There is an intensity to the group of eighteen Tanzanian youth gathered in the open air banda in Engedi that night. Again and again, the question comes up in their discussion — how can we share the gospel in hard places?

I knew there must be women in this community who could be my friends, and not just the kind that you chat with in passing, but someone I could really know.

“I’m not good with names,” she said, her German accent punctuating each vowel. “But right now there are 150 kids at Safina and I can tell you the name of every child and where they go to school.”

The seeds of hard work, God’s provision, moral accountability, and the concept of family, are strong sprouts already taking root in the adoring eyes and peaceful smiles of each child.

At night, globes of light wink into existence on the expanse of the water. More and more appear, like a string of glowing pearls bobbing on a swath of velvet.

“I treat them like human beings,” Hanneke says bluntly when I ask about her secret to ministering among those with AIDS. “I touch them. I hug them.” She makes it sound easy, but I marvel at her methods.