Episode #11 -- The "Real" Africa Experience

Today, I had what I told my fellow travelers at dinner tonight was the "real" Africa experience... I went on to explain that a lot of the things that we experienced today on our trip over to Sengerema were what I expected Africa to be like -- the incredibly rough, dusty dirt roads; the thatched roof huts along the road; the skinny cattle and goats grazing along the roadside...

We also were invited to the SISA Chairwoman's home for lunch and were treated to a "royal spread" including ugali (maize paste), African sweet potatoes, freshly caught Tilapia (for the third time in 3 days), freshly picked pineapple, bananas or plantains (not sure which, cause I don't really like them), and numerous other tasty dishes. The African hospitality is just incredible!

Our trip over to Sengerema started with a ride on the ferry across an arm of Lake Victoria. We got there early and waited about 45 minutes or so before we could board the ferry... so we took a few photos of us at Bismarck Rock -- one of the Mwanza landmarks -- and, yes, I'm again sooooooo looking like a tourist... the crowd to board the ferry was thick and we had to go through railings (kind of like cattle shoots) to give them our tickets... Great views of Lake Victoria from the ferry, though!

After arriving on the Sengerema side of the arm of the lake, we headed to SISA along an extremely rough dirt road... hoping we wouldn't get run into by a bus or truck coming from the other direction... it was a bone rattling 45 minutes to get from the ferry landing to the SISA Center... We then spent the next several hours meeting with the SISA board and group members and visiting a number of their businesses. By far, the most impressive business that we went to was a tree farm started by several young entrepreneurs about 10 years ago... this group has successfully taken seeds from the nearby national forest and transplanted them on a small plot on the edge of Sengerema and then sold the saplings to a variety of buyers -- including schools, businesses and home owners. They have also keep a "database" of everyone that they've sold the trees to over that 10-year period and periodically check on how well the trees are growing...

After we had lunch at the Chairwomen's home, we met with the SISA board and manager, Joseph... I was humbled when I was asked to give a closing prayer and bless the home we were in and SISA... The Lord has stretched me so much on this trip and displayed His presence a number of times, but none so powerful as when He gave me the words to close our time with SISA... We serve such an awesome and powerful God, who is merciful and gracious at just the right times!

Well, off to bed... I leave Africa tomorrow! I can't believe that my time here is over already... We fly from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam very early in the morning and then Margaret, the CRWRC rep who has acted as our interpretor here in Mwanza, is going to give me a tour of Dar. I then board a flight at 10:55 Local time for my trip back to the United States.

Mungubariki! (which is "God bless!" in Swahili)