Africa Experience - Tanzania - Day 4

June 29, 2014 - Oldonyosambu



Breakfast

My least favorite thing of the trip was doing laundry......in a very small bathroom sink!  This morning was 'laundry' day.  After washing up some clothes and hanging them outside to dry (we were fortunate to have a clothesline outside and I brought clothespins),  it was time for breakfast!  Breakfast each day in OS consisted of coffee, tea, fruit juice, sliced bread, Golden African brand jelly (yum), peanut butter, honey, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit, sliced avocado, tomatoes and cucumbers, cheese wedges, and corn flakes with warm milk.  It was all very good. 

They have been building a new church for
several years now......

Being Sunday, we headed off to church at the Oldonyosambu Lutheran Church.    It was about a 10 minute walk, out the backside of the compound, through a dusty trail in the cornfields.  We were greeted by Jennifer, the church evangelist (comparable to our lay pastors).  After we met Jennifer and learned a little bit about her, we were treated to the gift of sodas! 

Pastor Jane, Jennifer and Mama Jean

Cheers!

The service was very long....about 3 hours.  It was mostly in Kiswahili, little English.  Our group was introduced, and we sang our two songs in Kiswahili.  The pastor had an amazing voice and sang for us.  The people were all very nice and friendly.  During the service, they have two offerings....one for the tithe and one for thanks.  Instead of a monetary offering, some give items to be auctioned off after the service.....fresh vegetables, cloth, even a live chicken.  It was fun to participate in the auction after church. 

Mt. Meru

The pastor joined us for lunch. We ate rice, a gravy with meat (very tough meat) and fresh fruit. 

People of all ages would come for miles to fill their water buckets
from the well outside our compound.

It was a beautiful day - blue skies and about 80 degrees.  We were able to get a glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro after the church service and decided to take an afternoon hike for a better look.  We walked down the road, past the Maasai market place and several dukas (small shacks where you could buy soda, candy, liquor, canned coffee, etc.) and cut in on a dirt path.  Gideon was our guide.  We were greeted by many young children along the way, often asking us for candy.  It was a great 2 1/2 hour hike with amazing views of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru. 



A common sight...women carry water buckets and food
from the market and dukas back to their home.

Children are fascinated with having their photo taken
then seeing the picture of themselves!

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Kyler met a young man, David, that walked with him on our
way back.....they talked the entire time!

Kyler managed to fall in the dirt on our way back and scraped
up his arm pretty good.  The dirt is contaminated with feces
among other germs.  Michelle, a 3rd year nursing student and in
charge of the first aid kit, clean him all up and his wound healed nicely!

Dinner this night was pasta with meat sauce - sort of like spaghetti.  We were all surprised at how good the food was.  We were not sure what we would be eating and if our palates would agree with the food, so we had brought backup food just in case (pepperoni sticks, beef jerky, protein bars, nuts, etc.).

After gathering for our nightly recap in the Schuster's home (my favorite way to end the night), it was time for rest!  We were all looking forward to meeting the school children the next day!