Wake Up Call

It's not unusual for me to wake up around 5:00 in the morning. I usually get a cup of coffee and sit in the dark. Sometimes God will give me a scripture to read or a song will begin to run through my mind. Sometimes, I just sit.
Promptly at 5:00 a.m, the Muslim call to prayer begins, through loud speakers. We get a variety of "choruses" from smaller mosques in our immediate area. I would like to tell you it is melodious, but those of you who have visited Tanzania can attest, it is not "music to the ears".

The construction of the largest mosque in East Africa is near completion about a mile away "as the crow flies". I don't think their speaker system is up and running yet, but I'm sure it will be before long. ..........which is beside the point.

So, I joined the chanters this morning as the words from a song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean ran through my mind:
Like oil upon Your feet
Like wine for You to drink
Like water from my heart
I pour my love on you
If praise is like perfume
I lavish mine on you
Til every drop is gone
I pour my love on you

Psalm 48:10: "Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the end of the earth."

Panga Protection

We recently had a flat on the hiway between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma. It's hard to find a "shoulder" or "pulling off" place , but this time, we were fortunate to find a little side road where we pulled over to change the tire. The area was a little isolated and not visible from the road. We have heard stories of people getting robbed, so I was already imagining all sorts of things.
Ed started to work immediately......just the way you would expect him to do.
I could hear voices of men in the bushes and could hear the the word "wazungu" (white people) used. Then.........it got REAL quiet. And I got REAL scared. Ed just kept working.

So, I decided if he was going to be in a vulnerable position of changing the tire, I would protect us....by golly.
So, I pulled out our trusty panga, unsheathed it and laid it in plain sight on the seat of the truck and stood close by. This should scare those thieves.

Shortly, 4 men appeared out of the bushes. All of them so drunk they could hardly stand up. Taking all this into consideration, I am pumped to defend us with my panga if called to do so.
The men stood (I mean swayed) around and watched Ed, trying to help, and then eventually stumbled back into the bush.
So, now the tire is changed and Ed walks around to his side of the truck and sees the panga.
"What's this for?", he says.
"To protect us", I say.
He just rolled his eyes, re-sheathed the panga, and replaced it under the seat of the truck.....to protect us another day.
I love my panga.

USA Bound

After delivering Jerry and Charles to the airport, we hurried back to Dodoma to complete our move to another house and pack for our return to the US. Our friends, Jonathan and Rachel Morgan, got up early in the morning to get us to MAF to meet the lst of 4 flights before reaching Lubbock.

MAF (Mission Avionics Fellowship) makes a weekly flight to Arusha. Instead of making the 9 hour drive over mostly dirt roads, we opted to "hitch a ride" with MAF and shorten the trip to 2 hours. The weather was clear as we took off from Dodoma. Along the way we encounted rough weather and 7 miles from the Arusha airport, had to turn back to Lake Manyara air strip to wait out a thunderstorm. The turbulance caused me to go in search of the little blue bags conveniently located in the pocket of the seat in front of me. I began thinking the 9 hour drive might have been better.

Lake Manyara air strip is on the top of the escarpment of the Rift Valley and stops abruptly at the edge. Upon take-off, there are no "do overs", as you go sailing into mid-air at the end of the runway. The pilot was a friend named Marcus....he kept looking back and apologizing. It's hard to say "it's OK" with your head in a blue bag. I got no sympathy from Ed.

AHHHHHH....Arusha......and solid ground. My legs were shaky, my face was green, and my carry-on's had increased by 2 blue bags.
We arrived in Lubbock 46 hours later to the open arms of family and friends.......the "blue bags" long forgotten.

Weather.......Or Not

One of the things I miss about Lubbock is the amazing skies and seasons. Sunrises....sunsets.....storms.....clear days...leaves turning...trees budding.....thunder storms......sweltering summer days....and icy cold winters. They are all just amazing.
In Tanzania we have "rainy" and "dry" seasons, but there are times of the year when the sun is at a certain angle, for an instant, I think : "that feels like fall".....or like a " spring afternoon".
We are returning to Texas for a visit in a few days and I am looking forward to the fragrance and sites of fall.

Lest I forget.............there are days like this..

This is a dust storm....not a snow storm.