"And.....Praise God, for a new assistant manager for the home based care programme in Dodoma for those living with HIV. Another plate which Simon will not need to spin as often or as hard, as he leads this programme. Praise God that this programme continues to grow, touching the lives of those severely affected by HIV, as patients or orphans. Gordon Brown (yes THE Gordon Brown) visited one of our patients called Paulo in January as part of his trip to Tanzania. He highlighted the enormous problems that these people face and the impact that these interventions, although on a small scale compared to the size of the problem, are beginning to have on individual’s lives.

"Thank God for the volunteers who are the backbone to this home based care programme who give sacrificially of their time and effort. Pray that as we increase the number of volunteers this year to 70, caring for a total of 700 patients and 1000 orphans, that the right people would be selected. Pray that they would remain encouraged and full of God’s love as they often deal with people in the most difficult of circumstances and often at the ends of their lives. Please pray especially for one of our volunteers, Bili, who has just been left by her husband. She has been thrown out of the home, denied access to their shared fields and what crops they may have had and even most of her kangas have been taken. She has been left with just a few clothes, cups, plates and her 15 year old son, from her first husband. And that is the entirety of her life possessions, as of yesterday when I saw her in my office. May we all have wisdom as we work to support those who serve their neighbours in Christ’s name.

"Praise God for the care and treatment clinic for those with AIDs which has started in Mvumi and the delivery of Anti-retroviral drugs for 100 people. Pray that in this year of presidential and parliamentary elections that there will remain the commitment to treat those with HIV AIDS. Continue to pray with us for a much needed pharmacist, as that would considerably relieve some of Simon’s work load and enable him to do more clinical work. It is good to get back to seeing patients again, other than in the operating theatre at 3 am on call. I just want to share a quick story that illustrates what profound effects this disease has on people. I saw a mother who was left by her partner after the birth of her only child. The child, Hamisi is 5 years old, has HIV and probably TB and is just skin and bone. The TB is treatable and he will now be able to benefit from the anti-retroviral drugs. However the mother has already lost all hope and just wants to take the child away to die. When I discussed this she says that will just be ‘bad luck’. Pray that she would have renewed hope and be touched by God’s love for herself and for this child and that she would return to start treatment."