Travel To Tanzania

Visiting us in Tanzania.

One of the first things that may come to your mind when you think of Traveling to Tanzania,  is the fact that it is on the other side of the world. So, so, far away. This is true, but it isn't as crazy as it sounds. Most people get discouraged at the thought of even trying to make a trip like that. I have heard," Oh I would have to get a passport or get shots, I couldn't do all that." If you just plan ahead and take it step by step, it really isn't that bad. When we travel back to America our next furlough, (Lord Willing) we will be traveling with 2 adults, and 4 kids. Their ages; 6, 5, 3, and 1. So trust me when I say that if I can do it, anyone can. If you are single or retired, and have the time to spend, then why not spend your time doing something that will change your life forever. There is just something about Tanzania that gets into peoples hearts and stays.

Just think about it. :-)

Bonnie

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Confessions of a Missionary Mom... Part 1

 
... I feel Guilty !

I think that all moms go through guilt trips during their parenting years. Some feel guilty because they don't spend enough time with the kids, some may feel guilty because there kids eat too much fast food. Take your pick. I think that as women, it is in us to apply self guilt and try to make ourselves feel bad. Well as a mom in the mission field you still feel guilty but in different ways. For example...

~ I feel bad because my kids don't eat the crust on their toast, and I know that there are probably some kids in the neighborhood that may only get one meal a day. But I don't want to force my kids to eat the crust, since I don't like to eat it. And I don't want to just eat it because of guilt.

~ I feel guilty because my kids play with toys that we have bought from the local market that are usually half broken, or torn, or stuffed with trash. The toys are usually Goodwill rejects that are sent here from the U.S. or UK.  But then I feel worse because their rooms are filled with toys and they have so much more than other children here.

~ I feel bad because my kids get so excited to eat yogurt, raisins, crackers, or cereal. We usually just have these as a special treat. They don't eat a lot of candy or cookies. I would love more "junk food" but it has to be imported and it is just too expensive.

~ I fell guilty that I am exposing my kids to more health risk factors, and get so stressed out when one of them starts running a fever. I hate having to take them to the clinic for a finger prick to see if they have malaria. I just wish that I could say, "Oh it's just a virus". Instead I have to wonder... malaria, typhoid, polio, bacteria, or virus. ??? The list goes on for stomach problems.

~ I feel bad that I have to be careful with the kids and the water. I have to make sure they are not drinking the bath water or brushing their teeth from the faucet.

BUT THEN...

I remind myself that we are not completely Tanzanian, but we don't live in America either. There is a balance, and it's finding that balance that keeps you going.

~ Yes, there are hungry kids in Tanzania, but we help just about every one of them that we see that truly needs help.

~ We do give away lots of toys. If the kids get a new toy then they have to give at least 1 toy away.

~ I remind myself that not having junk food is a good thing. Even if I really miss it. And that it is a good thing that they appreciate little things like crackers and cereal.

~ I think back at the times when the kids have been sick and remember that the sickest they have ever been, was when we were visiting America. And I read other parents facebook post and see that their kids seem to get sick more often than mine do.

~ And when it comes to the drinking water... I guess I don't mind so much that my kids see clean drinking water a luxury. It helps them to think outside of the box, and shows them how many people in the world actually live.

So yes, I feel guilty as times, but there is a balance. There can be two views to one situation, and I like to try to choose the positive side of things. I think this is important for all moms. Sometimes this guilt helps us to strive to be a better mom, or it keeps us from being insensitive to the need of others. The trick is to channel our thoughts. When we let our negative thoughts bring us down, we are not doing ourselves, or our families any good. We all need to stay positive.
A Cheerful Heart is Good Medicine. Proverbs 17:22

P.S.
There is something that I do feel guilty about that I just can't get over. Maybe you can help....
This week I was being brave and tasting a Tanzanian delicacy....roasted grasshoppers. Well, it was dinner time and the kids were hungry.... and before I knew it, they had their hand in the bowl... chowing down... by the hand full. They just kept eating them like chips. Now if I was an American mom, I would be totally grossed out, and accuse myself of child abuse... but if I was a Tanzanian mom, I would be proud that I could share such a special treat with my kids... Soooo, I am not sure yet how I should handle this one. :-) Any Ideas ?

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Kids Are Kids

Have you ever noticed that kids are just kids. They can have fun with just about anything. Some of the greatest memories of my childhood are the things that I did, just being silly. I want my children to grow up with similar memories, of just having fun and playing outdoors. I remember catching fireflies, making mud pies, swimming, playing in the woods, and jumping on the trampoline. No matter where we live in the world, I want my kids to just grow up just being kids.

So for those of you who may be curious as to how our kids can be kids in Tanzania, here are some pictures.

 

Riding the neighborhood Donkey

Making Mud Pies

Playing Ball

                

                                                       Rock Climbing

Face Painting

Catching Grasshoppers

 Splashing in Mud Puddles

Playing in the Rain on a Warm Day

Playing with Sticks

Picking Wild Berries, and Eating Them

And Just Having the Chance to Run Around and Be Kids

I encourage mom's everywhere to not let your kids grow up to fast. Don't let others pressure you into thinking that your young children should be acting "grown up" by a certain age. There is a time for school, and there is a time for chores, but there is also a time to
Have fun and Make Memories !!!

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Homemade Hot Sauce

My Husband Is Awesome !!!

One of the things that we miss about America is the Mexican Food. We Love hot sauce, and chips. Well this week my hubby made some homemade hot sauce, and Canned it. It was even nice enough to make some mild, and some hot. He likes it Hot ! The Gee Family in Arusha previously gave us the canning supplies and we finally put it to use. The canning part is nice because it preserves the sauce for a long shelf life. We also had homemade tortilla chips with it. Yumm!!!

I couldn't help but think about the people in the nearby villages, and how helpful the canning process would be for them. Their selection of fresh fruits or vegetables is very limited. For those living in town, there is the central market, with a wide variety of foods. The problem with canning is that Tanzania doesn't have the jars and lids for this type of work. To actually can, all it takes is a fire, pot taller than the jars, and water. The trick is having the water boiling a few inches above the jars.

We have killed our own chickens, butchered pigs, kept a garden, and now canning, sometimes I really do feel like Little House on the Prairie.

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Water Well

 This is one of the water well foot pumps in our neighborhood. The kids wanted to try it one day when we were out on one of our neighborhood walks. It reminded me of a stair stepper exercise machine. All of the buckets around belong to the other people that were there to collect water. There are may who don't have running water in their homes.

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French Toast

 

As part of Aubrie's home school she has been working on Home Economics.

AKA - Help mom around the house.

Here she is with her fake smile for the picture. :-) 

On this morning she was helping me to make french toast.

I have also been teaching her to peel carrots, use a microwave, and toaster.

She is such a good little mommy's helper. 

Here is the French Toast Recipe 

(I sometimes add a drop of vanilla or nutmeg to the mixture.)

Hint: 

If the bread seems a little soggy after cooking it then you 

can toast it first before putting it into the egg/milk mixture.

I also put the oven on low heat and put the cooked 

french toast on a cookie sheet in the oven to keep them warm.

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Turkey Day !!!

Today is Thanksgiving Day and what Thanksgiving is complete without a Turkey. Well, you may wonder what this American Mom of 4 little ones did today?


Well since the hubby is traveling and I am alone on this holiday... awww poor me... not really. :-) This is what we did.

We went on a Turkey Hunt.

And We Found One !!!

Okay so it really wasn't that hard. We knew of someone in the neighborhood that had some turkeys, so we just went to their house. Of, course we had to make it more exciting for the kids. They had their binoculars, and a big bag to put the turkey in in case they let us buy one.

Ryan took his plastic 1980's model Nintendo gun that we found at the market here. Here are some pictures.

Ayden was pretty unsure of this huge Gobbling Turkey.

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Will You See Us On House Hunters International ? !!!!

I sometimes participate on expat blogs and make comments about living life in Tanzania. Not too long ago I was contacted by a lady from a television show called House Hunters International. Since we have lived in Africa, without television for the past 3 years, I had never heard of the show before. She wanted to know what our house was like here in Tanzania.

I wrote her back telling her that I didn't know what her T.V. show was about but I thought that our house/life would be perfect... if it was for a comedy show.

I explained that our house is Great, it has everything we need and lots of rooms... But, it also has some African quarks to it. I went on to explain...

Since we have moved in we have had problems with... Bats, Rats, Roaches, Snakes, Scorpions, Spiders, Centipedes, Termites, Toads, Mosquitoes, Flies, Fleas, and even Bees in the chimney.

I explained to her that certain comical highlights of the show could be things such as... Me filling the bath tub up with water and coming back to find a frog swimming around in it.

We have bars on all of our doors and window, and a wooden fence around the yard with barbed wire, yet this didn't deter a thief in the night from reaching through the bars on our windows grabing what ever was in his reach. We hired a security guard to watch the house at night but I would have to wake him up to give him coffee... Before it was even Dark outside. I explained how comical this would be for a show because I actually had to take his security guard stick out of his hand to poke him with it to wake him up. (Since then he has been replaced by someone new.)   :-)

This is one of those things that you look back as being comincal but not when you are going through it.

  

I told her about our wonderfully brown water that comes out of the sink. When bathing the kids or the clothes I often wonder if I am getting them more clean or more dirty.

A comedy scene would be with me starting with a load of bright white clothes in the washing machine and ending with a load of brown, dingy, dirty looking clothes after I pull them out of the dryer.

(True Story)

But we are happy when we have running water, at one point when it wasn't coming very often, we were collecting rain water in buckets. Without water = stinky toilets and greasy hair. 

We are also always thankful when we have electricity, and if the internet is working at the same time, then this is even better.

Another aspect of the show could be the sounds and smells around our house.

Attached to the fence of our house is a little mud home with a Tanzanian man living in it. He has been living there for over 30 years and has no intention on moving. He Really, Really likes to Drink the local alcohol that is make from bamboo juice. He often sings at night.. all night... really loud. His favorite song is one to our dogs, singing their names out loud, which really gets them barking.

Our neighbors are raising pigs, so we get the sounds of them squealing in the evenings when it if feeding time. If the wind is just right then we also get the wonderful pig aroma as well.

And to add drama to the whole T.V. show... we decided to have a baby... in this home... here in Tanzania. Not a recommended option for others, but it worked for us.

After I had sent her the email back, I thought to myself...I should have researched the show to see what it was about first.

Well, I Googled it and found out that House Hunters International is not a comedy type show. It is mainly for others to dream about a luxury home, in an exotic location, for a really good price. Oops.. this wasn't us.

So to answer the question... Will you see us on House Hunters International ? .... Nope Sorry, we won't be "qualified" for that type of show. (I never received an email back after telling her about our house.)

I sometimes wonder what it is going to take to "run us off" from our Mission Work here in Tanzania.

I have to admit there are days when I wish that things were easier, cleaner, or less pest free. I wish that there wasn't mosquito's, that maybe carrying malaria, biting my 4 month old. I wish that my 2 year old wasn't pointing out scorpions in the house, or that we didn't have to inspect the latest snake in the yard to see if it is poisonous. It is sad and stressful to wonder if the neighborhood kids, that my kids are playing with, have tuberculosis or HIV. Our next door neighbor just had her one year old die of tuberculosis. Yes there are days when I just want to pack up and go back to "the American way of life."

But, even with all of the African quarks, we haven't been run off so far. We are seeing the hand of God in the work here and we are seeing all of His blessings in many ways. We are seeing individuals becoming New Christians, we are seeing Growth in others that have been Christians for a long time, and we are seeing ourselves Growing to be more Like Him.

We are striving to focus on what is more importantly Spiritually, not Physically.

So I guess you could say that I am perfectly happy with never having a House Hunters Home.

God told us...

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:20-21

And He also reminds us.. "Love not the world neither the things that are in the world."

1 John 2:15

Let us all remember this as we continue on in our lives... Living for Him.

Bonnie in TZ

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Lessons Learnd From Tanzania

September 2011

Open Your Bible

There are so many Biblical lessons that we are learning as we live and work here in Tanzania. 

The lesson learned this month is: 

Take your Bible wherever you go and be ready to give an answer. It is uplifting to see so many Tanzanian people with a Bible in their hand. As we drive on our way to worship on Sunday mornings you see many individuals with their Bibles in their hands, and some with their Bible on their head. Even though many of these individuals are walking the wrong direction, it is encouraging to see them with a Bible. On more than one occasion I have seen store owners/workers sitting in their shop reading their Bible.

You can be an example to others no matter where you are. On one occasion (while we were worshiping one Sunday in America) I saw a young mother with a newborn in her arms, and a toddler at her side. Her hands were definitely full, yet she was making the effort to get out her Bible and turn to the scriptures. This encouraged me to open my Bible, and not make excuses.

Be Ready To Give an Answer

There has been many times when Carey has gotten into a Biblical conversation with someone when he was "out and about" and needed his Bible. We try to keep an English and Swahili Bible in the car at all times. A few weeks ago Carey got into a conversation with a man regarding religious unity. The man was asking what the difference was between different Denominations.  "We are all Christians, with a different faith, right?" Carey tried to encourage him by telling him that there is only one Faith, and he had his Bible to show him the scripture that teaches this. There are many Tanzanians that have lots of Biblical questions and openly ask. In America it seems that it is an unwritten rule that you don't talk about religious matters. Here it is not that way, a Biblical conversation is not seen as something uncomfortable to talk about.


Missionary Challenge

I encourage you to open your Bible more. Turn to the scriptures when they are being read. Read it each day. I also encourage you to try to start a religious conversation with someone this week. Put it off on me if you need to. Simply say, "Excuse me, but a missionary that we know in Africa wants me to ask people this week a religious question. "Do you currently worship somewhere?" or "What is your religious background?" Just something to start a spiritual conversation. Try it out and Email me to let me know how it went.

Good Luck !

Remember This Goal In Life...

To Get To Heaven and Take As Many People As Possible With You

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Shall We Gather At The River

 

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If You Were Born A Maasai Woman

Have you ever considered what your life would be like if you were born into a different culture. If you were born a Maasai woman then your life would be different in so many ways. I often pray for the Maasai women and children here in Tanzania.

Your life may be similar to this...

You wake up and wrap yourself in a cloth that you have laid out to wear today. You only have one pair of sandal shoes, so you slip those on your feet. You them begin to sweep your one one dirt floor home and wait until tomorrow to fix the grass roof. You also notice that tomorrow you might need to gather some more cow dung and mud for the walls and floor. You will mix it up into a smooth mixture and apply it with a flat stick.

For now you decide to go ahead and make the long journey to collect water. Your only water source is miles away, and it is from a dirty, diseased water pond. It is also the same source of water for the cows to drink. You collect your water with large buckets, put one on your head, one in your hand, and head back home.

After you make it back with the water you go to look for some firewood for your cooking. You find your dull cutting tool, and head out. You climb up to cut branches from trees and bend over to pick up large branches that have fallen. During the wood gathering you are watching out for snakes because you know that one bite is often deadly. Once you have gathered enough wood for cooking, you tie the branches together with some bark that you have pulled off from a nearby tree. You put the bundled wood on your head, and again make the long trip back home.

You then start to cook some food. You don’t have to worry about what to cook, because there is only one thing to eat, your corn meal mush, called ugali. You are glad that the corn crops were good this last rainy season because you still have lots of corn meal which you have made from pounding the dried out corn.

The cooking is done in your little one room hut because the wind outside would blow out the fire. You sit in your smoke filled house, coughing and wiping your burning eyes. You have a little trouble seeing where you put your stirring spoon because the house is dark and has only one small window. 

Did I mention that during all of this, you have a baby tied to your back. You can feel that he is wet and you need to change his cloth. He is not wearing a diaper or any clothes, he is only wrapped in a blue cloth.  You know that you will keep giving birth, no matter your age or health, because many cows and many children are seen as a status symbol for your husband. You have given birth eight times before, but many of your children are not alive today. You are grateful that this one is healthy. You know that the tribe doesn’t even recognize babies until they are three months old, because there are so many infant deaths.

You are just one of your husbands many wives. You have recently overheard that he may be getting another wife, one that is 15 years old. She has recently had a female circumcision, like you did when you were her age. He is excited because her dowry is only 3 cows and a goat. You know that it is traditional for the Maasai husbands to openly beat and abuse their wives. You are thankful that yours hasn’t done that in a long time.

After you have served everyone their food, it is time for laundry and dishes. You bend over to scrub the clothes and wash the dishes with what little water you have. You don’t have any soap so you just do the best job that you can. You try to reserve some of the water left over for drinking, cooking and bathing.

Your children, ages 3 and 5 were in charge of herding the cows all day and they have just returned.
It is now time to go and milk the cows. When you are done milking you set it aside to ferment for a few days. You see your children covered in dirt and dust everyday. You know that it would take to much water to give them all a good bath, so you at least try to wash their hands and face.

You look around you and see all the flies. It is so dry right now that the flies keep getting into your babies eyes and mouth to drink. You have tired to fight them off at first, but now that idea just seems impossible. You are ready for the rainy season but fear the mosquitoes and the malaria that kill so many during that time of year.

Since you are a woman, you have never been to school. This is the only life you have ever known. You go to bed on a dirt floor happy and content. You are happy because your families health is good and no one is going to bed hungry. You are content because you have served your family well and have done the best job that you can do. 
....................................................................................................................................

I often think about how much more we, as Americas are given. Our lives are so much more blessed, yet are we happy and content. All to often we listen to the television, radio, magazines, etc. that tell us we need more to be happy and content. The Bible teaches us that we should be happy with just food and clothing. How often do we just want more.. more things, more spare time? We need to search the scriptures, find happiness and contentment in Him, and say a prayer of thanksgiving for the life and blessings that we have each day.

About the pictures:

The above picture is of a Maasai woman and her youngest child, named Omari. She had given birth to a total of 9 children, but many had previously died. You can see her one room mud hut in the background of the picture above. If you look closely at the picture below you can see that her face/eye is swollen, as she had recently been beaten.

 

We visited this woman again at a later time, helping her with a mosquito net and childrens clothing. I often think of her and her life.

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Trashy Toys

Toys in Tanzania...

There are many toy options for children in Tanzania. Most Tanzanian children make their own toys from trash found along the road. You will often see that their soccor balls are made from wadded up trash.

The toys that are avaliable for sale are usally stuffed dolls. These dolls are shipped from second hand stores in America, like Goodwill, to Tanzania. They are often dirty and broken but sometimes you can find some cute things. I don't mind buying second, second, hand things so I thought I would stop buy one of these side street places and buy some "new" dolls for the kids. When examining them I noticed that they were all crunchy. Yes crunchy ! I ended up buying three stuffed animal type of dolls, a dinosaur, a horse and a dolphin. They cost about a dollar for each one. When I got home I gave the kids each their "new toy". They loved them! But it wasn't long until one of them busted open with plastic trash coming out. I looked at the dolls closer and noticed that they had been cut, re-stuffed, and re-sewn. I then realized that the guy selling them was cutting the backs of them open, taking out the soft stuffing, and refilling it with plastic trash, and sewing it back up. To him, the soft stuffing was pretty valuable. He could resell the stuffing to someone who makes pillows or things.

So I guess that I bought my kids some pretty trashy toys. :-)

Well, you may wonder if I trashed the trashy toys... Nope, I sewed them back up and let my kids still play with them. After all this is Africa...and my kids are happy with what they have, especially when they see so many who have no toys at all.

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Around The Neighborhood

The kids and I have made up a song to go along with the bumps. It is to the tune of, Here comes Santa clause. We sing.... Bumpity bump bump, bumpity bump bump, bumping up and down, bumpity bump bump, bumpity bump bumping all the way to town.




The area of Iringa is rocky, sandy, and hilly. It is really pretty during the rainy season. It is higher in elevation than most places. I Love this because it means that it is cooler. We have pretty great temperature all year round.  

                                                                             

This picture was taken while driving along the road to our house. Notice the charcoal cooker. This is how a lot of Tanzanians cook. I have learned to cook on one when cooking beans. It saves money on gas for the oven. 

 The soil/dirt is different here than where we lived before (Arusha). It is a lot more red and sandy. I actually think that this is nice because the sandier dirt makes things not as dusty. When you don’t have central heat/air, and your house windows are open all the time, this can make a difference. 

The kids and I go for walks around the neighborhood often. I feel completely safe and I think it is a great way to get to know our neighbors. 











These pictures were taken during the rainy season when everything is green and grassy. It is a lot more brown and sandy in the dry season.

A common sight throughout Tanzania is unfinished houses. Our neighborhood is no exception. Tanzanians build their houses “little by little.” One difference that we noticed from Arusha to Iringa is more Tanzanians have larger houses. Renting a one room house is more common in Arusha. I guess this is a difference between a city and a smaller town. We like the fact that when you walk through our neighborhood our house doesn’t look different from the other Tanzanian houses. Our house is the one with the green roof.

Until Next Time...     

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