Welcome to my blog for my summer 2013 trip to Tanzania! I would like to use this blog as a way to keep my friends and family back home updated on what I'm doing while I'm away. Hopefully I will be able to periodically post updates while at the orphanage so all of you can experience a little of what I'll be experiencing as it happens!
Preparations
Four weeks from today, I will be on a plane to Amsterdam to make my connecting flight to Kilimanjaro to begin my time in Africa! So far, I have been making many preparations for my time away. These have included getting the necessary vaccinations and medications. Since I was vaccinated before my trip in 2009, I only needed a hepatitis A booster and a seasonal flu shot. And as a standard practice for trips to this region, I will need to take anti-malarial medication before I leave, every day while gone, and after I return. I have also been gathering comfortable clothes for working at the orphanage and overall preparing for the life changing experience I know I'm going to have while in Tanzania!What I'll be Doing While There
I will be staying at Neema Orphanage for nine weeks, which is located very near to Mt. Kilimanjaro. I will be helping with basic tasks at the orphanage and possibly interacting with students my age at the adjacent school. For about ten days in the middle of June, I will have the opportunity to join Pastor Chad and the rest of the group from Prince of Peace Lutheran (located in Brooklyn Park, MN) on safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and an excursion to Bukoba (near Lake Victoria in the northwestern part of the country).Why I'm Going
I went to Tanzania in 2009 for a two week "vision trip" with my church, St. Matthew's Lutheran in Chester Springs, PA. We visited Neema Orphanage and Irente Children's Home, Kusheyeny Lutheran Church, and a trade school for disabled students, and we also went on a 3-day safari and to the beach on the Indian Ocean. I was in awe of the whole country the whole time I was there, and when it was time to leave, I didn't want to return to the US. I felt called to stay, and I have felt called to return ever since I left. However, I never thought that I would be able to return so soon or for so long!This past fall, as I was thinking about my plans for this upcoming summer, I messaged Pastor Chad on Facebook, who was the pastor of St. Matthew's until August 2011 and organized all our trips to Africa, asking if there was a possibility of returning to Tanzania this summer. He responded with an emphatic yes, and everything fell into place from there! I have received a lot of unexpected financial support, which I am extremely thankful for. Special thanks to St. Matthew's Lutheran for my $1000 scholarship and to Pastor Chad and Prince of Peace Lutheran for making sure my living expenses while at the orphanage will be covered!
I am also super excited that one of my best friends, Rebekah Forsey, gets to experience Tanzania with me this summer! She will be meeting me in Tanzania about three weeks after I arrive, and I am so excited that I get to spend my summer in Tanzania with her!
Rebekah prompted me a couple months ago to think about why I was spending so much time in Tanzania, and after thinking and praying about it, I would like to share with you all a little about why I have felt so called to spend this summer in Tanzania. When I was there four years ago, I got to worship in a church on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro with residents of the local villages. Upon our arrival, they immediately welcomed us with breakfast. Following the service, we were treated to a huge feast including potatoes, plantains, chicken, coffee, and a whole roasted goat they had prepared just for us. Their hospitality and kindness was so immense, even though they seemed to have so little. They only had a small set of silverware, which the guests were given to use while the rest of the congregation ate with their hands. While in worship, the congregation raised their voices loud and strong to praise the Lord and were excited to hear Pastor Chad preach through a translator.
I realized then that these people may not have luxuries like I do on earth, but they strongly trust and believe that their God in heaven will provide for them what they need. The faith these people have in their Heavenly Father is remarkable considering that Americans usually look at the average Tanzanian as being severely lacking in necessities. I try to keep this in mind in my life, as I have been very blessed and sometimes I forget that.
This summer, I am hoping to learn everything I can about the Lutheran sisters at the orphanage, the others that work to make sure the orphanage remains open to provide for the children there, and everyone else I meet in Tanzania. I know that God is going to change and teach me so much through my experiences in Tanzania and although I am nervous about this journey, I am trying to trust as much as possible that it will all be for the best.
To wrap up, I am super excited to be preparing to leave for Africa, and I am super excited for all that I will experience while there! Thank you to everyone for all your support and I look forward to sharing my journey with you.
Natalie
