Trip to the Village

Today Holly and I got to go with Jason Miller to a village church. On the way we experienced the landscape around Mwanza and were amazed at the gigantic rock formations. It seems the area we went to is having a shortage of rain, so please pray that they receive the much needed water. 

The man below is a leader at the church and was by far the oldest man we met. He was so friendly and open. Sharing a meal of ugali and fish was a great way to have community with him despite the language barrier. 

Once I pulled out my camera, it was a mad house. Every member of the village wanted me to take a picture of them and see what it looked like. 

Everyone smiled the entire time we were there. It was so welcoming and refreshing. 

I guess he just liked having a bucket on his head...?

All in all it was a great day in the village!

We have arrived!

We have made it to Tanzania! We stayed in Arusha for the first few nights. It was a beautiful town which sits in the shadow of Mt Meru, the sister mountain of Mt Kilimanjaro. This is a picture of the mountain at sunrise from the top floor of our hostile. 

Sunday we arrived in Mwanza, where we will stay for the next month before we go to language school. The missionaries hosting us are AWESOME!! They have opened up their homes and invited us into their lives, so we can learn from them and begin to get a handle on life here. Below is a picture of the Linderman's house, which is where Holly and I are staying.

We also plan on traveling some during this time before language school. We hope to visit some missionaries in Uganda and the girls will be going to the East African women's retreat in Kenya. So we thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and get driver's licenses and cell phones. The keys you see below go to the truck which will carry us on our many journeys. It is a truly a blessing!

Below is a picture of the Nissan Hardbody itself. It has been an experience learning to drive in africa, not only because you drive on the left, but also because it is the first time Holly and I have driven stick! We are doing well and learning fast. Today I even drove to town for some errands. 

The missionaries have taken the opportunity to take us to some of their favorite restaurants. Below is a picture of Mwanza from Tilapia, a nice little restaurant connected to a hotel on Lake Victoria. Most of the other restaurants have been local cuisine, and don't make quite an impressive panorama. The food has been great so far.

The rock below doing a balancing act is known as "Bismarck Rock." It is quite famous throughout the area, a perfect time for a photo-op!

We plan on traveling to Geita next Monday and spending several days. It will be Holly and my first time there, so pray for a good introduction! 

Grace and Peace, Carson and Holly

13 hours and counting

We leave, today. or tomorrow. but, technically today, because it is after midnight. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of packing, preparing, and goodbyes. It is hard to believe that it is actually time to go. It was just barely a year ago that we joined the team. The time has flown. We are sad to be leaving so many friends and family, but anxious to see this place that God has called us to. 

Also, I should mention that we have reached our goal for one-time support!! It has been so amazing to watch God provide and we thank everyone who has been a part of it. We are still seeking monthly contributors. As of right now, we have $2,075 committed per month and are in need of an additional $810. We are continuing to trust God to provide for the work He has called us to. 

Please be in prayer for our travel.

Going Away Bash

Our good friends, Adam and Jessie Daniels, threw us a going away party last Friday. It was so great to spend some time with friends, many whom we had not seen in a while. Below are a few pics from the night.

Courtney and Me

Carson, TJ, and Jessie

Erin, Catia, and Me

The Whole Group

A Sendoff at Westwood

Sunday night, Westwood Church of Christ(Carson's home church) had a sendoff for us. It was our last time to be there, since we have other places to be the next 2 weekends. It was a wonderful evening. The elders prayed over us which meant so much. Coy shared some very encouraging words. There were finger foods afterwards, and so many people encouraged us with their kind words. We are so thankful for the support of so many. It was a very special night that I am sure we will look back on for a long time. Sorry, no pictures. I guess we were just too wrapped up in the moment to get out the camera. : )

March 1st

me, curt, and a little bit of lisa

 To say that time has flown would be an understatement. Today is March 1st, meaning we have arrived in the month that we will leave. We have a daunting list of things to do and people to see  in the next 18 days. We are continuing to raise support and praising God as funds come in. We hope that you will join us in that praise. He is a God who comes through. 

Also our team website is now up. For anyone who'd like to take a look it is missiongeita.org. We'll get a link to it on this page sooner or later. (When I say "we", I mean Carson)

And because I know pictures make posts more interesting, here's one from lunch with family a couple of weeks ago. Ok, so the picture is at the top. I wanted it at the bottom, but that's cool.