Dry season

It is the dry season in Tanzania. Out in the Maasai bush, we have heard reports that the people are becoming desperate for water. Because there has been no rain, the grasses have dried up. Thus, the men and boys leave their bomas (home compounds) to take the cattle and the goats in search for grazing land. They will be gone from their homes until the rains return.


Unfortunately, this means that the women and the children are left home with no animals (no source of milk or meat), with no men and boys, with no food. . .left to starve.



In one area near Mairowa, the women have to awaken very early. They begin walking before 4:00 am, in order to arrive at the water hole (mud pit?) while there is still water. If they arrive too late, the seeping water hole will either already be drained by other desperate people, or the heat of the day will have parched the land and dried their only source of water for the day.

The ministry's car has been resurrected!!

Upon arrival, one of the first responsibilities was to get our mission's car repaired and road-worthy.

Last year, our car began to have terrible trouble. The engine was missing, even stalling on the road from time to time. The "professional" garage in Arusha fixed it time and time again; yet, time and time again we brought it back to them because the problem was not solved.

When Offringas and I left the country last spring, the car was still in the shop. After more than 6 weeks, the garage called our missionary friends to come and pick up the car. It was not fixed, and they didn't charge us.

So when we arrived last week, we wondered if we were just going to have to find a cheap buyer for our junker car. Missionary friends suggested a humble neighborhood mechanic who works with simple tools in the dirt outside in a bare lot. I must admit, this conversation brought to me visions of a poor African poking around the engine with a long stick. Boy, was I wrong! These mechanics did what a fully-equipped “city” garage could not (or would not) do in 6 weeks last year!

Our Suzuki was fixed cheaply and easily. We found an honest mechanic who did a fantastic job!

Drive "home" to Arusha

Well, the bus trip from Nairobi, Kenya to Arusha, Tanzania was a little. . .different. While the road has become quite familiar to me over the past few years, I was surprised to find that this highway. . .out through the bush country. . .literally in "the middle of nowhere" is under construction!

It wasn't comforting to look over the driver's shoulder to see the pavement end. Traffic was diverted off the road and onto dirt paths that wind between acacia (thorny) trees, around stumps, and between large rocks. Trouble was, it wasn't just a small stretch of road. It was kilometer after kilometer! I really don't know how long it is going to take them to actually fix and repave. I'm afraid it could take months or even years!





As long as I didn't look at the road, everything else seemed very familiar. The landscape is beautiful, in its own way. Didn't see any giraffe or other wildlife on the journey this time, though. Just lots and lots of land that looks uninhabited; but if you stop and look closely, you will see tribespeople moving about, even here in the bush.

By the time the (un-air-conditioned) bus rolled into Arusha, I'm sure I looked horrible--dusty and sweaty. None of the passengers could wait to get washed up! Though we only rode the bus for 7 hours, we looked as if we had been living in the bush for a long weekend!

Trying to compute

Even in big-city Nairobi, internet is not always readily available. In fact, Bob learned that

(1) when he waits until the sun goes down and

(2) when the whole city has gone to bed

THAT is the OPTIMUM TIME

for email and internet.

I was able to accomplish some work that remained unfinished before my departure from the States.

Conference planning sessions

We were scheduled to spend 4 days in Nairobi before leaving for Tanzania. During that time, we planned to meet with a pastor from Uganda. Emmanuel Kabambi (sorry, I don’t have pictures of him yet because my camera was still packed) has been ministering in connection with Set Free Ministries in Uganda for several years. He has agreed to help us in our first conference in Ndareda, Tanzania, scheduled to begin January 22nd.

For the first conference, we will be covering material that has been written by Neil T. Anderson. Our goal is to introduce the “7 Steps to Freedom” as a wonderful tool both for the pastors’ personal relationship with God and also for pastoral counseling amongst their members and their communities.

Our time of planning together was quite profitable. Great excitement was in the air. . .as well as a bit of spiritual attack. Nonetheless, we feel confident that God is preparing us for a good time in Ndareda.

Mark your calendars and pray for us please!

Welcome to Nairobi, Kenya (East Africa)

Upon arriving at Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi, we made our way through customs and immigration; then took a taxi to the Mennonite Guest House. After traveling for so many hours, sleep was greatly desired. However, considering that it was early morning, we decided to stay awake, attempting to beat the jet lag.

The Mennonite Guest House is a gorgeous respite in the middle of this large Kenyan city. God blessed us with weather that was absolutely beautiful--temperatures in the mid-70’s, and sunny skies. What a wonderful welcome.

Karibu!

(Translation: Welcome!)

Today I am beginning a new blog for our ministry. I hope that you enjoy watching God at work in and through us.

A 3-month commitment to training ministry leaders in East Africa begins tomorrow, with flights departing from Chicago in the evening. It will take several days of travel before arriving in Nairobi, Kenya. There we will be meeting with a pastor from Uganda, who is planning to assist us with our first upcoming conference at the end of January. Then on Friday we will board a bus for Arusha, our East African headquarters.

With the help of some of my Michigan friends (who have fast and reliable internet), I should be able to keep you updated with new pictures and stories about every week or so. (Thank you to those of you who will be assisting me with uploading and passing along the news.)