Final Day in Tanzania

We stayed in Arusha last night and had a nice meal at the New Safari Hotel, which is owned by the ELCT. It was also a good place to celebrate Nancy's birthday. 

Since our flight from Kilimanjaro airport doesn't depart until 9:50 pm, we have one final opportunity to do some shopping. Some of us will also visit a cultural museum in town. 

It will be a long journey home, especially with an eleven hour layover in Amsterdam. We are anxious to get home but also sad to leave our friends in Tanzania. Last night at dinner each of us shared some of our reflections of the trip, and gratitude for hospitality and new friendships was a clear theme. We saw Christ's love reflected in so many people here-from the Bishop and staff to our guides to the directors of important church programs to families in the villages who graciously invited us into their small homes. Each of us will bring home powerful memories. 

Judith has already been in touch with us via text message asking about our next visit. As we told her, we will begin preparing for and praying about our next trip to Tanzania soon! 

Safari: Day Two

Add to the list giraffes, impalas, monkeys, and cheetahs. 

We learned that a group of elephants is called a herd, a group of lions is a pride, and a group of giraffes is either a tower or a kaleidoscope. So what's a group of Lutherans?

Safari in Ngorongoro Crater

Safari: Day One

Among the list of animals spotted today:

Elephant 

Rhino

Warthog

Zebra

Wildebeest

Flamingo

Hippo

Buffalo

Hyena

Ostrich

And the highlight of the day, Lions!

Goodbye to Bukoba

We had a long and emotional farewell on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. It's amazing how close we have become with our hosts in just one week. As Judith said, it is because Christ has already made us one. 

Grace, Judith, and LuAnn all came to the airport with us this morning to see us off. They even remained there on the other side of security throughout the weather related delay. Before too long, we boarded the plane and flew back over Lake Victoria, saying farewell to Bukoba--at least for now. 

After a second flight and a long car ride, we have settled into a gorgeous resort in Ngorongoro region, right next to the famous crater. Tomorrow we will enter the national park in search of wildlife. 

Before we begin that part of our journey, however, we would like to say one last thank you to our new friends in Bukoba. Here's a picture taken at Judith and Solomon's house after they surprised us with a cake for Linda's and Nancy's birthdays. 

Mushemba Foundation

Linda M. writes...

Later in the day on Monday, we visited the Mushemba Foundation. After hearing about the work of the foundation we were able to visit the Mushemba

Trinity School. Right now it is a day program, but they are building a dormitory for girls so they can expand the opportunities for attendance in October, 2015. 

We split into smaller groups and visited a number of homes to put a face on the needs of so many who have so little. It is disturbing that we bring more with us when we travel than many have. The people are so rich in spirit and faith, however. We have much to learn from them. 

A highlight for some of us was to renew our friendship with Samson Mushemba who attended Holy Trinity 1981-1984. We met many of his family members and enjoyed a special dinner at his son's home which also houses the offices for the Mushemba Foundation. 

Our friend returned to Tanzania to become the bishop of the NW Diocese and then the presiding bishop of the ELCT. We were thrilled to spend time with him in his retirement. He hopes to welcome more Holy Trinity family and friends in the future, and he sends greeting to all. 

HUYAWA

Terri writes...

HUYAWA stands for "service for the children." We met briefly with the director to learn about the various areas of their mission:

Education

Medical

Legal

Psycho-social

180 field assistants identify families in need throughout the region. We visited two fatherless homes. 

The first mother we met, Martina, cares for two children. She is strong and healthy and works at her small shamba for sustenance. HUYAWA built her a sturdy masonry home. The children need to go one km to carry water home. 

The second mother we met, Savilina, lived in a more traditional house, made of mud and thatch. The head of the house cares for her 75 year old mother, her two children, and three children of her brother. She has eye problems (possibly cataract?) HUYAWA pays for secondary school for the eldest daughter who shows great promise. They anticipate Adelaide will be able to aid the family in the future. 

New Clothes

Many of us bought fabric in the market and brought it to a local tailor to make dresses and shirts. They turned out great. 

Father Christmas even got a new suit!