Heri got it!!

Hello hel-lo-ho!

Look what has happened!?!  Yup, its the Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO)approval...   Finally!

 

Here's the main man Heri, centre, with Thomas and Jez after a key prayer time.

 

We want to thank God and tell you that CAS (Central Aviation Services) has been granted the AMO.  Halelu-Jah!  Heri, MAF's ex-chief engineer down in Dodoma, along with us and "team" has been waiting and praying and working and persevering, petitioning God and the Aviation Authority in various offices in order to gain the AMO, something we've been working on since we arrived. 

 

Central Aviation Services is up and running, independent of MAF.  Glory to God!

 

It's a wonderful legacy for MAF to leave in the nation and means we here in Arusha can continue with the vital work of reaching isolated communities secure in the knowledge that our planes can be reliably and efficiently maintained to the high level assured by Heri et al....we are so pleased, it has taken almost a year of waiting for the wheels of Government to turn! 

 

Well now we’ve just worked out that a month from today we shall be visiting Papua New Guinea and three months today we shall be on another plane headed for Home Assignment in good ol’ Blighty!!  This means 3wks of work then 3wks away (2 of which are work and one of holiday/celebrate Jez’s birthday/get over 50+ hours actual flying time alone, minus all the hanging around, waiting for flights) with a final 6wks here in Arusha, with at least 5 lots of separate non Tanzanian overnight guests and a gzillion tasks to complete ... and realised we haven’t even shown you “our street” yet... without further ado then:

 

Coming out of our gate and looking up the road to Scripture Mission compound where the MAF office is, so no reason to be late to work (or home! ahum!)  

 

 

 

 

 

Looking down towards the main road – not certain how we shall negotiate it when the heavy rains arrive, its pretty treacherous!

 

 

 

Just to our left of the above picture is the quarry, about 300mtrs from our gate – VERY narrow road currently with nothing to stop the earth becoming saturated, mud sliding and road disappearing....!

 

 

 

 

 

The quarry below us, to the right of where the lady is sat

 

Think we may have showed you before: rocks that were hacked out of the quarry, this size:

.....are smashed into tiny pieces .... supervised by a minder who speaks pigeon English as opposed to the hardworking ladies who sit all day, every day, saying “salaama, salaama” to greet us!  And no, they don’t want their photos taken thanks very much!  It's a local dialect they speak, frustrating (OH UNDERSTATEMENT) not to be able to communicate more than smiles and waves...besides they're too busy, not permitted to stop.

 

 

 

Some of the local housing....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Inspector called....and praise the Lord he granted the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) for MAF TZ to continue flying for one more year.  He was due Monday and arrived Tuesday.  A good example of the difference in cultures.  In Africa “time is coming” and there’s plenty of it so why rush, whereas in our Western minds we’re of the opinion that time is rushing, slipping away from us and we must seize every moment and fill it!  QUITE a lesson for us to learn and put into operation – the heat helps slow us down of course but we couldn’t possibly convey the frustration often felt ....”poley poley” is the phrase on everyone’s lips “slowly slowly”........

 

Now we are up and running - well flying, hahaha, with both regulatory requirements fulfilled.  We now await the buyer to actually  complete payment for the Dodoma compound A and then we can finalise paperwork and tick another box.  

Finally, this coming Monday the new finance officer begins :o)

 

So on a happy and relieved and grateful note we'll close with a picture of random pineapples growing.  Why?.. just because ...

Love from Jez and Carina xx

Breeze

 

Hello once again and thank you for the anniversary greetings ... we've not been to the post office yet but I hear there is some reeeeallll mail there awaiting us!

 

We had an amazing weekend away (and Jez didn't take his laptop)....

 

 

We were the only overnight guests at the Lodge - the chef thanked us for giving staff something to do!  It was a real anniversary treat, to be away from the dust, mozzies and heat, enjoying some welcome breeze up near Ngorongoro Crater/Conservation area, if you're familiar with Africa and this wonder of nature.  We didn't have the time/inclination/fees to go into the surrounding park but enjoyed the surroundings nonetheless!

 

 

These Maasai folk welcomed us, as they do all visitors... the Lodge employ local workers from surrounding villages to clean, guard, etc., wearing their traditional clothing mostly, with woolie hats and coats over the top in the chillier months!  All around northern Tanzania the local Maasai really do wander around dressed like this in their shukas, with sticks, employed wherever they can make a living now that so much of their pastoral land is taken, sadly.  MAF have flown many medical and evangelistic safari's to some of the vast and isolated regions - even this past week - where hundreds and hundreds have Jesus as their personal Saviour :o)

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the pool/view towards the Crater by night where we could watch the sunset... bliss: "from the rising of the sun to its setting, the Name of the Lord is to be praised"

 and lovely by day too...... the water was fabulous and cold, thanks to the (ahhh!) constant breeze - I took several delicious dips!

 

Here's the view from our room... its also the view from our bath tub and outdoor shower!!  Such luxury, such fun!  Both provided excellent places to rest, where we had time to read, think, talk and pray.

     

We have now booked our flights to Bangkok to join the other MAF Programme Managers' Conference and then God willing shall fly on to Papua New Guinea to see the work MAF undertake to reach the isolate communities, separated by vast spaces of hills, valley's, mountains and tribal groups (with their 800 separate languages!)...beautiful bath tub eh!?

  

 

Flora and fauna and bird life were all very different from down here, incredible sun birds and song birds, we even enjoyed a large nest of love birds tweeting and sqwarking in our eaves... they were too shy to be photographed....fabulous colours, all of them.

 

 

 

 

Any idea what this plant is called?.. see how dry and cracked the ground is!

Up here the short rains were November and December, the longer rains are now due, hence we've spotted a little cloud cover - March to May we can expect them, apparently. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our 3 hour drive took us past "Lake" Manyara.... spot the brown muddy looking puddle, almost empty.  The area is normal of outstanding beauty, with tree climbing lions!

 

 

 

 

 

    

Back home we've managed piles of paperwork and prepared for upcoming visits.  You might notice the large yellow and black butterfly and pretty pink petals/bush but behind it you'll see electricity pole/cables - not much more than "decoration" at the moment it would seem.  We have been experiencing power cuts like those back in the days of the UK miners strike in the early 70's!  It makes work VERY tricky when much of it relies on technology.  We don't have the luxury of air conditioning but even a simple floor fan helps WHEN we have power - at least the defrosted fridge/freezer decides what we shall eat for our dinners (romantic, candle-lit but which adds to the lack of air/heat!)  The Government promise to sort out the power issues by the end of June, just when we're due to leave and just prior to their elections!  Think of us when you next flick an electrical switch...

 

A little information on Arusha, to close with :

Arusha, meaning "rising sun" in Hindi, has a large Asian/Hindu community; it is northern Tanzania’s major commercial centre and the country’s undisputed safari capital, with both a local as well as an international airport. There are many NGO’s and missions, and a large expatriate community.  It can be found on the eastern edge of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, part of a fault in the earth’s crust, stretching 6,500km from Israel’s Jordan Valley to the mouth of the Zambezi River, halfway down Mozambique!

 Thankfully Israel's elections went well this week....and our Oli and his Lizzy had happy birthdays!

We have the AOC Inspection on Monday, feels a little like Ofsted (eh, Asher!).  Happy resting a wee bit :o)  Sending our love to you,

Jez and Carina xx 

 

 

Meltinggggg

Happy 26^th wedding anniversary to us :o) we're celebrating a little early, going away for the weekend, up a mountain where its cooler, hopefully....with all the power cuts  (no fans, nothing electrical at home) we are melting: last weeks' lovely gift needs eating, even tho' the marshmallow pictures look far too nice.... spot anyone you recognise?

 

YUMMM

 

 I put the butter next to the fridge, not in it, for an hour or so...don't want to keep opening the door and warm everything up; we're surprised not to see any ants floating in it - you should have seen the pizza: I thought all the little black bits were simply seasoning :o( oh well, folk eat all sorts here! 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice flowering bush eh, to mask the water tower, now emptying fast as we await the overdue rains - winds are blowing from the north and causing "dust devils" that swirl, snap and overturn things!   We thought Dodoma was dusty....

 

 

In the office with us this week we’ve had Andrew from Uganda to help out with all matters financial and ease that hat off Jez’s head a little; we’ve also been interviewing for the new finance officer to join the team and had 6 hopeful candidates in to meet, praying Gods’ guidance over each: sadly we had to let the last one go.  Pilot Kerstein has spent the week flying the medical staff from Haydom Hospital to surrounding isolated areas, while his wife grows their baby (she also works with a local “women’s project”).  

 

Also this week we've been preparing for the visit of Aviation Authority inspectors so that we can renew our AOC for the next year.  After such a big year of transition its going to be interesting to see what happens!  Steve, our Ops Director is in Mbeya (about 800 kms south west of us) and the engineering is about 400 kms south of us - for many years it has all been under one hanger roof in Dodoma!

 

Jez often “works remotely” with Steve in the south of Tanzania (next to lovely wife Debbie, left in the piccie), who is taking us out “out of the office” and shares about how he serves with MAF:

 

 

 

“I flew Dr. Erick from Mbeya along with a dentist and nurse for this visit.  No patients were seen, rather the time was spent touring the facility and talking about how they can help with eye consults.  Since another great need in the area is for dental work, it is expected that a dentist will come on every clinic as well.  Dr. Erick is very impressed with the facilities and says that with what is presently there, he could provide even minor surgeries.  Future plans for the dispensary include an operating theater, but until that is in place, cataract surgery will not be possible.

 

The Mercy Medical Missions dispensary has been operating less than three years.  It is

located near the town of Kapenta near Lake Rukwa, just below the escarpment of the rift valley; this dispensary is the only medical service available to around 100,000 people in this valley area.  Kapenta has no government dispensaries, and is in fact more isolated than most villages in the area.  The district capital of Sumbawanga is about 2 ½ hours’ drive away if there are good conditions (for those with access to any vehicle).  MAF helped with clinic flights previously with Ifisi Hospital in Mbeya.  There are around seven predominant tribes inhabiting the area, including a large influx of Sukuma people over the past several decades.

 

Kapenta is in the part of Tanzania that is “famous” for witchcraft activity, missionaries will attest to the overt spiritual struggle taking place in and around town.  They work with a local

pastor who has a strong personal testimony and calling to work here.  The clinic endeavors to have an evangelical impact, with prayer conducted with every patient, Scripture offered, and Christian videos played in the waiting area.

  

We have been flying to Ngwala only every other month, and that only in the dry season.  Kapenta airstrip (photo here) is maintained by the the missionaries there, and as such should remain useable year-round. 

 

This work represents a worthy and valid effort on the part of MAF and the partners.  Despite perceptions of “advancement in infrastructure” in Tanzania, the residents of these villages are still very isolated and forgotten, and only a short 45 minutes’ flight from Mbeya."

 

Right. Must go and pack:o)  Have a good weekend. 

Fond love to all, Jez and Carina xx

March!?!...

It's March!!  We've been here in Tanzania for a year now, we must be having fun as time has flown (no pun intended!!)  We continue to await the rains to cool our temperatures and dampen dust levels; we're particularly glad for the (shared) use of a washing machine now that we no longer have our lovely mama Ruth with us - oooh you'd be amazed how grimy everything gets.. and how quickly! Often before I take the items off the line grotty brown marks appear, simply from the amount of grunge in the air!

 

Anyway, how are you ... has spring peeped her head through the soil yet.... oooh daffodils, crocuses.... ah me!  I recall snow still falling on Jez's birthday in May whilst serving in Sweden... I guess there are no spring flowers there yet then!  Pole!! ("sorry").   Seasons seem to blend into one here, tho we are assured it will soon get "cold" .. yeah, right!

 

Without further ado mama Kambanga will continue to take us to another of the local villages which MAF regularly flies her to, not only dealing with the physical but also the spiritual needs of the people:

 

MPAPA

Recently an evangelistic team did a four day safari to Mpapa and a lot of great things happened there. For many years now Mpapa has been under the control of the powers of evil, and the community lived in fear.

 

Teachers, doctors, nurses, church leaders and even village elders were scared of working for fear of witchcraft and being bewitched. Lots of people died under mysterious circumstances. The pharmacist was greatly disturbed by knocking on the doors of which he could find no one. The village elders were scared of working in the local offices preferring to work outside. Every time they went into the office, they encountered disturbing and scaring noises. Church leaders would suddenly fall ill and on occasion die. Therefore, every leader assigned to go to Mpapa was scared of going and when they went they did not work.

 

 

 

 

The evangelistic team preached of the power in the Name of Jesus. Those who had the powers of darkness and witchcraft came to believe in Jesus and turned away from that work.  Haleluya, they found freedom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tools of their trade were given up, burnt and destroyed by fire. That was when the whole village became peaceful. The leaders and other workers worked in peace without being scared. They believed the name of Jesus is all powerful and could see the results.

 

 

 

 

 

The Good News really is good news to these villagers.... and many many like them, in an environment that is so superstitious and where the physical and the spiritual are closely linked.  This week in the BBC News Monday 3 March, an account regarding "lucky albiono" people!!

"Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete has vowed to end the killings of albinos, which he said had brought shame on the East African nation.

"I'm shocked and saddened at the sudden upsurge in these macabre killings," he is quoted as saying in a TV address.

Albino people, who lack pigment in their skin, have faced attacks for their body parts, which witchdoctors believe bring good luck and wealth.

The president said such beliefs were false and fuelled the "ongoing evil".

 

Witchdoctors banned:

The UN warned last year that attacks on albinos were on the rise ahead of elections later this year, with politicians turning to witchdoctors to improve their luck.

"It is a false belief that if someone has the body part of a person with albinism, this will bring success in business, fishing and mining activities. This is what has been fuelling this ongoing evil," Reuters news agency quoted President Kikwete as saying in his monthly national television address."

 

Much work to be done still in this nation.....and very probably where you live too, just more hidden!

So here are some more facts you might find interesting:

>  MAF flies around 20,000 nautical miles every day

>  MAF carries out 250 flights every day, more than 10 every hour

>  An MAF plane takes off or lands at least every 3 minutes

>  MAF flies 637 passengers and nearly 22,000kg freight daily (not including passenger

baggage allowances)

>  MAF does around 167 hours of flying per day

 

Meanwhile back in the office there's a mountain of paperwork to plough through and interviews to arrange/prepare for the new finance officer role.  We've also had requests for help/advice from our YWAM Scotland friends (1989-99) and also Sweden (2011-13!!)....but look what arrived today: a very thoughtful package with a sweeeeeet gift, gratefully received: A,L,L,lb :o)

 

We best crack on then, two planes to 'keep in the air' this week: Kirstein in the Dodoma region and Steve down south in the Mbeya district - we'll hear more from him next week!  Pilot Jarkko is busy 'training' in Nairobi, where Logistics Stewart has just returned from; Pirita's busy managing office 'stuff' and Emmanuel flight following!  I best nip back and get the washing in before it needs another rinse!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have electricity today so are sending this early, just in case ... :o)

Love and greetings

from Dick Dastardly and Mutley (you can decide who's who!) xx

.. "catch the pigeon, catch the pigeon" ...