Mungu ni mwema kila siku.

I intended to update this blog while I was in Tanzania, but unfortunately the internet connection there was a tad lacking, so I was forced to wait until I arrived home.

The trip this year was absolutely incredible, and I know I'll never forget it. It was my fourth trip there, but somehow it affected me differently than the past trips. It hit me harder, closer to the heart, and pulled me nearer to my Lord, for which I am very thankful.

We began the trip with a visit to an orphanage, something we've never done before. The kids there arrive as infants and only stay until they're three years old. At that point, they either go to another orphanage, are given to a family member, or are adopted. The kids are absolutely precious. As soon as we arrived, a little girl walked up to me and tugged on my shirt. When I looked down, she held up her tiny arms, wanting me to pick her up. I picked her up, she told me her name was Nina, and she wouldn't let me put her down until our group left (then she screamed). Most of the children wanted to be held, but some of them were scared of us "wazungu (white people in Swahili)" and screamed when we got anywhere near them. After watching us for a little while and realizing that we only wanted to play with them, they let us approach and even hold them.

After the orphanage, we had our "fun day." Our fun day is usually a glorious safari through the Ngorongoro crater, but this year we decided to do something a tad different. We took a tour of a snake park! It was called a "snake park," but it contained many other creatures in addition to the snakes. We saw crocodiles, owls, camels, snakes, and even mice (but they were just being fed to the snakes..)! They allowed us to hold the crocodiles and snakes, which excited some of us and scared the rest.

I have run out of time for the day, but I will return to tell the rest of my adventures in Tanzania sometime soon (hopefully!). Just imagine giant, humpy beasts, walking miles upon miles in the dirt, and sharing God's Word with many people, and you are grasping the tail end of what the trip held in store for us.