Sunday = Funday (Part 2)

The Sunday after Jenny's birthday we were invited by another MAF family, The Parkers, to what is known as 'Flamingo Lake' but actually no-one seems to know it's real name (click on the link to see exactly where it is on Google Maps)!

Andrew is a MAF pilot based here in Dodoma and had recently flown over the salt lake and spotted what he thought would be a good spot for a picnic/BBQ while transporting evangelists and medical workers to work in remote areas. So after church we headed off in convoy to find it! For us it was really exciting because it was the first time in the four months we've been here that we've actually left Dodoma ... it's only a 45 minute drive but it felt good! About 10 minutes into the adventure Abigail even asked 'Are we still in Africa?'!!!! 

Here were a few of the sights on the way ...

Although we were travelling together, just in case we lost the other family, the instructions were keep driving until you see the dried up lake and then turn right following the dirt track with the 'lake' running along the lefthand side! As you can see from the photo below, the lake has been dry for so long that there are big trees growing in it. The lake should be right next to the road on the left ... but it just doesn't exist anymore!

A few more twists and turns later, a dry riverbed or two and we were almost there! We laughed to ourselves that you would pay to go off-roading like that back at home in the UK ... for us it's just part of going on a picnic!!

The adventure of getting there was totally worth it. We found a great spot to 'set-up camp' for a few hours and surprisingly, were pretty much undisturbed the whole time we were there!

While the Daddy's were busy setting up things ... including the BBQ, the rest of us (two mummy's and four of the five children!) took a walk towards the lake and the flamingo's, who didn't really seem to notice us being there.

The kids had a blast in the muddy dirt at the edge of the salt lake ... probably mixed in with a ton of flamingo poo too! Abigail even took a tumble. It definitely became a shoes off experience for them all!

The location was amazing, the company was lots of fun, the BBQ was delicious and the big rocks were fun to climb. It was a really great way to spend a Sunday lunch/afternoon!

We had such a good time that the Parkers have put out another invitation to a lot of our friends here for another trip to Flamingo Lake again this weekend. The convoy will be a bit bigger this time round but we've no doubt it will be just as much fun!

Sunday = Funday (Part 1)

We have got into quite a rhythm now both in our day-to-day routines and in what we get up to at the weekends ... including Mark cooking his girlies a big breakfast on Saturday mornings!!

These last two Sunday's have been a little different though and a refreshing change for us. On June 2nd it was Jenny's birthday. After being spoilt with some cards and presents over breakfast (at 7.30am), Abigail soon declared 'From tomorrow morning Mummy will have to wait a long time for her next birthday'! The rest of us thought we might enjoy this birthday first!

After church we went out for lunch to the Chinese restaurant at the Dodoma Hotel (one of only two places that are really worth going out to!!), so no cooking for the birthday girl! We had lots of fun being silly, taking pictures of each other round the table and enjoying the yummy food.

There is a little playground outside at the Dodoma Hotel and the girls couldn't wait to have a play after the meal. It is a little dilapidated (like there is a big hole at the top and the bottom of the slide, making it un-slidable) but it didn't stop us having fun. As you can see some little people were a bit more adventurous than their two years should make them!!

In the afternoon we went to celebrate the 1st birthday of a little Australian boy along with some of our friends! He was a little bit taken aback by the 'firework' candle ... but very much enjoyed eating the chocolate cake! The observant among you will spot 2 candles on the 'No 1' shaped cake. The second one was for Jenny!

As Jenny isn't into cake all that much, she decided to experiment a little and bake birthday croissants instead ... a treat we used to enjoy in the 'real' world but can't get here! We have a dodgy oven which likes to blast top down without always cooking in the middle thoroughly, so for future reference we will need to be a little bit more careful but they didn't turn out too badly for a first attempt! 

We invited our neighbours in for tea ... birthday croissant style and had various sweet and savoury fillings for them!

Once all the munchkins were asleep, the adults reconvened to watch Les Miserables (one of Jenny's birthday presents!) ... in amongst the power cuts!!!

It is thirteen years since Jenny last celebrated her birthday in Dodoma. Do you know what though? She celebrated it in the very house that we now call home, never envisaging that she's be back as a MAF wife, with two children in tow celebrating it here again! It certainly was a fun day!

MAF Tanzania Celebrates 50 Years!

On May 10th this year, MAF celebrated 50 years of serving in Tanzania. (We mentioned it in our last blog post)

Last week in Dodoma we had a big staff meeting and celebration in the hangar to mark the occasion. Bengt the outgoing Tanzania Programme Manager (from Finland) and a couple of others, came up from Dar Es Salaam for the occasion.

The morning started shortly after 8am and had Swahili/English translation throughout. It began with a short devotion led by Bengt. 

While most of the MAF kids were at school, some of the little ones joined us for the occasion. Naomi and her best buddy, Grace enjoyed reading and playing with their Daddy's and didn't make too much noise!

We had a brief history of MAF and also an update on the current situation and staffing which is something that is constantly changing. As well as some personal memories of all MAF has meant here in Tanzania, in Dodoma in particular.

There was also the opportunity to honour several members of staff with certificates of appreciation and a small gift. Some of them have worked for MAF in Dodoma for 10, 15, or 20 years.

As with all good celebrations there was some delicious food to enjoy together ...

... before everyone got presented with their new MAF polo shirts! This is us with our neighbours.

Here are the majority (but not all) of the MAF Dodoma team who were there for the morning. Some of the countries represented are Tanzania, Kenya, England, Northern Ireland, France, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

At the end of the time, we had the opportunity to say thank you and goodbye to Bengt for the work he has done here for the last couple of years as Programme Manager. He had a chance to say a few words and was presented with some gifts and then as a team we prayed for him and his family.

It's amazing to think that MAF has been here for such a long time and it's really nice for us to be here to play our part in it!