One more day in Africa...

In about 14 hours we'll be leaving this continent. I'm sad to be leaving, but somewhat ready to be home. Though it's only been a few weeks I feel so disconnected from everyone! I plan to share plenty more insight, but my brain isn't processing this morning. It'll be interesting to see how I feel once I'm home.

I posted some safari photos on my photo site here: http://www.ashmillphotography.com/?p=598

Did you play the unscramble game? Here are the animals -- with my commentary!

Lion: Maybe my favorite sight of the day. We saw two male lions individually (since they don't really hang out) early in the morning and then came upon 7 lions (female and some younger males) sitting no more than 50 yards from us. It was crazy to watch them as they just stared back at us!

Hippo: Lots of hippos. There's a hippo pool where you can get out of the car. There's quite a ledge there so you don't have to worry about the hippos being able to get to you! We saw some the next day that were out of the water. Those are some big animals.

Impala: And lots of other deer family animals. They're everywhere. Seriously, they get boring after a while!

Leopard: We saw 3 big leopards and 2 really cute cubs. It's apparently rare to see that many (especially babies), but they just kept popping up! The cubs were tiny. Both fell out of the tree when trying to climb down. Precious.

Python: Yep. It slithered it's way right across the road in front of us. We only caught the tail end and then saw it in the bushes a few minutes later. Maybe 10 feet long. Yikes!

Wildebeast: Not a cute animal. And they are all over the place.

Chameleon: This little guy crawled across the road and our driver spotted him in the rear view mirror! He was very, very green and blended in well with the grass. Mission accomplished.

Pumba: Not nearly as cute as Pumba in the Lion King, but the baby ones are! I think I had pumba sausage for breakfast at the lodge on the safari. Not super tasty.

Spider Monkey: These guys are cute. They (along with the baboons) were all over the lodge we stayed at in the Serengeti. Breakfast was fun because they ran rampant across the roof above us!

Elephant: Lots. We got incredibly close to these big guys. Our driver made one of them angry! He flapped his ears and made lots of noise in our direction. Luckily he was big and old and I felt confident our car could outrun him!

Antelope: More deer-like creatures. Lots of them.

Giraffe: Giraffes are so unique. We saw plenty of these guys, too. All different sizes. Elizabeth is convinced one of them was over 20 feet tall. Do giraffes get that big?

Zebra: Even the zebra can get boring on a safari. They were all over the place. Seriously, we saw a few hundred of them. They're incredibly beautiful (except after a rain when they're muddy) animals, but quite scaredy-cats.

Buffalo: A funny looking creature, if you ask me. The horns remind me of vikings!

Crocodile: We saw three or four of these guys. Oh, and a baby one!

Mongoose: Like Timon in the Lion King?

Ostrich: Not super exciting. And, they were always too far away to get a good photo of.

Baboon: Plenty of these guys to see, too. Lots at the lodge. Kitty was fearful they were setting a trap for us when we got up to watch the sunrise!

Hyena: As ugly and mean as they look in the movie

Jackal: Cute little dog-like animal.

Water buck: More deer. Not even sure I got a photo of them because I was interested in more exciting animals. Sorry, bucks.

That's all. I think this covers pretty much everything. We saw all there was to see except for cheetah. That just means I have to come back one day!

Game time!

Good morning all!

Today is our last day in Tanzania. :( It's very bittersweet. We'll head to Kenya in a few hours and stay until our flight to London tomorrow night. If you're really lucky I'll get to post some pictures this evening!

So, it's been a few days since I've blogged, eh? Sorry about that! Monday was long and ended with me feeling quite sick. I spent Tuesday in bed. All day. I left the hotel room for about 5 minutes, but never left the hotel that day. I knew I had to be feeling better by Wednesday when we went on our safari! Holy cow. Incredible. I took a whole lotta photos. Some are quality and some are just proof that I saw what I'm about to tell you I saw! I feel like it was all a dream. I can't believe we were as close as we were with no fences! Crazy.

While I could just ramble off a laundry list of everything we saw, you know that's not my style. Instead, let's play a game. Can you unscramble these words? This should keep you busy until I'm able to post some photos for you to see!

Happy Saturday. See you all in just a few days.

Safari Animals

ionl

pohpi

mpaali

rlepado

thpyno

beewldsait

neemclhoa

muapb

prides nkemoy

peealhnt

tpleoean

feragif

barze

fuablfo

ccdorielo

gonosoem

rtsoihc

obobban

yenah

cajkla

traew cubk

Glory

Her name is Glory. She is almost four years old. Her pain first started in June and has just recently been diagnosed as cancer. After months of various testing and traveling (12 hours one-way to the hospital in Dar) the treatment options aren't positive. There is a tumor protruding from the side of her face and pressing into her left eye. The latest test showed some swelling in the liver suggesting the cancer had spread there. Testing isn't quite as sophisticated here as in the states, so there is much guessing (though, I suppose there is much guessing still in the states when it comes to cancer). Going the radiation route would require mom and dad to move to Dar for two years. They can not afford this and their family economy would likely fail. Even so, the radiation would likely do little to heal her. Instead the family is using some herbal treatment and relying on family and friends to pray over her.

We spent an hour or so at her house yesterday. Hardest part of my trip so far. Ashley's been holding it together pretty well, only tearing up a few times, but this I couldn't hold back. I think the tears were a combination of the fact that cancer has been a big pest in my life this past year for several friends and family members and how helpless I felt. As Samuel said when we left, "It's like watching your little girl die." We came to Africa to help change things here. To rescue the street boys and provide a home for them. Though it's hard to meet with them knowing their current living conditions, I know good is coming and can rejoice in that. What is there to rejoice in for Glory? I believe the Lord can heal and am praying diligently that He will. Today, that doesn't feel like enough.

So, I'm asking you back home to join us here in Mwanza and pray over this family. Shed tears with me and plead with the Lord to heal. Pray for strength for the parents and brother and other family staying with them. Pray for the church family here to encourage and support them.

We're going to try and meet with them again before we leave. I'll keep you updated, but for now, just pray.

So many stories...

Hello friends!

As promised I typed up quite the blog post for you. Unfortunately, it was on my computer that can't currently access the internet. I saved it to a flash drive hoping the computers at the hotel had a usb port. It appears they do not! Bummer. I have a few minutes so I'll try again, but no way this will be as good as what I did last night.

So, I'm in Africa. My trip is halfway over which is terribly sad. I have many stories. Mostly of the precious children here. I could tell you about one of the girls at JBFC who while we were playing Uno decided to doodle on Kitty's notebook. She wrote out Psalm 118:5 in Swahili. "O Lord, I called to you in my distress and you have answered me and set me free." A verse that she probably believes more than I do, but oh, how many times the Lord has answered me in distress.

I could tell you about Salome. The sweet 5 year old who's English is very good. Who Kitty taught to call me AshMill. Who has been at the girls home for a little over a year meaning she was only 3 or 4 when living on the streets.

I could tell you the stories of the boys. Stories of how they found themselves begging on the streets. How their parents separated, mother remarried, stepfather was abusive, and running away with their little brother seemed like their best option. How now they've lost their brother on the streets and are completely alone, except for the other boys struggling to survive with them.

I could tell you about Samuel and Pendo. The partners here in ministry for the street boys. How they're currently living for free in a very nice house, but if asked to leave are willing to build a one room mud house while they await the time to move in to the boys home and be the facilitator there.

I could go on and on telling stories about the people. Or stories about our experiences. Experiences with chewy meat and whole fishies (Yep. I ate it. With a smile, too!). Stories from visiting the market where we bargained (well, Kitty bargained. Oh, how I wish I spoke the language) to get the best prices for our skirts and crafts.

But this is the story I want to share with you. Probably the most unexpected moment that has touched me the most. The first day we went out searching for land Samuel and a friend of his left us in the vehicle to go scout out an area. Our driver parked next to a few small houses (ones with grass roofs). We were clearly in a poor village. Word quickly spread that white people were in town! About 10 children gathered outside our vehicle. They stood starring the entire time we sat there, about 30 minutes. They smiled and blushed when we looked their way. Their clothes were ragged, but their faces bright. Having a white person "visit" their village was probably the highlight of their otherwise routine day. It sure was the highlight of mine.

Habari Mchana (good afternoon)!

So, Kitty is doing an excellent job of recapping our trip. You should head over to her blog: http://www.livingoutofaziplocbag.blogspot.com/ and catch up on things there. All you're going to get from me is this...

I'm thankful for my:

• long legs that can move quickly when needed (cars here aren't exactly interested in slowing down for you)
• soft tush for bumpy rides on dirt "roads" (seriously, had there not been a roof I may have flown out of the vehicle)
• hair that's long enough to go in a ponytail (no point in trying to fix it when the windows stay open while driving)

I'm not so much a fan of my:

• height (can't tell you how many times I've hit my head on something. Though, that maybe has less to do with height and more to do with clumsiness)
• weak muscles (even our driver knew better than to let me carry a case of sodas. In my defense, they were glass bottles. Who cares if the 12 year old could lift them or not?!)
• crusty ears (disgusting, I know. They got a little sunburned the other day and are peeling. Ouch)

Yep. I know you would much rather hear stories of what's happening here, but we're headed to dinner in a few minutes and there's no way my fingers can stop typing once I open the flood gates. It's coming soon. A really long blog post where I'll try and cover the best of the best. Promise!

Organized chaos

Yep. I made it to Tanzania! Been here for a few days now and still taking it all in. If you think my driving is crazy just wait to you come here (which you should do one day). I now trust my driver more than anyone. People are all over the place, cars don't really stay on their side of the road, and motorcycles don't use lanes at all. Somehow it all works. Organized chaos. Houses with grass roofs, buildings painted with Coca-cola, Fanta, or other logos, and restaurants where seating is only outside. Somehow they all fit together. Organized chaos. Children who speak English and Swahili in the same sentence, who wear Miley Cyrus tees, and who smiles both break your heart and make you laugh. Somehow it's perfect. Organized chaos.

Organized chaos. It's the first thought I had as we drove away from the airport and I got my first take of Mwanza. It sums up how I feel now. So much in my head to process; the past 4 days at the girls home, preparing for the next 9 days with the street boys, and life back home. I feel like the Lord is doing something big in my heart, but I just can't understand it. Yet. Much like listening to the girls sing worship songs or being at church (which happens under a few ragged tarps) yesterday. I don't speak their language, but I know our hearts are singing the same song. I'm not exactly sure where the Lord is leading, but I know it's where I want to go. Make sense? If so, perhaps you could enlighten me!

I could give you a quick recap of the trip, but since it's been 4 days there wouldn't be anything quick about it. I'll get to it at some point. Maybe not until I get home or figure out a way to upload pictures on the hotel computers. I have lots of stories to share about the girls' home, but for now here are a few highlights...

• My first meal in Africa was pizza. True story
• Fanta is delicious. Especially the passion flavored kind
• We saw a snake. And lots and lots of geckos
• The girls (and the 5 boys that live there now as well) have started calling Chris, the founder, Daddy. They watched "It Takes Two" (yes, the one with the Olsen twins) and picked up the label. Too precious
• I ate a small green pepper. One of the kids convinced me to eat one with him and I'm not one to back down from a challenge. Holy cow! Hands down the hottest thing I've ever put in my mouth. I think I lost a piece of my tongue
• It's not rude to spit out chewy meat (or, what I'm pretty sure was just one large piece of fat). It is, however, absolutely disgusting (and hilarious) to chew on it for 10 minutes because you aren't sure if spitting it out would be frowned upon
• Uno is played with slightly different rules at the girls home. I might bring them back with me and school all of you

That's all for now. Now that we're at a hotel I'll be able to update more often. Hope things are going well for you all back in the states!

Half the battle...

...is getting there. I'll assume the other half is returning home.

Our Dallas to London flight was slightly delayed causing us to miss our connecting flight to Kenya. We arrived at the British Airways desk with 35 minutes to spare, but they told us the flight was closed. Lame.

Luckily, we were able to get on another flight. Leaving in EIGHT hours. We'll arrive in Kenya at 6:30 in the morning and then catch our flight to Tanzania at 9:30. The original plan was to arrive in Kenya tonight at 9:35, get a hot shower and sleep in a bed, and then make the morning trek to Tanzania. Still, all is well. Minus missing the hot shower (I've been warned about the cold water at the girls' home).

Already the Lord is working. On the first 8.5 hour flight the guy in front of us engaged the stranger next to him with the gospel. Gideon accepted Christ. Yes, I was eavesdropping. Yes, it was beautiful.

Across the aisle from us (where there are four seats together) two empty seats sat between and man and woman probably around our age. They were chatting away before the plane left the ground and Kitty and I joked about how long it would be before they were sitting next to each other. Two and half hours! Though the dude later moved back. I then caught him reading his Bible and secretly wished I was in the empty seat next to him. :)

Kidding.

Maybe.

I'm going on little sleep (maybe 2 hours) and haven't had many real thoughts! I still can't wrap my mind around what's coming. It's like I can feel change already happening, but I can't exactly interpret it all.

One funny story: I've been telling everyone my itinerary included a stop in Germany. Not true. It wasn't true before the change of flight plans either. I have no idea why I thought that, but I was convinced we had an extra stop on the flight over!

We'll be celebrating the new year at the girl's home. Check back here soon for an update on that experience. Much love, folks.