I was very blessed to spend 2 1/2 weeks with my parents in the end of November and the beginning of December. It was wonderful to see them again. They arrived on a Friday night and were able to recover from jetlag over the weekend before we took off for a trip to the south central part of Tanzania on Monday. My prayers had been answered when the vehicle we were to take, which had been ordered in June, finally arrived on Friday, the same day as my parents. We had it serviced over the weekend and were able to drive it with the chassis number as a temporary license plate. We left on Monday morning and traveled about 5 hours southwest of Dar to reach Mikumi National Park. We went on a game drive on Monday afternoon and again on Tuesday morning. We got to see several lions, which was a real treat since they are hard to spot in this park. Dad & I also saw a leopard running through the woods. We saw hundreds of giraffes, thousands of impala, zebras, hippos, warthogs, crocodiles, cape buffalo and elephants.
On Tuesday afternoon we continued on our journey south and arrived in Iringa. On Wednesday we spent the day visiting a group of women that CRWRC works with there. We visited their pig project and the homes of some of the members. We also had the opportunity to visit the four acre plot of land that they have purchased. They are planning on planting crops on it for now. They will use the profits from the harvest to begin building a center that will house orphans who are abandoned because they are HIV positive or who are being abused by their guardians. They also want to have an office in the building and a room for meetings and vocational training. In the afternoon we had a brief meeting about a grant that I am helping them write and then continued on to the school where several group members are teachers. The women help to provide school supplies for 150 orphans. The Sunday School children from my home church are contributing their offerings to the project, so we had the opportunity to present some of the orphans with their school supplies on behalf of the kids back at home. It was a great day of being encouraged by the work the women are doing and encouraging them to continue in it.
On Thursday morning we continued on our journey to Ruaha National Park. The camp where we stayed had a watering hole, and we arrived at about the same time as the elephants. It was awesome to see them drinking and bathing and chasing off a warthog that also wanted a drink. It was apparent that they were regular visitors to the camp since they had left their mark everywhere. The camp and the park were so beautiful that it is difficult to describe. There were trees, rocks, birds and animals everywhere. We saw all of the animals that we had seen in Mikumi and also saw kudu, waterbuck, fox, jackal, gazelle, several species of birds and more. I was very excited to see a leopard up close. It rained on Friday and there was suddenly a very loud chorus of frogs at the watering hole in the camp. There must have been thousands! God is truly a great artist.
We stayed at Ruaha until Saturday morning and then made the bumpy 3 hour trip back to Iringa. We visited Neema Craft, a neat organization that gives meaningful employment to disabled people. They have a cafe where they make their own icecream. The cafe overlooks their workshop where you can watch the artisans weaving scarves, making photo albums and greeting cards out of handmade paper, making jewelry, purses and other artwork.
On Sunday we made the long journey back to Dar Es Salaam. The second week of my parents’ visit was spent around Dar Es Salaam. We visited the market where I really enjoy bargaining for stuff. Dad discovered one of his favorite things, the fresh pineapple vendor, while he patiently waited for Mom & I to finish shopping. On other days we visited the Village Museum, and the beach. I took them to experience Ethiopian and Indian food, and of course we had to have some seafood. We had the opportunity to visit another community group that I work with in the Dar area and also got to have devotions with my coworkers and visit the office one morning. We played games, read books, relaxed and just enjoyed being together.
It was very difficult to see my parents leave, but it was wonderful to be able to share with them a bit of what life is like here. I am thankful that their journeys were safe and that they were able to visit. A special thanks to those who sent care packages along with my parents. Thanks also to those who sent hugs along!
If anyone would like to see pictures of the trip to Southern Tanzania, please just e-mail me and I’ll send you the link.
