East African fauna

We are enjoying the birdlife here in the yard, as many beautiful and interesting varieties flit from tree to tree. We bought a book so that we can try to identify some of them. We think this may be a mousebird.

In addition to beautiful local birds, we found this horned chameleon sunning himself atop a leaf and waiting for its next bug-meal.

Hard at Work in the Word

It’s been a very busy time creating our training materials. Bob and Bayo worked very hard to translate the materials into KiSwahili, the primary language of the area. Thank God for computers which really shortened the translation job, but Bayo was essential in providing the fine tuning necessary for the materials that we will place in the hands of our pastors.

Who wants to work inside when the weather is just so beautiful! Susan sat out on the front porch reading, writing, and looking up references. . .as well as listening to Jesus’ direction for material that will be taught at the upcoming conferences.

Backyard visitor

Welcome to Africa! Here is a visitor to our back yard that Val discovered while hanging up laundry.

What a beauty! (At least to someone!)

Though it’s kind of an creepy creature, it was fascinating to look closely at the hair on its legs and the beautiful markings on its belly.

First night's sunset

Susan's observations:

In the waning daylight we climb the stairs to sit on the roof of our porch and watch the most amazing sunset that fills the sky with golden and orange glow,...we hear the exotic call of the birds we are straining to catch a glimpse of to try to identify what kind of a bird makes that sound,....we hear the foot traffic below us as people make their way home from a busy workday (It’s a walking society.) chattering and laughing with their companions along the way,....after the light is nearly gone, we go back down and enter the house, thankful for the modern convenience we have called "internet" that allows us, when the systems are up and running, to communicate in only moments clear across the world to our friends and family from what many would call a still primitive part of the world. My awe for our wonderful God who created all of this diversity and contrast grows and multiplies. My heart swells as I feel His heart of love for this place, for Tanzania, Africa. For his creation here, and for the people that he is sending us to. His heart for the pastors of so many churches and villages. For every pastor trained and equipped we can anticipate at least 100 people to be affected and discipled which will affect the whole village, spiritual environment, and culture/economy when people learn to live as Jesus demonstrated--with compassion, love, and forgiveness. That will also spread out to include regions since many pastors have more than one church in more than one village!

What does God have in mind? I can't wait to see! How about you?

Driving in Arusha

This is the main highway running north and south across Africa from Cairo, Egypt all the way down to Cape Town, South Africa. Hard to believe that such an important thoroughfare looks like this!

We exit the highway here in order to turn onto Kwa Iddi Road, near our home. We must be very careful turning off the road, for the drop-off edges could roll our car if not approached at a careful angle!

Several shops and salons line Kwa Iddi Road. Since this is a walking society there is much more foot traffic on the road than cars, and we all take turns making our way up the narrow “thoroughfare” so no one is forced off into a ditch. By the time we get up the foothills of Mt Meru a kilometer or so there are no more shops and the road seems more like a mountain path full of large rocks, run-off ditches and deep ruts. Welcome to our neighborhood!

African "I Spy" Game

The African "I Spy" Game! In this picture, can you find. . .

- the furniture store?

- the local taxi?

- two clothing stores?

- a public bathroom?

- a lumber yard?

Grocery shopping day

Grocery shopping is a full-day commitment.

This is just one of the many "stores" we go to weekly--a fruit and vegetable stand, where we bought six bags stuffed full of fresh produce for 20,000 Tanzanian shilling (a little over $13).

New this year are. . .celery and broccoli! Now, I know that these are not included in their local cuisine; so they must be growing these things to cater to us "outsiders."

Once the fruit and veggies are home, then we start the tedious task of soaking each of them in a solution to make sure that they are clean, bacteria-free, and insect-free.

Finally, approaching dinner time, we are done with our shopping excursion for the week. Though it took a lot of time and effort, we now can be rewarded with sweet and juicy pineapple and oranges, crisp cucumber, plump tomatoes, and much more!

Approaching Arusha

We truly are on the other side of the world! The culture and the people are so different, and we are quite obviously the outsiders here, but we are greeting everywhere we go by "Karibu!" (kah-REE-boo, which means "welcome!"), big smiles, and warm eyes. But EVERYTHING is different here! The plants are distinctly different, the flowers, the birds and animals, and even the insects.

We carry with us a sense of awe as we encounter moment by moment discoveries of new pieces of God's diverse creation, with such beauty, such dynamic color and breathtaking contrast!. . .

Of course, there are also challenges like what it takes to go from one place to another,. . .like roads whose potholes stretch 2/3 of the width of the road,. . .and large trucks that drive wherever they need to (like on YOUR side of the road!) to avoid the perilously deep potholes.

First days in East Africa

We arrived at the wonderful Mennonite Guest House in Nairobi, Kenya and enjoyed the beauty and quiet for a day to catch up from the travel.

(We are still trying to figure out what kind of tree this is. Someone suggested that it could be an Oleander. Can anyone identify it?)

This is where we did most of our work, with internet service provided in this cozy pavillion with big comfy chairs. Conference material began to come together well, as we spent time in the Word and before the Lord, asking for wisdom and direction.

3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .GO!

We've been preparing for return to East Africa for weeks, and it's finally here!

The team leaves this week, which means. . .

packing boxes and "dialing them in" to within 1/2 lb of airlines' restrictions,

quick trips to the bank, the post office, and Walmart,

finalizing little details in the office,

checking things off the to-do lists,

last-minute phone calls and emails,

and lots of prayer!

Over the next 3 months, I hope to keep you informed here

with stories and pictures of active and vibrant ministry in Tanzania. Come and join us!

I will try to update this blog weekly, as I am able (provided good internet connection).

Let's watch and see what the Lord does

in the lives of hundreds of pastors in Dareda Valley,

in the ministry of the AIM team members,

and in the hearts of each of us.