Reflections on Village Life

Time is running short for us in Dar es Salaam, but we are able to share just a few more thoughts with you because some lovely folks staying here at the guest house loaned us an airtel cellular data USB dongle and showed us how to top it up with some megabytes. We might have to invest in one of these things, or at least should have two months ago when we arrived in Africa. It definitely comes in handy when there are no wifi spots around.


Anyway, we were finally able to post a few pictures of the past week, though not many from the village itself, and wanted to share these with you before we leave Tanzania.

As Carol mentioned earlier, we had a fantastically challenging and eye-opening week with our friends, the Morris Family, in their village. We didn't have many expectations for what it would be like to live in such a remote place, but the most surprising thing to us both was the mental exhaustion of constantly being watched by so many pairs of eyes as we went about the most mundane tasks: walking to another house, buying veggies or eggs at the dukas, going for a walk up the hill to watch the sunset, etc.

However, the people were incredible friendly to us, and especially chatty once Carol and I were able to learn a few basic greetings in the local language. It's not surprising that they were so curious about us though, as apparently they have never had white folks living in their village before, and very little contact with westerners since Tanzania's independence.

Highlights of the week (forgive me if these have already been mentioned) included: watching part of a premier league soccer match with Jeremy and about 20 other guys from the village in a palm thatched shelter (the village just recently acquired a generator, and seeing a TV spew out British football announcers and commercials in the middle of Tanzania where people exclusively cook over charcoal was pretty strange), spending a day at the beach in Kilwa, learning a bit of the local language, attending a graduation ceremony for the local primary school, worshiping with our friends on Sunday morning with palm trees swaying in the background, hanging out with the kids, working on home improvement projects with our friends, finding a chameleon on the side of the road, watching geckos run around on the walls, and just having time to chat and pray with our friends by candle light before heading to our bed-tent.

The finale of our visit was a 45 minute pickypicky (motorcycle) ride on dirt roads from the village to the nearest junction with the main road where we were able to find a bus heading back to Dar. Carol and I hired two locals to drive us (Carol, myself, and a driver on one bike, and our backpacks on the second) out that morning, and it was quite an amazing experience.

We are heading westward today into Zambia via overnight train.  It may be a few days before we have internet again so until then, Badai! (= see you later in Swahili :))

Back in Dar

Due to a slow internet connection this will be another brief
photo-free update, but we wanted to let you know that we have safely
returned to Dar es Salaam from village life, and are currently
planning the next stage of our travels as we enjoy the peace of the
Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania Guest House. Unfortunately, the
network at the FPCT is experiencing difficulties, so I (Joe) launched
out on foot to try and find a place fit for digital communications,
and came across the "Flying Angel Club" of the Ministry to Seamen,
where the chaplain invited me in to use their wifi and watch some of
the Premier League (British Football) game on TV. It's been a pleasant
place to be able to catch up with emails, and everyone has been very
nice so far, asking what ship I'm with and where I've sailed from.
That said, I should probably get back to work on what form of
transportation we will use to head South.

In other news, Carol and I would like to extend our congratulations to
Wilson Kipsang (see earlier posts), who claimed the marathon world
record by 15 seconds in Berlin, Germany this morning (2hr 3min
22sec)!!!

- Joe

Hello!

Hello!

Joe and I have been living happily in a small village several hours south of Dar es Salaam since last Friday (the 20th) and have been enjoying working with some friends here who are language learning in a small village tucked away in the hilly countryside.  We set up our tent in the living room area of their concrete floored and mud/plaster walled house, and have spent our days watching their watotos (little kiddos - 9 months and 3 years), and assisting with various projects around the house. Joe has been helping our friend build a fence in the back of their house (with a machete and bamboo :)), we've also been doing some laundry by hand, picking up supplies at various stands in the village, cooking, learning some new words, and just getting a glimpse of what life is like in a remote village in Tanzania! Our friends have been an amazing encouragement to us both, demonstrating a life of sacrifice that defies logic. 

Our bus ride down here was definitely an adventure.  We received an email from our friend with instructions on how to take the bus to their little village from Dar.  So, we got a taxi ride to the Ragi Tatu bus station in Dar es Salaam and arrived by about 4:45am to ensure seats to the village (the bus was scheduled to leave at 6am).  We got our tickets while it was still dark, and were able to get front row seats on the bus which we were so thankful for.  The bus had about maybe 15 rows with seats of 2 on either side of the bus (like a normal bus) and we were one of the first ones to load up.  People then began filing onto the bus, and when we looked back, we saw that all the seats were full, plus (unlike a normal bus!) there were seats that somehow popped up and filled up the center aisle which were also full, and then people crammed in beyond that as well! The bus was a sea of faces, stuff and some kids on laps.  About 8 or so people also crammed in and stood at the front by the driver as well.  We left the station at about 6:45am and then 8 hours or so later we made it to the tiny village where our friends were waiting for us.  On the way though, we made a couple stops and a few people in the back exited/entered the bus through the windows; much easer than trying to scramble to the front =)  At one point I counted 7 people + 1 live chicken seated across on our row alone!  Needless to say, the ride was a bit tight and we were very happy to see our friends upon arriving to our destination!

Joe and I are very remote and safe right now, but just caught wind of some shootings or bombings that have happened at a mall in Nairobi and are so saddened by this news.  We wanted to make sure that we updated our blog to let everyone know that we are safe and very far from Nairobi at this point in our travels.  We are praying for Nairobi and our friends that are there and know that God is more than able to redeem even the most awful situations and somehow bring good.  We are praying that His love would fill and comfort those affected.

We are sending this from a beautifully simple local beachside resort in Kilwa where we are taking an afternoon off from the daily responsibilities of village life with our friends. The sand is white, the palm trees are full of coconuts, the coke is cold, and it is wonderful to be sitting together looking out over blue waters with hardly any other souls in sight. The funny-looking touristy signpost in front of us tells me that it is 3500 km to Cape Town (our next major destination), and 12,800 km to the North Pole (not an anticipated destination, but good to know just in case).

 

Our plan is to head back to Dar es Salaam on Saturday, so please keep us in your prayers for a safe journey back to Dar and beyond.

With love!

Carol and Joe

Safari Recap: Ol Doinyo Lengai

Final safari post! (Joe is busy getting ready for bed, so I'm going to tackle this one =)).

Ol Doinyo Lengai-- the active volcano we climbed!  Or, as I like to call it, Ol Doinyo Len-I-though-I-was-going-to-die.  It was quite an adventure!  We arrived at our Lake Natron camp around 4pm in the middle of nowhere it felt like, nestled up against the sharp cliff of the Riff Valley edge, and set up tents, had a lovely dinner (again! Thanks to Godlove our cook!) and then waited for 10:30pm to arrive so we could get ready to head out on our trek.

Ol Doinyo Lengai, as I mentioned, is an active volcano that a couple of friends mentioned was very cool and that we should definitely go see, including Celia Nyamweru from Joe's Wolfson days, who has done quite a bit of research on the volcano. In her blog from St. Lawrence University, you can read up on the volcano and also a good description of the climb up (which may have changed a bit since the eruption in 2008).

Elly drove us to the base of the volcano at 11pm and we met up with Tate our Maasai guide and began our ascent at midnight with all our gear on and headlamps in place (the tour company promised us headlamps as part of the deal, but they did not specify headlamps with batteries, so we had to use our own).  Apparently people typically climb the volcano at night because it's too hot to climb during the day. 

Tate, Kerryn, Paul and I beginning the trek

The first portion of the climb was a steady incline although quite sandy.  Then after a couple hours of this the climb began to get steeper and stepper, to the point where using both hands was essential in order to keep going.  The volcanic rock on the side of the mountain is interesting.. it's not like the hard, black volcanic rock that is found in Hawaii, but it's this grey, soft rock that tends to crumble in your hands and quickly turn into sand, so trying to find hand holds was challenging, and when you did get a hold, it would often just disintegrate in your hands!
Our guide was great about giving us several breaks along the way.  We would sit on the side of the side of the volcano, turn our headlamps off and enjoy at the bright moon and the stars.  As time went on, the moon began to set more and more and it got darker and darker.  We were so thankful for our headlamps to see where to go.
We were all a bit nervous about the whole thing (Joe the least of us!).  Climbing a very steep, active volcano in the middle of the night was definitely one of the scarier things I have done in my life.  But, we kept pressing on step by step and looking at our watches, eager for it to get closer to 6am for the sun to rise.  There is something about the sun being out makes things less scary... we'd still be on an active volcano in the middle of nowhere, but having the sunlight would seem to ease our minds and hearts immensely.

Great stars out! We were thankful for the headlamps!

About 2/3rds of the way up the volcano or so, we were sitting down in the pitch dark, enjoying a break and a look at the stars (its amazing how small one feels in this situation).  All of a sudden, there was a massive shake of the mountain, a loud, deep rumbling noise and then after a few seconds it was over.  The four of us looked at each other and I think Kerryn said, "is this actually happening?!"  For a minute, I think all of us were convinced that the volcano was about to erupt!  After trying to communicate to our guide and inquire if we needed to rapidly get off of the mountain (which would have been impossible), he finally was able to communicate to us that this rumbling was just an earthquake and was "normal." Of course, the fact that he didn't speak English didn't make us very confident about anything that he said that day, but his outward attitude showed us that he wasn't fearing for his own life.

Phew!! What a relief, but boy did this jostle my nerves!!  A few of us contemplated turning back (Joe not included hehe) but decided it was better to keep on going than try and climb back down the volcano in the dark.

Kerryn and I stopped here, what a view!

Our guide was soo at ease.  He was whistling and humming along the way and even fell dead asleep during one of our rest breaks (we literally had to shake and poke him to wake back up =)).  Tate knew this volcano like the back of his hand and while we were struggling to ascend, he was skipping up the mountain in his converse shoes without any traction.

Joe at the edge of the crater

After we continued to ascend little by little (with much encouragement from Joe!) we finally made it to the top and it was glorious and terrifying all at once.  We arrived at the peak just as the sun was rising red and purple through the dust of the Rift and my fears began to melt away.  The view was incredible-- we could see along the Rift Valley and to Ngorongoro crater, with what Paul described as "the veins of the Earth" stretched out below the base of the volcano. There was a final short, but extremely steep ascent to the crater which Joe and Paul went up, passing by a couple sulpheric steam vents on the way to the crater, but Kerryn and I happily decided we had enough at the first peak.

Looking down into the crater was enough to make Joe's hair stand on end (more steaming vents, supernatural looking rock formations funneling straight down into the earth, and a drumming, rumbling sound barely audible coming from the holes in the lowest visible parts of the crater). Both Joe and Paul agreed that they felt very much that nature was telling them that this was a place they didn't really belong.

Carol enjoying the sunrise view from Ol Doinyo Lengai

After a brief visit up at the top, we all began our descent back down the mountain-- which was a bit easier than I was expecting thanks to the sunlight guiding us! It was a combination of hiking down and just sliding down the sandy pathways.  We made it back down in about 4.5hrs I think and were soo relieved to see our dear Elly (our driver) who had waited at the base for us all night in case we needed anything.

Joe, Carol, and our very brave friends Paul and Kerryn

Whew, it was quite a challenge but was reminded of a very important spiritual lessson!  I was describing to someone afterwards about how relaxed Tate (our guide) was.. whistling along the way and even falling asleep on the side of this volcano while the rest of us were totally panicking inside thinking we were going to die.  And Joe kindly said, "hey Carol, that reminds me of a certain Bible story..."  Of course!!  This was so very similar to Jesus falling asleep in the boat on the Sea of Galilee while his disciples were fearing for their lives.


Matthew 8:24-27
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

I was reminded afresh that Jesus is in control of all things and to actively trust Him and remain calm even when circumstances seem so out of my control.  I am so thankful that He has the whole world in His hands! =)

We did it!

After we got back to camp, we took showers, had a wonderful lunch and then hit the road back to Arusha.  We were all pooped-- Joe even fell asleep on the Indiana Jones roads.

Well, thanks for keeping up with all these stories packed into a day. We didn't know when we would next have time to write, so thought that we had better preserve our memories of Arusha before plowing on with new ones.

Much love to you all,

Carol & Joe

Safari Recap: Ngorongoro Crater

 The Safari Continued...

Stampede!!!

The road to Serengeti took us over the southern rim of Ngorogoro Crater (largest intact volcanic caldera in the world), so we back-tracked our road to the crater rim again, but this time headed off the main route to spend the night at Simba Camp, a grassy clearing on the crater rim dominated by a huge tree around which were scattered the tents of the safari-goers. The camp was laid out very similarly to our Serengeti campground, with a "kitchen" where the cooks managed to construct amazingly gourmet meals over coal fires and without any modern equipment. It was even difficult to know where the food came from each night, as there was barely enough room in our car for our own bags. And yet, each meal would appear almost magically, tasting like it had been prepared in a professional kitchen (sorry to get distracted by the food, but it was definitely an unexpected highlight of the safari).

Carol and Joe at the crater viewpoint on the rim

Anyway, after our bumpy, dusty ride (imagine being on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland for 5 hours) and rescuing another safari vehicle full of Aussies by push-starting it down a hill (speaking of which, we had our own car trouble the previous day. Our guide disappeared for a few hours in the middle of the day while we kept ourselves entertained by running circles around the camp (approximately 450m per lap) since we weren't allowed to go on foot into the park for obvious (big cats with sharp claws) reasons. When he finally showed up again, he mentioned something about having to fly in a new front axle for the land cruiser the night before, and installing it that day. We still aren't sure exactly what happened with the car, but might have gone on a 4 hour game drive in a vehicle that had a broken axle).

Back to my own story now (Carol and I are trading off telling about each stage of our safari). Right. After our bumpy, dusty ride we refreshed in the quite cold tank-fed showers at camp which required walking through a herd of zebra feeding off the grass in the camp about 100 yards from our tent. The best part was that the zebra stayed there all night, so going to the bathroom at 1am also required walking (carefully) through the herd while trying not to be distracted by the incredible stars on display. That evening before dinner we had a lovely cup of hot chocolate (spiced up with some Drambuie that we might have brought along with us) while sitting in our chairs in camp watching the vast crater grow darker and darker, and enjoying the cooler, higher elevation air.

One of many many zebra in the crater

The next morning we had made plans to pack up camp before 6am so that we could get down to the crater entrance by sunrise (which we did), and enjoyed an amazing picnic breakfast on the hood of the car in a clearing of Lerai Forest on the crater floor with three lions watching us from a distance, a warthog (pumba) digging something up around the corner, and a monkey hanging out in the trees above. By this time, we had already seen a lioness that looked about to give birth, more elephants, a couple of small cat creatures (a caracal, apparently pretty rare), jackal, etc.

After breakfast, the day went by way too fast, during which we raced around with our heads sticking out the top of our land cruiser, watching wildebeest, zebra, hippos, flamingos, and a really tiny black speck in the distance which was either a mosquito or a rhino. We were told it was a rhino. Speaking of which, the driver/guides are amazing at spotting ridiculously well-camouflaged animals, while at the same time keeping their vehicles from rolling over or hitting nearby Masai Warriors crossing the road. An interesting moment at lunch was Joe almost getting his hand taken off by a Black Kite (scary big bird) which was extremely interested in his sandwich.

Changing a tire (tyre) with Mt. Doom in the background

Post-lunch we hit the road again and headed out the northern road to the crater rim, snapped some pictures from the panoramic lookout, and started the 6 hour journey to Lake Natron which lies just outside the northernmost part of Ngorogoro Crater National Park (part of the lake actually extends into Kenya) where we were to camp for the "night" (we were going to start hiking at 11pm that day, in attempt to summit by daybreak). Almost the entire trip was on dirt/sand/rock/pothole roads, and miraculously only involved one flat tire (see picture). As we left the main track between Arusha and Ngorogoro our guide said something like "this is where the real Masai living starts", and he was right. From that point on we saw very few wazungu, and a lot of villages that weren't there to cater to tourists. I think everyone in the car agreed that it was good to get off the beaten path a bit, but it was impossible to not think twice about whether we had made the right choice to try and climb a remote and active volcano. We probably should have had this thought much earlier (like when we were sitting in the safari office back in Arush, explaining to the tour director that we wanted to climb the volcano and he said: "Are you sure you want to do that? Why don't you climb Mt. Meru instead?").

Anyway, after going through two different Masai district boarders, crossing over a couple dry riverbeds that tested the limits of our means of transportation, and having the cab of our car completely black-out with dust once when we hit an especially mean ditch filled with the powdery red sand/powder that coated us thickly for most of our trip, we made it to camp at the (soda) Lake Natron. A relief for a few hours before starting our climb, and reassuring to be around human beings again until Elly told us that he needed another $150 cash before the guide would agree to take us up the volcano (which our Australian friends were kind enough to loan him). Anyway, we met our guide (a very nice but non-english speaking Masai), set up tents, dined, and then settled down for a couple hours of tossing and turning (for myself) waiting for 10:30pm to come so that we could get up and start heading for the base of the volcano.

Well, this is getting a bit long and overly theatrical, so the rest of this tale will have to wait for the next chapter. I can't wait.

- joe

Safari Recap: Serengeti

Hello Friends and Family!

We are now in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania enjoying a day of rest and some organizing at the "Friendly Gecko" Hostel which is very lovely and cozy and not too far from the Indian Ocean coast.  We are glad to have a few minutes (and internet access!) to write a bit more about our 5 day safari we just got back from on the 17th.

Joe in Arusha with Mt. Meru in the background

As we mentioned previously, we met a neat Australian couple (Kerryn and Paul) on the bus ride from Nairobi to Arusha who were also interested in taking a safari and who got excited when we mentioned that we wanted to see some animals as well as Ol Doinyo Lengai (an active volcano somewhat near Serengedi and Ngorongoro crater).  Joe and I were hoping for a little safari while in Tanzania but weren't exactly sure if and how that would work out and we were so thankful for Kerryn and Paul's enthusiasm and help with organizing which safari company to go with and what our trip should look like.  We picked a company called "Crown Eagle Adventures" (recommended by the hostel we were staying at in Arusha) and decided to go to Serengeti, then Ngorongoro Crater and finally Ol Doinyo Lengai (the active volvano) and we were so glad we did.

The day of preparations in Arusha for our safari was hectic.. again, trying to decide which tour company to go with, getting the money needed to pay for safari (they only accept cash), renting hiking boots for me, snacks (buying not renting), etc.  Normally people don't book a safari one day in advance but we were a bit pressed for time and were thankful for God's grace to get everything sorted and ready in one day!

On the road to Serengeti

The four of us plus Elly (our driver) and Godlove (our wonderful cook. Yes, his name was Godlove.) headed off the next day in our Land Cruiser from Arusha to Serengeti which we entered through the Naabi Gate in the southern part of the park, about a 7 hour drive.  The scenery was gorgeous: classic Eastern African red dirt, golden and green landscapes and blue sky with the most unbelievably photogenic clounds.  We went through several villages on the way and got to see many of the Maasai people in their traditional bright red and blue dress who live in these areas.  The first bit of the drive was on paved road and then for the last third or so it was all on dirt road.  We were very glad to be in the sturdy Land Cruiser and as Elly said, the bumpy dirt roads offer a "free African massage." :)

In our trusty Land Cruiser

We arrived in Serengeti as evening was approaching and were immediately greeted by some Thomson Gazelles, Giraffes, and lovely birds.  We had an evening game drive around the park (with the roof popped open it was so fun to cruise around with our heads out the roof checking out the scenery and animals!) and were instantly impressed by how vast Serengeti is and how full it is with amazing creatures!  We also saw the very classic African Acacia trees and enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the plains.

Giraffe welcoming us to Serengeti

Sunset over Serengeti

The camp we stayed at was right in the middle of the park, only a couple kilometers from watering holes full of hippos, prides of lions, hyenas (which we were told would come and drink out of the toilets in the camp at night). There were about 40 people camping while we were there, a basic cement building for cooking and one for eating (and bathrooms with showers, yeah!).  Godlove served us a delicious dinner of soup and then fried Tilapia (we were not expecting that!  I was thinking along the lines basic rice and beans :)) and we made our plan to leave on our morning "game drive" the next morning by 6am so we could see the sunrise while looking for big cats.  Kerryn and Paul had already done some Safari-ing along their journeys in Africa so far and knew that the early mornings and evenings are the best time to see some of the big cats-- lions, leopards and cheetahs.

Our dining room!

 After a very restful sleep in our tent, we headed out in our Land Cruiser in search for some cool animals and we came across first a couple of cheetahs hunting off in the distance, and then a lion hunting a gazelle (which happened to be right next to our truck)!  She didn't manage to catch it, but it was one of those moments where we were in the right place and the right time.  We looked to our right and saw the lion, and then on our left we saw the gazelle and sure enough, the lion sprinted right next to our truck towards the gazelle!  It was soo cool to see the lion close up as she darted past us.

Going after a tasty thomson gazelle

Hello buffalo!

We spent the rest of the day and the next in Serengeti and got to see lots of hippos, many gazelles (Thomson and Grant's), buffalo, giraffes, elephants, hyenas, warthogs, ostriches, heartbeast and loads of pretty birds (and big ones!) like the secretarybird, eagles and other birds we didn't know the names of =)  We also got to see a leopard in a tree eating an impala it had caught and then dragged up into the tree for breakfast!

A raft of hippos

A special highlight for me was on our last day in Serengeti. Joe spotted something in the distance and as we got closer, we discovered it was a whole pride of lions.  We parked in just the right spot and all of them walked right past our car... sixteen of them!  They were female lions and young male lions (so no mane yet for the young males) and were hunting for food.  We tracked them until they ended up finding the remains of some carcass in a tree and about 6 of the lions climbed up into the tree to eat what they had found.  I didn't know lions could climb trees..apparently there is a breed of lions that can.

Large pride of lions approaching!

As we were leaving the park, Joe and I were chatting about how we would have liked to have seen a grown male lion with a big mane but hadn't seen one.  Just 1/2k from the exit, we saw in the distance a whole bunch of safari trucks gathered together parked on the road which looked like an accident. It turned out that there was a male and female lion in the middle of the road!  So we parked by them and got to spent about 1/2 hour watching them.  They were so beautiful! (and very hot.. typically lions hide out in the heat of the day.. we were surprised to see them out).

Gorgeous male lion

 One other highlight was watching a bunch of baboons playing around on the side of the road just as the sun was setting.  We were enjoying watching them until one jumped onto the roof of our car!  Fortunately, Paul scared it away and Elly quickly drove off as fast as he could to knock it off the back of the car. =)

One of these guys tried to get into our car :)

Our time in Serengeti far exceeded any expectations we had and the vastness and beauty is hard to describe in words. Hopefully the pictures will help a bit!

More to come about our next stop... Ngorongoro Crater!

Catching Up on Recent Events

Greetings!

Dinner at the Parris home in Karen, Kenya

It has been a little while since we've been able to update our blog and we are excited to share about some of our latest adventures these last couple of weeks.  We spent our last few days in Nairobi staying with the wonderful Parris family (friends from Cornerstone church back in Glendora).  We very much enjoyed being in a cozy home and all the comforts of a washing machine, home cooked food, a lawn to play soccer on with the Parris boys and best of all, a wonderful visit with Regula Parris and her kiddos (Michael and Daniel).

Worshiping with the kids at KCC

It was a great chance to see another part of Nairobi too-- called Karen Plains which is quite spacious with lots of open fields.  We very much enjoyed attending Karen Community Church with Regula and the boys (Andrew was sadly out of town for work while we were in town) and get a taste of what church life looks like for the Parris family in Nairobi.  Regula leads the worship music time for the kids at the church and needed some assistance-- Joe jumped in and played guitar while she sang some songs (including one of our favorites, "Seek Ye First"). 

The morning we left Nairobi, Regula had arranged for a cab driver to pick us up at 5:30am in order to make the 8:30am Impala Shuttle Bus from the Silver Springs Hotel in Nairobi to Arusha. At first we wondered about the necessity of starting so early since we were staying only a few kilometers outside of Nairobi, but after the taxi got lost trying to find the Parris' house, arriving 40 minutes late, and then we found Ngong Road packed with morning traffic headed into Nairobi, we realized how slow things can really move in Kenya (Pole Pole = "Slowly Slowly").

We did make it to the hotel on time however, and the first people that we met while waiting for the bus to show up were an Australian couple who had also been traveling through Africa for the past couple months. I think the friendship really started when they pointed out that Carol was eating "Yankee Doodle" brand cashews on the bus ride south. Little did we know that we would end up spending the next week traveling with Paul and Karryn, sharing some rather remarkable experiences which we will attempt to describe in our next few posts.

In the meantime, we are headed to Dar es Salaam tomorrow morning on the Dar Express with a hypothetical ride time of 9 hours :)  We are excited and eager to write more about our safari the last 5 days through the Sarengedi, Ngorongoro Crater and Ol Doinyo Lengai.  Stay tuned! =)

love, carol and joe

Entering Tanzania

Hi Friends,

Yesterday we safely arrived in Arusha, Tanzania after about 5 hours on the Impala shuttle bus from the Silver Springs Hotel in Nairobi to the Impala Hotel in Arusha, including about an hour at the boarder crossing and some amazing classic Masai landscapes along the way. Today we are enjoying resting at the Ujamaa Hostel in the shadow of Mt. Meru, and not far from the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, putting together some plans for our few days in this region, and will hopefully be heading out for some adventures soon. In the meantime, we just wanted to let you know that we are safe and sound, and enjoying the newness of Tanzania.

P.S. Happy Anniversary to the Stevick Parental Unit!

Final Report from ELI

Greetings Family and Friends!

Joe and I are just wrapping up our time here in Ilula, Kenya with Don and Amy Rogers serving Empowering Lives International.  Wow.. it is hard to put into words all that we have seen and been apart of these past 2 ½ weeks! 

This is a Matatu!

But, before I get to describing a little bit more about our time here, I should stop and mention how we got up here to Eldoret 2 ½ wks ago.  Eldoret is about a 6-hour drive from Nairobi and we weren’t exactly sure how we were going to get here.  One option was to take a Matatu (mini buses that will take you and several other people where you need to go for quite cheap if you don’t mind being cramped for a bit!) but we were a bit hesitant to take public transportation just after arriving into Nairobi.  Thankfully, our friend Ali (who we stayed with in Nairobi) put the word out to her friends that we were in need of a ride and was able to put us in touch with an American family currently living in Eldoret working for Samaritan’s Purse who happened to be traveling from Nairobi to Eldoret and had extra room in their vehicles for us to join them (yay!).  Samaritan’s Purse (or SP) is an international ministry founded by Franklin Graham (son of Billy Graham) and has one of its bases in Eldoret.  Nate and Stephanie Thomas and their two sons were great drivers and great company and brought us safely to Eldoret.  The drive up to Eldoret was gorgeous.. lush green grassy fields, trees and farmlands with some fun animal sightings too- like baboons, zebras, gazelles and plenty of cows and goats J  We stopped at a place called the Java House for lunch and Joe and I enjoyed some tasty hamburgers and fries—yummm.  We were so thankful for the Thomas family for allowing us to join them up to Eldoret.

One of the best parts of our journey so far has most certainly been the unexpected new friends we have connected with and relationships we have made both with Americans abroad and locals!

A gazelle we saw out the window on our ride up to Eldoret!

Speaking of friends…I can confidently say that the people we have met while here in Ilula the past 2 ½ weeks have been the most special of being here.  Don and Amy Rogers (and their sons Joshua and Nathanial) instantly made us feel apart of the ELI family and their own family upon our arrival.  Amy is a fantastic cook and baker and has made several treats for us to make us feel comfortable (like snickerdoodles, eclaires, and homemade pizza last week for Joe’s birthday!  Although the power went out so she had to quickly make some pasta.. but we enjoyed the pizzas a couple nights later =))  Mitch Kellog, who Joe mentioned in the previous post, has been a terrific friend while being here-- and one of the funniest people we have ever met!  He keeps us laughing and he and Joe have worked on lots of projects together while we’ve been here. Randy and Karin Knutson have also been fantastic friends—they work for another ministry called Advancing Leaders International and Church Resource Ministries and they are serving pastors and schools in this area.  Karen is encouraging critical thinking and problem solving in elementary schools (many African schools teach by just rote memorization) and Randy is leading conferences and training Pastors in discipleship.  Besides the Wazungus (Swahili word for white people =)), the Africans we have spent time with have also been amazing!  So warm, welcoming, friendly and kind.  We have shared many cups of chai (Kenyan tea with lots of milk and sugar) and several Mandazi’s (Kenyan doughnuts!) with some of the most generous and selfless, Christlike people we’ve ever met.  Laban and Angelina are a couple that work here at ELI as the Director and Assistant Director to the Children’s Home.  They had us over for Chai and Mandazies the other day and we got to have a glimpse into their lives of hard work and service to the Ilula and greater Eldoret community.  From taking children into their family (in addition to their biological kids) who need a home, to buying and delivering cows to widows in need of some kind of income, and, not least of all, running the Children’s Home here for the 120+ kids that live at ELI.

Celerbation night for Don, Amy, Samuel, Rhoda

I truly could go on and on with stories of people we have met whose lives are full of integrity, kindness, generosity, service and love.  I think it would be impossible for anyone to set foot at the ELI campus and not instantly see and feel the love and presence of Christ here.  God’s hand is just so evident in and through each life!

Last Tuesday night Joe and I got to learn a bit more about how ELI began and what ELI currently is and means to many of the staff members.  The ELI staff surprised Don and Amy with a special banquet to honor and thank them (as well as to thank Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge who co-founded ELI with the Rogers 17 years ago) for their efforts and faithful obedience to God by starting this ministry.  Staff members went around and shared stories about how this ministry has touched their lives over the years.  And, even though Africans are not typically outward about showing tears, I know that there were more than a few wet eyes in the room J  I just sat and listened to story after story of how God has used this ministry to bring hope and transformation into so many lives.

One of the things I like best about ELI are their efforts towards sustainability.  Joe and I have learned a lot while being here about what kind of things really can make a difference for those living in poverty, and what kinds of things may just perpetuate some of the problems.  For instance, someone may donate some money for a child to attend school here in Kenya (which is a wonderful gift!…) but, a better gift may be to train the parents of the child how to keep chickens healthy so they can sell the eggs and have a more consistent income or how to grow Vetiver grass to prevent erosion and maintain their topsoil for better crops or how to keep a bee farm so they can sell the honey or how to do vermicompost for healthy soil.. or learn how to make soap that they could sell for some income.  So, I love that ELI focuses on helping people in ways that can last and empowering them to work hard to and have their own methods of income rather than needing to be dependent on outside resources.  (Joe and I have also been inspired to keep some bees or chickens when we get back home hehe =))

Sunrise walk with Joe!

I’ve also enjoyed late afternoon walks with Amy around the community (when it’s not raining J), watching Lord of the Rings with Joshua and Nathanial, doing Pilates with Karen, hanging out at Randy’s “internet café” (aka his porch where we are sometimes able to catch some wifi), a early morning trop in the mud with Joe to watch the sunrise, enjoying afternoons of snacks and tea as we listen to the thunder and rain, and wonderful times of prayer with our new friends.

What can I say??? God has done absolutely abundantly more than I could have ever asked or imagined during our stay here!  I genuinely feel sad thinking about leaving tomorrow!  But, Joe and I are so excited to meet up with more friends back in Nairobi and then head into Tanzania for the next stage in our journey.

On a practical note…Joe and I have remained healthy (despite the climate shock coming from hot hot Israel to cool and rainly Ilula), are in good spirits, have been eating very well (thanks to the cooking of Amy and Joel!), and are learning new things about ourselves and our God everyday!

Thank you for your prayers—please keep praying for us as we journey into Tanzania.. for continued health and safety. Thank you!!

With love and joy,

Carol

Update from ELI

Dear Friends,

By the infrequency of our posts it probably goes without saying that we are pretty close to being "off the grid", but here goes: we are pretty close to being off the grid. For the past week we have been staying in a hut at the Empowering Lives International (ELI) base in Ilula, Kenya. The village of Ilula doesn't even appear on Google Earth, but you can find our location by looking up Samro School, Eldoret, Keyna, which is the primary school that is run by the base.

In addition to the school, there are quite a few other ministries. One of these is a training center, which specializes in the training of local villagers in keeping poultry, bee hives, and other small business practices. Other ministries include an orphanage for 120 kids, an alcoholism recovery center, and innovative self-sustainability program. The first day of our stay we got to witness 45 women graduate from a training program who previously had been trapped into a life of brewing illegal alcohol as a means of survival. It was very clear from the women's joy at the graduation ceremony that this was a major event in their lives, and that they were more than a little excited to have other means of keeping food on the table for their kids.

It has been just over one week since graduation, and about every waking minute has been filled with some kind of activity. Carol has been working with the kids in the Children's Center using her creativity and experience with scrapbooking to help the kids make cards and other crafts, some of which will be sent back to the States to raise money for the center. Carol has also been stepping into many other rolls including helping to organize data for budgets and keeping track of student records, as well as organizing stretching and games for the kids when it isn't raining (predictably before 3pm). Carol has also been extremely blessed to get to know Amy a bit through some walks on the dirt/mud roads around Ilula, and has been using her PT skills on several occasions to help out around the center.

The center is absolutely beautiful, with several small huts for guests, a dining hall where we eat meals (ugali, chapati, beans, maize, and some other fantastic new foods), banana trees, bee farming equipment, fields for playing games (the kids are really getting into ultimate frisbee), gardens for training, and a chapel for meetings and sunday mornings. We just happened to be here during a rainy season, and everything is so green and fresh (and muddy) right now that it is just stunning.

Joe has been enjoying early morning runs with some of the kids from the orphanage each day, watching the sun come up over the corn and wheat fields and spotting more than a few Kenyan athletes each day out for their own early morning workouts. After dropping the kids off at the center around 7am, he has been secretly tailing other runners in the area, trying desperately to keep up them in the thin 7,000+ ft elevation air and his mud-caked shoes. Joe has also been able to use his excel skills to generate some database templates for the center, and also got involved in a wood drying shelter construction project with Mitch which will be used to supply a new wood workshop currently under construction.

 Speaking of Mitch Kellogg (see picture of Joe, Josh, and Mitch working on the shelter), we have discovered that the "Pondy Connection" (Ponderosa Lodge, Mt. Hermon, CA extended family) extends even further than we expected! After getting settled in we were introduced to Mitch, an amazing man of faith just a little younger than us who is an intern at ELI for about 6 months, and it turned out that he had worked at Ponderosa Lodge just last summer. Even more bizzarre was the fact that he was good friends with someone who went to Olympia High School with Cassidy. Small world. Anyway, Mitch immediately became a great encouragement to Joe, and it has been a nice surprise to be able to swap stories about camp life out here in the middle of Africa.

Another surprise gift was being driven up to the village of Iten by Don yesterday to visit the epicenter of Kenyan marathoning. It had been a tough week of work for everyone, and Don not only arranged for us to see the amazing views of the escarpment from Kurio Lookout, and get a tour of the High Altitude Training Centre started by Lornah Kiplagat, but also to actually meet, talk, and pray with Wilson Kipsang, the second fastest marathoner of all time by only 4 seconds. Among other things, he mentioned that he will be running the Berlin Marathon on September 26th and that he intends to try and break the record on that day. Incredibly though, he was an extremely humble guy, and talked more about what it means to really follow in Christ's footsteps (being a servant, demonstrating love through action, putting empty words aside, etc.) than what it means to be an amazing runner. Needless to say, it was a highlight of the trip thus far, and we are so thankful to the Rogers for being willing to extend their friendship with Wilson to us.

We also made an excursion last Sunday to the Kipkaren ELI center, which was concluding a weeklong youth camp with a massive Sunday morning service which included loads of students dancing and singing, passionate preaching, presentations, etc. As guests, Carol and I got to sit with the Rogers facing out over the crowd of students and parents, watching the whole event unfold with the forests, river, and village kids playing on the opposite bank. It was quite surreal, but an amazing experience, and we were able to get a much broader picture of what ELI has been accomplishing in the area. We also got to visit the home of Mark and Cathy Lessig, who moved here permanently to work with ELI in 2011.

In other news, in light of present circumstances (plenty of ways for us to be useful and not just hanging about eating Mandazi), we have extended our stay in our ELI hut (picture) in Ilula for an extra week, and should be heading back to Nairobi next Saturday.

Before signing off, we just want to wish Autumn and Casey HUGE birthday greetings, and say that we wish we could celebrate with them in person. We are so thankful for both their lives, and think they are both pretty swell human beings. Strength and peace to them both as Aus starts out the new school year, and Casey gets further along at Loma Linda.