Let’s Celebrate!
We are so excited to announce the financial goal for the water project has been met and we want to CELEBRATE! Put your wallets away and come join us for dinner & a celebration of all God has done! This is our way of saying “thank you” for the countless ways you have sacrificed your time, money and heart! This will be an event for the whole family and is NOT a fundraiser (no tickets required)!
When: March 19 at 5pm
Where: Grace Fellowship Church
Please see our Facebook Event to RSVP and find out more
Water Walk Rep Meeting 2015!
Who’s excited?! I know we are! The 3rd Annual Toloha Water Walk is right around the corner and we want YOU to be there! And we don’t want you to come alone.
Looking back over the past year and a half we stand in awe of what God has done. He has brought the small community of Kinston together and raised $127,000 to bring clean water to the villagers of Toloha. Work has started in the village, but the project isn’t finished yet – we are still $43,000 shy of our $170,000 goal for renovating a gravity fed water system to supply 10,000 people with clean water for LIFE!
Toloha Villager digging the main supply line trench in July – pipe has now been buried in this trench and has increased the flow of (dirty) water toward the village!
So what can you do to help?! Well, I’m glad you asked – we’re looking for people just like you to be “2015 Water Walk Reps” The title sounds important, and it is, but the good news is, it isn’t difficult! We are looking for people to take the lead and be liaisons/team leaders for their respective circles of influence (your children’s ministry, your school, your organization, your youth group, your neighborhood etc). We know that if you are excited about the Water Walk others around you will be excited too! All you need to do is get the information from us and tell other people.
The Water Walk concept is really simple — individuals sign up (for free), get their own website, and then raise support ($17 per person for clean water for life) and see how many people’s lives they can literally change forever! Then they show up on March 14th and experience what our friends in Toloha experience daily, a walk to gather water.
So if you are willing to hop on board and help us get others involved, come on out (all participants do not need to attend this meeting – just send one or two people from your group to gather the necessary information)!
The 2015 Water Walk Rep Meeting
Sunday February 8th at 3:00 pm
Woodman Community Center Banquet Room (2602 West Vernon Avenue, Kinston, NC 28504)
At this meeting we will walk you through the process of registering, give you some information specific to team leaders and answer any questions you have. By showing up you are not committing to participate rather you are just getting more information. If you are unable to make the meeting, but would like the information, please contact us and we will get in touch with you separately.
Not sure what Toloha Partnership is all about? Come out a little early (2:30pm) to hear the story and philosophy of Toloha Partnership and then stick around for the Water Walk Rep Meeting at 3pm.
We are so thankful for each of you and your willingness to step out and make a difference. I’m excited to see what God does this year! Registration isn’t open quite yet but we’re hoping to open online registration on Feb 8th…so get ready!
Toloha Banquet Success!
Guests began to stream into the Arts Council gallery in downtown Kinston at 5:55pm on Saturday, October 25, 2014. They were met with the smiling faces of the Toloha Banquet greeters AND the people of Toloha. Over 40 photographs measuring over 1.5 feet and up to 4 feet in height lined the walls and tables of the hall.
“It is like they are here with us,” said Diane Spear as she shared about the ministry in Toloha.
Those faces are not sullen and sad, but they are bursting with joy, laughter and excitement. There is now hope in Toloha. Water is literally gushing from the new pipe, and the people can barely get buckets under the flow quick enough. Thanks to the many generous donations over the past year equaling over $100,000, there is now water in Toloha, lots of water.
The people have worked together digging 8km of trench, laying pipe and covering it back up to keep it safe underground from the elements and animals. There is still work to be done to make the water clean and the system maintainable for the long term. But there is water in Toloha.
Daniel shared the story of his journey from Toloha and the experience of his return to see his villagers finally getting water!
David Sawyer was our Master of Ceremonies for the night. He shared his heart and passion for Toloha.
Our vice president, Katie Maloney shared a story about a special little girl that encompasses why Toloha Partnership exists.
Our engineer, Burt Rudolph, shared about what has happened and what is left to accomplish.
At the 2nd Annual Toloha Partnership Banquet on Saturday, October 25, another $27,000 was raised to continue the work. This leaves a mere $43,000 left to raise to complete the water system renovation. Compared to where we started with $170,000 to raise just 1 year ago at our first banquet on November 9, 2013, the task at hand now seems like nickels and dimes. It is partly because of simple mathematics, but there is another reason this number is no longer scary. Faith. God has built our faith in a way that only a project like this can.
Seeing the money raised, the local community support in Kinston and the people of Toloha and the Tanzanian government working together is making God more and more real…tangibly real…as real as the water pouring from that pipe in Toloha. God is pouring out his blessing on us.
It is not just physical water that is washing over the land of Tanzania, but it is the living water. The Gospel is being spread through word, deed and relationships in Toloha and Kinston. God is showing us how literal his love can be by meeting our need and by fulfilling our thirst for him.
What an adventure this is! Thank you so much for coming along with us arm in arm, hand in hand. Keep up the good work!
Thank you to all of our auction sponsors! The auction and raffle raised over $6,000!
The beautiful photos of the banquet event are by Mary Rouse
The large photographs of the people of Toloha are by Josh Spear, Katie Malone and Ashely Rudolph
A huge heartfelt thank you to our many volunteers who worked to make this event happen, some who have spent months preparing for this night.
Keep Digging – The Pipe Is Coming!
As I stood in the village the very last day of the vision trip, I was sorta dreading going back home. This dread came for a few reasons:
- I didn’t want to go home. I love the village. I love the simplicity, the people, the joy, the beauty and I even came to love operating on “Africa Time (everything starts a few hours late).”
- God is at work, people are being empowered and things are changing in Toloha – I wanted to stick around and see what God was going to do next!
- I was worried – how were we going to get the money needed to keep the project going? The villagers were 16 weeks ahead of schedule on trench digging which left us 16 weeks behind schedule on fundraising.
As we had our final meeting with the village elders, Engineer Burt Rudolph expressed our awe at how quickly the project was progressing and how impressed we were with the heart and unity the villagers had displayed over the past few weeks. As he started to wrap up his speech, I leaned over and whispered, “you better tell them we don’t have enough money for the rest of the pipe.” Engineer Rudolph agreed and then proceeded to share with our friends that we didn’t have the resources available to complete the project. The villagers were working faster than we were raising money and unless something miraculous happened; the project might have to come to a halt until further funds were raised.
As we traveled home, my mind was racing; thinking of every fundraiser I had ever seen and wondering which fundraiser would bring the most money the fastest. By the time the plane landed on US soil, I had a plan…BUT God had a different plan.
This past Thursday night at Grace Fellowship Church in Kinston, NC part of the vision team had the opportunity to share about the recent trip. After sharing about the predicament we were facing with the villagers digging so quickly, someone asked, “how much do we need to keep it going?” Our treasurer and engineer did some quick math and came up with ~$25,000. Within the hour, an anonymous donor had given $12,500! The goal was set – to raise the full amount by Sunday morning – in just 2 short days! From there the race was on – as word spread, checks began coming in…and coming in…and coming in…and coming in. We’ve had pledges come in from our community, various parts of the USA and even some international donations all the way from Germany!
As of this morning, we have received over $27,000 in pledges and donations! We’ve called the villagers and let them know, “Keep digging – the pipe is coming – the living God, Jesus Christ, is sending it.”
God provides through His people, in His time for His glory! Thank you for your sacrificial giving and your generosity – you are being the aroma of Christ to a village with little knowledge of who Jesus is or His great love for them.
I can’t wait to see what God does next! Thank you for being a part of this adventure!
A Fundraising Emergency
The Toloha Partnership Engineer, Burt Rudolph (pictured above) shares his heart about the project and poses a challenge to raise the remainder of funds needed to finish the project!
I want a moment to share with you from my heart about what God is up to in Toloha Village. We had a chance to share at the Thursday night service at Grace Fellowship Church, and it was amazing!
After Ashely and I spoke and updated the congregation about our experience in Toloha, God started to move in a very real way. Ashely and I were still tired from the time change (3 am Tanzania time) and planned on just giving a brief update on Toloha, but God had bigger plans for the evening.
ALL of this pipe is now in the ground!!!
Sammy Hudson, the Director of The Refuge youth ministry in Greene County, presented the sermon and really challenged us to let God provide in ways He chooses for Toloha, not according to our limited plans.
Sammy was prepared to give a four point sermon starting with sharing a need his ministry had for a water line and how God met the need in His way, but when Sammy heard about the need of Toloha he said only the first point of the sermon would be presented and he would share the rest after our emergency financial need was met.
The villagers are ready for water!
Basically, Toloha Partnership has an emergency financial need because the manual labor of digging the pipe trench is progressing much faster than expected. Based on test trenching results conducted last year we calculated it would take about 6 weeks to trench and install each 2 kilometer section of pipe. So the entire 8 kilometer pipeline was anticipated to require 24 weeks of work.
Guess what? We were wrong. People of Toloha are so desperate for water that the first 2 kilometers of pipe only took two weeks. That is one kilometer per week, so the whole main pipeline job will be done in 8 weeks and we are 3 weeks in. If funding is available, the main pipeline will be complete in 5 weeks from now! If not, work must stop in a few days.
Everyone is working hard to dig the trenches for the main pipeline to the village, and they are way ahead of schedule!
I remember my last meeting in Toloha with the water board and village elders. I explained we did not have the resources to buy the pipe right now and asked for prayer to the living God – Jesus (the village is predominantly Muslim). At that point, I knew there was no way we are going to win the pipe race (America vs. Tanzania) and the project would be halted. I am embarrassed to say, I did not have the enough faith to even think He could do it. I thought Toloha would just have to stop digging and wait, but timing is important to God.
Here is the rest of the story. In the middle of the church service on Thursday night, I was asked how much more money we need to buy the pipe and finish the main pipeline. I really did not know since I was not prepared to discuss or ask for funding that evening. From the front of the church with the microphone in my hand, I looked at the Toloha Partnership Treasurer sitting in the sound booth at the back of the sanctuary and we quickly calculated $25,000. Here is how God works … A person who asked to remain anonymous approached me after the service and said you are now 1/2 way to your goal!
Now, I believe the other 1/2 will be here by Sunday and the amazing people of Toloha can keep on working. This morning, Friday July 25, 2014, I have faith Sammy will be able to finish the rest of his sermon on Sunday, if people across the world who care about Toloha tell others and give themselves!
Yesterday, I spoke with folks in the village by telephone and they said Rasheed, a young man I got to know personally who can dig trench faster than anyone I saw, had a question for me “Where is the rest of the pipe?” On Sunday I want to call Rasheed and simple say, “My God is sending it … the pipe is on its way.”
Please email the Toloha Partnership Treasurer, Mike Wiggins info@tolohapartnership.org or donate here with your pledge amount for the emergency need … THANK YOU!
Pray for the Team!
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”” Isaiah 52:7
2014 Toloha Vision Team Members: Left to Right – Daniel, Joshua, Burt, Jonathan, Scott, Ashely, Katie, Brooke, Parker, Joseph & Perry
We have been sharing specific prayer requests for our Vision Team while they have been traveling and are in Tanzania. We ask anyone who would like to pray with us for our team! Here is the first list of requests: Prayer Guide for the Vision Team. Please continuing praying!
Please pray for the team that:
- God would be glorified by EVERY aspect of the trip. Trip dates: 6/28-7/21, Daniel & Joshua stay through 8/4.
- Each one on the team, as well as the Tanzanians with whom they work and share, would have a personal and powerful encounter with God.
- The unconditional love of God would radiate in and through each team member.
- All on the trip would be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
- God would give the team strength and good health throughout the trip.
- God would protect and provide for family members back home.
- Team members would make quick adjustments to time and culture changes.
- God would put a hedge of protection around the entire trip.
- Divine appointments from beginning to end.
(Read a little about the 2014 trip here, and here, and the 2013 trip here, here, here, and here).
Prayer Guide for the Vision Team
Today at noon, the Vision Team left Kinston and began the journey to Toloha, Tanzania. It is amazing to think that within days our team will get to see with their own eyes the new pipe in Toloha. This trip will be so much different than the last one now that the hope of clean water is becoming a reality to the villagers (Read a little about the 2014 trip here, and the 2013 trip here, here, here, and here). We are so excited to share with you first hand about what’s happening in Toloha for the next month. In the meantime, we have a request.
Last Sunday, our Vision Team was commissioned by Grace Fellowship Church. We would like to ask for anyone who would like to join them in prayer to pray for these specific things. We will be posting specific requests over the next few days. First, we have some requests regarding the water project.
Please pray for the water project:
- God would guide Burt, Perry, and their team as they assess and construct the spring-fed pipeline and as they assess other infrastructure needs of the village.
- Villagers would feel a sense of their worth to God and to us as they partner with us in the construction of the pipeline.
- Dealings with the government officials and village leadership would be free from dissension and controversy and that the water project would help to create goodwill and unity among all parties for God’s glory.
- The repair of the intake area would proceed smoothly and efficiently.
- God would provide clean and healthy water to the village soon but within His perfect timing.
Thank you so much for your prayers! If you would like to receive special prayer requests and updates during the trip, please fill out the form below.
“For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” II Cor 6:2
The Wait is OVER!!!
Bringing clean water to Toloha has proven to be a test of patience for all parties involved. Toloha Partnership has been actively seeking to bring clean water to Toloha for over 2 years, Daniel has been working in the U.S. to accomplish this for over 10 years and some of the villagers of Toloha have been waiting their entire lives.
The wait is now over!
The hard labor is about to begin. A “lorry” (a.k.a. a delivery truck) carrying 2 km (1.24 miles) of pipe is on its way to Toloha as I am writing this. I cannot express the emotions that our board, Daniel or the people of Toloha are feeling right now.
God is so good. God has remembered the village.
The fact that we did not meet our initial goal of breaking ground in January just means our human calculations are nothing compared to God’s timing. God knows what he is doing here and He has been working all these years to show his immeasurable compassion and grace to the people of Toloha, Daniel, and every single person involved in this initiative.
Thank you!
Today, we want to thank you all. Every person who has prayed, given money, gotten out there to fundraise, carried water, travelled to Toloha from Germany, the US, Dar es Salaam, repaired the pipe for so many years, shared with us your hopes and dreams and kept them alive all these years. God has worked through all of you! And this does not stop with water. God is pouring the water of eternal life into Toloha.
Praise God with Us!
Please take a moment with us today and praise God for what has and is happening in Toloha! Praise the Lord! We give all the glory to God!
We will be sharing photos of the pipes and the work being done soon, so please check back! Please feel free to leave comments and questions in the comment section below! We would love to hear from you!
Water Walk Success!
The 2nd Annual Toloha Water Walk was held last Saturday March 22nd at the Neuseway Nature Center in downtown Kinston, NC, and it was certainly a success! So why am I just now sitting down to write a blog post? Why have I waited to so long? To be honest, I have been at a loss for words — and if you know me, that doesn’t happen very often!
So what did the day look like? Of course, pictures speak louder than words, so enjoy these photos and a brief narrative of the day!
By the time the sun peeked over the horizon at 7:11 am, there were already a dozen volunteers working to set up, decorate for and prepare for the walk. And by 8am all volunteers had arrived and were assigned their posts.
As the first walkers began to trickle into the park, we were thrilled – the long anticipated day had finally arrived. Then, walkers continued to arrive…and then more showed up…and then we ran out of registration forms…and still more walkers showed up! We were floored! In all, there were at least 150 participants, which was well above our initial lofty (or so we thought) goal of 100 walkers.
The event began with registration and check-in, which was followed by some free time to meander around exhibits to the beat of some local drummers on various African drums and other instruments. Then, everyone was gathered for the opening ceremony that included a heart-felt welcome shared by Daniel Makoko (native of Toloha Village and President of Toloha Partnership), a demonstration by Christina Makoko on how villagers carry water (on their heads) as well as messages from the villagers shared by Burt Rudolph (program engineer).
The Water Walk was next; the 2 mile course led walkers along dirt paths into the woods to a pond full of dirty water. All along the course, facts and statistics were posted to help walkers understand the water crisis in the developing world. Each participant gathered water from the pond and toted it to the finish line where it was measured.
Participants were then encouraged to visit interactive stations, which helped walkers learn about various aspects of African life and how water plays such a huge part in daily life. The stations included Bathing and Hygiene, Washing Clothes, Cooking (with food samples), Carrying Water (on your head of course), Music and African Games.
The day concluded with an awards ceremony. Awards were given to top fundraising teams, families and individuals. Team awards were also given for teamwork, spirit, best-dressed and strength (carried the most water). Last, but certainly not least, the grand total raised was announced. Our initial goal was to raise $17,000 through this event. And boy were we surprised when we calculated that the fundraising total for the walk was at least $21,000 with more money to be counted! INCREDIBLE!
Oh, and did I mention the weather was phenomenal! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day – I mean 78 and sunny (in the midst of all the snow storms and rain we’ve been having) was a miraculous and welcome sight!
This verse below sums up our heart –
The Lord has NOT forgotten the people of Toloha and he made that clear last Saturday as we gathered to “walk so they won’t have to.” God is using a bunch of regular ole people like you and me to bring HOPE to Toloha Village. Thank you to all who participated, volunteered and/or gave to make this event a success. We are already looking forward to the 3rd Annual Toloha Water Walk 2015!
– Katie
Water Walk Rep Meeting
Hey Y’all,
We are SO excited about our next big fundraising and awareness event, the 2014 Water Walk coming up on March 22nd, 2014! We had so much fun doing it at Erasing the Lines last year we decided to do it again! But this time, we are making it a community wide event as well as a fundraiser.
Over the past few months God has continued to move things along and we in the process of ordering the first segment of pipe! In faith, we have decided to begin the project with only $40,000 in the bank of the total $170,000 needed.
That’s where you, our blog readers, come in! We are desperately asking for your HELP! We are asking you all to take the lead and be liaisons/team leaders for your respective circles of influence. And the great news is, it is EASY! We know that if you all are excited about the Water Walk others around you will be excited too! All you need to do is get the information from us and tell other people. So don’t be scared! The concept is really simple — individuals sign up (for free), get their own website, and then raise support ($17 per person for clean water for life) and see how many people’s lives they can literally change forever! Then they show up on March 22nd and experience what our friends in Toloha experience daily, a walk to gather water.
We want to invite you (and anyone else you’d like to bring/send) to:
The Water Walk Liaison Meeting
Sunday February 9th at 2:30pm
Grace Fellowship Church (327 Academy Heights Road, Kinston, NC)
At this meeting we will walk you through the process of registering, give you some information specific to team leaders and answer any questions you have. By showing up you are not committing to participate rather you are just getting more information. If you are unable to make the meeting, but would like the information, please contact us and we will get in touch with you separately.
We are grateful for each of you and your willingness to step out and make a difference. I can’t wait to see what God does!
