Waking on the shores of the Indian Ocean

A weary crew arrived into Dar es Salaam airport last night after 27 hours of travel. The Arkansas and Oklahoma team members met up with Mike in Amsterdam, which united the team for the first time. Our three hour layover flew by as the discussion of our trip swirled around us, excitement mingling with enthusiasm.

The final leg into Dar es Salaam saw us arrive around 8 pm. After visas were issued for the team and we cleared customs (with all 15 bags intact!), we greeted Barbara Robertson, our Tanzanian liason. Barbara is originally from Washington state and has lived in Tanzania for 10 years, working for the Morogoro Diocese for the last 3 ½ years. Her fluent Swahili is such a help for us, as is her wisdom about some of the differences between our two cultures.

It was dark when we tumbled into bed at the Pentecostal Guest House, a local lodging for weary travelers funded by a Swedish outreach program. The light of the morning sun revealed the beauty of our surroundings for the first time. We were treated to a light breakfast on a shaded porch overlooking the Indian Ocean and watched a trio of monkeys watch us.

Barbara was our driver on the three hour trip to Morogoro, using the time to further educate us on Tanzania and answer the myriad of questions that were triggered by the surrounding countryside. On the way, we stopped to visit with Jenifa in her home. Jenifa , who was one of our patients from last year, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. The team raised the funds last year to allow her to begin her treatment and it was a blessing to visit with her and see the improvement in her condition. She is a widow and lives in a very modest home in the country surrounded by the fields she farms for food. Native chickens roaming her dirt yard are evidence of her efforts to have a business that will not only feed her family, but provide a source of income that will outlive her. She is a witness to Christ in her life and testifies that she knows that all healing comes from Him. Her joy in Christ was an encouragement to us all.

We have settled in to our rooms at the Lutheran Junior Seminary and will meet up for dinner with the team from Asbury Methodist that has preceeded us. The Asbury team has been screening candidates for us to consider for surgery and their last day here will be tomorrow. They will join us for the half-day tour through Mikumi Game park before they begin their return home. During this evening and our trip tomorrow, the doctors from both teams will be able to compare notes as Asbury hands off the medical baton to our team.

(By the way—our laptops are not working well yet. Dr. Mike wants the office to know that if they need to get in touch with him, send a message through this blog.)