Tanzania .. wk 1

This week…
It was my first week in Tanzania and I have to say that “I like it.” If you have been to Africa before, you can be assured that most of it is quite similar.
The YWAM Tanzania base (where I will be staying for the next 6 months) is located 35 minutes outside of the city on a 82 acre beautiful piece of land, filled mostly with green plants, bushes and palm trees. They have produced some of the land into crops and gardens growing pineapple, bananas, mango, jackfruit, cashew nuts, aloe plant, tomatoes and many more crops that they then consume and then sell in the village. We will benefit soon to these different foods that will soon be in season. For now, my food intake is 2 pieces of bread with jam for breakfast, rice and spinach for lunch and rice and beans for dinner. Never thought I would consume so many carbs in one week let alone for the next 6 months.
We have to take the bus into the city to get internet and taking the bus is an experience to remember and not necessarily the best one. If you get on last, you have to stand crammed in with others that are also standing with one hand on your bag so no one takes anything and one hand to hold on as the bus moves. Its not likely you will move much though, because they pack those buses tighter than a can of sardines. I counted 34 people in a 12 passenger van!
It has been a week of settling into this new way of life.. humidity, taking a bucket shower outside under the stars, walking 50 ft. to the outside toilet (squatty potty), eating rice and bread as my main substance of food, everyone staring and yelling at us everywhere we go and wanting our attention, no access to internet unless I go into the city once a week, doing handwashed laundry outside, wearing a skirt everyday, hearing the sounds of june bugs, and being cooled by the breeze carried from the ocean.
For the most part, I love it and I always enjoy a challenge. I am glad we will be here for 6 months.
We don’t have our permits to work in the hospitals yet, so until then, we will be doing healthcare gospels in the surrounding villages. Educating the women in this area is what we are passionate about. Not just caring for them while they are pregnant, but also empowering them through education to let them know that they can change their village in the prevention of disease and.... praying for them! i love talking to the women about God and to see what they know about him. it is difficult with the language barrier without having a translator but my prayers and spiritual warfare is stronger than any language barrier. God wants to change this city and that is my heart as well.
We went to the beach on our day off and it was beautiful. It was paradise. The water was aqua blue with islands a bit off the coast with palm trees filling them to the brim. It was a perfect day of relaxing, enjoying the sun. the only thing frustrating about that day was a lady came up pretending to strike up a conversation with us but really wanting to steal our stuff. Luckily, she didn't steal anything.

thankyou for your prayers and bless you!

♥ Liz