email # 5 10-19-06
Sema everyone, sema?! I hope and pray everyone is doing well. Thank you guys for sharing some of your prayer requests…It is nice to know what's going on in your world and to "lift you up."
We got back from Tanzania Tuesday early morning. What should have taken about 7 hours took a little over 14. The ride there was real smooth…a ladies broken chair about 5 inches from my face, bumps just here and there and about 60 stops. Okay not 60, maybe 15. When we got to Tanz we had a little time to rest, get cleaned up in a nice cold shower (it actually felt nice as I was so nasty sweaty because the bus does not have a.c.) and then we were off and running…
We went with the Lifespring worship team so basically we didn't do much. I think the main focus of the trip was to encourage Jesse and Joel and just help in small ways. Friday night there was a "concert" that was supposed to be from 8-12 PM. Well since we were on "African time" it didn't start until 10 and we got home about 2 AM. We listened to people singing in Swahili and sermons in Swahili. After the bus ride and since I understand their language so well it was real easy for me to stay awake. But some dancing and soda helped with that problem. Krystle and I actually got up on stage with our "Lifespringers" for 2 English songs…I basically stayed away from the mic and lip-sinked.
Saturday we went to Lake Victoria…this lake is amazing. I believe it is the 2nd largest lake in Africa, touching Uganda, Tanz, and Kenya. We took a boat to a little island that had caged and uncaged animals, and sadly is not kept up very well. We saw a hyena, a lion that was so thirsty when it saw our water bottles came running up (in the cage of course). Even with this cage a bunch of us ran back away from him. We gave it water and I even pet it's head. I looked straight into his eyes it was so *AWESOME*! He could tear you to shreds in 2.5 seconds but was so gentle…so neat. Out of cages were monkeys which took food straight from my hand, another gazelle and a wildebeest. On another day we went to a resort where there was a "beach" to the lake. Krystle and I and Eric went swimming and were on our way to go far to exercise before we were warned about crocodiles. I guess the week before someone was eaten by one…we decided to stay close.
Sunday we went to Jesse's church which was real small but had a lot of passionate people. Again,
I felt like I was just there, which maybe isn't a bad thing, but I tried to encourage Jesse in many ways. He is a great pastor and has been a bit discouraged and homesick. I can relate to that!
After church we went out to lunch and had pizza. Sawa, okay, these African's are so back-wards to us. I told you before they eat everything with their hands. They were eating pizza with a fork and knife!
I was so shocked and would not conform…I ate with my hands! I also, that night, rolled my first chipote…it was almost perfectly round they were impressed. Next it's actually making it from dough!
Our bus ride home was even better than our ride there. The Tanzanian roads are actually really nice…very smooth. And we began in the day time so I was able to see the land and the mud huts. They seriously are in the middle of no where, with out electricity, surviving! I wonder how, but obviously they do. By the time we got to the border it was dark and we wanted a picture of us crossing over the gate (there wasn't a sign of Tanz or Kenya)…so we got a pic. Then Gerald, a guy from the worship team, wanted his picture with Tanz in the background…so I took one. To make a long story short a cop harassed us to try and get a bribe for my camera, which he didn't get. Thank God for the 2 guys that were with us and know how cops here work. Power trips and sometimes drunk. After flashing me his rifle gun, getting told there is a law against ignorance, Gerald getting dragged by his shirt and words that don't make any sense to Krystle, we made it across the border.
In my head I felt a bit bad because I feel like I just went on a mini vacation. But then I remind myself that taking freezing cold showers while praying, "thank you God for water," washing my face in a sink with cockroaches and sweating like a pig at night because there it's so hot is NOT really a vacation.
I am thankful to be back to black boogers from diesel and dirt, catching matatus and the slow Internet. I really was thankful for the trip :o)
Tomorrow we will be celebrating "Kenyatta Day." For that we are going with Joyce's family to murder a goat and eat it. Chafua Roho!!! Nasty!
Looking forward to your emails and responses.
Thank you guys for your encouragement. Have a nice weekend!
Megan
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