Just to
give you a glimpse into what life in Africa is like…
Friday
8:00am-Wake
up, get ready, eat a typical (Americanized) African breakfast-a
piece of white bread with peanut butter and bananas
9:00-Our
scheduled time to leave for today’s ministry. We are supposed to be
heading to a Massai village to visit with them and share the gospel.
(This is after having planned for this trip for over a week and
having it be canceled every day.)
10:00-Our
actual departure time. Start the 2 mile
walk to the town center in Mailimoja.
10:27-Arrive
at the town taxi park. Haggle with bus drivers to get a good price.
Fend off vendors of apples, cashews, chips, oranges, corn on the cob,
pop, water, muffins, and cookies. This is how fast food works in
small town Tanzania-they come to you with buckets of these things.
10:45-Finally
jump on a bus. Where we’re going, none of us knows. But thankfully,
we have Pastor Nathaniel with us. He’ll get us where we need to be.
11:15-Wish
for an ipod to help pass the hours we’re going to spend on some form
of transportation today. Unfortunately, the race has taken the lives
of both ipods that I began with. Try to be thankful that God is
teaching me to let go of material possessions.
12:45-Pull
over to the side of the road by a few fruit and vegetable stands and
jump off the bus. Pastor Nathaniel starts walking towards the small
town in front of us, and we follow.
12:52-Nancy,
Emily, and I hide under the shade of what we think is a hotel. The
sun is blazing hot in Tanzania.
1:03-Pastor
Nathaniel calls us over. We are going to visit the home village of a
Massai boy that he just met on the side of the road.
on the back of some motorcycles and go flying down the highway.
1:12-Turn
off the highway onto a bumpy, windy dirt road. It is hot,
desert-like, with cactus and tumbleweed-looking plants all around.
Welcome to the African bush.
1:30-The
motorcycles drop us off at what looks like an abandoned school
building. We start hiking farther into the African bush.
1:42-We
pass a stick frame of a building. This is the church for all the
Massai people for miles around.
1:47-Sit
down to talk with our new friend, a Massai father who is over 100
years old. We are blessed by his wisdom and knowledge gained over
many years. We hope to bless him as well with our prayers.
2:08-Resume
walking even farther into the African bush. We ask our guide if
there are any wild animals around here. He tells us that there
didn’t used to be, but just within the last week, a lion had been
spotted. We’re not sure whether to be excited or scared.
2:20-We
reach the home of a young Massai warrior. These days “warrior”
means not only being charged with protecting their people, but also
protecting and passing on their traditions and lifestyle in the midst
of a rapidly changing, modern world.
3:00-The
time we are supposed to be back at the abandoned schoolhouse to be
picked up by our motorcycle drivers.
3:30-We
say goodbye to our new friends and start our trek back through the
African bush.
3:45-Our
motorcycle taxis pick us up along the way, and we are speeding over
the bumps and holes and through the water and mud to get back to the
main town.
4:00-The
time we were originally supposed to be at home for the day.
4:30-We
say goodbye to our guide for the day and jump back in a taxi bus to
go back home.
6:42-Arrive
in Mailimoja and immediately jump on the back of some more
motorcycles to take us home. We’re on a tight schedule now.
6:52-Hop
off the bikes and run inside to grab a quick bite to eat and pack.
We are leaving tonight to go to Morogoro because tomorrow is our off
day and we are going on a safari in the morning.
7:00-The
time that we were supposed to be getting on a bus to go to Morogoro.
7:25-We
leave the house and speed walk to the town taxi park. It only takes
us 25 minutes instead of the usual 30.
8:00-The
time our bus is supposed to come through to pick us up.
8:47-The
time the bus actually comes through to pick us up.
8:52-Rummage
through my bag to find earplugs. They reduce the decibel level of
the blaring Bollywood music video remakes of The Sound of Music and
Grease enough that I shouldn’t be deaf at the end of the bus ride.
8:53-Once
again, mourn the loss of my ipod.
9:00-Wonder
why our bus has been stopped in the middle of the road for several
minutes. I look out the windows only to see that we are closed in on
both sides by semis. We are close enough to touch them. Something
is wrong here.
9:17-After
much yelling and craning to see out the windows by our fellow
passengers and what sounds and looks like a near fistfight or riot
outside, we find out what the problem is. Our bus hit the mirror of
one of the semis beside us. There’s no insurance here. This could
be a long night.
10:15-The
Lord intervenes and somehow brings things to a resolution. We’re
back on our way. Time to put the earplugs back in and attempt to
sleep. African buses are not made for sleeping or comfort. At all.
10:30-Our
original ETA.
Saturday
12:45am-Our
actual time of arrival. Thankfully we are staying with another team
for the night, and they have patiently waited to pick us up. We jump
in more taxis to get to their house.
1:00-Arrive
at their house.
1:06-I’m
asleep.
5:55-Wake
up call.
6:20-Our
safari van is here to pick us up-on time! As we drive to the park,
I am struck at the beauty of this morning and this place.
7:45-We
pass a sign that says “Danger: Wild Animals for the next 50 KM”
8:00-We
arrive at Mikumi National Park. Our safari hasn’t even started yet,
and we have already passed baboons, impala, and elephants.
9:27-Meet
up with elephants, zebras, crocodiles, and hippos at the local
watering hole.
the morning with giraffes, elephants, zebras, crocodiles, hippos,
impala, baboons, warthogs, wildebeests, and water buffalo. Wonder if
I’ve been dropped into a scene of The Lion King.
12:37-Eat
lunch with a pride of lions. We have pb&j’s and bananas. They
have elephant.
2:30-Leave
the park and head back to Morogoro to pick up our things. Ask if
there’s a market nearby where we can buy souvenirs.
4:15-Arrive
at the “market.” Turns out it’s a supermarket. Buy chocolate
instead of souvenirs.
4:30-Get
back, pack up our things, and hang out with the girls of Team
Transformed for a little bit.
5:30-Head
to the bus station.
5:47-Get
on the bus and hope it’s the right one. We are told we are leaving
in 15 minutes.
6:03-We
haven’t left yet. Instead, we are giving in to the vendors who are
calling to us from outside the windows and buying apples, cashews,
chips, and even baskets. We need to leave before we buy everything.
6:45-We
finally pull out of the bus station.
6:47-More
ridiculously loud music videos. Time for the earplugs again.
6:49-Pray
that somehow an ipod would miraculously appear in my hands. It
doesn’t happen. Pray for sleep to miraculously take over my body.
It doesn’t happen. This is going to be a long ride.
9:15-We
watch as our stop flies past our windows. Apparently, because we
can’t pronounce the name of our town correctly, the bus driver
refuses to stop. However, he does let us off at the weigh station
about a mile down the road.
9:30-Ten
mzungus start walking down the highway back towards town. All I can
do is enjoy the incredible African night sky and laugh because TIA
(This Is Africa).
9:38-Our
pastor picks us up and drives us the rest of the way home. So
thankful I didn’t have to walk those three miles.
10:30-After
a quick snack and shower, I drop onto my sleeping pad, exhausted. I
humbly say a prayer of thanks. For the umpteenth time on this race,
I ask myself “Is this really my life?” It’s tiring, and nothing
ever turns out as planned, but man, I am so blessed, and God is so
good!
