Hanneke Cost Budde

AIM Canada Retiree living in Tabora, Tanzania

Hanneke’s adventures with God in Tanzania

In July, 1992 I left Canada to work as a youth worker in a village, called Kolandoto, in Tanzania. I was welcomed with open arms and was told I was to take over the work of missionaries who had left: Teach women hand sewing, assist at the nursery, teach at the Bible school, teach English and the Bible at the school of nursing teach the Bible at primary school and Secondary schools in the area and become a member of the Christian education department…. I expressed some concern about some of these tasks. I asked about the youth work. I was informed by my co-worker that the children are too bad and cannot be taught. If I would work with them they would cause problems at our home. We shared a duplex. Those kids really needed someone to work with them! I did not know Swahili and before I was to take on these tasks I was send to language school in Musoma. After completing half the course, I had acute appendicitis and was flown to Nairobi. The appendix had already burst and I was on death doorstep…However it was not my time yet!

Once I came back to Kolandoto I started to learn more about the culture, food and language. The people are very willing to teach so I had many teachers.

I did the sewing class for the women for a short time, during which I found out that most of the women could not see proper and needed reading glasses. I did not see the need for me to do this work as they had been taught hand sewing for over 30 years! I handed that over to the ladies who are very capable. I did start bringing the people reading glasses and it was a joy to hear them exclaim: “I can read my Bible again!”

I assisted at the Nursery for a short while and “taught” at the Bible school….I did not know enough Swahili so I was pretty scared. I was told: “No problem! Al you do is write the notes we give you on the black board and they will copy those”. I asked the Lord to have no one of the students ask me questions…They didn’t during my first year.

I did teach English and Bible at the school for nursing and learned many things about their thinking. One was that it is not so bad to not being married, but not having a child is terrible and a barren woman are not seen as a full person. Many of the students I taught had already a child who lived with their grandparents.

I often visited patients at the hospital and found many patients with HIV/AID’s symptoms. When I asked I was told there is no HIV in Tanzania! People die of Malaria and of Typhoid! This denial was related to their fear of this horrible disease and the stigma that was/is attached to it. I often got involved with a patient who needed special care. Praying with them and cheering them up was a wonderful ministry.

I would accompany my house mate to the primary and Secondary schools where she was teaching the Bible.

There were several other missionaries in the village and we got together once a week for devotions and fellowship.

After about 2 years I was asked to become the “Mlezi Mkuu” for UKWATA. A student ministry which I did for a couple of years.

In 1996 I was transferred to the church I Shinyanga. I felt Gods drawing me into HIV/AID’s ministry but I was refused to start anything that had to do with HIV/AIDS. I did get involved privately with people living with HIV/AIDS but for the church I was still doing the student ministry and I was given the task of coordinating Christian education…This did not mean a whole lot as there was no funds for Christian ed. And any suggestions that did not come from the head of the department was put aside.

In 1998, The Government told the church and Muslim leaders to get involved with HIV/AIDS work.

Our bishop came back from the meeting and told me that I was now the coordinator for the Shinyanga AIDS project. I had already connected with clients living with HIV/AIDS, and had met with many people interested in working together (I was stopped to meet by the church) In this group was a medical assistant, Nzelani who volunteered to help me out when visiting an AID’s patient. I connected with doctors in Holland and Canada who gave me advise and when my supporters read about the work I was doing , the financial support started to come in. Nzelani and I worked together for many years. It was a wonderful ministry during which many people who were suffering were touched by Jesus and many put their trust in Him. AMREF, OXFAM, the PCC, and SAFE THE CHILDREN all joined and support this project. Hundrends of orphans and widows and sick people were helped during that time. We had several teams of volunteers come and help build mud-brick homes for poor widows living with orphans. The project went very well until 2008. I came back from my furlough and discovered the misuse of the project funds. I won’t write more about this very difficult time.

During the time I worked in Shinyanga and took care of many orphans. Some of them became my children. They all have been my joy and blessing and continue to be!

In 2010 I ended up moving to Tabora together with my worker and kids and have been living and working in teaching, health care, taking care of my kids.

Now I am retired and hope to stay in Tabora until the Lord calls me home. I pray that the Lord will let me finish the job with my kids! I would like to see them all loving Jesus and reach their goals.