All mouth and no pictures
The mobile signal for data is, not surprisingly, weak here. Uploading pictures is almost impossible so you'll just have to put up with my ramblings!
The journey here was almost uneventful. In all their years in Tanzania, Mim and Owen have been stopped by the traffic police many times but never by immigration officers in this locality. Yesterday was the day. And this was the one day that one of us didn't have their passport! It could have ended with short term detention until the correct paper work was produced, but the officer allowed us to continue on the proviso that a photo of the passport was WhatsApp-ed to him after we returned. Phew!
We left the tarmac road and the fun really began. Owen's four-wheel driving skills are something to behold. 16 miles of 'roads' made up of dirt, rocks, roots and boulders took almost 2 hours. Some of the ascents and descents just did not look possible! Respect, Owen.
We finally arrived at the Pugh family home, having descended into the valley of the river Dudu and then climbed up a steep hill to Ga'ara E village (very spread out). Three of their four children are in other countries for education so the household is made up of Mim, Owen and Cerys with plenty of spare rooms! Much has changed since I was here 7 years ago. Their back garden, from being bare earth, is now the very picture of productivity, fruit trees, etc. Owen is passionate about his trees and could happily talk for hours on the efficacy of their leaves. They have a new water tank which has tripled their capacity and means that capturing the rain from their tin roof keeps them in water all year round. No more water trips to the Dudu (love saying that!). They have a new room for their son now he's a fine young man - and doubles as Owen's man cave divided off with a cloth curtain. And I'm particularly grateful for the addition of some sofas to their school room. (Poor old boy!) Showering has improved. They now have an old five litre plastic container hung on the bathroom wall which, when filled with warm water, has a pipe inserted with a shower nozzle and valve on the other end. Efficiency is the name of the game!
Mim and I walked to church down the steep rocky hill. Unfortunately Mim slipped on loose stones and went crashing down. She now has a bruised coccyx and is in pain, unable to sit or lie down comfortably. Please pray for her! The service was in three languages. Mim translated my sermon. I feel so privileged to minister the Bible (the 3 "lost" parables of Luke 15) in this context - a real highlight of almost 25 years in pastoral ministry.
Thank you for praying for my health. I had a strong WhatsApp message from my old friend Dr Ruth Hulser, the bush daktari who is in Tabora. I need to keep taking the maleria prophylaxis, but take it with food, rather than before as previously. I am still in pain but not as bad as before. Again, prayers welcome.
The journey here was almost uneventful. In all their years in Tanzania, Mim and Owen have been stopped by the traffic police many times but never by immigration officers in this locality. Yesterday was the day. And this was the one day that one of us didn't have their passport! It could have ended with short term detention until the correct paper work was produced, but the officer allowed us to continue on the proviso that a photo of the passport was WhatsApp-ed to him after we returned. Phew!
We left the tarmac road and the fun really began. Owen's four-wheel driving skills are something to behold. 16 miles of 'roads' made up of dirt, rocks, roots and boulders took almost 2 hours. Some of the ascents and descents just did not look possible! Respect, Owen.
We finally arrived at the Pugh family home, having descended into the valley of the river Dudu and then climbed up a steep hill to Ga'ara E village (very spread out). Three of their four children are in other countries for education so the household is made up of Mim, Owen and Cerys with plenty of spare rooms! Much has changed since I was here 7 years ago. Their back garden, from being bare earth, is now the very picture of productivity, fruit trees, etc. Owen is passionate about his trees and could happily talk for hours on the efficacy of their leaves. They have a new water tank which has tripled their capacity and means that capturing the rain from their tin roof keeps them in water all year round. No more water trips to the Dudu (love saying that!). They have a new room for their son now he's a fine young man - and doubles as Owen's man cave divided off with a cloth curtain. And I'm particularly grateful for the addition of some sofas to their school room. (Poor old boy!) Showering has improved. They now have an old five litre plastic container hung on the bathroom wall which, when filled with warm water, has a pipe inserted with a shower nozzle and valve on the other end. Efficiency is the name of the game!
Mim and I walked to church down the steep rocky hill. Unfortunately Mim slipped on loose stones and went crashing down. She now has a bruised coccyx and is in pain, unable to sit or lie down comfortably. Please pray for her! The service was in three languages. Mim translated my sermon. I feel so privileged to minister the Bible (the 3 "lost" parables of Luke 15) in this context - a real highlight of almost 25 years in pastoral ministry.
Thank you for praying for my health. I had a strong WhatsApp message from my old friend Dr Ruth Hulser, the bush daktari who is in Tabora. I need to keep taking the maleria prophylaxis, but take it with food, rather than before as previously. I am still in pain but not as bad as before. Again, prayers welcome.
