Habari, Everyone!
I've been in Tanzania for a week and a half now and despite getting tired of rice, beans, cabbage, and Ugali, I am yet to wear myself out on the world-famous African hospitality. My team has been welcomed by so many people, and as a result to date, have eaten 12 pineapple, 15 mangos, 4 avacado, 2 chickens, 1 goat, and countless jipati. Of course we've already drank our weight in Tanzanian tea, best served over milk and sugar. Note that if you live within a 50-mile radius of Minneapolis, I'd be happy to serve you Tanzanian tea at any time upon my return.
We've meet wonderful people, both on the YWAM base and out in the village and town. We just got back from the high desert, where unfotunately we had to wake up to the sun rising by Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru every morning, suffer through the desert sunset and painstakingly stare at the southern sky every night. This is a burden that someone had to bear and we were happy to do it.
We were in the desert talking to some of the local Maasai people who live in Bomas, little self-sustained villages of about 50 to 200 people. Every morning for three days we'd set out on foot and walk to a Boma to talk about Jesus, play with the children--a lot, practice some basic healthcare, and just hang out. It was tiring, dusty, frustrating, and hot, but so amazing, and so rewarding, that it was worth it being tired, dusty, frustrated, and hot.
There is an English school running on the base right now, so everyone in the school--from a 60-year-old man to a 20-year-0ld woman--is eager to talk to us in English. Of course we want to speak Swahili so there's a lot of give-and-take as we stop to ask how to say things in the others' languages.
So far we've seen 1 pack of zebras (hooray!) and 2 packs of gazelles (amazing!), 1 nest of Killer African Bees, and 4 mosquitos (which have subsequently bit me) and in a few weeks, we're heading out into Giraffe, Lion, and Elephant country.
I have many stories to share already and hopefully I can post one or two while I'm still in Tanzania. If not, just look forward to a few good stories for when we meet again over Tanzanian tea.
Enjoy your weekend!
