By Andy Baker
Three years ago I boarded a plane in Budapest to fly to Tanzania. My good friend, Mircea Toca, had invited me to go and see how we might be able to partner together to build a village of ten homes to care for orphans. Mircea has a way of influencing me, as it was his invitation that got me to Romania in 1996, and it was his challenge to "remember the children" that led to the birth of the ministry that bears that name.
I was nervous that day as I boarded the flight as I had no idea what to expect, and my anxiety level was raised just a little by the unknown. As we arrived in Tanzania, I just followed the crowd and found my way to get my visa. We stayed in a hotel the first night in Dar es Salaam, and when the calls to prayer began at 3am, I knew I had truly arrived at a place that was very unfamiliar. As we took a regional flight to the community of Tabora the next morning, I knew I had traveled to a more remote region as the airport taxiway was unpaved. It was actually dirt.
The next few days were spent traveling from property to property trying to find the right place for the dream of ten orphan homes to become a reality. I'll be quite honest, I loved the vision. I was excited by the interest in the Tanzanian community to be a part of it. I had also met several children in what had become our first orphan home, and they were simply beautiful. They were all a bit shy, but you could get a smile from them if you tried.. But I knew from the initial encounters with the people that we were truly in the right place, at the right time, to accomplish the right thing.
By the end of this initial trip, we had made an offer on a piece of land, and my excitement began to escalate as I knew the first step in fulfilling the vision was complete. Immediately, I got to work to try and raise the needed funds to buy the land and to begin the process of building the Eternal Families Village.
I had no idea what to expect, but Mircea and I committed to build a home a year for the next ten years. We knew we needed to go slow, and take the needed time to invite people to be part of the vision. I had no idea that I would soon meet Tooger Smith, Mark Yeazel, reconnect with Peter and Carol Bick, and to inspire my dear friends Jerry and Sylvia Taylor with a training visit to Tanzania. These wonderful people have partnered with us, and have helped us move forward exponentially. The Smith/Melcher family has funded four homes. Mark has encouraged his church to build another. The Bicks and the Taylors have been generous in providing another, and we have funds coming from many generous churches and other individuals. By working together, we have accomplished in three years what we planned to do in eight. We have also acquired electricity and water on the property.
God's blessings have truly showered down upon us, and I firmly believe that together we are better. From the leaders we have developed in Tanzania, to the good working relationship we have with the local authorities, to the partnerships with generous donors, God has overwhelmed us with his goodness.
As we come to the completion of three years, there is still much work to do. We hope that you will celebrate with us this significant anniversary. For we believe without a doubt that the best is yet to come.