1. What am I on about?

OK. So, I am not great at blogging. I am not a particularly good writer. Or have the determination to keep at it regularly.

But this blog is meant to be some reflections on our trip to Tanzania in the summer of 2015. So it doesn't have to be regular...

At the end of the trip, Sue (our team leader), challenged us to not let this trip be a 'been there, done that, got the T-shirt' experience but for it to have an impact on our lives. To think about it and see where those thoughts lead and how it changes us or our circumstances. This is my attempt at doing that. And to capture some of the thoughts and memories and share it with those who want to hear about it too, of course.

I did not keep a diary. My musings will be random and personal. It may not (dare I say 'will not') reflect the views of others on the team or the church or EI.

What am I on about?

Watch this Team Tanzania 2015 trailer.

The 'Mission Trip' in question is a trip by me and 13 others into the remote areas of Tanzania. We left on 30 July and returned on 17 August. And in-between those dates, a LOT happened!

The team is from the United Benefice of St Stephen's Church, North Mundham and St Leodegar's Church, Hunston. There were 13 from the church(es), aged between 17 and 72. We went with Emmanuel International UK, where I work. Sue, General Manager of EIUK, was our team leader.

The basic plan was to travel to Tanzania to encourage and support the local church in Ibumu. We were going to help build a laboratory at the secondary school during the mornings. In the afternoons, we were going do a kids holiday club.

Getting there

I shall spare you the details of weekly planning meetings, several fundraising events to raise the nearly £16 000 we needed, planning of the holiday club bible stories, crafts, songs (oh, the singing!) and games... I'll spare you the details of the stresses to make sure everyone knows where they have to be when.... of not really knowing what we should expect or how to get ready for it... You don't want to know about the stresses in getting all the jabs we needed, and finding out which are essential and making judgement calls about others... or about finding out blood groups. I won't even mention dealing with everyone's complaints, concerns and issues!

What I am talking about here, is the nearly 30 hour long trip from North Mundham to Iringa. We gathered at the church on the morning of departure, 30 July. We loaded several vehicles with the 28 suitcases that we were taking with, and the 14 people going. We had so many people pop in to wish us all the best and see us off with a prayer...

At about 10 am we posed for the (first of many) team photos...

Team TZ 2015
Front: Gwen, Lynn, Molly, Chloe, Florence, Iwan, Heather
Back: Sue, Linda, Robert, Andrew, James Tom, Steve

...then we drove in convoy to Heathrow and delivered ourselves and our luggage for check in. Tineke and David stayed with us, made sure we were ok and covered us with prayer for our trip. We really appreciate their time and effort (also Peter's for providing and driving the minibus which brought most of us to the airport).

First stage was a flight to Cairo (I watched a couple of movies and had a snooze). After a quick stopover (quick is relative... some young uns found a Burger King and had a midnight snack), we jumped on the next plane to Dar es Salaam (I had a good sleep during this trip too). We arrived in Dar at about 6 in the morning on Friday... all excited and tired but ready for the next stage! We were happy to see Andrew Wingfield, who traveled all the way to Dar the day before to meet us!

Then we collected another 9 or so bags and left 3 at the airport (all luggage for missionaries on the move!) and had to pack the bus. Those drivers are skilled at getting suitcases through bus windows! We set off on the 10 hour trip through Tanzania! I am loathe to admit that I slept through most of that too! I guess I better own up in case someone took photos of me drooling over my neighbour... It was the last proper sleep for the rest of the trip, for a good number of us on the team.

We traveled along the A7, passed through the national park, saw lots of animals (baboons, impala, elephants, giraffes!) and had super snacks (the famous Wingfield pizza rolls, chipattis and even a soda from the shop - orange, not yellow, Fanta!). We had pit stops along the way... and got introduced to the squat toilets! Some of us even got more than they bargained for. The door locking mechanisms were a bit dodgy and when one of the ladies was still getting up and out of the loo, the door opened on her. The diligent cleaning lady thought the cubicle was empty and chucked a bucket of water over her!

Late Friday afternoon we arrived at the Wingfields' home in Iringa, where we were warmly welcomed by the rest of the Wingfield family, the Sharpes and the VanWoerdens. We had tea in the garden, under the 'family planning tree' and had a chance to catch our breaths.

Getting back again

The traditional team photo on leaving day, on the steps of the Wingfields' house

The trip back to the UK was slightly longer, but pretty good! On Sunday 16 August we left Iringa early, at 8 am! The stops were good (Tan Swiss a particularly lush stop over point) but the traffic as we entered Dar was heavy. It was quite an experience to see the different vehicles progress in orderly chaos, watching the people crossing the constant flow or street traders trying to sell their wares. I stayed awake during most of this trip! We had a meal at the Waterfront in the 'expat quarters' near the Hilton Hotel and the Slipway. It was surreal to sit in the affluent holiday-like atmosphere and order very Western food off a menu. Suddenly Ibumu seemed a world away...

The rest of the trip home was uneventful. Two flights, no delays, safe arrival at Heathrow. Then trip home... to arrive at 5 pm on Monday!

Lessons learned?

Hmm... I am not sure what lessons I have learned from this musing. I guess I have been reminded that the lives of those in Tanzania are very different to ours. Not only is it geographically distanced, but also in what people have, how they live and the challenges they face. It is important to remember the people we have met and to keep them in our prayers.

Mission trips are not a holiday. It does ask for sacrifice - from those going and also from those who are receiving the team. The EI Tanzania team's work increased tremendously to have everything ready for us, while we were there and to see us off safely. One example: 'Andrew went to Dar to meet the team' doesn't sound like much, but he spent a whole day on the bus the day before, spent a night away from his family and then another day in the bus back to Iringa. And all this in the middle of preparing his dissertation for his Masters Degree! The villagers had their lives disrupted too. The village council and the stoves group gave up their offices so that we had a place to sleep and they organised a lot of their activities around our schedule. We, as a team, had to give up time from work and with our families, money and comfort(!). It is important that these sacrifices should result in changes that have a lasting effect.