Christmas and more



"Christmas Lizard"

Christmas came and went very quickly.

Before Christmas we attended the celebration for the confirmation of the daughter of a colleague. It was a big event which was to start at 1:00 according to our invitation but never began until 3:00. It was a very important day for Elsie who had committed to follow Christ. There was music, dancing, speeches, prayers, a lot of good food and gifts. It was a truly wonderful experience. We had to leave early at 6:30, as we were attending a Christmas Candlelight Service at the Anglican Cathedral.

The candlelight service was also very good. It was an excellent build up to Christmas. We love singing Christmas carols and of course it was followed by refreshments, food and fellowship. We went home with our hearts and stomachs full.

We drove to Dar es Salaam on 20 December to pick up Ron’s sister Frances and her husband Alar at the airport on the 21st. They arrived safe and sound in a down pour of rain. It was good to have some family around for Christmas, as Tukista and Lily had gone to spend 10 days with her family at Iringa.

"Christmas Table"

Christmas day we went to church, then the four of us spent a rather quiet day. Christmas dinner was a roast chicken. It was a relaxing and reflective day.

"Resting after a giraffe meal"

CCT was closed from the 20th December to 4th January. We took advantage of that time to visit Tandala Tented Lodge where we stayed for 4 nights. It was a wonderful break. One day we went on a safari to Ruaha National Park. There were many baboons along the road to the park as well as antelope, giraffes and elephants. In the park we got to see close the previously mentioned animals plus hippos, buffalo, greater kundus, warthogs, crocodiles, zebras and lions. We were very, very close to the lions. They were resting after a feast of giraffe and we drove between the females and cubs and the male who was guarding the remaining kill. We were only about 10 feet from a female but she wasn’t interested in us….. thank goodness as we were in an open jeep. It was great! On the lodge grounds elephants came everyday to get water from the pond the lodge owners kept full of water for them.

"Tarzan and Jane at home in their tree house"

We had our anniversary at Tandala and Ron had arranged for a special dinner for us. We ate a delicious meal under an African sky full of stars. It was wonderful. He still surprises me after all these years.

One day as we were driving down the road, we had to stop for an elephant to run across followed by another and then the third - a big male chasing the two younger males. He was angry….. he took a few steps towards us with his ears flapping…… Ron reversed the truck quickly ……. and he decided he’d rather chase the young males away. Whew!

After the Christmas break, Frances started helping out at The Village of Hope, which is a catholic orphanage, primarily for HIV/AIDS affected children and orphans. She spent 3 weeks with them and enjoyed her time there very much. They want her to come back. Ron went back to his office at CCT and Alar and I started to fix up and paint a CCT house that had been empty for 2 years. After a great deal of elbow grease and help from Ron and Frances when they finished their other jobs, we got it ready to paint. Four weeks of work later and it is just about ready for our colleague to move in. It just needs some plumbing done.

With one week left before Frances and Alar’s return to Canada, we took a holiday with them. We went to Tanga and stayed at Peponi, a rustic resort on the Indian Ocean. Ron, Frances and Alar went snorkelling one day and had a wonderful day. I stayed at camp and relaxed, not being a swimmer. We then went to Zanzibar for three days and enjoyed every minute. We went on a tour of Old Stone Town and a Spice farm. On February 1 it was back to Dar, dealing with their traffic and then saying goodbye to Frances and Alar, as they left for the Canadian winter.

On 3 Feb, we celebrated the Dedication of the Land for Life Programme.  Eight beneficiary families and many volunteers participated in a short worship service to dedicate the site and then everyone set about clearing the land and preparing garden plots.  A brick making machine has been purchased and all is ready to begin constrution of the first eight homes.  Please go to the News & Events of the CCT website for more information and pictures: http://www.cct-tz.org/