Monday, March 23, 2009

---

Monday, March 23, 2009:
We left the school of preaching at 7:30 this morning. Kamarabi was our driver and he drove us to Moshi. That is about 40 miles, maybe, but it took us quite a while to get there. Around Arusha and Maji Ya Chai it's really green and tropical, but just a little ways farther it turns into what you picture Africa as-- desert. We saw a lot of homes that didn't have windows, doors, roofs. The reason is, if you have a lot of money (or any money) you are automatically obligated to give some to your relatives if they ask it of you. So many people start to build a house with their money. Then they run out and can't finish it, but they don't have money left when their family asks for it. Crazy! So we saw a lot of homes that were unfinished. In between Moshi and Arusha there is said to be 8 million people!! I can't even imagine that. That is twice as many people as are in the whole state of OK!
When we got to Moshi, we went to the Moshi Bible School. Those of our team who had been here before knew a lot of people. Then more people from the Bible School piled into the van with us to go up on Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Before I knew it, it felt like I was riding in a dala-dala. Well, maybe not quite as bad--but we had 8 seat belts in our bus and 20 people.
The ride up to Marangu was wilder than any roller coaster invented!! I mean, we are driving up the tallest mountain on the whole continent. I guess it does deserve to be a little kecha (crazy). We were bounced around a lot!
Once we got up the mountain, the people from the Bible school went their own separate ways, Brad went to study with someone he had baptized the year before, and the rest of us went to the little sewing shop.
The sewing shop was so neat! It was a "nice" building--windows and hard wood floor, and there were about 5 or 6 girls learning to be seamstresses. The clothes that they made on their old treadle sewing machines were amazing!
Pam got to meet with one of her friends, Doreen. Rod held a Bible study with the ladies from the sewing school about Dorcas, the seamstress in the Bible.
That day, Brad also taught a class at the Moshi Bible School, and Rod led a Bible study at our motel (The Leopard) for some of the street vendors .We also ate supper with the Jensens, another missionary family that night.

---

Photos

Their iron
You put coals inside to make it hot!

We met the Jensens for supper.
Luke, Lauren, Julia, Jacob, Lindsey, Hallie and Maddie