Pictures, and a glimpse of life here!

Below are a few pictures I thought I would post. No pictures of the kids yet though! We thought it would be best to leave our cameras behind for the first week, and focus fully on just being with the kids. The first is a picture of the current progess of the new orphanage being built. The second is one of my favorites from the serengeti, a lion cub playing with its mother. The last is our team as we were entering Tanzania!

There has been a lot to soak in so far in my time here. Things are the same yet very much different here in Tanzania compared to Nairobi. I will try to describe parts of life here so far the best I can. We finally have power which is really nice to have! But, we still do not have running water, and do not have any idea when we might have it. Something I am learning is to just go with the flow. You could have something planned out and the next minute you are headed in a completely different direction to do something that had nothing to do with your plan.

There are two main modes of transportation in Tarime that we use. The first, and what we use the most is our own two feet :) As we walk each day to the orphanage or other destinations, it will never fail that we will hear the word “mzungu” (which means white person) yelled out multiple times. Kids will wave to us or follow us. Some of the youger ones will run up to us and want to walk with us for a while or for us to pick them up. I also enjoy trying to respond back to people on the street when they greet me in Swahili…I am learning the proper responses slowly. The second mode of transportation is called the piki-piki. It is a motorcycle, and you just hop on the back behind the driver. They are fun to ride, and we use them if we need to get somewhere quick, or if it is getting dark, we will use them. There is also a taxi driver in town as well if we need to call him.

It is always uplifting each time I arrive at the orphanage and I am greeted with a hug by almost every kid. There have been encouraging and discouraging times in my time with them, yet I am slowly falling in love with each and every one of them. Trying to figure out how to be most effective at the orphanage has been a challenge, and I know will continue to be for a while. There are times when the communication barrier leaves me feeling useless, which is not a good feeling to have. I am slowly learning a few key points from those who have been here for a while. The first is that sometimes, to go and give one or two hours of my very best to the kids is better than being there for 4 hours and not giving them my all. The second is to go with something planned. To have a game or an activity, anything that we can do with them that communicates in a different way than words. I have learned that the times I feel I am connecting most with the kids, is not through words, but when I am interacting with them through games or activities. I am able to show them that I do care about and love them just by taking the time to sit down and do an activity, or play a game with them.

These are just a few of many thoughts I have thrown together. I hope that this gives you a little glimpse of what it is like here.

In Christ with love,

Jordan