Tanneken with her people Recently I was privileged to be in the audience when Tanneken Fros delivered her passionate update of work among the bereft orphans of Beira District, Mozambique. Twenty miles outside of Beira is the town of Dondo where Tanneken Fros has been residing since 2001.  A rapid synopsis of her life beginning with ancestral Holland […]

I have to say I have been privileged to have met some amazing people in my life. This past week was no exception. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with Ambassador Hilario G. Davide, Jr., the Philippines Ambassador to the UN. As usual for me, I find myself in these situations silently asking myself, […]

This is a week of reflection for me going back in memory to the summer of 1974. I’ve waited thirty-five years to tell this story linking historic American political events, my proximity to them, and a great American woman, Katharine Graham. Known by year-round residents as simply the “Island,” the high-end real estate on Martha’s Vineyard’s was happliy […]

Things you have to do to get all the way to Africa and back.   I have at certain times  accumualted  a sizeable amount of Northwest/KLM World Perks frequent flyer miles.  Sometimes those miles can get me about halfway through my trip to Africa and back (that’s been termed “Halfrica”).  The only direct flights from […]

Let me introduce you to John Matthew.  John Matthew ni sauti yangu = my voice in Swahili.  John has been an interpeter for me and many, many other Americans who have come to Sakila for many years.  If you have ever had to use an interpeter you know that they are more valuable than words can express.  […]

Bags of rice and other supplies At long last after four months since send-off, the three containers arrived from the Port of Seattle.  These containers had been loaded in Poulsbo, Washington in March, but it took this length of time for them to arrive in Sakila.  If you could hear the whole saga of the journey […]

First of all…….To those of you who know Eliudi’s wife, Mama Helen, please pray.  She is very ill and in the hospital. (We NEED to get the new hospital built!) A huge thanks to all the great people that I met in South Africa.  I am tempted to start naming all of them ( and I […]

I’m checking in to let everyone know that I’ve been in PA for the long holiday weekend; my family held its annual summer reunion over the Fourth of July. Has anyone ever heard of “Revolutionary War Re-enactments”? Two of my brothers-in-law, Robert Scordia & Paul Beck, are members of the GLOVER’S MARBLEHEAD REGIMENT. Over the weekend […]

Phew!!!!!!! South Africa is both beautiful and busy.  Right now I am hurrying as I write because I am on someone else’s computer.  I have been able to meet many people who are like-minded as we are within Hope for Change.  I attended the Mercy Alliance Summit  in Jeffrey Bay earlier in the week.  Many […]

Does this make me the Village Voice?   Sitting in Sakila in the late afternoon with Kilimanjaro behind me and the villagers gathered for the afternoon “kahawa” (coffee) time in front of me. I can hear them laughing and joking, talking about the news of the day and getting ready to then go home to dinner.  A great time […]