“Dad! A monkey stole part of my friend’s lunch at school today.” Are you serious, I asked? “Yes! And when I went to grab my lunchbox it showed its teeth and hissed at us!” And that is how our kids learned to protect their food while at school in Tanzania.

It’s been almost a year since our family left our home in Sequim to begin work in Mwanza, Tanzania. The learning curve has been steep and memorable. From learning to drive on the opposite side of the road, to finding a black mamba on our front steps one night, to getting malaria; it seems like there is always a new challenge.

Fortunately, we’ve been able to overcome the difficult experiences, as well as share in the good ones. As a family, it has definitely made us stronger.

Anna works at a school for children with severe disabilities. As a former Olympic Medical Center nurse, she uses her knowledge to provide clinical support and help coordinate care. Most students’ families can’t afford basic health services, and despite significant medical challenges, some of the children had never even seen a doctor until recently.

One little boy stopped going to school because of daily seizures. Anna helped him access medication so he is seizure free and can be in class all day. His family can’t afford the needed medication at $3 per month. This is a small cost in the U.S. but is not insignificant where the “average” wage for an entire family is $2 per day.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Johnson / Josephine Johnson assists at a spay and neuter clinic in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Kyle is using his project management skills to help rural villages with water projects. More than 300 million people in Eastern Africa lack access to clean water or basic sanitation. The situation is especially challenging in rural areas where resources and infrastructure are sparse.

It is difficult for most Americans to imagine life without access to clean water, but it affects nearly every aspect of daily life where we live. Every day we see locals hauling water from a nearby polluted lake or washing their laundry in dirty ditches on the side of the road.

Sometimes they are able to boil it to drink, but sometimes they don’t have the money for fuel. The infant mortality rate is quite high here due to contaminated water, so helping locals gain access to clean water makes a significant and lasting impact.

The kids, Josephine (13), Collin (11) and Charlotte (9) have adapted well. Almost every aspect of their lives has changed since coming to Africa. They have had to make new friends in a new culture. They are learning to speak Kiswahili and they frequently get pulled into helping mom and dad with mission work.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Johnson / Kyle Johnson teaches a class to women entrepreneurs in Mwanza, Tanzania.

One thing that remains the same is Friday Night – Pizza Night. The food here is very different, but we have learned to cook homemade pizza in our little house stove, which is something that we all love and that reminds us of home.

We are immensely thankful for any support that we get from back home. Whether it is a “like” on Facebook, a prayer for our family, or a simple donation, we are grateful when we can turn attention to the communities we serve in Mwanza. If you are interested in seeing what we are up to, please check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/AnnaKristineJohnson or visit our blog at johnsonfamilymission2africa.blogspot.com.

To everyone in Sequim, we want to wish you a happy Christmas and let you know that we send our love from Africa. Asante Sana (thanks a lot)!

Everyone has a story and now they have a place to tell it. Verbatim is a first-person column that introduces you to your neighbors as they relate in their own words some of the difficult, humorous, moving or just plain fun moments in their lives. It’s all part of the Gazette’s commitment as your community newspaper. If you have a story for Verbatim, contact editor Michael Dashiell at editor@sequimgazette.com.