I have fallen in love with a country.
I can't even begin to describe how much joy I have in being in Tanzania. I LOVE IT HERE.
The landscape of jungle and green everywhere is breathtaking and fills you happiness. The people here are just so full of excitement and adventure. Everyone from in the city to the jungle bush never seem to not have huge smiles on their faces.
As we drove across the border and into Tanzania from Kenya I kid you not I knew without a doubt that this was the place for me. And did I mention we have BEDS which we share 3 people to a bed, and BUCKET SHOWERS avaliable at almost all times, and CONCRETE around us at night…..yall we are 5-star living.
I am so so thankful that we started off in the bush because it makes all of us 100X more appreciative. We don't take anything given to us for granted and I can speak for the whole team when I say that. You never stop hearing "WOW this is great" , "yall, this is so nice", "you guys, this is amazing" in our little concrete house.
As much as I loved Kenya and it's people, Kenya holds a different place in my heart for different reasons. I feel like God included Tanzania in this expedition route for a reason. It has taken hold of my heart and it's going be intensely difficult to let go in 15 days when we head back to Nairobi for debrief. I don't even want to think about leaving- so I won't! For now I'm just enjoying this glorious country for all it has to offer. And man does it have alot to offer.
I'll give yall a little peek of Tanzania:
So last Friday and Saturday we ventured into the jungle bush of Tanzania with Pastor Costa as our guide. On our way there we were all hyped up and getting more and more excited as we started into gorgeous jungle surrounding (we have been in basically a desert for the past month) When we got there there was no doubt in me that this place was high in spriritual presence. I could literally feel it in the thick air. As we went door to door spreading word about a Christian-dance crusade that we were having later I was overwhelmed with a feeling of tiredness. I could literally not keep my eyes open and was convincing myself that I was getting seriously sick. I dragged myself and zoned out as my team got to know the people around the village. The spirtual presences we encountered, good and bad, were unlike anything I've ever experienced. Later when our dancing crusade started (aka a 3-hour long dance party) I was filled with the greated warmth and energy I've ever felt. The draining presence that was in me was gone completely and I was overwhelmed with the need to interact with as many villagers as possible. By the end of the crusade I had had the best day I've had on this entire trip. That's how fast God changed my spririt. Once we started the dancing worship he entered me and turned my awful day into the greatest day of this trip. I left feeling emotionally filled, physically sore (haha), and so ready to head back to the village the next day.He connected me with a small teenage girl in particular and warmed my heart with her overly-exctied greeting to me the next day. She was truely one of the most beautiful human beings I've ever met and even though we only exchanged a few words because of the language barrier she had without a doubt one of the purest hearts and souls in the world. I'm so thankful to this day that we connected.
Although we will not be going back into that village again I will never forget those 2 day we spent there with the amazing people and presence that changed me.
I am SO excited to see what Tanzania still has in store because it's been so great so far I can't imagine how it could get better! But God is good and always brings more to the table that we could ever even ask for.
Tanzania is my paradise.
