once that is completed, VST will provide the school with a generator.

(from an e-mail by Matt & Emily)

Living in the village has been difficult, mostly due to lack of sleep for Emily. We have lived, breathed, and eaten as if we actually live the life of our student. We have practiced teaching an English intensive course that we will be responsible for at our school. It is a course designed to equip students to learn basic English skills in order to continue their education, which is supposed to be taught completely in English.

We are thankful to know of all of you praying for us. Pray that God would be opening the hearts of our students we will meet at Bukimau. Pray that our house will be finished quickly, so that we can “settle” in. Pray that if God allows to have access to electricity, that that would also happen quickly. Pray for travel as all of our team spreads out across Tanzania. Most of them have much farther to travel than us.

Much love, Matt and Emily

Greetings From Tanzania

(taken from an e-mail from Matt & Emily)

Hey Everyone! Sorry we have not been able to e-mail sooner; it has been a crazy few days here. We arrived in Dar at 7:30 and made it through the airport with no difficulties (praise God). From there we drove and drove and drove about 16 hours until we reached Mafinga at 2AM! A very long day! Then we drove the next morning to Madisi, in the Iringa region. We arrived in the afternoon and met our student. We went directly that night to begin living with them. So now we have been living in the village for a few days, and life is very difficult (Emily got bit by rat in the middle of the night. Ah!). We are experiencing the food, language, living, and relationships of Tanzania. So we cherish your prayers, and we are already looking forward to the end of training and being sent to our school. Sunday we will meet with the leaders and be told where we are going. Hopefully at that time we can write again. When we are on the way to our school next Wednesday, we may be able to write and give you a better address to send to and what to expect about email. We have not got our phone working yet but if we do we will try and call. It is much colder than we thought as it is the end of “winter” and will get keep getting warmer. We miss and love you all. We will hope to write you again soon, but as you have already seen emailing is going to be very unreliable.

Love and miss you all,

Matt and Emily

And we're off!

Hello again boys and girls,

Emily and I are now just a few hours from embarkation! And as we get ready to board our flight we cannot help but think about all those who have helped make our serving in Tanzania possible. From the many family members and friends who helped us with events like the car washes, yard sale, and us moving from our house, to all those who have given financially, to all those who have and will continue to pray for us. Let me reiterate that our ability to serve would not be made possible without you all. That is why Emily and I both feel strongly that we are not alone in this journey, but we our walking alongside all of you that have and will continue to support us. We will update our blog as often as possible, and as you read it we would ask that you do not read it detached as one reads a novel of some far off place in some far off land. No, we would like you to read our updates as if you were like Bastian reading The Never Ending Story, not just a bystander but playing an intricate part in the story. Follow our blog, pray for us, write us, and together a year from now we will look back at all the things God has accomplished through our (this our includes you!) willingness to serve.

A couple reminders:

Mailing Address:

Village Schools Tanzania

Attention: Matt Sroka

Box 183

Mafinga, Tanzania

Emails: sroka.matt@gmail.com or emilyesroka@gmail.com