March 30
We arrived in Arusha,
Tanzania on Wednesday March 28. We left our hostel at 545am expecting
to depart from the bus station at 730. Of course being on time would
make too much sense so we left around 1130- 4 hours later than expected.
Ten minutes after we left the bus station we stopped at the gas
station, for who knows what, and waited around for another 45 minutes.
It was suppose to be a 6-7 hour ordeal and if I calculated correctly it
was, all together, 12.5 hours. Welcome to African travel. We call
situations like this Hurry and Wait. Other than the long day it was
great. We ate 4 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches throughout the day
and munched on chips and lollipops for a snack. I didn’t bust out my
Tylenol PM so I was up for the majority of the ride. Thankfully it was
all highway so it was a smooth ride. Overall thoughts for travel day-
smooth sailing 🙂
Tanzania on Wednesday March 28. We left our hostel at 545am expecting
to depart from the bus station at 730. Of course being on time would
make too much sense so we left around 1130- 4 hours later than expected.
Ten minutes after we left the bus station we stopped at the gas
station, for who knows what, and waited around for another 45 minutes.
It was suppose to be a 6-7 hour ordeal and if I calculated correctly it
was, all together, 12.5 hours. Welcome to African travel. We call
situations like this Hurry and Wait. Other than the long day it was
great. We ate 4 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches throughout the day
and munched on chips and lollipops for a snack. I didn’t bust out my
Tylenol PM so I was up for the majority of the ride. Thankfully it was
all highway so it was a smooth ride. Overall thoughts for travel day-
smooth sailing 🙂
When we finally arrived in Arusha we were
all in shock. It’s fair to say all of our minds were blown. God blessed
us in such a huge way. Arusha is BEAUTIFUL! Melody compared this area to
Costa Rica. Although I’ve never been to Costa Rica, from the pictures
I’ve seen it seems pretty accurate.
all in shock. It’s fair to say all of our minds were blown. God blessed
us in such a huge way. Arusha is BEAUTIFUL! Melody compared this area to
Costa Rica. Although I’ve never been to Costa Rica, from the pictures
I’ve seen it seems pretty accurate.
Arusha is at the base of
Kilimanjaro which is obviously a huge tourist hot spot. Therefore the
community as a whole speaks English better than we ever expected, which
makes this last month of ministry a lot easier.
Kilimanjaro which is obviously a huge tourist hot spot. Therefore the
community as a whole speaks English better than we ever expected, which
makes this last month of ministry a lot easier.
When we first
arrived we spent the night at our pastors house and his wife Mama
Happiness made us a delicious dinner and sent us off to bed. The
following morning we got our packs together and headed off to one our
ministry site- Camp Moses. There we met a handful of the most beautiful
children the world has ever seen. The second I’m able to upload pictures
I most definitely will. I want everyone to see their angelic faces and
to understand why my heart melts for these kids. That will have to wait
for another blog.
arrived we spent the night at our pastors house and his wife Mama
Happiness made us a delicious dinner and sent us off to bed. The
following morning we got our packs together and headed off to one our
ministry site- Camp Moses. There we met a handful of the most beautiful
children the world has ever seen. The second I’m able to upload pictures
I most definitely will. I want everyone to see their angelic faces and
to understand why my heart melts for these kids. That will have to wait
for another blog.
After our amazing introduction of Camp
Moses, we made our way to the location that we now call home for the
next few weeks- Camp Maasai. It is a camp ground for travelers and it
doubles as a local hotspot on Friday and Saturday nights. This is a much
different setting than what we are use to. We have spent the last 3
months with no running water, no electricity and the same food every
night. During those three months I did a good amount of complaining but
now that it’s gone, I kind of miss it. Crazy right? Yeah, we’re all
trying to figure that one out..
Moses, we made our way to the location that we now call home for the
next few weeks- Camp Maasai. It is a camp ground for travelers and it
doubles as a local hotspot on Friday and Saturday nights. This is a much
different setting than what we are use to. We have spent the last 3
months with no running water, no electricity and the same food every
night. During those three months I did a good amount of complaining but
now that it’s gone, I kind of miss it. Crazy right? Yeah, we’re all
trying to figure that one out..
Please allow me to elaborate a
bit more about Camp Maasai. It is a large camp ground area set up for
tents, RV’s and hippies. There is 24 hour security that roams the area
keeping an eye out for Tanzanian hoodlums which makes me feel a lot
better about leaving my tent alone for the majority of the day. The
security guards also carry guns.. Really realllly big guns so I’m almost
certain my tent is safe even on Friday and Saturday nights haha. There
is also a pretty sick lodge that has almost a dozen big sofas with
massive throw pillows, a TV, pool table, foosball table, bar (just
milkshakes, mom!), kitchen that’s open until 10:30pm, bumpin sound
system with an iPod adapter and best of all, HOT SHOWERS and REAL
TOILETS! Sounds like the greatest place ever right? It’s like we’re on
vacation not a mission. That’s where the hard part comes in. How do I
handle this situation? Do I take advantage of all of these awesome
amenities or do I use them only when necessary and, as funny as it
sounds, to the glory of God? It’s not easy but, as a team, we are all
trying to live as simple as possible during our time here. It may sound
crazy to all of you but are daily showers really necessary? My mom is
going to kill me for saying this but.. No, they’re not. We have
experienced life without clean water and to use it so frequently seems
not only unnecessary but also ungrateful. I have met Kenyans that have
never even SEEN clean water. That definitely changed my outlook on
being, excuse me but, wasteful. Along with the usage of water comes the
comfort of couches and electricity. We have all done really well at
using the lounge for our quiet time. We change our iPods, pop in the
head phones and worship like its our job! Whether we’re reading our
bibles, journaling or listening to our ipods and fading into a beautiful
and secret place with our Almighty, we try to use this place to glorify
God. It’s so easy to get caught up in the comforts of home and forget
the reason we’re here but thankfully we have 9 other people to hold each
one of us accountable.
bit more about Camp Maasai. It is a large camp ground area set up for
tents, RV’s and hippies. There is 24 hour security that roams the area
keeping an eye out for Tanzanian hoodlums which makes me feel a lot
better about leaving my tent alone for the majority of the day. The
security guards also carry guns.. Really realllly big guns so I’m almost
certain my tent is safe even on Friday and Saturday nights haha. There
is also a pretty sick lodge that has almost a dozen big sofas with
massive throw pillows, a TV, pool table, foosball table, bar (just
milkshakes, mom!), kitchen that’s open until 10:30pm, bumpin sound
system with an iPod adapter and best of all, HOT SHOWERS and REAL
TOILETS! Sounds like the greatest place ever right? It’s like we’re on
vacation not a mission. That’s where the hard part comes in. How do I
handle this situation? Do I take advantage of all of these awesome
amenities or do I use them only when necessary and, as funny as it
sounds, to the glory of God? It’s not easy but, as a team, we are all
trying to live as simple as possible during our time here. It may sound
crazy to all of you but are daily showers really necessary? My mom is
going to kill me for saying this but.. No, they’re not. We have
experienced life without clean water and to use it so frequently seems
not only unnecessary but also ungrateful. I have met Kenyans that have
never even SEEN clean water. That definitely changed my outlook on
being, excuse me but, wasteful. Along with the usage of water comes the
comfort of couches and electricity. We have all done really well at
using the lounge for our quiet time. We change our iPods, pop in the
head phones and worship like its our job! Whether we’re reading our
bibles, journaling or listening to our ipods and fading into a beautiful
and secret place with our Almighty, we try to use this place to glorify
God. It’s so easy to get caught up in the comforts of home and forget
the reason we’re here but thankfully we have 9 other people to hold each
one of us accountable.
Don’t get me wrong, we know how to
have fun too. A few nights ago we had an epic dance party with a few of
the employees here. They allowed us to plug in Claire’s iPod and we went
bananas! Lil Dray lead us in an awesome choreographed dance to Waka
Waka by Shakira. It was hilarious! Thankfully Daniel videotaped our
awesome moves so eventually that footage will be available for viewing.
have fun too. A few nights ago we had an epic dance party with a few of
the employees here. They allowed us to plug in Claire’s iPod and we went
bananas! Lil Dray lead us in an awesome choreographed dance to Waka
Waka by Shakira. It was hilarious! Thankfully Daniel videotaped our
awesome moves so eventually that footage will be available for viewing.
Point
of this rambling is that we are insanely blessed. God has shown us
great favor in both our ministry and this awesome location. I believe
this is my time to prove to God that when I make it back home I will not
let the distractions of everyday life interfere with my growth. My
hearts cry is that I would wake up a different person than who I was
when I fell asleep. There is always room for growth and I want to be the
daughter my Heavenly Father planned for me to be. Despite my stumbles
and slip ups, God has always loved me. He loves me more than I will ever
understand. I cannot comprehend His great love but I can strive to for a
deeper relationship with Him. How can I acknowledge that and not want
growth!?
of this rambling is that we are insanely blessed. God has shown us
great favor in both our ministry and this awesome location. I believe
this is my time to prove to God that when I make it back home I will not
let the distractions of everyday life interfere with my growth. My
hearts cry is that I would wake up a different person than who I was
when I fell asleep. There is always room for growth and I want to be the
daughter my Heavenly Father planned for me to be. Despite my stumbles
and slip ups, God has always loved me. He loves me more than I will ever
understand. I cannot comprehend His great love but I can strive to for a
deeper relationship with Him. How can I acknowledge that and not want
growth!?
Tanzania is a test for me and in the name of Jesus, I declare victory! I have already won this battle<3
Oh, give me back my joy again.
You have broken me now let me rejoice!
Psalm 51:8
Drayton and I today at church. Good Friday April 6, 2012
BEAUTIFUL church!!
