Saturday, May 26th:
Jombo and Karibu to the latest blog post from the team in Tanzania.
These past few days we have been on safari, viewing the beautiful creation God so masterfully put into motion. It has truly been a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Thursday morning we woke up early to leave for Tarangire National Park. We stopped by to visit a local village of the Maasai tribe and learn more about their lifestyle, then we continued on to our final destination: Tarangire National Park. On our safari we saw giraffes, elephants, warthogs, impala, baboons, ostriches, huge termite mounds, and a bazillion different birds.
Friday we went to the Ngorongoro conservation area, the key feature being an extremely large crater which is the remnants of a volcanic explosion of apocalyptic proportions. It was one of the most breathtaking sights we had ever seen. Throughout the day, we saw more elephants, baboons, warthogs, ostriches, and birds, as well as lions, hippos, zebras, elk, buffalo, hyenas, jackals, wildebeests, a rhino, and a {huge} python.
And lastly, today, we woke up before the sunrise and left to spend time with two different tribes: the bushman tribe, Hadzabe, and the blacksmith tribe, Datoga. We danced and hunted with the Hadzabe tribe, and then we had the chance to practice our hands at archery. We then were able to learn more about the Datoga tribe and make flour out of corn, and watched how the tribe melted different metallic objects to fashion into anything from arrowheads (which were traded with the Datoga tribe) to bracelets. Then, to end the day, we took a hike on the outskirts of the Ngorongoro conservation area to view a beautiful waterfall and see the elephant cave (which had actually collapsed a few months ago due to rain).
It’s been a refreshing few days, but I’m excited to start working alongside the people of Tanzania, once again, providing healthcare. These people are so kind and grateful, it’s an honor to be able to serve them in such a manner.
Keep us in your prayers as we enter into the last chapter of our trip. There’s still a lot to be done that God has planned for us.
-Courtney Riley
