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 netting and thinking, "I am actually in AFRICA!"
We left at 8 AM. Our driver's name was Kamarabi and we had a bus just for our team.
I am sure Kamarabi was an awesome driver and kept us safe, however the ride was a little nerve-racking.
The road we traveled on everyday from Arusha to Maji Ya Chai and back.....is not the most dangerous road in the country. Not even the most dangerous road in the continent. It is the most dangerous road in the entire 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) 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 classify most of the buildings in it right along with the shacks of Hoovervilles in the '30's. Dirt poor are the people; shacks are their dwellings.
I've posted a lot of pictures of it--however all you see is a 4x6 photo. In reality, 99% of the country is like that--stretching on for miles.
I could almost pretend I was in the 19th century when I was in the country. Mud houses, herding goats, cows, etc., on foot, actually plowing with 2 oxen harnessed together. Phenomenal!
It took about an hour to arrive at Maji Ya Chai. It wasn't what I expected. They said it was about the size of Reydon. Okay, it was. In my mind, though, I am picturing actual streets and sidewalks. Ummm....no. More like cow trails. Dirt. And, speaking of cows, the goats, cows, donkeys, chickens all run loose in the town. Sidewalks--there were none. Houses--they were made out of stucco, tin or wood, or just about any material available.
We arrived at the Church of Christ. It wasn't what I expected (surprise!). We walked in the "auditorium", i.e., a podium and about 6 thin wooden (backless) pew, were the components of a room smaller than our living room.
We met with Cy Stafford, members of the Church, and members of the Church at Usa River (about 10 miles away) and our translators.
We folded tracts for a little while, accepted some sweet tea and bread, and were assigned translators and teams.
My team consisted of: myself (Hallie) my mom (Beth), Maddie Hochdorf, and our translator, Paulina.
We handed out tracts for a little while, and then found a lady who wanted to study the Bible.
Her name was Moniqua. We went into her house, which was about the size of my bed room.
The room was comprised of a pile of dishes, a pile of clothes, and a bed (minus the sheets, blankets, mattress and pillows).
The study went awesome!
Paulina translated, Moniqua read the Bible and answered questions that we (Maddie and I alternated) ask, and Mom wrote the verses that we had read down to leave with her.
In the midst of the study, Moniqua's sister, Emily, came and joined our study. We studied for a long time, and Moniqua requested us to come back the following day.
After that we went back to the church building to have lunch. Mine consisted of peanut butter crackers, however everyone else was served rice and beans, part of a banana and part of an avacado.
After that, the women's Bible class started. It was held outside, under a tent. Jane, one of our translators, led some beautiful singing, and Debra and Janet gave lessons. The theme, which would continue the rest of the week, was on "A Christian Family".
We continued to have (front porch) Bible studies for the rest of the afternoon. We held 2 more, studying with 3 people. It's amazing how open people are to study God's word.
I'd say our day was a huge success! We counted up, and all total, we studied with 35 people! That didn't include the ladies' Bible study (I'd say there were in between 15-25 people there).
That night we went back to Arusha, and had supper at Cy & Stephanie Stafford's house. For most of us, it was wonderful. (If you ask Lauren, you might get a different answer. She lives in dread of that night, because she nearly got attacked by a 120 lb dog!) After that, we had a devo at Jimmy &Trina Gee's house.
In short, we had a wonderful first day!
----Hallie

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