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.

HALE of a Trip-TIA

TIA means "THIS IS AFRICA" and is usually spoken as a final expression when things just don't go as you expected them to. It's not usually a big surprise when there is a "shida" (problem)...just TIA.

As we made our way to Dodoma there were TIA's at many turns:
* drove 6 hours over dirt roads to get to Dodoma
* the steering went out on the Landrover
* there was dirt in my camera and it ceased to work
* the power was out at the house when we arrived after driving 6 hours on rough, dirt roads
* Sunday, we had to tow a car load of Tanzanians in a broken down car to church and then back to Dodoma (about 15 kilometers each way)
* We were invited for a fish dinner at friends on Sunday. I assumed it was evening....it was lunch. We had lunch at the Tanzanian church and rushed down the mountain (towing a car with Tanzanians) to eat fish with the Sprinkels, after receiving a call asking where we were.
* Monday had to hire a car and driver to take Jerry and Charles to see water projects
* Tuesday had to hire another car and driver to take Jerry and Charles to Dar es Salaam to catch their plane.

I think Jerry and Charles have pictures from those days..........I don't........I have a "shida" with my camera.............

Today........the Landrover is fixed and we can now steer with confidence. I am packing to go back to the States on Monday and my clothes look horrible from many days of hanging on a clothesline with blowing red dirt and a merciless sun............TIA.

HALE of a Trip--Future Partners

Once we reached Dodoma, we were anxious to show Jerry and Charles 2 projects with which Omega will be partnering in the future.
Omega has already sent a team to work at Safina Street Network so the directors readily welcomed Jerry and Charles to give them a tour of the facility.

We had an opportunity to share with the street kids during their daily devotional and helped serve the daily meal provided by Safina. The kids at Safina are always excited to receive visitors.

On Sunday, we worshipped at Beroya Church in Nghon'ghona. Once this church is complete, it will also serve as a nursery school for the community.

HALE of a Trip--Great White Hunters

On safari, these two avid hunters shared hunting tales, and were still re-living those shared stories as we arrived in Dodoma.

When a mouse ran through the house, you can imagine the thrill as they set out to capture this African "trophy".

I did not take a picture of the "kill", but the mice population in Tanzania is now reduced by one.

Basking in the excitement of this fete, these 2 "great white hunters" turned to more mundane tasks.

HALE of a Trip--Safari

Before heading to Tarangire National Park for safari, stopping to greet the Yohanna family was a priority. This family has graciously provided land on which Omega teams set up camp while they are working in the community.
This is Jerry with brothers, Israel and Justin.

Every good safari vehicle has a removable roof for optimal animal viewing. After some pushing, shoving, and a smashed finger, Ed, Jerry, and Charles managed to get the top off.

Although Charles is an avid hunter, nothing prepared him for the sights he beheld in the wilds of Tanzania.

HALE of a Trip-Drought-Stricken Community

The Maasai community of Mswakini has been a victim of drought conditions for years, but this year seems to be particularly bad. There were countless cattle carcases as we traveled the roads to reach this parched community. Water is a huge problem here and the various remedies sought have not been successful to date.

Arriving at the school, the children came running and enjoyed having their photo taken and seeing the view captured. The building in the background is the original school and is still being used as classrooms for pre-school.

Several Omega teams over the past 3 years have completely built these 2 classrooms at the school at Mswakini. There are over 400 students with only 6 teachers and 6 classrooms.