Tuesday, August 26th
I arrived safely last night and was met by missionary Magi Griffin and Martin McCann. We stayed at a hostel of the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania -- in sight of the Indian Ocean. Today was spent on the road to Dodoma -- long trip but full of wondrous sights and smells - fires burning and food cooking, lovely, tall Masai people tending their cattle, breathtaking Uruguru Moutains -- death defying bicyclists on the edge of the highway... an overturned bus (thanks, Martin for pikcing me up!) -- huge banana palms and unfamiliar and ever changing vegetaton, as we went from sea level to mountains to valleys. Dodoma has only one rainy season per year - and that is not enough to sustain good agriculture, so there is also a lot of dust!
Best memories, so far? Our cab driver, Frank, giving me a little wooden statue of a monkey with a hat on.... sitting next to newlyweds on the 9 hour trip to Dar es salaam ... breakfast in Amsterdam, lunch over Addis Ababa and dinner in Kilimanjaro and it is truly karibuni (welcome) everywhere. The biggest surprise was to eat dinner at a Chinese restaurant!!!
Magi tells me an African proverb is "seeing is far better than being told" - already I have learned so much about this new place and the amazing work of the Diocese of Central Tanganyika (DCT).
Bed time is calling -- and I don't think I will need Ambien tonight!
3 comments:
I hope you have begun to experience God's presence in the blue skies of Africa and the faces of all the people. I wish I was there...my cast is off and I am in a boot. How did you ever do this??? Marty
Thankful for your safe arrival and looking forward to following your adventures.
Barbara
Morning! While you are making history in Africa, Obama is making history here. The convention has been unbelievable....any coverage over there? Marty
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