By David Sinclair

Greetings…

The team departed Dar Es Salaam in 4 vehicles at a 4:58 AM for our 470 mile trip to Makambo. It was a beautiful day to travel across Tanzania as cloud cover kept the temperature at a moderate level. The trip went about as smoothly as possible with only one minor vehicle breakdown. A quick 15 minute repair by removing a part deemed not necessary and we were once again underway. It looked important to me, but what do I know?

For those new to the team, the highway through the Mikumi Game Preserve provided a great glimpse of Africa. Impala, giraffe, elephants, cape buffalo, zebra, and baboons were all in view from the highway. We also got to see a lone wildebeest — a rarity! The real sight was the people along the highway. For 470 miles and 13.5 hours, we saw how life occurs as we observed a nonstop parade of children playing and going to school, people working, walking, riding, traveling, and dealing with adversity. The adverse situation was what appeared to be a horrible vehicle accident that occurred during the early morning hours. A vehicle apparently plowed through a herd of cattle that had wandered onto the highway and we observed how the side of the highway became an instant butcher shop — nothing is wasted here.

We are now at the Durban Park Inn in Makambo and have finished dinner and our briefing on tomorrow’s plans. The temperature is dropping rapidly this evening (45 degrees), but our spirits are rising as we anticipate meeting our Safwa brothers and sisters tomorrow around 1:00 pm. We covet your prayers as the journey continues.

Blessing all,
David