Karibuni Tanzania

Note--This blog was written Sunday afternoon but we have not had internet access until now, Tuesday evening. We will post this blog and one more (which is not written yet) and then come back in and add photos. So check back often!

Our typical first 52 hours:

4 am Saturday, leave for the airport

6:20 am, plane departs for Houston. First leg.

9:10 am, plane departs Houston for Newark. Second leg.

5:30 pm, plane departs Newark for Zurich. Third leg.

2:30 am Sunday (9:30 am in Zurich), plane departs Zurich for Dar es Salaam. Fourth Leg.

1 pm Sunday (9 pm in Dar), arrive in Dar.

3 pm Sunday (11 pm in Dar), Visas in hand, luggage collected, customs cleared.

4 pm Sunday (midnight in Dar), arrive at guesthouse for the night.

12:30 am Monday (8:30 am in Dar), Load up, stop for brunch, begin drive to Morogoro, Fifth Leg.

8 am Monday (4 pm in Morogoro) arrive at our home for the next two weeks in Morogoro, LJS

As we switch over to Tanzania time we are 8 hours ahead of our families back home. We will have some limited access to internet, but it is not dependable. Please remember to send your comments to us on this blog. We read it together as a team every evening and it is so rewarding to hear from our friends and family back home!

This is the first year all of the team members have been on the trip in prior years. Our leader, Cindy Pennie, is an RN from Stillwater, Ok and has led this team for the past 8 years. She also served with another group in 2 prior years, so 2015 marks her 10 year in Tanzania. Pati Murdock, team manager, is from Rogers, AR and has helped the surgical team with the onsite logistics each of the 8 years. Doug Treptow, general surgeon, and his wife Glennis, are also from Rogers, AR and are making their 5^th trip to Tanzania. And, finally, Nancy Bean, Weatherford, Tx and Lance and Eileen Miller, from Hot Springs, AR, were with the team last year and have returned again this year to renew their friendships with our Tanzanian sisters and brothers. Nancy is a retired veterinarian; Lance is retired R&D from Nissan and Eileen is a retired musical educator. God brings together the right team members each year. Glennis’s experience on multiple mission trips with Doug has focused on managing an ad hoc pharmacy. Nancy’s skills carry over into clinical screening. Lance has technical skills and is a whiz at fixing almost anything. And Eileen’s affinity for music and rhythm fit right in with Tanzanian culture. The final member of our team is Tabita Kilatu. Kilatu works for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (KKKT) and is our liason each year.

The familiar sights and sounds and smells of Africa washed over us and softly whispered karibuni as we had our first sight of Tanzania in the July sun. The busy traffic-clogged streets of Dar es Salaam were alive with the buzz of men and women off to their morning jobs. Bicycles and motorcycles, often laden with cargo or passengers, wove among the many pedestrians. Dense groupings of tiny wood and tin framed shops nestle in the shadow of tall modern office buildings. As the city gives way and becomes more rural, narrow footpaths wind between the hills to clusters of small family homes. Families often build their homes within walking distance of each other so the people in a small village may have 8-10 houses, all of whom are related.

The two lane highway to Morogoro runs East to West and is called the TanZam highway. There is only one other major highway in Tanzania, which is a North South route. Our 3 hours on the TanZam highway are the most dangerous part of our trip. Traffic is very heavy and the more aggressive bus drivers pass the slower moving tractor-trailers, often forcing oncoming traffic to slow or swerve before they are back into the traffic flow. It is always a relief to finally arrive on the peaceful grounds of Lutheran Junior Seminary and get settled into our rooms before the final meal of the day.