"Reflections from our team" - Friday

Daryl Huffman wrote:
Friday, the week in Dar es Salaam has come to an end, how fast it went. Last night was an emotional time as they had a farewell ceremony for us and showered us with gifts. Even though there is a language barrier, there are still laughs, hugs, tears and plenty of laughter as they send us on our way. One of the awesome things to be a part of is their prayer session. When they pray for us as team, they all stand opposite of us and hold out their hands with palms facing the team, they will then all start praying out loud, each individual person lifting up their prayer to God in their passionate Swahilli. It is hard to say goodbye knowing that we may never see these people again here on earth. If it is Gods will for any of us to come back that is my prayer. They are so loving and trusting with us Mazungu’s (white people) in such a short amount of time, they open their arms and hearts and welcome (kiramu) us to their village and homes. The team is awesome and working together for the greater good of the mission.

Neal Huffman wrote:
What an amazing week! We have been blessed by being here in Dar Es Salaam working side by side with church members from Haven of Peace Christian Church. They have all been so welcoming and loving to us each and every day. We went shopping at a local craft area yesterday (Thursday) where the shops are very small and packed with items made by African hands. The wood carvings and paintings are truly beautiful and prices seem very low compared to what something of comparable value would be in the US. One of the local store owners commented to me that he goes outside the city and hires workers to spend up to two days working on a piece of art and then sells it for several thousand Tanzanian schillings ($3 to $5 dollars). He commented how bad they need the money and you are able to see what he means as you drive the streets of Dar. There is poverty everywhere you look. The streets are very dirty and trash is plentiful.
We had a time of praying and singing with Haven of Peace last night as they prepared to send us on to our next assignment in Arusha. We began the evening with a meal of rice and beans and bananas. It was very tasty and we didn’t seem to tire of this as this is what they eat for lunch and dinner each day. Pastor Alphonse and his church had the whole mission team sit up in front of the church. Remember that the church is a tin roof pole barn type structure with open sides. As we sat in front of the church facing the members, Pastor Alphonse prayed and his congregation prayed for us collectively as we prayed for them. What an amazing site to behold and an experience to feel. One interesting thing to note is that there is a muslim mosque just down the dirt road that Haven of Peace resides on. The mosque has a loud speaker that blares out muslim rhetoric several times a day. Well, as we were praying and singing last night, the mosque started its loud and annoying racket. I was sitting on the outside of the group and closer to the mosque noise when it suddenly just stopped. The announcements ceased and the speaker began emitting a squelching noise which then stopped altogether. Coincidence? I think not.  Praise God!


Nikki Rainey wrote:
What a wonderful and blessed experience here in Dar es Salam. I really wish we had more time here to spend with the people at Haven of Peace. I truly pray that everyone would have the opportunity to experience what we have.
Yesterday, we spent the morning in the Wood Carvers- an open air market square. I think almost everyone purchased everything. And even thought the prices are very cheap- we all spent more money than we thought In the afternoon, we went back to the Indian Ocean where 3 more Masai were baptized. After that , we were invited to the home of the preschool teacher Dorothy. She has been a widow for 8 years, and has 4 children, 2 grandchildren, and 1 orphaned niece living with her in a home her husband had built. Her home was much larger in size, but had begun to have stress fractures in the structure. Her oldest child was in the hospital with Malaria, but my understanding is that the hospital is too far away for Dorothy to visit. But instead of being depressed with her daily struggles of life, she was soo excited that we would visit her home- she considered it an honor. David, James, Charles, Able, Paul, James and Ravina went with us, and Dorothy purchased soft drinks for everyone… not just our team. As we said our goodbyes, she began to cry because she could not give us more. She gave us more, and blessed us in ways that we can never repay. God bless her!!!
Mary Pat Wrote:
When I opened the letter my husband sent for today, it said to not spend so much money! God working or what! Shopping was a negotiable on everything. My mother taught me the art of negotiating and boy did it come in handy. Deanna would come to me when she wanted to buy something so the negotiating worked wonderfully. But that was not the best part of the day. The bye bye ceremony they gave us was more than my heart could stand. I have formed close personal relationships with so many people here and when they presented us with gifts, some worth more than a month’s salary!! Imagine giving your whole months pay for people you just met, would you? Just having extra clothes seems excessive to me now. I have gladly given all shoes except the ones I am wearing. As I was saying goodbye to Charles, a teenager who I’ve formed a relationship with, he cried in my arms. I now have 3: Charles, Abel,(the pastors sons) and James (Tootsie from Rwanda) sons. This experience will never leave me the same, I am a changed person. Please include Haven of Peace church in your daily prayers.

Deanna writes:
Dear John, Have had a very wonderful and spiritually uplifting time in Dar es Salaam. We’re leaving today for Arusha. The dogs never arrived; please forward to Arusha. Love and miss you!

Mickey Wrote:
Suzie, Zoie, Piper, Miss you bunches, see you soon, Love Mickey and Dad. Daryl is the best roommate I have ever had, he is so awesome, what a cool guy. Suzie, Daryl says thanks for all the notes you have written him.

Nancy Gibson wrote:
Well that was the most amazing week ever. I love those people so much. More than my friends at home (sorry guys, you don’t even begin to compare) Last night they did this big ceremony for us where they gave us presents. They gave us so much! Khangas (which are the wrap around skirts), jewelry, Tanzania Olympic team jerseys, and james gave me a video cd full of wonderful songs which I am watching now on the plane to Kilimanjaro. [The computer died after I typed this sentence] Now we are in Arusha at the home of Billy and Leah. Our guest house is across the street, and it is closer to the picture I had in my head of where we would be staying than the hotel we have just left. We have mosquito nets here and have been warned to spray our beds down with deet before sleeping. We are more out in the country now, as opposed to being in the city, but somehow I feel a little less safe. Haha. From the airport to Billy’s house we passed many banana tree fields and coffee beans and crazy African looking trees. Im excited about the safari and seeing the animals, but my heart hurts because of our friends that we left this morning. I think we are going to the orphanage tomorrow. It should be good. As for now I am tired and I have decided I don’t like flying, because every flight we have been on since day one has made me very nauseous in the head. But on the brighter side none of the food has made me sick. Well, not literally sick but perhaps sick of eating rice and beans for every meal. We had chicken tonight. I am so tired, but I feel like we didn’t do anything today. Hey if anybody wants something specific for me to bring back to them, please leave a comment because im having a hard time shopping for you guys. Ok well my brain cant think anymore. Nakupenda.

Lindsey Huffman wrote:
The “bye-bye-ceremony” was something else. Members of the church, pastors from other churches, and other people showered us with gifts, thanking us for what we had done the past week. I feel as if we have barely done anything. The Africans do all the work while we just stand there and try to help. I suppose the concept is “we provide the money, they provide the work.” They have done SO much for us this past week, and then they want to thanks US for what we did for them. Some of the gifts included jewelry, material for wraps, Tanzanian jerseys, and bandanas. As mentioned earlier in someone else’s post, these people make very little money, yet gave all they had to us. The cokes that Ravina and her husband James purchased for us cost a week’s salary. I can’t imagine how much it cost them to provide 12 people with jewelry and congas (material you wrap around you). The Africans truly know what it means to give. I had refrained from crying this whole trip so far (which is very unlike me), but today as we drove away in the bus from Haven of Peace Church, tears ran down my face as I watched the children smile the biggest smiles and wave goodbye. It was then that I realized we weren’t coming back. I’m excited to be here in Arusha in a new environment with new faces. We will be visiting an orphanage tomorrow, which I know will be heart-wrenching. On Tuesday, Nikki, James and I get to visit the children that we sponsor through Compassion International. I am so excited to finally meet the little girl that came into my life last year. I miss and love you Mom, Dad and Grant. I cannot wait to get home and share this experience with you.