First day in Africa!

May 6^th 2010

We made it to Tanzania safe and sound after a long journey! The flights went smoothly as we flew into Cedar Rapids, Minneapolis, Amsterdam and Dar Salaam. The flight to Amsterdam was routed differently because of the volcano ash so we ended up going more north through Canada. Each flight gave us plenty of food and beverages to last us a lifetime as well as movies on demand so we weren’t really ruffing it as they say. My favorite part would have to be eating the caramel ice cream we got on our Amsterdam flight and singing Lion King songs at the end of our delirious flight. So far no one has got sick and we all survived the turbulence. Once we got out of the airport the gateway was packed with people holding signs and I could see tropical trees and smell the industrial air. We were greeted by Luca, Pastor Hofferman’s friend, and some other guys to load up our numerous amounts of luggage in a bus that was just big enough for all of us. As we made our way through Morogoro I saw multitudes of semi trucks, oil bins, and litter dispersed around buildings and people riding bikes. After traveling for a little while we stayed at a Catholic guesthouse with numerous rooms complete with bathrooms and mosquito nets. Not only were we welcomed by the people but also the smiling faces of the pope in pictures and on potted plants. This morning we got breakfast at the guesthouse while it was pouring down rain. It continued to rain all day which caused red clay rivers but made the green lush plants more vibrant. Our supper we ate in the dark since the power went out, but it was more romantic by candlelight anyway. Some girls from the group and I decided to sing camp songs outside by flashlight as it continued to sprinkle on and off. It is quite humid and a lot of it reminds me of camp…just a different setting. Tomorrow we have our first class of swahili in the morning so I better get to sleep. Sleep in a queen size bed..more than what I have at home! God continues to be with us on this journey.

Kupenda (love in swahili I believe)

Rachel