Autumn 2025 Update

Dear friends and family,

We hope your summer was full of fun, food and joy! We certainly managed a good deal of those this year. While the British summer lasted longer than you should ever expect, it still felt like it went past quicker than we were prepared for.

As we mentioned in our last update (here), this summer we were very fortunate to take a long awaited trip back to Tanzania. As the kids' first experience of life on the other side of the equator, it was exciting to see things through their eyes whilst also noting the things that had changed since we left in 2010! 15 years, while a long time measured in grey hairs, isn’t actually all that long in the social and developmental life of a community, city or nation! That said, some of the things that stood out to us - some changes, some things the same -  included:

• traffic - ↩️ CHANGE - Mbeya was a fairly sleepy (albeit large) town when we left, today it is a proper city with the associated traffic!

• dust - ➡️ SAME - we forgot just how dusty it gets in the dry season!

• beauty - ➡️ SAME - we clocked up a lot of miles over the trip and it reminded us just how diverse and beautiful Tanzania is.

• buses - ↩️ CHANGE - wow, now it isn’t Emirates First Class (I mean, we guess it isn’t, we’ve never personally experienced first class) but some of the buses have (thankfully) seen a major upgrade over 15 years. The ones we used even had a toilet on board!

• size - ↩️ CHANGE - while the country hasn’t changed size, the time it took to get anywhere (due to road projects, safer speed limits, busier roads etc) has grown substantially. Journeys that used to take 5 or 6 hours took more like 7 to 8!

• Swahili - ➡️ SAME - yes, much to our surprise, we could still speak some! Indeed, after sharing an update at the office coffee break, the office manager said (paraphrased, in Swahili): “Yes, nothing has changed, Matt still talks more but Liz’s Swahili is better!” 🤣 

• spirit - ➡️ SAME - the smiles, the joy, the welcoming nature of Tanzanian’s remained just as inspirational as it always was, despite the many challenges most people face daily.

• AIRPORT - ↩️ CHANGE - Mbeya, a town you had to spend 12+ hours on a bone-rattling, noisy bus to reach, now has an airport! In a little over an hour you can get from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya, on a plane. (You can still choose the bus if you want!)

Of course, much like in our own lives: some of the things that had changed seemed to be, from our perspective at least, for the better while some seemed for the worse. Similarly, we were glad to see some of the things that had remained the same, while for others it was sad to see so little progress. The reality is, life is complex. Most positive changes come with a darker side, and there is only so much control any of us can have over the changes happening around us.

One thing we can do, however, is at least try and identify what we’d like to change and what we’d like to stay the same. That's a big part of what Matt’s work with LEAD is aiming to do - to help people and communities work out what they see as positive aspects of their lives and behaviours, and what they wish was different and how they might see them change. These are not easy questions to answer, but they are so important as we all try to navigate a changing world.

(Btw, LEAD Global now has a new website! Take a look at the result of some of Matt's work over the last few months: https://www.leadimpact.org)

We could spend quite a while telling you about our time (and showing you a “few” photos), but for us, of course, while the country and activities were lovely, spending time with our friends and colleagues, including visiting one literacy and scripture engagement worker at his home, was our highlight. While we’ve been fortunate to see some of our expat friends here in the UK over the years, we hadn’t seen our Tanzanian colleagues since 2010. It was wonderful to see them healthy and continuing to support the work we were involved in all those years ago! Read on to hear about some of the kids' highlights!

On the work front, plans to host the LEAD Co-Directors meetings here in the UK have sadly had to be postponed due to urgent medical needs for some team members. While disappointing, one of Matt’s colleagues will still be able to visit and they will make the most of working together in the same location, including visiting Moorlands College to share about LEAD’s work with the students there. Matt will be back there later in the autumn to teach once again on the Healthy Community Engagement module, always a highlight in his calendar. At school, Liz continues to adjust well to her new class, including getting used to working with a new class teacher. She’s responsible for a phonics group this term and so is putting some of her literacy experience to great use!

Thank you for praying for us over the last few months, particularly during our travels. We are so thankful for your ongoing support of us and our work, partnering together to see transformation near and far.

Sending lots of love, Matt, Liz, Levi and Anya