Trip stuff

Dear friends and family,

All is well! We are actually doing quite well. After some stresses and minor problems in figuring out how the heck travelers survive out here, we think we have it mostly figured out, and we are now having more of a quality experience than we ever thought we would have out here. We have changed our plans in what we are going to do out here in Tanzania. Originally we were going to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, which would take six days, and then after one day of rest we were going to do a six day safari. In dealing with tour companies about climbing the mountain (as it is illegal to climb without one), we found first of all that they require a rediculous amount of money. Nine hundred and sixty dollars each to be exact! Apparently the government out here requires rediculous fees to even step foot on the mountain. We were originally planning on going ahead and paying the money to hike the mountain. This sunday we went to church out in Dar es Salaam, and met a young lady from America who is volunteering at a certain orphanage for three months. We decided to hang out at this orphanage for a day. What we saw amazed us. It was one of the most incredible and most fulfilling days we have had yet on this trip. At the end of the day the head of this orphanage gave us a tour of another facility that is partially completed. It has a strong foundation and four walls, and it lacks a roof and the insides. This center will dramatically improve the conditions of this orphanage and it will quadruple it's ability to take in orphans, which, we have found, is a true problem out here with the epidemic of AIDS. Currently they are at capacity with 13 orphans, and this center will provide space and means to allow for 45. The reason this center is partially built is simply because they ran out of money and can't finish it. The minimal amount needed to allow this new center to be habitable is $2,235.00, and one week of hard labour. The amount needed to finish the place entirely, with all the doors, paint, and make it look like a house is $4,000.00. The day they make the center habitable is the day they will be able to move in and make significant progress towards growing to it's future level. After touring the center, and having been with the kids all day long, we made the rather obvious observation that the amount of money and time we were going to spend on hiking Kilimanjaro is exactly the amount of money and time needed by this orphanage to complete the center and allow them all to move in and continue progressing. We both felt that the money and our time would be of infinite more use if applied to the orphanage. So Blair and I have decided to use the money and time we were going to spend on Kilimanjaro, and finish the construction of the orphanage. We will have complete control of where every penny goes, and what material it will be used for, and we have gone into complete detail of every item that is needed, and have made everything as cheap and as efficient as is possible. Like I said earlier, we are only providing enough to make this center habitable. In order to make it look like a home, it is going to need about twice that. Any financial support of any kind from anyone would be of great use. The U.S. dollar goes a long way out here, so any donation will go a long way. Every penny will go towards the completion of the orphanage, and any funds recieved from family and friends will be considered sacred. We hope to leave Tanzania having given what we can to make a real and significant contribution out here, and we have been given an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of many orphans. Thank you for your time and consideration. Unfortunately we don't have a fancy website to visit or phone line to call, but we do have a Wells Fargo account. If you want to make a donation, go to the local Wells Fargo, and make a deposit into Blair Abdon's checking account. Simply fill out a deposit slip and ask to put it into Blair Abdon's checking account. Blairs address is in Rocklin, CA so verify that it goes into the correct account. You can write Blairs account number on the deposit slip and it will speed up the proccess. Email Anthony for the account number. If you have any questions you can email us. If you want to know exactly where your money is going, just e-mail us and we will give you a detailed account of where everything is going. Thank you so much for your attention. Have a perfect day, and I'll see you soon!

Love always,

Trent Frazer