After a year or so of hard work, earning ,saving and praying, I am thrilled to find myself getting ready to go to Tanzania again. In October, my mom and I will set off for East Africa with three other women to visit our partner congregation in the village of Tungamalenga. After my first trip in 2007, I never thought I'd be back so soon!
We'll fly via Detroit, Amsterdam, then land in Dar es Salaam, TZ. We'll spend the night there in a hostel by the Indian Ocean, then the next day we brave the 8- to 10-hour bus ride south to Iringa, a city of about 100,000 people. We'll have lots of work to do, people to see, and people to get to know. After a couple of days, we'll drive three more hours south to Tungamalenga. We'll visit preaching points spread out around the villages, visit the schools, the dispensary, meet with many people, and accept wonderful hospitality. When I was there, I fully realized the meaning of the phrase "community of Christ." We may speak different languages, have different cultures and customs, but this is something that brings us together. We are bega kwa bega-- Swahili for "shoulder to shoulder."
The two weeks I spent there were and will be a humbling experience. The people I met there were amazing, and they are my rafiki-- friends. When you come home, you know you have family halfway across the world. What I found difficult was re-entry into my own culture. Air-conditioning! The waste of perfectly good things! Target! The bananas aren't as sweet!People think Africa's only story to tell is poverty!.... The list goes on and on. I know it'll still be tough. But I cannot wait for this adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment