First Impressions (Guest Post)

Molly is a young lady from our home state of Tennessee. She is a member of one of our supporting churches. Her parents wanted her to have an opportunity to spend some time in Tanzania as she seeks the Lord's will for her life. The timing worked out for Molly to travel back to Tanzania with our family when we returned from our furlough. Its always nice to get a fresh perspective on the people, life and ministry here, so I asked her if she would jot down some of her first impressions...

Mwanza Town:  My first impression of Mwanza was that it felt like the beach. It is sandy and dry, there are palm trees, and the sun is hot since we are so close to the equator.

Driving: The driving is CRAZY! Sometimes I wondered if people here have a death wish - because they often drive like it. Sometimes it feels like a constant game of "chicken."

Church:  The church members are always honored to have American guests, and the kids want to touch your hair and hold your hand and play games with you. I loved going to church services. I loved the difference between how Africans worship and how Americans worship. Much of the music is a cappella, and even if its not, they clap to keep rhythm. Instead of applauding, they twist their tongues - a wildly joyful sound that makes me grin every time I hear it! The whole service is infused with rejoicing and an energy of worship. Church is definitely one of my favorite parts of life here.

The African Way of Life: I also enjoy how laid-back it is in Tanzania. Africans don't schedule and plan out their time like Americans do. Days are slow and easy - we go to town when we need to run errands, we go to church on Sundays, and in between, there's not much else. Housework and cooking take up some time, and the rest is taken up with people. Tanzanian culture is very people-oriented. Relationships are important. So we drop into their homes (or vice-versa) for chai (tea), or go on a walk and talk to those we meet on the street, or fellowship with other missionaries. There is always time for a good conversation.

One day, Pendo - a lady who works for the Brouwers - offered to make us and a visiting team lunch at her home. Abby Brouwer and Hannah Helsby joined me in going to her house to help prepare the food. We sat on a mat outside and chopped vegetables with homemade knives while Pendo and some other ladies stirred giant pots over open fires. The food was delicious - we had beef, beans, rice and vegetables. The team loved it all, and we had a great time of fellowship.

When I go back to my normal life in America, I am going to miss so many things about life here. Pendo, who taught me how to cook African food and helped me practice Swahili; the joyful worshipping in the church services; fellowship with the other missionaries; Tanzanian food, weather, and way of life. I am anxious to come back as soon as possible.

Singing in the rain...

Thank you for everyone who has been praying for rain.  The Lord has poured down His blessings - literally! Today while out on our morning walk Bill and I got caught in a downpour. However, rather than taking cover we chose to walk through the rain and spend some time thanking the Lord for answering our prayers and the prayers of many of you. 

Please continue to pray in the weeks ahead that the Lord would continue to rain down showers of blessings on East Africa. Good rains will help the crops to produce the much needed food. It will help those in the village to have food for the coming months. They will also be able to sell some of it and have money to pay for medical needs that might arise due to illnesses such a malaria. (Another child was recently buried in one of the villages where we have a church. He died because his parents didn't have the money to buy malaria medicine.) It will also bring down prices of food for those who live in the city. 

So as we count our blessing of rain, what blessings is our Heavenly Father raining down upon you? We'd love to hear about them in the comments so we can rejoice with you!

To bargain, or not to bargain??

Earlier this week our teammate, Lisa Newland, and I had fun shopping at an African Expo. It was interesting to see the different wares they were selling. Some from different areas of Tanzania, and some as far away as Uganda.

We also spent some time talking to a lady who is from Mwanza. She spoke English fluently - something we rarely ever hear. She was quite interesting to talk to. She teaches people how to do handy crafts that can be sold to make a living. She proceeded to tell us that one item may take hours and hours to complete. Then when the person tries to sell their wares people dicker over the price and the person might be left with little or no profit. However, if they've used all their money to travel into town to sell their wares, they have to sell them - even if they are practically giving them away - in order to get home. So they sell their wares far less than they are worth, only to go home discouraged and not wanting to waste their time again.

There is a conflict here. For the most part we bargain over everything we buy except groceries and medicines. (In fact, we've been known to bargain even in America at stores and with dentists!) Typically people start high, even higher for we wazungu (white people). The "rule" is to go about half of what they ask and then go back and forth until you agree on a price. So what are we to do when we are trying to bargain for a handmade item? I guess what we try to do, and will worker harder on now, is to think of how much we think the item is worth before we start the process. Then be happy when we agree to that price.

Below are the items I purchased. Most all of them I didn't even try to bargain because the price sounded reasonable right off the bat.

dress for my granddaughter made of kikoi

$8.13

wall hanging (5 ft long)

$15.63

cow horn (2 ft long) from Uganda

$6.25

Jet Lag

It's been a couple of months since I last posted. We just returned to Africa - about a day ago, but not really sure; seems like I lost a day somewhere - from our six-week, whirlwind trip to America. It's a quiet morning here at the Hampton Guest House in Nairobi, Kenya. Bill and Abby are still fast asleep while I've been up since about 4AM. Oh the joys of jet lag!

Since my mind is far from writing anything coherent, I thought I would try for a more funny approach...

How you know you are experiencing jet lag:

*  when you consider asking a stranger what the day is
*  when you put hair gel in your hand only to forget what it is and smear it all over your face
*  when you get giddy about every little thing and just can't stop laughing
*  for you ladies...when you're too tired to even shop

As the fog lifts I plan to write about our time with family, friends, and supporters. Until then pray for my sanity!

Headlights please!

As a general rule we don’t drive at night. Why is that? Well, several reasons really. One is that the roads are full of pedestrians, bicycles, motorcyclists driving like bicyclists, animals, carts, dala-dala (public transportation mini-vans) coming in and out of traffic, etc. Basically an obstacle course! People here have little to no exposure to actually driving behind the wheel of a vehicle so they don’t understand how hard it is to stop on a dime as they dart across the road. They don’t realize how hard it is to see someone walking, or the vendors selling their wares on the side of the road.

People here believe that if they turn on their headlights it will use up precious gas, so they wait until it is absolutely necessary to turn them on – obviously not as soon as I think it is absolutely necessary! Therefore, it is very difficult to navigate the roads and avoid hitting another car, or heaven forbid, a person.

Recently, however, I found myself driving home from a ladies retreat just as the sun was setting.  As I drove the hour to our house I thought of how a simple headlight can pierce the darkness and shed light on the way. If only they would turn on their headlights I could see them and the people walking around. It was then that the Lord reminded me of the verse in Luke 8:16:

"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth 

it under a bed; but sitteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in

 may see the light."

We as Christians have the light of the gospel. Is my light, is your light, shining in this dark world and showing the Way, or is it under a basket? It's good to ask ourselves, "If someone looking at my life were asked if I was a Christian, would they know?" As we examine our hearts, can we honestly say our life exemplifies Philippians 2:15? I surely pray so!

"That ye may be blameless and harmless, 

the sons of God, without rebuke, in the 

midst of a crooked and perverse 

nation, among whom ye shine as 

lights of the world;"

Soaring

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that 

the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends 

of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no 

searching of his understanding. He giveth power to 

the faint; and to them that have no might he 

increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be 

weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  But 

they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their 

strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; 

they shall run, and not be weary; and they 

shall walk, and not faint."

Isaiah 40:28-31

While at a friend's house a  storm came up.  Becky called me to come out and look at the lake. The  thick storm clouds  made the  lake dark,  and there were white caps from the boisterous winds. As we were  admiring God's power  in the wind, we saw a  fish eagle  trying to fly. The wind was so strong that even this powerful bird was  finding it difficult.  But he wasn't giving up! We watched on as he spread his wings and  flew victoriously.

Some days  life  can be like that dark storm. Like the wind is pushing us and keeping us from moving forward. It's like the proverbial  "two steps forward, one step back." Some days it can seem like we'll never get anywhere. Like it's time to give up and let the wind have it's way.

As I watched this fish eagle struggle against something   he could not control,   it made me think of the struggles I have in a world that I have no control over. It made me think about  the One who does have control.

Most all of us know  Isaiah 40:31,  but I love the verses that proceed it, too. They remind us of who our God is. It reminds us of His strength   and   wisdom.  PRAISE GOD  I don't have to lean on my own ability. He knows the storm I'm in. He knows I am but dust; a weak vessel.  He is my strength!

The blessing of a kanga.

You are probably wondering what in the world is a kanga?! Here is the definition from Wikipedia: The kanga which comes from the old Bantu (Kiswahili) verb ku-kanga to wrap or close, is a colorful garment similar to kitenge, worn by women and occasionally by men throughout Eastern Africa. It is a piece of printed cotton fabric, about 1.5m by 1m, often with a border along all four sides (called pindo in Swahili), and a central part (mji) which differs in design from the borders. Kangas are usually very colorful.



I LOVE to wear a kanga! It is just so practical - especially for life here. I often wear one when someone comes to the house and I'm not quite dressed for company. I wear it to the village when I need to protect my clothing. I bring it to church on cool mornings to wrap around my shoulders. And those are just a few of the reasons I wear it. It doesn't even begin to hit on why African women wear them!

Apart from the usefullness of a kanga, there are also sayings (jina) on the bottom of the cloth. These sayings have a wide range of meanings. Some of them are blessings, and some are warnings. Here are a few examples:

   

Chokochoko si njema mchague la kusema

Provocation is not good, you should choose what to say

A warning against those who use their tongues to incite chaos and misunderstanding between people.

Hodi hodi naikome mwaka ujao naolewa

Knock, knock, should stop, as I'm getting married next year

The lady doesn't want any more (male) visitors who drop by her house trying to win her as she has already been engaged and she is actually getting married very soon.

Kama ni ubaya ulianza wewe

If you think I'm bad then you started it!

I'm just giving you the taste of your own bitter pill!

Mke mwema pambo la nyumba

A good wife is a home's adornment

A wife full of love lights up the home with her compassion.

   

A couple of days ago I got a visit from two pastor's wives. They had heard I was not doing well due to a neck injury so they asked to come by. To be honest I was hurting and not really up to visitors, but I knew it was important for them to extend their get-well wishes and for me to be inviting and appreciative. They arrived late - very typical, and stayed for about an hour or so. They were both so kind and encouraging. Before they left they prayed for me and gave me a gift. Let me just say that this is very unusual.  When I opened the gift I found a kanga. As I've mentioned above, it's not just the kanga that is the gift, but the saying (jina) at the bottom.  What a blessing to read: "Nikulipe nini? Kwa wema ulionitendea" which means, "How do I repay you for the good you've done for me?" You know what? I REALLY needed that encouragement that day! The Lord knew exactly what I needed as I struggled through the pain of this neck injury. Those ladies wamenitia moyo (encouraged my heart) through their visit and gift. Thank you Lord!! 

Serengeti Safari

One of the benefits of living in the North-west area of Tanzania is the Serengeti National Game Park. The game park is only two hours away from where we live. People from all over the world come to Tanzania for the purpose of doing a safari (Swahili word for travel) in the Serengeti. In fact, while standing in line to get our food a lady asked Bill, "So, where do you live." She meant which country since, as I've said, there are people from all over the world there. Bill answered, "We live in Mwanza, Tanzania." Her response? "Wow, you are lucky!" This trip was probably a dream for this lady, and she was amazed that we get to live here year-round. (It's good to keep things in perspective since it is easy to grow frustrated with the inconveniences of living  here rather than focusing on the blessings.)

We've only been into the Serengeti one other time. It was back in 2006 when a friend from the States came to visit. When an opportunity came for us to go with friends (driving their Land Cruiser so that it was cheaper) we jumped at the chance.  I'm glad we did because we had a great time!

This trip we refer to as the Elephant Safari. I LOVE ELEPHANTS! Our last trip we only saw eight, but this time we saw about 100. They are so awesome!!! God's creation never ceases to amaze me. In the picture below you see a herd with a baby elephant. Elephants are very protective of their young. It took a long time to get this picture since they kept hiding it from us. One of the adolescent bulls even came at us and trumpetted his trunk until we moved further away!

INTERESTING ELEPHANT FACTS:

*  The only mammal that can't jump is an elephant.

*  In a day, an elephant can drink upto 80 gallons of water.

*  An elephant can smell water three miles away.

*  It eliminates around 80 pounds a day on the average.

*  They spend about 16 hours a day eating.

*  Female elephants have a gestation period  of 22 months. They give birth to a single

   infant referred to as a calf. 

We also saw alot of giraffe. To me giraffe have personality. We watched these two for a while. He was obviously trying to make an impression on this sweet young thing!

INTERESTING GIRAFFE FACTS:

*  A just born giraffe measures around six (6) feet in height.

*  The adult giraffe’s tongue is 27 inches long.

*  The giraffe is a vegetarian animal, which survives on the
    leaves of the baobab tree.

*  A five to 30 minutes’ sleep a day is enough for the giraffe.

*  A big male giraffe can consume about 100 pounds of food in
   one day.

*  The age of the giraffe can be calculated from its spots. The
   darker the spots, the older is the giraffe.


This time around we didn't get to see a male lion. It was a very hot day so they were hiding in the shade. We did see a lioness in a tree with several other lioness' under the tree with their cubs. We barely saw them though for all the high grass. The lioness in this picture was all alone - as far as we could tell - and taking it easy.

INTERESTING LION FACTS:

*  The roar of a male lion can be heard from a distance of, as much as, five miles.

*  The largest lion to date was almost 11 feet long and weighed nearly 700 pounds.

*  The male lions of a group hardly hunt. The lionesses are the ones who hunt and bring the food for the entire pride.

*  The eyesight of a lion is five times better than that of a human. It can even see a prey from a distance of one mile.

*  After eating, a thirsty lion may drink for as long as 20 minutes.

*  The lion is the only member of the cat family to have a tassel at the tip of the tail.


We of course saw many other things on our trip. We drove up to a slew of safari vehicles and knew there was something interesting nearby for that many vehicles to be in one place. Sure enough, we spotted a leopard in a distant tree. Unfortunately it was too far away to get any pictures, but it did enable us to say that we saw four of the big five!

Enjoy the journey!

This morning as I was taking a walk I began to notice my surroundings. I saw three women in typical African dress (a colorful kanga wrapped around them as a skirt) walking together in companionable conversation with containers on their heads. This is something I see most every day. To me it is the norm. Next I hear a man who is cutting a hedge singing. Again, another very common thing here. All around me is life happening - African style. However, it is easy to grow accustomed to things that make tourists smile and take pictures. In fact, photographers and journalists from all over the world come to take pictures and write articles on the life I don't even think twice about anymore. You see, I'm just like you. I get wrapped up in doing laundry, cleaning the house, cooking, helping my daughter with homework, going to church, etc. It is easy for me to just live and not enjoy the life God has called me to. What about you? Have you taken life for granted? Maybe the beauty of the mountains? The stars? The sound of your child giggling as he plays with the puppy? Maybe the sound of the church choir or orchestra? As the song says, we need to stop and smell the roses. So as for me, I spent some time talking to the Lord and asking Him to help me today to rejoice in the unique life He has allowed me to live in Tanzania and to not get caught up in the daily living, but to enjoy the journey!

Trip to Tabora

Our family took a little vacation and went to the city of Tabora. We have missionary friends there, Tim and Kim Whitfield. We’ve known them since we first moved to Africa in 1995. It took about 7 hours, although it was only 230 miles. It was a long drive, but it was nice to get away from the big city of Mwanza and have some time of fellowship with our friends.

It just so happened that the Whitfields also had guests from the US – Tim’s parents. Bill and Faye have been in the ministry for many, many years. Abby enjoyed spending some time with “Grandpa and Grandma” during our time there. She and Faye spent one afternoon in the kitchen baking a delicious lemon cake from scratch! It’s always a blessing when she gets a chance to be with other godly women and learn from them.

We were thankful for the many days and nights of power while there. Up until our visit the power had been going off just about every day. However, one night it did go off - just in time for dinner. We pulled all the leftovers out and I heated them up on a one burner gas tank. It took a while to get everyone’s desired leftovers heated. (Abby had fun taking pictures of me. She said it looked a bit like a witch cooking her brew. Not sure if that was much of a complement for dear ole Mom, but I do have to agree that the lighting in the pictures was eerie!)

On our return home we stopped to look at a well known tree here called the Baobab Tree. It is an oddly shaped tree that is humongous. To show how big it is, we had Abby stand next to it. Can you even find her?!

Here is a bit of background information I found online:

"The Baobab is called the Tree of Life with good reason. It is capable of providing shelter, food and water for the animal and human inhabitants of the African savannah regions.

The cork-like bark is fire resistant and is used for cloth and rope. The leaves are used for condiments and medicines. The fruit, called "monkey bread", is rich in vitamin C and is eaten. The tree is capable of storing hundreds of litres of water, which is tapped in dry periods.

Mature trees are frequently hollow, providing living space for numerous animals and humans alike. Trees are even used as bars, barns and more. The Baobab also features as the Tree of Life in Disney's "Lion King", and is the centrepiece in Disney's Animal Kingdom." http://www.baobab-solutions.com/the_baobab.htm

Where we call home...

We live in Mwanza, Tanzania. It is the second largest city in Tanzania. Mwanza is situated on the shores of Lake Victoria, and has a unique setting amongst huge boulders.



We recently had some guests from back "home." Our second son, Jon, got to spend three weeks with us.



We also had the joy of hosting our Pastor, Todd Abbey and Shane Brown for five days. While they were here we went on a boat ride on the lake. It is always a peaceful ride with the sun setting and casting beautiful hues across the sky and water.