A Shower for All

After reading Shari's post on the blog I am a little hesitant as following a writer puts me on shaky ground. But, it has been far too long since we have updated you and there are many stories just waiting to be told. First of all having our sisters and friends here for two weeks was absolutely incredible. We shared some wonderful times and experiences that will never be forgotten. They jumped right in and didn't miss a thing. We feel truly blessed to have had them choose to come to Tanzania to learn about the culture and the Bega Kwa Bega relationship with the Tanzanians. We know that they have been changed by their time here and the Spirit is working as they return home to share their stories.
Now on to the shower story. A few weeks ago, two young people from Minnesota stopped at the apartment to get a hot shower. They are working at a secondary school where they have no running water or electricity so they treat themselves to a day in Iringa town each Saturday and we are usually their first stop. The sisters and friends were finishing breakfast when we heard a scream from Rachel. We ran to look and both faucets had fallen off the wall and water was spraying from both holes. I tried to push the faucets back on but there was no way. Then I tried plugging the holes but had nothing that worked. By now water was all over the floor and out in the hall. Everyone jumped in with mops and buckets grabbing the throw rugs and tossing them out of the way. My sister Kathy went to the balcony and called "Help! We have a flood!" Immediately people appeared with more buckets and Jacob the woodcarver ran in with two sticks that he whittled to fit the holes. In short order, the water on the floor was mopped up, the water had been stopped with the sticks and Tom was on the phone to a plumber that Karen and Don of the Agricultural Project had stopped by to give us before they left to go back to Minnesota. Within three hours the plumber had replaced the faucets and everything was working. The labor cost was $10.00! Only in Tanzania!!