A Couple Days of Travel, Then Home!

The Indian Ocean at Dar es Salaam

11-19-15

Happy birthday to Adam! What a way to spend a birthday. It started out at 5am getting up and packed and ready to go by car by 630 from Iringa to Dar es Salaam. I am not a great traveler as I get anxious, and to think of being trapped in a car for ten hours, I was not feeling great.

They really like their speed bumps in Tanzania. Driving down the hill from Iringa town there are a bunch of speed bumps, so you go fast for a few feet, then slam on the breaks to go slow over the bumps. Sometimes there is one big wide bump, and other times there are three or four smaller ones all in a row. I think there are more bumps when I have a tummy ache.

Spring has sprung in Tanzania. There are definitely more leaves on the trees now than when we came two and a half weeks ago. Bo and Juli really noticed the difference as they were here almost six weeks. The hills were all brown when they drove past them last time in October, and now they're filling up with green. There is a tree here that has bright red flowers that is just beautiful. The baobab trees are mostly bare but those that have started flowering have the occasional white bloom that from far away looks like a rose.

We saw baboons playing on the side of the road. Mama baboon would be carrying baby on her back, and I saw a single one in a ditch maybe looking for food, and it must have gotten startled, because I saw it jump a couple feet straight in the air. That was kind of cute.

Driving through the game preserve again, we saw giraffe, zebras, more baboons, warthogs, gazelle, water buffalo, etc. Water buffalo are funny – their horns make them look like Moe from the Three Stooges.

I slept quite a bit on the drive to Dar. It was easy to do, because everyone was tired, and there wasn't a ton of talking. Our driver was different from the one who picked us up a couple weeks ago and drove us to Iringa. This one is Roger, brother and business partner of Miraji, but not as talkative. We got into town in good time and went to a restaurant right on the Indian Ocean to meet Tom and Beth.

Happy birthday to Adam!

We sat and visited; we ordered cake and they brought it with a sparkler in it and the wait staff sang “Happy Birthday” to Adam. After that we got a ride from Roger to another spot on the coast close by. This time Adam told me to sit in the front, so I did and it turns out Roger isn't so quiet – I asked him like one question and he started chatting us up! He must have been tired of ten hours of near silence. :)

This next place we stopped at had shops so we went looking for things to spend the rest of our money on. Then we found a restaurant and had supper. It was a lovely evening. We took another stroll down by the water and then had to get to the airport.

The traffic in Dar is just terrible apparently all day and most of the night long. It can take four hours to get from one side of the city to another. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. And people drive crazy. We're always within inches of getting hit by a truck it seems. Luckily, our drivers know what they're doing, and we were safe.  We get to the airport in plenty of time for our midnight flight.

That's about it!  It's 29 hours later, and we're home.  The kids were happy to see us, and we're back to normal - except that I'm pretty tired!  We put the kids to bed at 7:30; it's now almost 8 and I'm ready to call it in as well.  :)  Thanks for reading.  

Our Last Couple of Days

11-17-15
We got up early at the camp to go out for a game drive.  Apparently lions are more active in the early morning than midday, but we didn't see any.  We saw some other animals and headed back for breakfast.  We left the camp before lunch and headed out of the park, but we took our sweet time doing that and saw more giraffes, zebras, hippos, antelope, dogs, birds, etc.
Ruaha park is such a fabulous place, that even though we were only there for about 24 hours, we saw more animals than Adam or I have probably ever seen, and it was so cool that we forgot what a terrible drive it was to get there.  I have never been on such a rutted road in all my life!  We joked about losing fillings and how we'll be shaking long after we got out of the car.  At one point near the exit of the park, Adam saw a sign that said "Iringa 117 km" and I think at least 50 of those kilometers had to be taken at about 10 mph or less or we would have been bounced right off the road.
We got back to Iringa at 430 and met up with Tom, Beth, and Julia for supper at Sai Villa just a couple blocks away.  I ordered Adam an ice cream for dessert since we hadn't had any ice cream since we left the States, and it was almost his birthday.  There's been no "day of the five ice creams" here in Tanzania like we do in Sweden!  :)
We went back to the Lutheran Center for the night after supper and I know I was exhausted!

11-18-15
We got to sleep in, which was great.  Today is a day of last minute shopping and packing.  We went to the Diocese to see a couple people, then walked to the markets off the main street because I've been looking for a conga.  I found two fairly easily, along with more gifts for people back home.  We stopped at Hasty Tasty for lunch with Michelle and headed back to Bo & Juli's to catch up on blogging (what a job that's been!) and to rest a bit before taking on the daunting task of stuffing everything into as few suitcases as possible.
In the evening, the Americans all had supper together at Bo & Juli's and we reminisced about the trip.
Now it's 6:30am on 11-19 (Happy birthday, Adam!) and I'm just going to post this quick before our driver comes to get us for the 10 hour drive to Dar.  We fly out tonight at midnight.  Whew!  What a trip!

Safari!

11-16-15

RUAHA

Leaving Tungamalinga Lodge

We got up early to have breakfast and get going to Ruaha. We got to the gate entrance at 8am and drove into the park for almost five hours. We saw giraffes, elephants, gazelle, zebras, a leopard, many birds, hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, lizards and geckos, many types of antelope, dogs, mongoose, monkeys and baboons, impala, gazelles, jackals, and probably a bunch that I just don't remember!

We ate lunch at our lodge, which was an amazing place, called Ruaha Safari Camp - Mwagusi Camp.  After a little rest, Adam and I went out on a guide led safari.  It was just the two of us, and pretty fun to be in the open-air jeep looking at the different birds and animals.  We saw another leopard on the hunt, which was kind of cool.  We stopped and took in the gorgeous view and had a snack, and then we drove back to the camp.  Supper was at 7, and after some star-gazing, we went back to our tent for the night.  It was a fantastic day!

Just another giraffe crossing :)

This was only a portion of the over 60
elephants we saw at this spot!

Adam pointed out this leopard

Kudu - not sure if this one is Greater Kudu or Lesser Kudu

Look how close we are to these elephants!

Hi, Zebra

Our "tent"

Agama Lizard

Klipspringer

Crocodiles and a heron?

 

Church at our Sister Congregation in Ihemi

11-15-15
We woke up in Ihemi and our plan today is to attend church, then leave to drive to Tungamalanga, where we would sleep before heading to Ruaha Nat'l Park early Monday morning.
The first thing we did was to visit Mama Membe for a few minutes.  She wanted us to come to her house, so we saw where she lived.  A few of the homes we visited here were more like small compounds.  There is a gate that you walk through into an open courtyard where there are buildings on all sides.  In the center of the courtyard would be a pile of wood, or a chicken coop, or a grain storage dome.  Maybe a pig would be kept in one of the buildings, there might be a kitchen in another, a choo or toilet (if you're lucky) in a third, and sleeping quarters beyond what's in the main house.  At Mama Membe's, we were not invited into any of the buildings, so perhaps the center courtyard is used as a meeting place sometimes - especially if we only were there to say "hi" quick before breakfast and church.

Bo giving his sermon

We went to have breakfast of fried breads like doughnuts, regular bread, hard-boiled eggs, and water.  The eggs were smaller than the ones I get at home, but they were some of the best I've ever tasted, but maybe that's also because I haven't had a lot of salt, and the salted eggs were very yummy to me.
After breakfast we went to church.  There is one service at 10am, and it was a short service – just under 2½ hours – which included Bo giving the sermon, introductions of course, and two offerings.
Naturally, I choked up at the introduction part.  I've been feeling all weekend very close to these people, and they didn't discourage me, as Pastor Kiwanga told me the night before that since we came to visit, we are now family.
 We gave jimbas (hoes) during the offering, and after the service they gave us each scarves. We then gave gifts to Pastor Annette, District Pastor Kiwanga, and the church. There was an auction after the service of eggs and peas, I think, and after that, we gathered children and gave out candy. We ate lunch at the district house, had a short follow-up meeting between the congregations again to discuss their future needs regarding scholarships, and were on the road again at 2pm.

We drove Pastor Msigwa home and took a short tour of it and met his young daughter. We stopped at Bo & Juli's apartment quickly to change out luggage for our safari. The drive to Tungamalinga was a few hours long over very rutted roads. There was the occasional Masai walking on the road, but other than that it was pretty desolate. We got to the lodge just as it started to rain. The rain was very nice as it cooled the air a good bit. We sat and visited for a couple hours before supper, which was a buffet made just for us. It was a very nice lodge, I thought.

Our gifts

Giving the resurrection butterfly to the church

Giving Pastor Annette her gift

Day in Ihemi

We got up early in Iringa and planned to pick up a Pastor Msigwa on our way out to Ihemi. We had breakfast at Ihemi, at what would be the district pastor's house, except District Pastor Kiwanga already has a house that's pretty central to his churches, so this house is mainly used for a gathering place. We planned to visit all six preaching points, starting with this main Ihemi station.

Jipanda

After breakfast, we all started out across the Ihemi perish. Our first stop was called Jipanda (Junction). They have fifteen active members here. The church site looks new (in that it's basic – just a bare church with concrete altar and eight benches for pews), but we are told the next time we visit, we will find many people will have built around here. A college is being planned across the main road within five years, so there should be some Lutherans coming to worship here. They expect a factory to be built here also, so that will also bring people to worship. They are looking to add electricity, to plaster the walls, add windows, and add pews in the future. On our way to the next stop, we passed by some large silos and at least a half dozen large chicken barns. It looked very promising that the area was growing like the pastor had said.

Luhuhu

The second stop was at Luhuhu. At this preaching point, there are 75 members plus 50 children. There are ten children in secondary school from here, and an additional ten who have passed primary school and are ready for secondary. Here they are making bricks, planning on building an evangelist's house. The plan is to have walls for that house next year. The inside of the structure of the church is completed, but they still have plans to plaster the outside. This preaching point is growing very fast.

Isapilo

The next preaching point is called Isapilo. This is another fast growing preaching point; it has 45 members and 63 children. They all work together to make sure they have a good place to worship. They too have future plans to build a house for the evangelist. One of the challenges of this community is that they don't have water in this area – they have to walk 2 km to fetch water. The government drilled a well here like 20 years ago, and there is plenty of water, but the pump is broken. We left to look at this well. Unfortunately, it is irreparable. Bo suggests that they contact St Paul Partners to get their name on the que to be considered for a well.

From there we go to Usambusi, another preaching point. There were children here who sang to us. It was very sweet. They have 62 members and between 80-90 children here. They plan to knock down a wall to expand this church, as the congregation is growing.

Masumbo

The last preaching point is Masumbo. This is also another fast growing preaching point with 80 members and 60 children. They are finishing the building and they have a temporary altar. The members are involved in making and selling bricks as a fundraiser. They have already burnt 10,000 bricks. They are planning to build a hall and have been collecting stones and sand, and a foundation has been started. They expect it to be completed in five years.

We drove back to Ihemi and walked around the cemetery. In Swahili, they call a cemetery  

“shamba la Mongu” or “God's farm.” This is where they plant people.

The evangelist Jackson's widow and family
with quilt given by Christiania women

We did all of this in the morning!! We went back to the district house for lunch probably around 2pm. Our lunch consisted of white rice, fried rice, potatoes, peas, chicken (kuku), bananas and watermelon. After lunch, we went back to the pastor's house to rest a bit before heading to the seminary school.

A Pastor John Mhekwa escorted us to a seminary school that was being built. It didn't look like it had gotten very far. There was one building and no floor or roof. I don't know when they plan on this one being open, but obviously not for a while, as they need money. They have a lot of bricks burned for it, but no money to start the school. We went on a walk around the grounds for a while, talking of plans, and looking at the pile of bricks they have for it, then we left.

Our next stop was to a house belonging to the widow of evangelist Jackson, for whom our church raised money to put a roof on her house not too long ago. We gave her a quilt from the women of Christiania and sat in her home for a bit. She was very sweet, and she had a nice family. She gave us a chicken.

Our supper's sister

Then it was back to the main station again to sit and wait for supper, which Pastor Msigwa told me would include fresh chicken. As we sat and waited, he and I discussed where we get our food, and that in all reality, I do not know where my chicken comes from. He says that when they eat chicken, it is from that day. So, I deduced that we would be eating the gift from the widow earlier in the afternoon.  

After supper we had a meeting between our congregations. It ended up being a late night and I think we got to bed around 10:30pm.

Michelle and Pastor Mhekwa carrying a rock
bega kwa bega
("shoulder to shoulder")

Big 'ol moth - Bo's hand for scale

Usambusi

Day of Grace

11-13-15

Beth is explaining to us where everything is happening,
while pastors are waiting for their turn with a doctor

Today's plan included going back to the orphanage to see what the Day of Grace is all about. Tom and Beth Hansen started this a few years ago - a two-day event that it is intended to care for the whole pastor and spouse, both physically, mentally, and spiritually.  It's so easy to forget about your own health when you're in a profession that focuses on so many other people, and many pastors simply don't have the time or money to take care of themselves. Doctors are brought together with the pastors and they do physical exams for them, including blood pressure checks, pulse, height, weight and vision screening, blood glucose checks, cervical and breast exams for the women. Also scheduled are seminars and break out groups.  

When we arrived, we stopped into the office where Beth was and we visited a bit and she took all of our blood pressures. Then we walked over to the dorms where three doctors were set up to take their patients. Beth said that they had a great turnout of pastors today; I can't remember the number, but it was well over 100.

Shortly thereafter, we went into a big conference room where they were going to be putting on a seminar on stress management. There was a band and of course there was singing and dancing. Then one of the pastors introduced the five of us and we all got to say a little something.

Sign at the DIRA

We hung out for a little while and met some pastors, then we left again. Beyond that, we did a bit more walking and driving around the town – I'm looking for the perfect conga, and can't seem to find one that screams my name. We also went to The Haven again for supper. This time we met Tom, Beth, and Julia. It was a lovely evening.

Tomorrow we check out of the Lutheran Center early – 7:30 – to go to Ihemi. It is close, but we have a lot of visiting to do there, so we are going to spend Saturday night there. We are going to visit all six preaching points in Ihemi, plus attend a meeting where we'll give a report about Christiania.

Sunday we will attend church and Bo will preach and we have a special offering planned. Everyone is excited for the weekend.

Sunday night, we will drive to Ruaha National Park, where we will spend two days on safari. We have been promised to see many animals, birds, and in general have an awesome time. I'm not sure I will have internet this whole time, so my next post may be Wednesday after we return and get a chance to rest. Have a wonderful weekend!  

A Day of Blessings

11-12-15

Working on the well

We got going just after 8am this morning. We were going to repair some wells today, and we went to the Diocese to pick up Peter and Andrew. The gate was locked and a bunch of people were waiting outside. We sat in the car thinking that someone was waiting for a key, when finally Bo got out to see what was the deal. Apparently Chavalla had told the guard to lock the gate at 8am because too many people were arriving to work late. Haha! We met up with Peter and Andrew shortly after and were on our way out of town.

We stopped in a village called Kiponzelo (or Kiponzero – their l's and r's are interchangeable). We went into a building where introductions were made all around. One man thanked us for coming and for providing safe and clean water, then he proceeded to tell us that out of the seven wells they had, three were operational.

We went to one of the wells and spent a couple of hours there. We all stood around watching the men work for a while, then I had to get out of the sun. It's hot, but cloudy with a wonderful breeze in the shade.

Washing clothes

There are a few mama's here washing clothes. These women work so hard! Scrub, scrub, scrub, then wring and rinse and wring, then lay the clothes on the ground or on a bush to dry in the sun. They will iron the clothes later to get rid of the fleas or whatever.

Juli with the children

Julie, Michelle, and I decided to take a walk around the village to kill some time. We walked a ways then came upon a school. A few of the children came to the road to say, “hi.” Suddenly, there were dozens of them! They followed us all the way back, skipping and laughing. We took a few pictures with our phones and the children all wanted to see the them. 

We had some rubber band bracelets that we gave out and we were like celebrities. Unfortunately, children all over are alike: some were greedy and wanted several. They kept getting in line before other children got some so we think a few may have gotten missed. We can only hope they share, otherwise it seems kind of mean to introduce something they never knew they wanted, only to have some miss out, especially when we surely had enough for all.

After that well, we went to another one.  Each well had unique problems, and it was encouraging to see that the townspeople were there to help fix them and to learn what to do in the future.  This is the goal:  not only to provide wells for the villages, but to have those wells be accepted and cared for by that village.  St Paul Partners can help teach the people how to care for and fix the wells, but they can't be depended upon to fix every well that breaks down.  SPP has 168 wells to oversee.  It is very important for each community to care for its own.

All in all, we spent about four or five hours out in the village, including eating lunch with the workers in the village after completion of the second well.  The remainder of the afternoon was for rest.

In the evening as we all were doing our devotion for the day, each one of us were struck by the blessings of the day.  Whether it be personal highs and gratitude for the gifts of others, witnessing God's love through people and deeds, or watching communities take ownership of their own, there were many great things that happened this day.

Taking it Easy on Veteran's Day

11-11-15

The cooking school

Veteran's Day. We kind of took it easy today. We had breakfast with Bo & Juli, then went with Juli & Michelle to the cooking school, which was about a 20 minute walk. It is a convent where they have a daycare on one side and a cooking school on the other. They cook in the morning, then in the afternoon, another building holds a sewing or embroidery class. Juli likes to buy some things there – we got somosas, potato chips, and peanut bars.  All are very delicious.

From there, we walked another 10 minutes or so to a store where we picked up some souvenirs. Juli knows all the hot spots to shop. :) Then we went to the Diocese to meet a couple people. One is a pastor who is trying to help women start up businesses. She had a couple baskets on hand from Ihemi so I bought some.

War cemetery in Iringa

Then we met another friend of the Skillman's, Bonito before we had to leave for an Armistice Day celebration at the War Cemetery.

We had lunch at the apartment, then went to the market with Juli & Michelle. There was a beggar who followed us from the Lutheran Center to the market and then some. It was kind of disturbing, but not unusual, I guess. The market was interesting: any kind of food, lying on tables to buy. There was fish, grains, beans, spices, candy, fruit, vegetables, etc., etc., etc. Juli bought some groceries and then we went on a hunt for more souvenirs.

After the market, we rested. We had supper with Bo, Juli, and Michelle at a wonderful restaurant called The Haven. It was a pretty good day!

The Haven

Hospital & another School

11-10-2015

The pharmacy

We were up and gone with Bo, Juli, and Michelle at 9am to go to the Ilula Hospital.  We met a doctor and got a tour around the hospital grounds from a man named Alamu Kikoti.  We saw admin offices, a pharmacy, clinic, and general ward.  We walked by the operating room, but did not go in.  We also saw a maternity ward and I saw a newborn baby.  Alamu said to me, "When the babies are born, they look wuzungu."  Wuzungu means "white" and I guess as they get older, that's when their skin darkens.  I thought that was pretty interesting, especially since I remember that when Ellie was born, she had dark - almost an olive color - skin, and she lightened up as she aged.

The lab

While a woman would be put on bed rest in the US, they get admitted into a waiting ward here.  There they sit for a few days up to a few months waiting for their baby.  I have also heard that when a person is in the hospital here, his/her family will stay nearby because it is the family that takes care of the patient.  Feeding and washing patients is apparently not the job of the doctors or nurses here.
We did see some private rooms, which were quite nice.  They weren't quite completed, but when they are, they will cost around 20,000 Tanzanian Schillings (about $10 a day) to stay there.

The holding tank

We walked through the new nursing school, which just opened yesterday, and peeked through windows of some of the classes.  Then we walked down to where the volunteer nurses from elsewhere (like the US) would have their quarters.  They also have dorms for the nurses, which weren't completed quite yet either.  There were nine dorm rooms, each with six beds in them.  There are 15 students currently enrolled this first year.
Adam, Julie, Michelle & I peeked into the church on site while Bo talked with the guys about the problem they're having with their water.  Their holding tank is contaminated, and the pump cuts out.  While we sat there and had lunch, Bo was communicating with someone to get their problem fixed.  It's amazing that in this area of the world, he could have a constant connection with someone back in the States (or wherever) and get moving on the problem in real time.
After the hospital, we went to Image to look at the boarding school there.  The headmaster there has great vision for that school, and while it is very much farther along than the school we saw yesterday, there is still a lot work to be done.

The children at Image school dancing for us

As we drove up to the school, the students were standing outside singing and clapping for us.  We got out of the car and they grabbed us to sing and dance with them.  This went on for about 25 minutes!  We couldn't stop smiling - and neither could they.  They were so welcoming, I couldn't believe it.
We introduced ourselves, and then we went to have lunch (again).  We had a nice visit with headmaster Ngogo and a couple of the teachers, then they took us on a tour of the school.  I think he said he had something like 700 children at that school.

Joice, Dennis, and Desidelia

Three students are sponsored by our church back home so we got to visit with them.  They were very sweet kids and they told us what courses they liked best in school:  one girl, Desidelia, is in Form 6 (like a senior in high school to us) was interested in geography and history, the boy, Dennis - also Form 6 - was interested in accounting and economics, and the other girl, Joice - Form 2 - likes chemistry and biology.  They seemed very bright.  Desidelia and Joice are from Ihemi, and Dennis is from Sadoni.  We are going to those preaching points this weekend.  Dennis asked if we could send a message to his sponsors; he wants them to know that he is working hard at his studies and that he is doing well.  It was very sweet.

House built around a boulder

After the school, we went to visit some friends of Bo & Juli's.  These friends have a compound that is just amazing to see, including two homes that are spectacular.  The guy's mother lives in one of the houses and it was unlike anything I have ever seen - it was built around a huge boulder!  I made Adam take a picture of it.
After that, we went to the home of the district pastor of Ihemi, Donald Kiwanga.  He and his wife fed us supper fit for a king.  She is a caterer, so really knows how to cook.  He told us of all of their children - it seemed like he had five sons - but at least a couple were adopted.  They're all going to school and he explained some of the problems they're having getting loans and covering the fees.
We got back at 9pm and tried getting online, but the internet is not 100% reliable, and since we couldn't get on, we put off communication til the morning and turned in.

I wanted to add more pictures, but the connection is too slow -- it's already taken me two days to upload these.

Children's ward at the hospital

Gecko at the hospital

Head Master Ngogo, Desidelia, Juli, Bo, Dennis, Joice, Rachel, Adam, and two of the teachers

Dennis is an acrobat!

New library at Image school

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