Visiting "Home"!

"Home" has changed for us over the last few years, Dorset, Ohio, Dodoma (the next place is yet to be determined!) ... different places, different continents, different cultures. We try to make wherever we are living, home. A place of comfort, escape, security, family.

We also have our home country and home culture. For most of the family it's England, although for Abigail, she only lived there for one year. Technically Naomi's home country is America, as she's never lived in England but realistically she won't remember living in either places!

In fact, for the foreseeable future the only time we will be "Home" is when we are on Home Assignment, travelling backwards and forwards, visiting friends and supporters, speaking at different churches ... it's not really home. We enjoy seeing everyone, we enjoy eating home comforts, we enjoy visiting familiar places but to be honest, we also enjoy the end when we can return and relax!

At the moment, it has been over a year since we've been "Home" to the UK. During this time of waiting on our future, with the changes in MAF Tanzania, we don't know when exactly that might come either. Whenever it is though, it will be a BIG undertaking.

Earlier today I read an amazingly honest post about the dreaded Home Assignment time ... The Naked Truth About Deputation: Can You See Through My Eyes? If you are going on deputation, or are welcoming someone back on deputation from working overseas, please take a few minutes to read this. It really does feel like this writer describes to the family who is travelling around visiting. When people view it as a break, as a holiday, as a time away from work ... think again!

Two for One!

Apologies for the slackness of my blogging for the beginning of 2014 (only one post so far!) but I've been far too busy relaxing on holiday! To make up for it here's the first recipe post of the year with two different versions!

Avocado's are cheap, readily available and HUGE here in Tanzania ... at the moment the ones I am buying are coconut size or bigger. Ready made food or more specifically dips are not available or if they are, are in Dar Es Salaam and not cheap. 

So I asked a couple of friends for their delicious guacamole recipes. I knew I wouldn't be disappointed as they were already tried and tested! The recipes are very different though ... one is a hot and spicy variety that only me and a select few enjoy, that I got from American friends who are third generation missionaries in Mexico, the other one is a family friendly recipe from Swiss friends here in Tanzania!

Hot and Spicy Guacamole ... (pineapple and feta versions!)

• 2 avocados
• 3-5 jalapeños depending on size, spicyness, and desired level of spicyness
• 1/4 - 1/2 of a medium onion depending on how much you like onion
• 1-2 cloves of garlic 
• 7 juicy limes
• Salt to taste

1. Sauté jalapeños with onions, adding garlic toward the end. 
2. Put in blender and add avocados, salt, and squeezed limes. 
3. Add just enough water to allow the mixture to blend.

This is the base recipe to add the pineapple to. If you want to make the feta cheese version, it is just a bit different. Same general ingredients, except in place of limes and water, use milk. Just enough milk to make it blend, then add feta/Bleu/ or other yummy cheese. (Just remember don't blend the pineapple or cheese ... mix them in afterwards!)

REALLY easy family friendly Guacamole ...

The amount of each ingredient will depend on your own personal preference but this is what to mix together in your bowl ... (photo above is this recipe!)

• avocado's ... squished with a fork or blend if you want it smooth
• salt
• pepper
• lemon juice (fresh is best but concentrate works too!)
• tomatoes ... finely cut
• crushed garlic (not too much!)
• grated cheese (quite a bit, helps to get the consistency you want!)

Need to work on a recipe for tortilla chips now, as they also have very limited availability here!

What do you need?

As a Missionary Kid (MK) in India, an overseas missionary in South America, a missionary back in the States, a mother and a grandmother ... today's guest blog comes from someone who more than qualifies to write something for The Missionary Mum! Rena Jarboe is the wife of the President and CEO of MMS Aviation in Ohio (where Mark trained as an aircraft engineer), where they have both served faithfully for many decades. She is kept busy with numerous tasks within MMS and the community but today she shares some thought's on the needs of a missionary kid.

Philippians 4:19 says, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.”

Many refer to the above verse as God supplying material needs. While this is true, I would like to suggest other “needs” in the missionary and MK setting. Some say missionary kids are deprived of many things. I beg to differ. My life was rich.

When someone answers God’s call to leave home and family and go to another country to serve Him there is a need for confidence and peace of mind that the move is indeed God’s call.

Family members left behind have deep concerns and need this confidence and peace also. Parents can be anxious for their son/daughter and wonder if they will be safe, healthy and have a fruitful ministry. There is concern as grandparents say goodbye to grandchildren. The fear of dangers and unknown diseases—some real, some imagined—that lurk in foreign lands come to mind as they send them off.

I was born in India to missionary parents. They left America in 1947, to go to an unfamiliar part of the world, knowing that they would not see family for six and a half years (they ended up serving twenty years in India). During that first term I was born, as was my brother, Billy, two years later. 

There was a need for safety from harmful things like snakes and scorpions. In our village setting during the first term, Dad killed many poisonous snakes. None of us were ever bitten. The Lord woke up my Mom more than once in the middle of the night, only to find a scorpion under my bed, which she would dispose of. My brother and I had a close encounter with a 30 foot python. I had a scary moment with a cobra in the bathroom of a friend’s home—and the list could go on. God’s protection was evident. 

There was a need for medical care. Our little village of Ghatkesar had a small clinic where some medicines were available. One night when I was two I developed a severe asthma attack. Being an asthmatic himself, Dad immediately recognized the symptoms. It was frustrating to get the medical worker to open the clinic in the middle of the night in order to get a vial of needed medication. We’re confident God intervened and Dad got the medicine and gave me the injection I needed. (Who knew that his training as an Army Medic would be put to good use in this way!) There are other providential medical provisions too numerous to mention here.

There is a need for family. As a missionary kid, I had an abundance of missionary Aunties and Uncles. It wasn’t until I met my relatives at age four, that I learned to discern between real Aunties and Uncles and my missionary ones. Having cousins, however, was a new concept. To this day, I keep in touch with missionary “relatives” (though many have passed away) and I cherish my memories with them. I also have a special Indian Uncle and Auntie, with whom I am still in contact. My life was and is rich.

There is a need for an education. While home schooling is a popular option these days, those curriculums were not available in the 50s and 60s. I received a good education in a British Boarding School for missionary children. While the separation from my parents was not easy (it was hard for them too), I had an abundance of friends from many different countries. It has been fun to reconnect with many of them recently, through Facebook!

Material needs were something that as a child, did not concern me. However, God provided for my parents. Their sending church took on their entire support for the first six years. Following a change in pastors, it was discontinued during their first furlough. God provided others to fill that need. Our living conditions during the first term in India were quite primitive with no electricity or water pumped to the house. On our first furlough, my brother and I were fascinated with light switches, flushing toilets, escalators, Christmas lights, etc. I think we drove our Grandparents to distraction those first few weeks as we flipped light switches and turned on taps and flushed the toilet numerous times just to see the water swirl and go down!

Only as an adult did I begin to appreciate my unique childhood. I remember on furloughs I just wanted to blend in, and not be noticed as an MK and someone different. This is quite normal. However, now I understand my childhood was something very special. I’ve lived in places with exotic names, such as Ghatkesar, Bhongir, Secunderabad and Coonoor! Not many can say they have traveled by ship multiple times from one side of the world to the other (it took a month). We had a pet monkey and our friends had a pet hyena. I have ridden on an elephants, camels and bicycle rickshaws and have watched snake charmers and scorpion charmers. I’ve seen work elephants in our yard being watered from our well—something quite scary for a three year old, but memorable. God provides unique blessings and experiences to missionary kids. I am grateful to be an MK.

Nowadays I feel the need for good Indian food once in a while and a daily cup of chai.

The "Long-Term" Missionary

Today I want to introduce you to a friend that I have got to know since returning to Tanzania. Rachel Morgan works for SIL translating the Bible here in Dodoma, in the Rangi language. (In fact, her offices are right next door to our house!) She is from America, married to an Englishman, they have a gorgeous 3 year old son who is from Taiwan and they all live and work as missionaries in Tanzania. A truly international family! Rachel is a self-proclaimed blog stalker but doesn't write one of her own. Today however I managed to convince her to write a post for me!

The single most challenging thing I face as a missionary is the constant flux of people who come in and out of my life. I have been a missionary in Tanzania for almost 6 years and that is definitely considered a “long term” missionary where we live. I can’t even count the number of close relationships that I have developed in those 6 years. However, sadly, most of those people are no longer living here in Tanzania and some are no longer missionaries. You are probably asking, “why are so many people coming and going.” I think the answer to that is that being a missionary is hard. It is hard being away from family and the culture you are familiar with. It is hard working with people who have a different worldview and language.

There are 3 types of missionaries:

1. Short-termers - These are the people who come for 2 weeks - 1 year. I enjoy this group of people as it adds a bit of flavor and social variety to the scene. These people I enjoy because they are so passionate about what they come to do and find it all such an adventure. These people are full of questions and I love showing them the ropes of culture and language. However, lately I find myself wondering whether or not I should invest in those friendships given they are going to leave.
2. Planned Career Missionaries - There are people who, for one reason or other aren’t able to stay long-term. This is the most challenging group of people for me. These are the missionaries who say they will stay for many years and then suddenly, they leave. The reasons for leaving are vast: illness, stress, broken relationships, challenges in working with national partners. These are the people that I go deep with fast and then end up feeling a tremendous loss when they leave. These people are committed to the work but circumstances change for them and they have to leave.
3. Long Term Missionaries - These are the people who stay for 5+ years. The interesting thing about this group of people is, that it's the people you don’t think will stay for a long time. Often this group of people struggle a lot up on arrival, but end up staying for a long time.

I am a self proclaimed extrovert. I absolutely love being with people and despise being alone. The challenge for me is the pain I feel when people leave. I keep telling myself I won’t get close to people unless they are long term but I never know if they will be.

Fortunately missionary friends are not the only friends I have, I also have a few very close Tanzanian friends. These relationships sustain me in a lot of ways. God provides for us with “family” when we don’t have our families near us.

I think it is important for friends and family back “home” to understand what their missionary friends feel about relationships. We love our friends back home, and yet we feel so far away from them. Cards, packages, and emails mean so much to missionaries.

To brighten their day, send an email of encouragement to your missionary friends. It will cross the distance and encourage them in so many ways!

Road Trip!

Today, for the second time this week, as a family, we went on an eight hour road trip!

Nothing is close-by here. Dodoma has the basic stuff, it's not totally rural but it's not like 'home' either ... whatever that is anymore! To get to somewhere that vaguely resembles the majority of our UK or US life experience to date we have to drive for a whole day!

The scenery is both breath-taking and heart breaking. Amazing vista's and landscapes, mountains, dry dust devils, lush palms, small businesses, mud huts. You see wealth and poverty, thriving businesses and people striving to make a living. There isn't a stretch of road where you won't find someone walking from A to B ... even when there is no obvious A or B for miles around! We even saw a random pig wandering across the road at one point.

The traffic is quite something else too! You can drive for 5 or 10 minutes without seeing anything or anyone ... then there are stretches when multiple crazy kamikaze bus drivers try to overtake you in the face of other oncoming crazy kamikaze drivers! Loooonnnnnnggggg stretches of the road are straight but you can be assured that the only time you need to overtake anyone there will be blind bends and limited visibility! 

The speed bumps are quite something else (a more recent addition from when I last lived here) ... some of them are seriously vicious! The state of the road itself always makes me chuckle! It's a main road, or should I say the only road from Dar Es Salaam the commercial capital of Tanzania to the actual capital, Dodoma. However, for the most part, you would be forgiven for not recognizing it as such!

For us as a family it is out route 'out'! To escape the dust of Dodoma, the small close community, the humdrum of the basic every day stuff ... even if it is just for a few days. This week the girls were superstars the whole way there and back which is just as well as this journey is going to get incredibly familiar! Not one of the pluses of living here but not all that bad either ... you just have to get on with it, especially as that is our main route in and out of the country when it comes to airports both for us and for visitors!

Life Skills

When preparing to move overseas on mission with a family there is SO much to consider and make sure you have made preparations for.

Visas, medicines, injections, contact addresses, appropriate clothing, language learning, the kind of culture you will soon be part of. The list really is endless!! Some of these things are just as relevant for short trips abroad but when you're committing to years of service or moving permanently to somewhere new, it is so much more involved.

Some missions have 'pre-field' training, some don't. Some people have theological training. Some study business models if helping with development. Some just come without studying at all!

I met my husband at All Nations Christian College. A Bible college, which specialises with 'Head, Heart and Hands' preparation all with a mission focus. All taught by tutors who have had experience in mission overseas, amongst students who have had varying levels of mission experience too.

We learned SO much there. Bible training, yes. Encouraged to grow spiritually, yes. But do you know which part has been of the most practical use ... the 'Hand' element, learning different life skills, things we take for granted because they are just available in the 'real world'. Photography and powerpoint for presentations and newsletters, basic dentistry, cross-cultural cooking, hairdressing, car maintenance ... and so much more. 

The day-to-day stuff was so useful and made me think a little bit out of the box when packing up to move too! Recently, I have been grateful for my knife block and my haircutting scissors. 

Meat gets presented to you in all shapes and forms, sometimes unidentifiable! Not pre-packed and cleaned with a label telling you exactly what it is ... sometimes it is a real guessing game, trial and error! I have to admit the quality of the meat that we've had has sometimes been better than what we could get in the UK and the States but my ability to deal with/cut up/prepare and cook different meats is really being stretched. I'm sure a beginners course in butchery would definitely be good preparation for life out here!

Having lived here for 7 months now, my hair has really grown. The nearest hairdresser is ... wait for it ... about 8 hours drive away!! So, this weekend I dug out my hair cutting scissors and got busy! The pile in the picture above was from 'Round 1' ... there were two more rounds after that! Grateful that my hair has a natural curl so that chip choppy cuts aren't too obvious, I was actually really pleased with myself once I finally stopped. My hair is a LOT shorter ... maybe even shorter than if I'd been to the hairdressers but it actually looks pretty good and I've had lot of compliments ... and surprised faces when I've admitted to doing it myself!!! (I didn't even do the hair-dressing course when we were at All Nations either!).

These are just two examples of the added extra's of life out here ... there are SO many. It certainly makes life interesting. You just have to take the attitude of giving anything a go. It may not always go quite as you imagine it will, but you have fun in the process and the learning curve is HUGE!

Different Treats

Recently, I’ve been asked by some of the newer missionaries and volunteers what are quick and easy dinners to make here. Getting used to the more limited ingredients and learning that a lot more is possible than you first expect takes time but it’s reassuring to know that others have gone before you!

One friend, when they first got here, came round for dinner and commented ‘I know I was told that there wasn’t very much here ... but there really isn’t very much here. Is that really it?’!!! We chuckled a lot.

Thankfully I've been able to pass on my pasta sauce recipe to others! We use it to go with pasta and veggies, or as a base for chilli, spaghetti bolognese and lasagne! There are a few extra steps to it out here. Blanching tomatoes is a little time consuming, so one of the first things I did was teach my house mama how to make it and she whips up a batch every week that we can use for a couple of meals. (It freezes really well!)

When we lived in the States we were able to go out for a lot more meals and try different things, some of which were very American and not regular every day stuff for a Brit. One place we only went about half a dozen times was Panera Bread. The food was delicious and fresh but the nearest one was over an hours drive away!

I am not a soup person but at Panera Bread, they served the most delicious Broccoli Cheddar Soup. When we had the treat of broccoli recently, we thought it would be even more special if we could have the added treat of the broccoli in that soup. It's amazing how different treats can become out here when simple things aren't available!

Thanks to Pinterest I found a copy cat recipe and now when we get broccoli (only three times since we moved here, seven months ago) we eat some of it fresh and use the rest to enjoy a bowl of this delicious soup!

Try it ... I promise you won't be disappointed!!

• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups half-and-half or skim milk
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 pound fresh broccoli (florets only)
• 1 cup carrots, julienne
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan/stockpot
2. Saute the onions in it
3. Add the flour and mix it in for a couple of minutes
4. Slowly add the milk - mixing the whole time
5. Slowly add the chicken stick - mixing the whole time
6. Simmer for 20 minutes
7. Add broccoli and carrots and cook on low for 25 minutes
8. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg
9. Puree with a blender
10. Heat over low heat and add cheese until melted

Are We There Yet?

Today I want to introduce you to another great friend and Missionary Mum. I met Kristin when our husbands trained together at MMS Aviation. We arrived (and left) within a few months of each other. In many ways we are on the same journey and in other ways our stories are completely different. I am so grateful that our paths crossed when they did, we have shared lots of giggles as well as lots of struggles together and as Naomi's other fairy god-mother, I am pleased to say she will forever remain part of my life! Kristin, her husband and three sons are in the process of joining JAARS a mission based in North Carolina.

Are we there yet?

How many times have we heard that from our children as we travel down the road? Annoying, right? This time I find it’s me whining to my heavenly Father, “This is taking forever. When will we get there? I can’t stand it.” 

Eight months ago we finished our assignment at MMS Aviation. We were eager to get our hands dirty and put to use all that we had learned over our 3 years in Ohio. It was in our hearts to move our family to North Carolina and pursue service with JAARS, an organization that provides practical day to day support (aviation, land transportation, water transportation, information technology, and media) to Bible translators working all over the globe giving the Word of God to people in their own heart language. We prayed, sought wise counsel, and decided to go for it. 

Thus began the process… 

We found a house to rent and hurried back to Ohio to pack our things, cheerfully saying our goodbyes and boldly moving ahead. We set up house. Paul volunteered in the hangar for 2 months and I worked to settle the children and start back to homeschooling. We all began to make friends and find activities we enjoyed. Things were off to a good start. 

January brought another round of exams for Paul, 10 days of oral and practical examination to see if he has the skills to work effectively on the mission field. It was challenging and exhausting but Paul passed (only by God’s grace according to him) and we were offered an position here at the JAARS headquarters where he would start as a mechanic and eventually participate in research and development projects that would utilize his previous aerospace and mechanical engineering experience. Sounds great, right? 

On to the next step… 

Full time missionaries working in aviation at JAARS are expected to join a mission organization, specifically Wycliffe Bible Translators. That means going through a process that includes written applications, interviews for both us and the children, budget projections, administrative details and lots of decision making. We began in February and signed as members of Wycliffe in early May. 

What that means is… 

Now it is June. In August, we will begin a time of training and partner development with Wycliffe that can last for up to two years. The rule is for us to work on that exclusively. This potentially means no airplanes for Paul for the next 18 months. It means Paul working from home with all of us doing school at home. We think it will mean time apart as Paul travels to see our supporters alone. We also think it will mean travel and school on the road together with two teenagers and a very talkative eight year old. Can anyone say “Aaaahhhhggggg”… 

Here’s another sticky detail. Throughout the process, our monthly financial support has been at least $1,000 shy of meeting our needs and yet we have not gone into debt and we are not begging for bread. Wow, right? 

So this is our way forward, narrow and “pinchey” as it may be. Would I choose it? Of course not. But I will walk it, with God’s grace and help. 

May I share with you what has become my life verse? “So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved. God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey Him.” Philippians 2:13 (CEV) 

As He is faithful, may we be found faithful - regardless of the hurdles, regardless of the time investment, regardless of the questions.

Settling in School

Tomorrow is the last day of term here at Abigail's school, CAMS here in Dodoma. Her last day in the Reception class.

The photo below shows the Early Years Centre (EYC) where the nursery and reception classes are based. The right hand side reception class building is new since I was last living and working here. It's really nice that the younger children have their own little area with separate playground.

Abigail started going to school just 48 hours after we arrived in Dodoma, at her request and has loved everything about it ever since. To the point where, when she really wasn't well one day, she was determined to go into school and still has a clear record with no days absent.

Today Abigail got her first ever school report and as well as listing all her achievements, she was described as being

'A polite and helpful student who always works diligently to complete work to the best of her ability.'

Moving children across the world can be one of the downsides of the missionary lifestyle, you just never know how it's going to go, you can just hope and pray they will be able to adjust and that as a parent you can make it as easy and understandable as possible. Having had a rough couple of months and lots of cranky behaviour between leaving the States and arriving in Tanzania, nothing could have made me and Mark happier than the fact that not only did she want to go straight to school but that she settled in really well and has absolutely thrived on it. Her reading has literally exploded in just a few short months as well as so many other things.

Every morning she has got on the bus at 7.20am and hasn't returned until about 12.20pm, five days a week. They are long hours when you're little and not used to it and I won't lie and say it's always been easy. There have been times when she has been absolutely exhausted (and grouchy) and a couple of days a week has even resumed her afternoon sleep just to cope with it all. 

Abigail's really looking forward to the holidays now ... and for the first time in her short little life has even said she's looking forward to the lie-ins!!! Something else that her mummy and daddy hope to be grateful for! If only she could convince her little sister of the same thing!

Postal Systems

While I have spouted on about my love of snail mail, Abigail especially (but Naomi too) has also caught onto the excitement and specialness of receiving things in the post!

To give you some idea of the postal system for us. Mail gets stamped in Dar Es Salaam when it comes into the country and then gets sent up to Dodoma where it is stamped again. It seems that it isn't a daily service. 

There is no home delivery service (or collection like when we were in Ohio!). To receive mail you need a box at the Post Office. Our letters and packages go to the MAF box which is collected once or twice a week. There is then a wall of 'pigeon holes' in the hangar including a 'Beckwith' one. 

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason as to when or how often post will arrive, so Mark gets to surprise us from time to time with letters ... sometimes a couple of bits or sometimes a whole pile of goodies depending how delayed each step in the system has got and there is often a backlog! It really is a BIG event in grand scheme of things out here to receive anything!

Today we got a nice little pile between us. Abigail was super excited to receive some pictures drawn by Isabelle, a friend now in Australia but who she used to play with every week in Dorset and who was born just two days after her! They are pictured together in the photo below (Abigail on the left) not long before we moved to Ohio and they moved overseas too. They hadn't even celebrated their first birthday's yet! It is hard to imagine this was the last time we saw Isabelle and her family face-to-face ... and now the girls are both almost five years old!

Straight away Abigail has been working on something to send back. It is lovely in the digital world of technology that we now live in, to see someone so little, so excited about both sending and receiving snail mail!

Last month Abigail was lucky enough to receive a parcel from her pre-school in the States, where each and every child in her old class had made her an 'I miss you' card. Those and the lovely letters that her teachers included made me all sentimental and I have to admit that my eyes did a little more than just water! It was such a wonderful gesture and meant so much to Abigail.

I'm glad that so far I'm passing on my love of snail mail to the girls. I have a feeling that living here in Tanzania will just make it mean so much more to them than if we'd stayed living in the UK as post here is just so special!

Better Than Eating Out

'Better than eating out'. That's the compliment my hubby gave the burgers we made the other day!  Having lived in the States where there are burgers on the menu EVERYWHERE, that really was saying something! They were delicious, I have to admit ... and all thanks to Jamie Oliver! 

We've made burgers before but more as a treat than out of necessity, as alternatives were readily available. Here in Dodoma, it is possible in a couple of places to get a burger but they are not worth the few Tanzanian shillings you pay for them. So, homemade (as with so many other things!) really is the only option!

Another quick trawl of the internet and we found a recipe, that when our container finally gets here, will definitely be included in my recipe box! We had to make a few Dodoma-friendly tweaks and only added toppings that are available, including our homemade caramalised onions, then served them in Maria's delicious rolls. The result being ... that they were better than restaurant burgers (and I don't mean McDonalds!), we'll definitely be having them again and we can thoroughly recommend them!

It's such an easy, simple recipe that can be adapted and flavoured according to your own preferences. I will just include the base recipe here ... experiment at will! The mince beef we use isn't the greatest and they're still yummy. Once our container eventually gets here, we'll be grinding our own meat, so I can't wait to see how they turn out then!!

• 500g minced beef
• 12 cream crackers
• 1/2-1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 egg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil

1. Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash until they are fine
2. Add all the ingredients (except the olive oil) in a bowl, scrunch and mix everything up well
3. Divide into 6 and pat and mould into a roundish shape about 2cm thick
4. Drizzle burgers with olive oil and put on a plate, cover and place in fridge, to firm them up until needed
5. Place on baking tray in the oven for about 20 mins, turning halfway through (add cheese then if you want it!) ... Jamie grills but we found baking was a great alternative and kept them juicy!

More Traffic Jams

This morning I was sitting in my car on a dual carriageway in a traffic jam! Not moving an inch!

While it may be standard practice for many of you, in your day-to-day commute or simply just getting from A to B ... it really is not the norm here in Dodoma. It's a busy town, much busier than Coshocton where we last lived but everything flows and there is not an excessive amount of traffic or even a rush hour or anything.

With one exception ... when there are VIP's here everything and I mean EVERYTHING stops. The Tanzanian Parliament is here in Dodoma and all the top politicians have residences both here and in Dar Es Salaam. You know when parliament is in session as police and military appear everywhere stopping traffic and you could be waiting for anything from a few minutes to twenty or more!

Then at some point you are treated to a 'car parade' as Abigail calls it. The cavalcade speeds through fast but is motorbikes, cars, 4x4's and they go on and on and on! Usually you hear the presidential or other jet first ... then you know there is a chance of getting stuck on the roads. The President of Tanzania has the longest entourage but other VIP's come with their own train of vehicles too.

This weekend, as a family we avoided town completely. There were way too many VIP's around for the installation of the new Archbishop of Tanzania and it would have taken forever to get anywhere. The only person we really had any interest in seeing was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who flew in for the occasion. 

Lucky for us, he flew into Dodoma via MAF and so right at airport, on arrival, we were able to see him before all the craziness really set in!

He was given quite the welcome. Bishops and clergy, politicians, tribal dancing ... the list goes on! This was his first visit to Tanzania since becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury and he really was treated like royalty.

Thankfully, the weekend went off without incident, although there was some concern before and now all the VIP's are heading out again. There isn't much here worth sticking around for to be honest! 

That means that as this week progresses there will be less and less reason for all the traffic to be stopped again and life for the rest of us lesser beings will go on without sitting in anymore jams ... until the next time!

Impossible Mountains

This weekend, as a family we received news we really didn't want to hear.

To get completely settled here we really need a car, a visa and all our belongings and this is the news we received in a nutshell ... There seems to be a shortage of reliable cars available (we need something to last us for the long haul!), yet another one we had lined up fell through. We're having problems getting our visas because of immigration changes. Without the visas our container cannot be released from port even though it arrived here just two weeks after us. It doesn't look like the visa will be issued anytime soon either!

We left the States almost 5 months ago now and next weekend we'll celebrate 3 months of being here in Tanzania. Last year, when we were looking ahead to our move to Dodoma, this wasn't exactly how we had pictured everything would work out.

By now we should have had a car. By now we should have had our visas. By now we should have unpacked everything into our new house and made it feel like home. But they were our plans and they were our timings. 

Using our western mindset, we can get easily frustrated by the situation. We expect that visas will be processed in a uniform manner. We expect that paperwork will be completed in a timely manner. We expect that there will be no corruption. We expect it ... because it is right and proper.

While I am not suggesting that the entire system here in Tanzania is corrupt or illegal, it just doesn't function in a way that I am used to. It isn't uniform, it isn't always logical and for that reason it is extremely frustrating but it doesn't mean that it's wrong.

As a family, I know we're in the right place. I know that we're doing what God has planned for us. And I know that he is the God of miracles. 

After having time to mull over the news we received, I spotted one of my girls stickers (see above). Matthew 17:20 tells us that faith will move mountains and straight away it gave me a sense of peace. Right now I have to believe that, even more than normal ... because there is going to be no other way to get through these hurdles without the odd miracle or two and without our mountains being moved!

Life here is good apart from these few major hiccups. We're enjoying the daily adventures and are surviving nicely on all the borrowed bits and pieces that our generous new friends have lent us. The day-to-day stuff is attainable, it's doable, it's how we're making the most of it. 

To dwell on the things that are out of our control would make this interim time totally miserable. We have to believe what Jesus says in Luke 18:27 "What is impossible with man is possible with God". 

I look forward to seeing just how he works all this out because right now there is no logical human route for us to take but in the meantime I'm going to help my family enjoy the ride. Because for this time, that's my job. So that Mark can work effectively in the hangar and study for his exams and so that the girls feel completely settled and at home ... even if lots of things are still up in the air.

Missing the Milestones

We've been here almost 3 months now. That's a quarter of a year!

In that time there have been many significant life events happening for friends and family. Parents of good friends of mine have died, there have been weddings, births and literally everything in between. And we've missed it all!

In fact just this last weekend, one of my cousins got married, another went wedding dress shopping for next year, my best friend throughout school announced she was expecting her fourth baby and another good friend gave birth to a beautiful baby girl!

Life goes on at home when you leave it all behind. I use the term 'home' loosely because our family and friends are literally spread out over the world. There is absolutely no way had we been in the UK (our real home country) that we would have been able to be part of all these events anyway as most were spread out enough across the world that it would have been impossible. Being so far removed from everything out here can sometimes feel like we're missing out though. 

The reality is, that our family are also achieving all the different milestones here while we're away too. Naomi was born in the States, Abigail started school in Tanzania, to name just two. Those closest to us are missing out on our lives as much as we're missing out on theirs.

The internet has helped us to keep in touch and up-to-date a lot more than the first time I lived here. I didn't even have a email address of my own in those days. Now we're sharing photos backwards and forwards, just minutes after they are taken (like the one of me and my girlies above!). Or talking face-to-face via Skype, something I introduced Maria (our house help) to the other day ... she couldn't believe it was possible!

Missing the milestones is one sacrifice of the missionary lifestyle, that you don't always consider when you're preparing for a life overseas but thanks to modern technology we are no longer so far removed from everything ... or waiting anything from 2 weeks to 2 months or longer for news to arrive via snail mail. Missing out hasn't been something that has adversely affected any of us so far and we're 4 years into our MAF/mission experience as a family and counting, so that's definitely something to be grateful for. 

Congratulations to everyone who has been celebrating exciting stuff recently ... we're definitely there in spirit, if not in person!

Bureaucracy

Today I became the proud owner of a third photo-card driving licence (although admittedly the Ohio one is out of date!). It surprises me that here in Tanzania things have moved on to something so modern ... last time I lived here it was a cardboard little booklet with a photo glued in.

The process to obtain one of these little beauties in Tanzania is quite the experience though!

In the States, all it takes is a reasonably straight forward visit to the local BMV (Bureau of Motor Vehicles) and you leave with a brand new licence. They take your details and your photo and make the card up for you there and then.

In the UK, you fill out the forms, send it all off and receive a shiny new licence in the post a little while afterwards!

Here in Tanzania, the process really is something else! 

Firstly, a trip to the TRA (Tanzania Revenue Authority) to fill out the forms and have your information put on the computer. Then a trip to the police station on the other side of the town to have the forms checked on their computer system, stamped and the classifications added. Then a drive back across town to the TRA again to have the licence processed and to get an invoice. After that you take the invoice to the bank to pay for the licence and then return several days later to the TRA to actually collect the licence, plus a final trip back to the police station to return the forms to them! Simple really!

We had a few extra steps in our process. The initial police man we saw stamped our forms but forgot to input the data on the computer, so when we returned to the TRA to get the licence processed and the invoice printed, they were unable to do so until the system had been updated. The trip back to the police station then found the officers having their chai break (tea break) requiring an extra wait before being able to get them to do what they should have done in the first place! 

We started the process a week ago and it required a lot of to-ing and fro-ing by us and two other members of MAF staff to actually get the licences (one for me and one for Mark) in our hands ... but it is one more thing on our 'To Do' list ticked off now! The experience itself was just part and parcel of getting into the swing of African life and culture really!

Just doing something that is supposed to be reasonably simple without Tanzanian assistance would have been a nightmare. We were glad to have the help of national MAF staff to walk us through each step of it.

It also helps us a little, in understanding why processing our visa is proving so difficult, as we can see how nothing is what it seems or particularly straight forward here. I am very grateful that the all the documentation and other bits and pieces in the processing of our container is being done by others on our behalf as I can imagine it will be a much more elaborate 'game' to play!!

Turned Out Nice Again!

When I lived in Dodoma last time round, we used to have an expression 'Turned out nice again'! As whether it rains at any point or is overcast, living in Tanzania you can always guarantee the sun will come out again!

There are three seasons here and they all involve lots of sunshine! The wet season is December - May. The cold dry season is June - August.  Then the final one from September - November is the hot dry season. July is generally the coldest month with averages of 26(79) high and 13(55) low. November/December is life at it's hottest, 31(88) the high and 18(64) the low. I know what you Brits are thinking, the coldest temperatures here are the equivalent of a lovely summer's day there!

Unfortunately for local people here, the 'rainy season' is often very dry. For those earning a living through their crops, it can be devastating and for many, bad rains means little or no food for their family. This year the rains haven't been great.

Last week, even though we are coming to the end of the rainy season, we were treated to regular dumpings of rain all week long ... of course, it turned out nice again after each downpour!

It really is such a treat to have rain here, so refreshing and almost worth celebrating and dancing in (the girls were playing in it with their friends!). It comes down really REALLY heavy, produces chaos on the roads and increases the potholes but unlike when we lived in the States, it does not come with the risk of too much danger in the way of tornado warnings etc. So it is much more enjoyable, from my point of view anyway! That has to be one thing I don't miss one bit about living in Ohio.

Sadly, these rains have been too little too late for many here ... please keep them in your prayers as it won't be so easy in the months ahead for those who rely on good crops.

Easter Eggs

Well, the internet is back up and running for us again for the most part ... except when we have no power and any other random time it decides to stop working. I realise that my blogging from now on will be for the most part 'business as usual' but with times when, like for the last couple of weeks, it just won't be possible! Unless I say otherwise my absences should only be temporary!

In some ways though it was nice to just have the long four day Easter weekend without having to think about blogs Friday and Monday. As Abigail went to school just over 48 hours after we arrived here, these were the first full four days we've had together as a family since we arrived in Dodoma just over 6 weeks ago and they were much needed!

It is strange to celebrate significant events in the calendar, like Easter across the cultures ...

In the UK, it really is about the chocolate Easter Eggs to a large percentage of the country. Supermarkets are stacked with them for months in advance and every different chocolate manufacturer seems to come out with their own special ones. They get stocked months before hand ... pretty much as soon as the Christmas things get taken down in many cases and are definitely there after Valentines. But Easter is primarily about the chocolate!

(It has been interesting to read about the introduction of 'The Real Easter Egg' over the last couple of years. One that not only contains the chocolate but also the Christian message of Easter on the box. I have been able to catch updates as to how different supermarkets have debated as to whether or not to sell them.)

Living in the States for three years, it was interesting to see the differences. The supermarket is stocked with Easter stuff ... but it's different. Lots of Easter baskets and plastic eggs. There are very few special chocolate eggs as the Brits would expect. Just lots of all different varieties of 'candy' to stick in the eggs for the myriad of Easter Egg hunts that take place. There's a lot more Easter Bunny stuff going on too ... having a photo with him each years is like having a photo with Santa at Christmas, just something that has to be done!

Another tradition we found a little strange in the States linked with Easter was that a lot of our church friends would get new outfits (often matching with other family members) and wear them to church on Easter Sunday and also have family photos taken in them. The  perfect Easter Outfit was something some people would be looking out for months in advance! It was just an American thing, at least where we were living!

Now in a third culture, we have just celebrated Easter here in Tanzania and of course it has been different again! There is no hype here, no tv adverts with Easter bunnies and Spring chickens, no plastic or chocolate eggs piled high in any of the shops ... in fact you could be forgiven for missing Easter altogether!

In a country that, in many reports, is listed as being roughly an equal percentage of both Muslim and Christian, public holidays are often observed for both religions but with no particular hype for any. In our family we knew it was Easter because my husband had a four day weekend and we celebrated it in church and with friends ... but for a lot of local people it was just business as usual! Interestingly without the advertising onslaught, it was almost easier to concentrate on the real meaning of Easter.

While we didn't have eggs of either the British chocolate or American candy-filled plastic variety, we didn't miss out totally! We had an Easter/70th Birthday party on Easter Sunday afternoon and during the party I had planned an Easter Egg Treasure Hunt for the kids ... hiding the eggs (shown below) around our compound, to unveil the truth of the story of Easter for me, that 'Jesus is Alive'!

As a Christian this holiday is more significant than Christmas and the birth of Jesus. This is when he paid the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of every person that has ever lived. Before he goes to the cross, Jesus has one last conversation with God. He prays about all kinds of things including his disciples. In John 17:20, though he says ...

'My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message' (italics mine)

... that means you and me! In those final hours and words between him and his Father in heaven he prayed for us too. Amazing and mind-blowing all at the same time! 

Easter Sunday is a celebration that his death wasn't the end of the story but just the beginning. Jesus overcame death and lives ... then and now! That's more exciting than any Easter Egg, on any continent, I have ever experienced!

From Scratch

I know I've mentioned since the beginning of this blog that I've been trying out new recipes and searching out new cookbooks specifically so I can learn to make things from scratch. 

Why? Because I knew that once we made it to an MAF programme, those things that we can get from the store and take for granted just won't be there to purchase. Some MAF staff live in big cities (in East Africa) but we knew that wasn't for us ... which means that there is even less available.

While a lot of my kitchen equipment and recipes have yet to arrive ... it has only reduced the extent of but not stopped the 'from scratch' cooking that is going on in our house!

I fully appreciate that many people living in the UK or America like to make things in the same way even though ready made options are available and we did a lot of that too. But when you're having a busy week, you know you can always go and pick up a loaf of bread from the shop, buy some coleslaw to add to a meal or have a couple of frozen pizza's on hand as a back up. Here that is just not an option ... unless it has been made from scratch in your own kitchen beforehand.

It is not even that any of these things are particularly difficult to make. Given the time we could all do it. Here you HAVE to make the time or you can't eat them. Simple as that. There are no 'convenience stores'!

So, in the last few weeks we have enjoyed bread, biscuits, coleslaw, yoghurt, potato salad, caramelised onions, pasta sauce, chapati's and many other things ... but only because we've made them ourselves.

A lot of people have asked me, exactly what I will be doing, while Mark is busy fixing planes. In time I've no doubt that I'll find something to get involved in but in the meantime, the amount of preparation that goes into just running a house and getting food ready for a family of four is plenty to keep me out of mischief!!!

My Promise

Promises are important. Teaching them to little people is important. Modelling the 'keeping of promises' is also important!

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a promise as ...

'a declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen'

Recently I seem to have been making a lot of promises to Abigail. Ones that I know I can keep ... Ones that I make sure I do. So that she can knows she can trust me in the little things now and when I promise something bigger in the future, she will know that she can continue to trust me.

When we were still living in the States, I made a promise to my family, that I know I will have trouble keeping ... but a promise is a promise and so with their help, I will!

My promise was, not to get involved in anything or volunteer to help in anything for the first six months that we are here in Tanzania.

Does that sound like a strange promise to you? Or one that is easy/hard to keep? Why on earth did I make it, I hear you say! Does it make any sense whatsoever?!!!!

Here are my reasons ...

• Lots of missionary families start out with the best intentions but get involved in too much too quickly ... it's easier to say yes further down the line, than to say no after you've started being involved in something - I have already seen enough things that could fill up all my time and more if I had said yes straight away and we have only been here for 3 weeks! I want a chance to get a good overview of what I can do.
• Some missionary families don't stay the course because some or all of the family members don't settle properly - my primary goal in the first six months is to make sure that we are all really settled and our home really does feel like a home.
• Sometimes missionary families have been known to put their work before their families which doesn't always produce a healthy home life - as we have already moved across the world twice in the last four year I am choosing to put my family first for the time being.
• I had the privilege of being at home during Abigail's early years as my visa in the States wouldn't allow me to work. Now she is at school I want to enjoy that privilege with Naomi too ... they are only young once and I will always cherish the years I have been able to have with them at home. There will still be plenty of things for me to get involved with once Naomi is in school too!

It has already been difficult for me not to step up to fill multiple needs, as that would be the most natural thing for me to do. Areas where I am more than capable of taking a part and many that I used to be involved in when I lived here as a single girl, once upon a time ago, as well! But this time round I am a different person with different responsibilities ... and with a promise to keep to the most important people in my lives!!

Getting Creative

Right now we're in the middle of packing up once again ... this time from the UK, so not a whole house and our entire lives but an awful lot of stuff nonetheless. Some of it we brought with us from the States and lots of it we have bought since we arrived in England.

We still have three more sleeps til we fly but already we have packed five cases and it hasn't been too stressful at all ... yet!! Packing does require a little creative thinking at times, balancing out the belongings, getting the weights right ... and of course getting as much in as possible!

A lot of the stuff we are taking is practical, some electronic stuff that we couldn't get in the States, toys and lots of books for the girls, toiletries that will be hard to come by, clothes and a whole load of other things! One thing that we have included is some 'fun' stuff for the adults as well.

I love my crafty stuff and have grown my collection in the States, as well as my skills. Now I have paper-craft bits and lots of material for quilting too! You may remember I posted a photo of some material some time ago (Friday Night Fling) ... for those of you who were interested, I completed my second quilt in November and was able to give it to my mum for Christmas.

In order to be effective in what we'll be doing through our commitment to MAF  in Tanzania, we will need to have some quality down-time while we're there too. While a lot of things won't be as easily accessible living there we've made sure that amongst all the necessary things we've included in both our shipping and our packing, there are some 'unnecessary' bits too!

I'm just hoping it all gets there in one piece. We had news today that our container is due to arrive in Tanzania a few days after us which is great. Definitely reassuring as I spotted an identical container driving on one of the main roads here in the UK yesterday ... that would be one mighty detour! Not sure how quickly after it arrives that we will get to see our things but I just hope that my crafty stuff comes through all the checks OK, so I can start on a new project once we get settled!