Another year done, another review of what happened. I am going to start things off by thanking everyone who has been praying for my health and for my family as we struggle with my Mom’s declining health. Parkinson’s and dementia together have really progressed this year to the point as we start 2025 we will be using a full day health care assistant at the house. After a full year plus of testing and lots of $90 visits that mainly consisted of a 5 to 10 minute conversation, the medical crews have no idea why I am having trouble with control over my digestive system. Good news is that it has subsided to more of a once every other week type thing than 2 to 4 times a week type of thing. I believe the many prayers that were offered up on my behalf are the only reason for that progress.

This was a milestone year for the school as we are now a full school. As many of you recall we have been adding a grade every year since our certification until we added Standard 7 this year which is the final grade in Primary School of Tanzania. We had a big graduation for the Standard 7 class as they prepare to move up into Secondary (High School) next year. This class was a small one and many of them have been with us since the idea of the Primary school was first floated. So below I have put together a group of photos showing each student’s growth with us.

Grace

Teresia

Gladness

Obedi

Elvice

Elia

Kimani

Elbariki

Tumaini Evangelistic Pre & Primary School topped 300 students this year. We now have 21 staff members. Our budget grew to over $63,000 USD. Find out more about our graduation ceremony here: https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/09/01/2024-graduation-ceremony/ and here https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/09/10/graduation-day-post-2/

We brought back the math competition this year.

We survived some of the worst flooding in the area I have ever seen. Normally there is an area near Msitu Wa Tembo that floods and their are days you cannot drive through. This year that entire area was covered with water for months making travel from the village to town impossible except by small makeshift boats. Find out more here: https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/07/24/post-flood-update/

We were visited by St. Mark UMC’s mission team who did a Bible School for the students in October. The kids and the missionaries enjoyed the time together. Find out more here: https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/10/12/st-mark-umc-mission-trip-bible-story-station/ and here https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/10/18/st-mark-umc-mission-team-music-station/ and here https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/10/24/st-mark-umc-mission-team-craft-station/ and here https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/11/02/st-mark-umc-mission-team-games/

Tumaini Evangelistic Pre & Primary School took their second field trip for the upper level students (Standard 4, 5, 6 and 7) to a local nature and waterfall park. Find out more here: https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/11/23/study-field-trip/

In addition to our work at the school we reached out to our community and to other schools. In our local community we started a Reusable Sanitary Pad program to improve health and keep our girls in school. This provided income generation at the local sewing ministry as well as helped our students and those at Kiruani Primary and Mistu wa Tembo Seconday. Find out more here: https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/11/30/reusable-sanitary-pads/

I got the chance to reach out to another school over the last couple of years so they asked I come back to speak at their Standard 7 graduation ceremony.

At the end of this year we were able to get project started to replace their current bathrooms and septic system through the financial support of Devoted Ministries, Element Church out of St. Louis, MO. This was set up through a visit from Devoted Ministries earlier in the year to research potential projects.

Another project I got to work on with the help of Blessed2BlessU Ministries, Inc. is starting a sewing ministry at a church in Kikatiti. This was the same church we distributed Bibles at last year. You can find out more about this at: https://steveandbarnabas.com/2024/08/17/kikatiti-sewing-ministry-update/

That sums up all the new stuff going on in 2024. As usual, Blessed2BlessU Ministries, Inc. continues working with the school and the community through me and financially to share the love of Jesus Christ and to focus on ways we can “teach a man to fish” and to be an example of the way Jesus wanted us to be. Thank you all who have helped support myself, the school, our students or any of these additional projects.