Monday, March 16, 2009

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Monday, March 16, 2009:
Our first morning to wake up in Tanzania!!! It's incredible waking up in the morning, lying on a bunk bed, surrounded by mosquito net and think "I am actually in AFRICA!"
We left the School of Preaching at 8 AM. Our driver's name was Kamarabi, and we had a whole bus just for our team.
I am sure Kamarbi was an awesome driver and kept us safe, however, it was a little nerve-racking.
The road we traveled on every day, from Arusha to Maji Ya Chai, and back is....not the most dangerous road in the country. Not the most dangerous road on the continent, but the most dangerous road in the world. This is not my imagination--it is seriously classified as such. I shudder when I think about the close calls we had, but God was watching over us!
The night before (Sunday), it was too dark to see anything when we arrived. Monday morning there was plenty of sunshine to view Tanzania. I really can't describe what I saw. I expected poverty etc., but I never fathomed how destitute the people were. Arusha is a huge city, however I would class it right along the Hoovervilles of the '30's. Dirt poor are the people, absolute shacks are the houses.
I've posted pictures of such buildings, however all you see is a 4x6, when in reality, the whole country looks exactly like that---stretching on for miles.
I could almost pretend I was in the 19th century in the country---mud homes, herding cows, goats, etc., on foot, actually plowing by harnessing 2 oxen together! Phenomenal!
It took us about an hour to arrive at Maji Ya Chai. It wasn't like I expected. They told me a small town, about the size of Reydon. Okay, it was. In my mind, though, I am picturing actual streets and sidewalks. Ummmm, no. More like cow trails. Dirt. Speaking of cows, they along with the goats, donkeys and chickens, wander around the town loose. Sidewalks--there were none. Houses--they were made of wood, or stucco, or tin, or just about any material available.
We arrived at the church. It wasn't what I expected (surprise!). The "auditorium" i.e., a podium and about six thin wooden benches (backless) were the components of a room about the size of our living room.
We met with Cy Stafford, and some members of the Church, and members of the Church at Usa River, and our translators. We folded Swahili tracts for a little while, accepted the tea and bread, and then were assigned translators and teams. My team was compromised of myself (Hallie) my mom (Beth), Maddie Hochdorf, and our translator, Paulina.
We handed out tracts for a little while, then we went into a lady's house, who wanted to study the Bible. Her name was Moniqua, and her house was about the size of my bedroom. The room was comprised of a pile of dishes, a pile of clothes, and a bed (minus the mattress, pillows and blankets).
The study went AWESOME! Paulina translated, Moniqua read the Bible verses and answered the questions that Maddie and I (alternating) ask her, and Mom wrote down the verses that we read to leave with her.
Moniqua's sister, Emily, came in later and also joined in our Bible study. We studied for a long time, and Moniqua wanted us to come back the following day.
After that, we went back to the church building and had lunch. Mine consisted of peanut butter crackers, however everyone else had beans and rice, a banana and part of an avocado. Ladies who go to church there had been preparing the meal, outside, on an open fire, all morning.
After lunch, the women's Bible class started. It was held outdoors, under a tent. Jane led some beautiful singing, and Debra and Pam gave lessons. The lessons were on "A Christian Family". This theme would continue through the rest of the week.
We continued to hold Bible studies the rest of the afternoon. We held two more. It's amazing how open people are to studying God's word!
I'd say our day was a huge success. We counted up, all total, how many people that our mission team had studied with, and the number was 35! Just in one day! And that did not include all the ladies who attended the Bible class in the afternoon.
That night, after we went back to Arusha, we had supper at Cy & Stephanie Stafford's house. For most of us, it was wonderful. (If you ask Lauren, you may get a different answer. She has a dread of that night, because she was almost attacked by 120 lb.dog!) After that, we attended a Bible devo at Jimmy &Trina Gee's house.
So, to put it in short context, our first day in Africa was wonderful!!!

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Photos

A dala-dala
These are the main ways of transportation in Tanzania. The rule is always one more person can fit in there. They are packed to (literally) overflowing. And not just people, either! Goats and chickens also occupy space in them!

A herd of cows.
We saw a lot of cows!