Dar es Salaam via Istanbul

Flying earlier in the season gives the team more options when choosing an airline.  For the first time this year we are on Turkish Airlines and are routed through Istanbul.  We left home late in the day on Friday and arrived in Dar es Salaam in the wee hours of Sunday morning.   After a short rest at the Catholic guest house, the team enjoyed a luscious brunch at The Southern Sun and then made the final 3 hour drive to Morogoro.

We had a brief layover in Istanbul and the team enjoyed learning everyone’s names, home towns and background.

Cindy Pennie, our team leader is an RN from Stillwater.  She has led the surgical mission team each year since the first trip in 2008.

Doug Treptow, surgeon and his wife, Glennis Treptow, live in Rogers, Ar and this is their 4th trip with the surgical team.

Bill Carr, a retired radar systems specialist, house builder and all-round tinkerer and his wife, Sophia Carr, an RN, live in Newalla.  Sophae just recently retired from her job as a triage nurse. 

We have four students from OSU this year--Elise Francel, prevet from Piedmont, OK; Jamie DeGeorge, pre-nursing, from Stillwater, OK; Cassie Gutierrez, premed, from Grants, NM; and Brooke Elmore, premed, from Guthrie, OK.  Elise was with the team last year and enjoys leading Tanzania children in the OSU cheer.

Emily Harkins, is a youth minister in the ELCA from Waverly, Iowa and is serving along with her sister, Michelle Warner, who is an RN living in Kingman, Az.  This is Emily’s fifth trip to Tanzania, after serving on the building team last year and in prior years.

Emily Smith, an RN from Neosho rounds out our nursing staff and Pati Murdock, from Rogers, AR, works as the team manager.  This is Pati’s sixth year trip with the surgical team and she is looking forward to seeing all of her friends in Tanzania.