On the way back from safari, we peppered Mama Lucy with questions about HIV, orphans, and various social issues here in Tanzania.  Apparently many folks are setting up organizations that are receiving assistance but not really impacting these problems.

We got a late start on Wednesday (yesterday) after returning from our safari.  There was so much to process from our experience.  By the time we made it into Moshi town, it was close to 3:30.  We discovered that banks close at 3:30 and that most businesses end the workday at 4pm. 

We spent last night with my relative and his business partner. It was a pure delight to see them work together to decipher a legal document Mama Lucy had received.  Both of them are very interested in supporting Mama Lucy on an ongoing basis.

They gave us some immediate advice about the new land, how to plant trees and take possession of it.  My relative has a great advice for anyone trying to work here: you can’t get anything done if you try to move fast.

It’s Thursday night.  We had a lot on our agenda today, and somehow it all got done. 

We secured a commitment from the District Commissioner of Education to have all the children at Boma who are at least 7 years old enrolled in primary school starting in January.

We secured a commitment from the District Commissioner of Health to have doctors visit KCJF twice a month for routine check ups.

We secured a meeting with the District Commissioner of Land for tomorrow. 

It looks like Mama Lucy now has transportation.  She was raising these kids without any transportation of her own!  Unbelievable what this woman can do with nothing.

Tonight we fed the kids and the adults, and it was hard work.  Throughout the past several days, we’ve said countless times “I don’t know how they do it.”  We are totally awed.

We have one more business day before Mom and Chelsea leave, so we want to make sure we have good use of their time.  It’s past midnight. 

We meet with the District Commissioner of Land tomorrow at 10am!

We returned from a 2 day safari late last night.  We traveled to the Ngorongoro Crater near the Serengeti.

We stopped in Arusha, and we were saddened to see the city in its current state.  Beggars hounded us, people started hawking merchandise before we even got out of the car, and the men…well let’s say that we didn’t exactly feel safe.  My decision to wear long shorts didn’t help matters in that department.

As we walked along, we ran into a relative I’d never met.  A bit later, a woman started yelling and waving frantically to us from across the street.  Mama had helped care for her sister and her sister’s children when her sister fell ill 14 years ago. 

Mama Lucy also seems to know everyone.  

We stopped at Lake Manyara.  The beauty is undescribable.  The sky changes here every few minutes, the colors are unbelievable and the landscapes are stunning. 

I asked Mama Lucy how she would describe what we were seeing to someone.  She said “there is no way to describe it.  It is like a blind person being able to see for the first time.  How would that person describe the first thing they saw?”

We stayed at the Ngorongoro Farm House, which is my new favorite place in Tanzania.  We want to carry that place with us forever.

The highlight of the Ngorongoro Crater experience, besides watching Chelsea and Amanda squeal when they saw it for the first time (yes they actually squealed),  was seeing three young lions in the road.  We pulled right up to them.

There were two males and one female.  We watched them for awhile, and just as we were about to drive away, one male mated with the female.  Apparently they mate every 20 minutes for a week, and we just happened to visit at the right time. 

Everything seems to be mating here.  Life and death are both so vivid here - living things are surrounding us all the time, and the fragility of life really takes me by surprise here.

Amanda described the sensation of these winds as swimming in air.  Chelsea struggled to fight an impulse to eat the red dirt that looks like a mixture of chocolate and cinnamon.  And I wanted to etch the sky and the landscapes on my eyeballs so I could remember them in perfect detail for all my days.

How do I account for the past two days in a single blog post?

Amanda had some inspiration about how to do this, but the inspiration was so great it was lost. In lieu of that, here’s my attempt:

Saturday

We started the day late, but had a great time of reflection and relaxation.  

We visited the kids in Boma and spent a few hours meeting with Baba Mwanga.  He is the is KCJF Director, and he gave us some background about Mama Lucy. 

We discussed a couple of businesses that he wants to fund  as social enterprises to benefit KCJF. 

We visited the land that Mama wants to move to.  It is beautiful.  I wish I could take part of it home. Lush green pasture, Mount Kilimanjaro in front, Mount Meru to the side, Masaai walking by with their spears.  It’s a place with a big sky and a great breeze. I could have stayed there for the rest of our trip.

We ascended a molehill.  It’s not as big as Kilimanjaro. We sang hymns with hair and skirts blowing in the wind.  Mom blew her shofar. 

I wish that was all she did with it. 

A Masaai came along and picked an argument with us.  Mom blew the shofar at him while she walked towards him.  Then, she ran around him a few times doing a little jig.

By this time, there was a group of Masaai gathered to watch the spectacle. They rode up on their bicycles.  Eventually, I pulled her away from them.  She’s a bit fiesty, that one.

It was kind of funny, kind of awkward.  Amanda quickly dubbed it a Tribal War.

We returned to the home and had dinner with the kids.  We danced in the dark with them.  I spoke with a couple of the kids about school.

Four kids need money to attend school.  The small children need to be enrolled in primary school, which is a “free” government school.

Sunday

Amanda and Chelsea had received a lesson in African Time.  They learned that while a day in the Lord is like a thousand years, an hour in Africa is like ten thousand.

We visited Baba Mwanga’s house, met his pastor and wife.  Our intention was to do a “drop in,” but we spent several hours there. By the way, they have the nicest outhouse I’ve seen.

We spent the rest of the afternoon gathering the stories of the kids and taking photographs.  Amanda got her weightlifting in, hoisting the kids up onto a monkey bar over and over again.  Feel her biceps when she returns.  Go ahead.

Unfortunately you can’t see the video and pictures we’ve taken, since no computer seems to have the right camera connection thing.

On a more serious note, we identified Mama Lucy’s top priorities for the kids, and they are:

1. Schooling (costs $300 per year per child)
2. Moving to the new land (purchasing the land will cost about $6000).  Imagine two outhouses for 50 little children and a handful of adults!  They need to move.
3. Starting a farming program to help feed the kids (it will cost about $2000 to buy the livestock and seeds)

Amanda is sleeping in her room.  Chelsea is sitting beside me checking her email.  Mom is riding with Mama Lucy back to Boma.

We met Chelsea and Amanda at the airport this morning at 9am.  Mama Lucy brought two little boys who were at the ready with greeting cards, necklaces and banners.

We traveled straight to the children’s home in Boma.  We met some folks from I2I who’ve been teaching at the home for the past several weeks.

The kids started yelling the moment we pulled up.  Their excitement was almost palpable.  They streamed out of the house singing, and they performed for us.  But they kept singing the whole time we were there.

During the performance, Amanda picked up little Vanessa, a little girl - maybe 1 year old - who’d been abandoned when she was 2 weeks old.  It was an instant bond. 

Chelsea connected with a girl named Jinnie, maybe 10 years old.  East Africans hold your hand when they talk with you as a sign of affection.  Jinnie had Chelsea’s hand and wouldn’t let go.

We such had a great time with the songs, banging on desks, and dancing. 

From Chelsea:  ”I’ve never seen such joy in any soul as the joy in those kids, and I’ve never seen such faith in any person as Mama Lucy has.”

Mom chimes in: “I totally, totally agree!”

As an aside, I will likely not forget last night for as long as I live.  Mama Lucy needed to travel to Machame yesterday, so we picked her up on our way down the mountain and dropped her off at Boma.  It was 10 at night by the time we dropped her off, and some of the kids gathered around us and started singing songs of blessings over each one of us.  To receive the blessings of the kids by the light of a single latern was overwhelming.  I could hear Mom and my cousin Lillian sobbing behind me.

We learned the stories of a few of the kids today, and the stories brought us to tears.

I met my first Manka today!  Actually, there are three Mankas at KCJF. 

So much more to say, but it’s now a quarter to six and we’re bushed.  We’re dining with a friend of the family tonight and then calling it an early night.

Mom and I arrived in Moshi last night.  When we finally emerged from the airport, Mama Lucy and the kids were waiting with banners. 

The little ones hugged our legs and presented us with a welcome card, the older ones put wreaths around our necks.  A friend of the family was there to meet us as well with a driver.  Together we drove to the kids’ house in Boma on our way to our hotel. 

All the kids were already asleep, but some woke up when we poked our heads in their rooms - four sets of bunkbeds in a room, sometimes three in a single bed.  The little ones that met us at the airport didn’t let go of our hands until it was time to leave.

On the drive to Moshi from Boma, our family friend remarked “I am glad to know of such a place.  Thank you for showing it to me.  Now I will bring my kids there.”

It’s hot and rainy here. The rains came earlier than anyone expected this year.  No one had planted yet. 

Everyone speaks Kiswahili to me, and I realized that what little grasp of the language has almost completely slipped away.  They smile when they realize that I understand about 25% of what they say, then switch to English.

Today we meet my family in Mechame, then return to Boma to Mama Lucy and the kids.

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Madrone Lounge last night. It was a great turnout.  We hope everyone enjoyed catching up with friends and meeting new folks.

The distinction for longest distance traveled goes to Carey Wills, who came all the way from Michigan to join us. The distinction for longest parking search goes to Frank who circled for 45 minutes. Way to hang in there buddy!

Thank You for your generosity.
During the past few weeks, we’ve received donations of cash, toys, clothing, medical supplies, even baby formula. Our luggage is full of donated items.
We’re completely overwhelmed by your kindness, and are so glad to work with you to help the kids.

We’ll post updates of our trip and how things are developing on the ground. Internet hotspots will be few and far between - we’ll do what we can to post! Keep checking back.