On October 8, the HIZ 2015 crew once again boarded our beaten upNamwianga bus, excited for the trip to come. For weeks we hadanticipated the annual exodus to Tanzania, an approximately two-weeklong trip visiting missionaries in Mbulu, a safari at the Ngorongorocrater, and another visit to missionaries in Monduli before our returnto Zambian soil.
The seven-hour or so bus ride took us to Lusaka, where a nice hoteland a warm dinner awaited us. The next morning was one ofrecuperation, with time to sleep in and good enough wifi to get backin touch with family and friends. The next day was basically a fillerday waiting for our flight that night, but was fun nonetheless. We startedout at a nearby mall, grabbed some lunch and then migrated to a localmarket deeply invested in the capital city. Some grabbed last minutesouvenirs, and some ladies daring enough to brave the Zambian salonsgot an impermanent dreadlock. As for myself, I bought a Coke andchatted with some hopeful immigrants, waiting to opportunize Americaneducation. After that, we took another trip to a mall, but this timemost of us caught a movie. We then headed out to the airport,and patiently camped out for our 11 p.m. flight to Dar es Salaam, thecapital of Tanzania. Our midnight flight passed in a couple hours ofrestless dreams, and we awoke to a cramped and crowded airport, withnothing to do but attempt sleep on a set of stairs or a bench. It was either that or wait around until our connecting flight to Kilimanjaro at 10 a.m. – so an interesting cultural experience regardless.We finally our final flight, with a four-hour bus ride to Mbulu awaiting us on the other side. The Thomases, one of the missionary families stationed in Mbulu greeted us at the airport in Kilimanjaro, and guided us to their home. The hours spent driving were not at all a waste. Similar to the enchanting first drive to Namwianga, the road to Mbulu was filled with new wonders and plenty of new sights, combining a never-before-seen cultural foreground and the crisp coolness of the surrounding mountains andhills. The tones of the landscape contrasted those of Namwianga: from the grainy yellows and browns of vast sub-Saharan flats to the cool blues, greens and purples of mountainous terrain hinting of chilly sunrises and sunsets.
We immersed ourselves in a land recognized by muffled voices and a hint of less conversational hospitality. Moreover, the rich history of Christianity in Zambia shrunk into a distant background, with Islamic traditions and faith thrust into the obvious foreground. Even landing in the Dar es Salaamairport at 3 in the morning, the only exit was clogged with Muslimseagerly awaiting family and friends.
The drive to Mbulu further accentuated that. The rolling mountains continued as far as the eye could see, and after multiple ascensionsand descents we found ourselves cradled right in the middle of themwith the Thomases and the Reeses. After an exhausting 24 hours, wemanaged to stay awake with our separate families (males with the Reesesand females with the Thomases) and visit before hitting the sack.
The next morning began a rotation of activities that would sustainour daily routines for the remainder of our time in Mbulu. We weresplit up into groups of six or seven, and each tagged along with any of the four missionaries, granting us all the opportunity to peek into their daily lives. So my experience is, of course, my own, but largely representative of the group as a whole.
That first day, my group was split in two. Half of us went with JennaReese and her two kids, Ruby and Riley, and the other half stayed withLaura Thomas and her two kids, Josiah and Anna Grace. My lot was castwith Jenna Reese. We assisted her in cleaning up the house a bit andwashing the dishes. After that, we went into town to buy somegroceries and eat at a local restaurant. I got a basic but hearty mealof beef, beans and rice. At the other house, the rest of the groupgot a different insight into the life of Laura Thomas. They remained home, helping with homeschooling and preparing lunch for thegroup.
Afterwards, we were split into two different groups for dinner – one group at the Thomas’ house and the other at theReese’s. After dinner, we hung around for a devotional time andmore opportunities to interact with the missionaries directly. Thedinner-devo combination followed every day’s activities, and wasfollowed by a retreat to our individual housing arrangements.
The next day was a Sunday. We met in the Reese’s backyard forchurch, with an attendance and fellowship that the two families hadsorely been missing. Then around noon, David Reese took all who werewilling on a hike to the top of Mt. Guwangw, a mere 10 minute drivefrom their home. After around two hours of hiking, we reached the top,and the world of Mbulu was laid bare. Mountains gave way to mountains,valleys to valleys, life to life unending. For some of us, the mostbeautiful place we’ve been, and it was even further exposed in thesun’s warming, confident gaze.
The next day we went with David Reese to a village to visit hislanguage helper and friend, Nada. Nada has been helping David learnthe local, more tribal language of Iraqw. Nada gave us a littletaste of his teaching skills, helping our group learn to count up to10 in the surprisingly difficult and diverse language. After a quickwalk to a local coffee and tea shop, we settled into chairs around Nada’s hospitable table. Groups prior had warned us of the heaping, almost unnecessary generosity when it comes to meals for guests. Their stories didn’t prove false, and Nada soon brought out a huge bowl of beans and corn accompanied by a cup of sour milk – believe it or not the drink is a cultural delicacy, and we – though less than delighted about it – responded with the proper politeness. We downed it all. Bellies full and threatening to burst, we all retreated to the Reese’s home, hoping for an hour or so of recuperation before dinner.
The next morning marked our last full day in Mbulu, and we started itwith breakfast in town. The food of most note was a “cipate,” atortilla-like flatbread that could be cooked with eggs or made plain.Then we split off into our groups. This time, my group went withNathan Thomas to see a man whom Nathan had been studying the Biblewith. His name I could not possibly spell, but it is essentially thecombination of the pronunciations of “Mickey” and “daddy.” This mantaught us a good deal of Iraqw for several hours, starting withgreetings and ending on body parts. The typical Tanzanianhospitality showed itself again, and we were provided with cipates andbeans. This time was less difficult with the absence of sour milk, andwas delicious to boot. The day ended the same as the rest, thoughnonetheless meaningful to both parties: in fellowship and devotionaltime with the missionaries.
The next morning was a fast one. A quick breakfast, ascramble to pack and clean up our sleeping arrangements, one last devoand lunch, and then we were off. Mbulu in all of its rural charm wasbeing swept away with all of the receding mountains behind us.Luckily, we haven’t left the Reeses and the Thomases behind for good;they’ll be meeting up with us again in a couple of days.
After a two hour drive, we reached the more urban area ofArusha, and have settled down in a comfortable hotel. Thus ends the first half of our Tanzania trip. The second half is just as promising as the first. It begins with a safari in one of the more enchanting parts of Africa, the Ngorogoro Crater. After that, there is a migration to Monduli, where we will be visiting other missionaries, and then another, final trip to Dar es Salaam before our return to Namwianga.
Zuba ilapia,
Zach
