It's true: the Activation International ministry team is
heading back to East Africa this weekend.
While we had made plans not to return until August, we
always give God permission to change our plans,...and He did.
We will once again be driving through the African plains on
our way to the beautiful Mount Hanang area of northern Tanzania.
After leaving the sprawling plains, we drive over a mountain
and down into the Hanang valley, a fertile agricultural area that many consider
to be the "breadbasket" for this part of the country. Maize, beans,
lentils and vegetables that are grown here make their way hundreds of
kilometers away, to the markets in Arusha, Mwanza, and even into southern parts
of Kenya
In addition to the fertile crops, there is also a
seemingly-contradicting industry occupying the Hanang Valley: salt mines
(pictured on the left in the low valley). During the dry seasons of the year,
migrant workers from throughout the surrounding region are employed to scoop salt
from the lake bed, creating large mounds
which are then graded for quality and potential use. Because of the high
quality of this lake's salt, even exporters buy from this area.
