Fun Times in Dar

In addition to our ministry objectives, our trip to Dar ended up feeling like a little vacation. We have never taken a vacation as a family. Any time we have left Moshi, it has been to go to Kenya for ministry reasons (medical camps) or to take care of family things or do things we can’t get done in Tanzania. They have been busy, tiring times. This weekend away was very restful and fun.

It was Eli’s first plane ride. It was less than an hour and he did pretty well. He just got a little antsy with the seat belt, but overall he liked it. On the way home, he slept the whole time. Must have been due to waking up at 5:10am while in Dar!



Chuck and Eileen’s house was very comfortable and welcoming. It was very nice and felt like a hotel because they have a few things we don’t in Moshi like AC, ceiling fans, hot shower, oven and a washing machine. Even the bed and sheets were extremely comfortable. Eli had his own special little bed too. In preparation for our arrival, they stocked the kitchen with special items for us.

Both of them were extremely kind and accommodating to Eli. In someone else’s house, we take extra care to make sure he is quiet and not too messy, but they were quick to reassure us that he was very much ok to be free. They took interest in him and played with him often.



He had a blast “helping” Eileen in the yard. They have chickens, guinea fowl, a turkey and a dog which was fun for Eli.



Eileen spoiled Eli with new books and a toy to encourage math skills. Eileen home schooled their children so I got to learn a lot from her about that which I appreciated since that will probably be what we do with our kids here.

Our time in Dar was full of both relaxing downtime at the house and out doing fun activities. On Friday after we arrived, Eileen took us to a hotel on the beach where we swam in the pool and played on the beach. This was Eli’s first time at the ocean so it was extra special. I miss being close to the ocean. Just being there filled me with peace. It has been three years since I have been to the beach. I had to hold back tears. The tropical environment added to the vacation feel of the weekend. I just loved it.



On Saturday, Eileen took us to a mall! Wow… a real mall! It was so exciting to be there. We ate gelato and walked around the shops. For lunch we went to Subway! A real Subway! It was the same as in the US and was such a treat for me. It was the first American food I have had in over three years. Who knew a sub sandwich could be so delicious? The cookies were great too!



That night, we made pizza at the house. It was so fun and yummy.

On Sunday we went to church with Chuck and Eileen. It’s always nice to visit other churches. They also go to a Swahili church (as opposed to one aimed at foreigners) which we like. After naps for all of us, we went to another hotel for dinner. It was also on the beach and very delicious. I had the “Catch of the day” which was Red Snapper… my favorite!



On Monday morning, it was time to head home. It was a quick weekend, but awesome. Both for us personally and for the ministry. Thank you Lord for this special time.