Doesn't time fly!

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun, eh! Amanda has been here with us for 3 wks and now its time to say cheerio...kwa heri until next time!

She and I are spending her final weekend in Dar es Salaam before she flies back to the UK, hopefully with a completed dissertation! Then Jez will meet me for our long awaited trip to Zanzibar, to meet up with Oli (safely returned from Afghanistan: he was there almost as long as we've been here!) and his Lizzy, for a little celebrating of a birthday and our silver wedding anniversary which we couldn't do in March with being rushed to arrive here for a handover of the Programme ... grateful for 25 1/2 fabulous years! Whilst there we're also planning on taking some time to pray and process thoughts of our next step with MAF, wherever in the world it may be :o)

Here in Dodoma planes continue to need expert attention in the hanger, tho for us personally this week has been slightly slower, thankfully ... plodding through piles of admin and paperwork, entertaining 'angels', overseeing maintenance, ensuring the compounds look reasonable, showing prospective buyers around the properties for sale here - its a tad-tiring business!

Ensuring we don't get too weary from working long hours, 6 days a week we've made the effort to not sit and vegetate on our day off, not that we've done much in the way of sightseeing or walking but here are a few local pictures of 'high' points: Lion Rock (yes, it really is called Simba!); Tanzania is such a beautiful place - sadly my mini ipad doesn't capture an ounce of it!

Our final photos are of a few more friends!

From Zanzibar we shall be going north to work in Arusha for a few days, be there to 'open' MAF's new operations; we're running a mini-induction weekend for the newly formed team and we'll "see you" when we're back here, early September. Hope you're enjoying some lovely summer weather and even a wee holiday yourselves maybe? So doooo tell!

God bless you - thanks for praying with us during this season of change, a transition time for many.
Our love,
Jez Carina and Amanda X

Would you like to buy a house ... or 20?

It has been a good week here - na wewe/and with you?! Jez has done lots of negotiating regarding properties and they are out to tender with a couple of dozen interested parties; we are praying for the RIGHT people to purchase these two compounds plus another couple of assets, and in the RIGHT timing. We have 3 international staff engineers who are still busy working away on aircraft in the hanger here, that's two faithful families remaining plus one single chap - several visa's and bits o' legal paperwork are awaited for their next steps.....we need to juggle timing with their departures too, oh yes, along with ours...so we are skeleton staff, still with loooooads to do, a few locally employed staff assisting thankfully; we're trying hard not to be pulled in too many directions.

Its been great having Amanda live with us, energetically getting her teeth into the nitty gritty of life/needs in Dodoma, writing her dissertation when not out there serving

Here's are some photos from round 'n' about here ...

Are you interested to see the local diet? These were taken at Safina Streets Kids ministry: thank you to those who have sent money for their food - they are thankful too :o)

....and a few more sights to close with - glad you're keen to see some more pictures from "our world" over here, of us and our friends! Thank you for sharing our journey with us, it means alot

Happy weekendi !!
(if in doubt add an "i" to make it sound like Swahili!! lol)

Gods blessings, love from us three, Jez Carina and Amanda too X

did you know..

...that the word safari simply means "journey" in Kiswahili!? ...

Well, what a journey we've had this last fortnight... l-o-n-g hours on Tanzanian 'roads' driving over a 1,000 miles (which is nothing to many of us on good roads) to collect, deliver, meet and enjoy ..... we saw many sights, some fabulous and awe-inspiring giving us ample reason to worship our wonderful Creator, other sights sadly dreadful..... so without further a-do here are some pictures, mostly taken from a vehicle

This is Amanda on the left. Often through a haze of dust we followed the Meders family with their belongings in our mini-bus, to relocate them to Mbeya

...no pleasant service station to stop at on our long journey so we did break overnight at the fabo Kisolanza Farm - for a late afternoon tea, just before sunset.... and even a bath tub to unwind in (will spare you from the photos, haha)

Once we reached the Mbeya region the traffic increased considerably

The Meders will be working for Mbalizi Evangelistic Centre - we stayed in their "guest hotel" where we took the opportunity to sit outside to work in the fresh air (chilly: needed jeans, socks and fleeces-such a novelty) with such beautiful surroundings for a few days, meeting with our Wycliffe/SIL partners/pilot seeing the airport and ministry work...

The surroundings were rich in colour, so beautiful...Dodoma is flat, a semi arid desert, so we really enjoyed Gods Creation around us ...hills and trees and greenery; we took a 24 hour "coffee break" at a fabulous coffee lodge amongst some fragrant pine trees nearby (almost reminded us of Sweden!) to discuss some facts, figures and future plans

Soon it was time to collect Amanda from the airport with a 9 hour drive (en-route back) to our "safari": a birthday treat - a month early, for a day at Mikumi game park ...... we'll save you any commentary as we share a few photos

I'd like to say we stayed at this lodge... our overnight stay was, er, rather more basic... but a coffee-stop here with fabulous views was a treat, those sadly not captured with my mini i-pad

So that was our past fortnights' adventures... our drive back was somewhat marred as we passed at least 10 dreadful road traffic accidents where we learned many had perished, thankful to be back 'home' safe and sound.....last few photos of views en route:

Now back in Dodoma the next task is to see these many MAF properties marketed and wisely sold; a few MAF and visiting aircraft continue to be maintained by a small, faithful crew enabling some of the vital medical/evangelistic safari flights. Amanda will join a couple of those into the bush to see first hand how vital MAF planes are in facilitating medical help and sharing of the Gospel in isolated places;she is currently spending days with Andrea and Safina Street Kids at their drop-in centre, foster home, dump and meal centre, deworming today I believe, visiting some local clinics whilst attempting to write her dissertation evenings/in between times!

Have a good week; next blog might be more words and less piccies!
God bless you and TTFN
Jez & Carina xx