DAY 1

1. Get some passport sized pictures taken.  Who knows how many they will ask for along the way, but you can never have too many passport sized pictures!

2.  Go to the police station. Consult with 3 offices before getting the information that I do, in fact, need to get a new license rather than extending my International License and will have to start at the Revenue Authority.

3. Go to the Revenue Authority and get mobbed by some people who want to help me.  Fill out paperwork and then stand in what could roughly be described as a line (more like a blob of people trying to get their paperwork in the window first)and pay a small fee (I think it was 3,000 TSH or about $2.50) .

4. Go to the bank and deposit another fee into the account of the Revenue Authority.  This one was about 5,000 TSH  (about $4).  Why we couldn’t just pay it at the same time as the other one, I’ll never understand.

5.Go to the police station to apply for the license.  But wait!  I have to take a test first.  Or I can get a letter from my employer stating that I’ve been driving for 12 years and have an International License and a Michigan License and have already been driving in Tanzania for a year.

6. Go to a local secretarial shop and type the letter.

7. Go back to the police station and visit 3 offices and then leave my paperwork at one office.  I will have to come back tomorrow and they will have it ready for me.

DAY 2

8. Go to the police station.  Get the paperwork saying that I don’t have to take a test.  Then go to 2 other offices at the police station to get signatures and stamps that I am approved to get a license.  But wait!  I have a vision test certificate, right?  Well, no, I don’t.  I just drove past a place where I could have gotten one on the way here, but had not been informed of that.

9.  Go get a vision test where they don’t ask me to read the chart.  They just ask me if I can see it.  I think they just wanted the test fee.  Luckily, my eyes are good so it isn’t an issue.

10.  Go to the Revenue Authority where we wait for over an hour and then I finally go up to the desk and casually observe that several people have come and gone while we waited.  Would she mind checking how long it would be until she got to mine?  Oh!  In fact, it is the “next one.”  She looks at all my paperwork and accepts yet another fee of 10,000 TSH (about $8), does some glueing and stamping and finally I get my license booklet.  I excitedly check it out only to discover that my permit and picture are glued in upside down.  I don’t even care at this point.

11.  Go back to the police station and get various stamps and signatures in 3 different offices.  Finally!  I am a fully licensed Tanzanian Driver!

The next day I got pulled over in a routine traffic stop (they randomly stop people at checkpoints ) and triumphantly pulled out my new license!  At least I got the chance to use it!  That was the first time in my life that I have actually been excited to get pulled over! 

After this experience, I don’t think I will ever see a trip to the Secretary of State the same again.  The longer I spend in Tanzania, the more I appreciate the everyday conveniences that I have come to expect in the United States.

• Fish (freshly caught)
• Ice cream
• Cashews
• Newspapers
• Flowers
• Cheap Toys
• Kites
• Used Teddy Bears
• Coat Racks
• Shelves
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Phone Cards
• Cell Phones & Chargers
• Bootleg DVDs
• Juice
• Water
• Gum
• Clothes Hangars
• Bed Sheets
• Pillows
• Puppies
• Mosquito Zappers
• Fruit
• Clothes
• Bumper Stickers
• Soccer Flags
• Hair Accessories
• Fresh Coconut milk
• Soap
• Pieces of Sugar Cane
• Pots & Pans
• So many more things that I haven’t thought of here.

God has provided us with a beautiful world to live in.  He has carefully crafted every detail so that all parts of His creation can live in harmony.  He reveals Himself to us through the Bible and through the Holy Spirit, but also through the beauty of creation. Unfortunately, many things that we do as humans can destroy that creation.  This destruction is because of broken relationships with God, with others and with the world we live in and is a result of sin.  Our job as Christians is to work to restore those broken relationships. 

God has entrusted us to care for His creation.  He has given us the privilege of ruling over it, not as self-seeking and corrupt dictators, but as stewards who want to do the best we can for the glory of the Creator.  My question is this:  Are we doing all that we can do to appreciate and take care of this gift that God has given us?  I believe that because we are Christians who know that God created the heavens and the earth, we should be more excited about and willing to care for that gift than people who are not believers. Christians should be leading the pack in trying to take care of what God has given us rather than sitting on the sidelines. 

Those in our community see how we act and observe whether or not we practice what we preach.  If we say that God created the world and we are the caretakers, is that evident in the way we live our lives as Christians?  Is that evident in the way we conduct our worship and church activities?  Are people in the community saying, “Now those Christians are a great example of what caring for God’s creation is all about!”?  Unfortunately, I don’t think that most of us (myself included) are generating these kind of comments.  I know I have been a part of the environmental problem rather than the solution.  God, our Lord and Creator, is calling us to step up to the plate to appreciate the gift He has given us and to care for it.  Luke 12:48b says “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”  God has given us so much, but he has also given us responsibility.  Many people in the world face inconveniences every day (walking miles for water, hand washing clothes, living without electricity).  Most of us have the option of convenience, but it doesn’t mean that the convenient way is necessarily the right way.   Serving God may make us uncomfortable at times, but no one said being a good steward would be easy.

I challenge you to think about what you can do individually and what we as a church can do together to be better stewards of God’s creation.  In doing so, we may be pleasantly surprised at the positive effect it will have on how the community looks at us, and maybe even on our bank accounts.  If nothing else, we will be doing what God requires of us.

A few suggestions to get started:

- You can start making small changes that positively affect God’s creation immediately.  We have a great recycling system in our country.  Use it to its fullest potential!  Try to cut down on waste at church and social events by bringing your own reusable mug rather than using paper, plastic or Styrofoam cups.  Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store and say “No” to paper and plastic.  The list of ideas is as endless as your imagination, but you can start the journey toward being a better steward today.

- There is a great book by Edward Brown called “Our Father’s World”.  This book is easy to read, challenging, and full of great ideas on how we as Christians can take that next step.  I highly recommend it and I would be very willing to reread this book and discuss it with anyone who is interested.  It may also be a great book for small group or book club discussion.

I had previously assumed that Christmas was like that all over the world, but I have discovered that I was wrong.  The commercialization of Christmas doesn’t seem to have hit Tanzania with a full punch yet, and I like it.  Yes, there are guys selling Christmas trees in intersections where there are traffic jams and yes, the mall has a Christmas display, but there isn’t a push to buy the toy of the year or the pressure to buy the perfect gift for everyone you know.  It seems to me that we North Americans can learn something from Tanzanians.  Most people I have talked to here are still planning to spend time with family and friends at Christmas, but it seems like they are going to enjoy the people and not the stuff.  I am not saying gifts, decorations, and special events are all bad, I’m just pointing out that it is the time spent with loved ones to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior that is what Christmas is really about. 

I am looking forward to spending my Christmas with a friend, who is also far from home, in South Africa.  Even though I will be miles away, please know that I value each and every one of the family members and friends that God has given me.  I pray that you will be blessed this Christmas as you spend time with loved ones and enjoy the best gift of all, the birth of Jesus Christ who came to die on the cross and save us from our sins.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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.

My little project began about 2 months ago.  I began by composting using the vegetable and fruit scraps from the guesthouse where I live and the leaves in Margaret’s yard.  I have gotten some strange looks as I carry the bags of garbage to work every day, and it was an interesting task to try to explain that I didn’t want a piece of fruit, but wanted to kitchen staff to save the garbage for me.  After about a month and a half of composting, the first pile was ready to go. 

I decided to use an idea that I read about on the web to start my nursery.  I took empty toilet paper tubes and cut them in half then folded one side in to make little cups.  I filled the cups with soil and planted a few of the more sensitive seeds in them.  When the plants were a little bigger and ready to plant in the main garden, I just ripped the side of the cup and planted the whole thing since it will disintegrate.  It worked really well!

I was also interested in doing my gardening in an environmentally friendly way, so I decided to use the idea of tire gardens that I got from ECHO.  I got 12 old tires from a local car place and then for each tire cut off one of the sidewalls, lined it with plastic and flipped over the sidewall that I had removed and used it to anchor the plastic in place and filled it with dirt and compost.   My garden is on the flat rooftop of our office.  The only problem with it being on the rooftop is that I had to carry all the compost, dirt, tires and water up 2 stories on the day that I planted.  I was really tired and sore that night, but also excited to have the hard work done and ready to watch my little “babies” grow. 

I planted on Wednesday, the 12th and was very happy to see my first plants coming up already on Friday the 14th!  Now it is Monday, the 17th and all but 1 of the beds have plants growing in them.  I planted watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, eggplant and two varieties of amaranth.  I am looking forward to  seeing them grow in the weeks and months to come.   I haven’t done much gardening in my life, but can see already that this is going to be a new hobby for me. 

You may be wondering how this is applicable to my work here.  Well, I have been carefully documenting the process with pictures (if you want to see pictures, please e-mail me and I will gladly send you the link) and plan to keep track of how much I harvest.  I am hoping to eventually use the garden as a demonstration plot.  Many people in Dar Es Salaam are unemployed and live in areas where houses are very close together.  I am hoping to show people that it is possible to grow food even if there isn’t much space.  Especially with world food prices on the rise, people who are not able to get as much food for their money may be more interested in trying to grow their own.  I am looking forward to seeing how this project will play out.

In other news, I am very excited to have my parents come and visit.  They will be arriving later this week!  I am looking forward to showing them around and just spending time with them.  Please pray for a safe journey for them!

  The only thing that they were asking for was assistance in growing their business faster.   They want to buy 6 more cashew shellers and also want to buy 2 cassava chippers so they are able fill that huge available market.  They want to build a second solar dryer so they can dry more fruit and vegetables.  They were also asking for a loan to help them buy the most cashews possible during the harvest season that is coming up.  There is only a 3 or 4 month window in which they can buy the cashews that they will process during the next 12 months.  They have to lay out a large sum of money now, but the returns will be even greater later.  Through CRWRC and our partner, HOPD, some of these wishes will be met and they can continue to expand their business.  Hearing stories of God’s work and transformation in people’s lives like this one are what motivate me to keep going in this work.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers!  I appreciate them and I need them, so please keep them coming!

• Please pray for this group and each of the groups and people that we work with.  Also pray for patience as these changes often do not happen quickly or easily. 
• Please pray for safety, especially with vehicles, and continued good health.
• Please pray for safety in travel as I have several trips coming up in the next few months and as my parents come to visit!

After the week in Limuru we moved to Nairobi.  On that Monday and Tuesday we had the opportunity to visit some of the projects that one of CRWRC Kenya’s partners is working with.  It was very encouraging to see how well some of these groups are doing.  One church was providing business training and giving loans to church members.  Another group consisted of 80 women in a community who had gotten together to improve the lives of their families.  They saved their money together and bought iron roofing one sheet at a time until every member of the group had a good roof over their head, then they continued on with other projects.  In another area, several farmers had received training in sustainable agriculture and had a wide variety of projects that allowed them to feed their whole family plus many others.  It was exciting to see the look on the face of the partner staff person who was with us when she saw these successful development projects.  I think she was very inspired to continue on with her hard work. 

The rest of the week was spent in Nairobi catching up on a little work and meeting with friends, both old and new.  I spent the weekend at the home of one of the Kenya staff along with a volunteer from California and a visiting staff person from Canada.  We had a great time going to the market and visiting a place where glass is recycled into everything from glasses and vases to artwork to building decorations.  While we were at the market the Kenya staff person kept telling all the vendors who were urging her to buy stuff that she only had 6 shillings (about 10 cents) and she would buy whatever they would sell her for that.  One guy decided he would take her up on her offer and sold her a beautifully painted soapstone egg .  We decided that we would make a catch phrase out of it, so we started referring to good situations as “better than a 6 shilling egg”.  See if you can use that in conversation sometime soon. We also had the opportunity to have dinner with most of the Kenya staff in order to welcome the US Director of our organization and the Executive director of the denomination.  It was good to converse with them about our work and the ostrich fajitas weren’t bad either!

The last week in Kenya was back in Limuru for our Regional Team Meeting on Monday and Tuesday.  We got the opportunity to share our work and discuss our hopes for the region in the year to come.  We also had a time of prayer for each country.  Following the Team Meeting we had 3 days of Environmental Stewardship training.  We looked at the biblical basis for creation stewardship and also took a half-day field trip to visit a local tree nursery, a Farming God’s Way demonstration plot, and a school that has a group of students planting trees.  The training was excellent and really inspired me to think about how my actions effect God’s creation.  My goal is to be more intentional about what I do and what I buy.  I have also decided to start a rooftop garden at our office.  More on that later. 

I had a great time in Kenya.  It was a good time of learning and sharing with new friends and old.  I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of it and I am very thankful that we all made it there and back safely dispite animals in the road, busses catching on fire and planes with emergency warnings.  God is good and brought us through it all.  I am happy to be back in Tanzania, but I can definitely say that my time in Kenya was better than a 6 shilling egg!

The last few days have taken some unexpected twists and turns.  I was planning on attending the CRWRC East Africa Team meeting in Nairobi during the second week of September.  My coworker and my boss and one of our local partner staff were planning on leaving on the 23^rd to attend a training on Results Based Managment in Nairobi for a week and then spend two days visiting programs in Kenya.  My boss would then visit her family before attending the EAT meeting, while my coworker and the partner staff person would return to Dar.  I was planning on taking some language lessons and getting some other work done in the office since it would be very quiet.  On the 22nd, the day before they were to leave, the partner staff person informed us that she would not be able to attend after all.  Since the spot was already confirmed and booked, it made sense for someone to fill it.  This training is very relevant to my work, so I volunteered to go.

So, with less than 24 hours notice, I cancelled my plans for the next 2 weeks and packed up everything I have here and checked out of the guesthouse where I live.  It was a bit stressful, but on Saturday morning all was well and we were on our way.  Peter, Margaret and I were accompanied by Margaret’s 5 year old nephew, Kevin, who has been staying with her for the last 3 weeks.   After about 8 hours of driving, we arrived in Moshi and spent the night in a guesthouse on the side of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  The majestic mountain only peaked out from behind the clouds for a few minutes, but we enjoyed it while we could. 

On Sunday morning we left at 8:00.  We were hoping to arrive at the border by 11:00 and reach Nairobi by 2:00.  The road from Moshi passes through Arusha and then on northward to the Kenya-Tanzania border.  The road passes through a variety of landscapes including dry, dusty areas and areas with thick bush where elephants, giraffes and zebras can sometimes be seen. It was as we were driving through this bush area that all of a sudden, a Greater Kudu (basically like a deer only bigger) leaped out in front of us.  We hit it with the front left corner of the vehicle, which was just where I happened to be sitting.  Thankfully, Margaret maintained her cool and we stopped shortly after about 1 kilometer.  None of us were hurt, but the front corner of the vehicle was smashed and the radiator was broken and leaking badly.  We knew that we could not drive any further.  After a short time a tour operator stopped along the road to rescue us.  We were only about 15 kilometers from the border, so he towed us there.  It was a scary tow since we had a short rope and he was driving fast, but we were thankful for the help. 

After arriving at the border we had a long wait ahead of us.  First we had to make a police report and the police had to go back to the site to verify our story.  They took a pickup truck to go look for the animal and were really hoping for some meat.  No such luck though.  Margaret said that right after we hit the animal she looked in her rearview mirror and saw a few Maasai people running toward it.  They were excited.  Free dinner!   After our story was verified and the police released the vehicle, we had to cross the border.  We had to wait for the vehicle to clear both sides of the border and then had to wait for the wrecker to come from Nairobi (3 hours away) and get the car.  Thankfully, we were able to get the insurance representative on the phone and he was able to help us with this process.

Margaret knows a pastor in the area, a man whom she briefly worked with as a potential partner for CRWRC in Tanzania before he moved to Namanga.  He helped us to organize transportation and invited us to his house for tea while we waited for the wrecker.  When the wrecker came, they were starting to load the vehicle when the winch broke.  I thought we were never going to get out of there!  After trying to fix it for a short while they gave up and let the crowd of onlookers (and quite a crowd it was!) help to push the vehicle onto the truck.  Margaret signed off  on the vehicle and we took our hired vehicle to Nairobi.  We finally made it to the training venue at about 10:30.  It was quite a day!