Back to Dar Es Salaam ~ Our Mission in Kenya

In the previous post I showed pictures of our Saturday trip to Kilungu Hills. Sunday was busy as usual with Primary duties and teaching piano lessons. Then we made a flying trip (literally) to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Monday we flew down and Tuesday we flew back. Sadly, one of the senior couples, Elder & Sister Jones, needed to return to the US due to health problems. So we went down to bid them farewell and to help train Elder & Sister Munson to take their places in the Dar office.

Peggy is enjoying her piano lessons. You can tell that she practises at home. LeRon used to think his piano teacher couldn't tell when he hadn't practised. But now that he's been teaching for several months, he says that the teacher can definitely tell!

Sister Okila and Sister Auma serve as missionaries in the Langata Branch that we live in. We took them home from church and saw their nice flat.

And in the bathroom was . . . Sister Auma's hair drying on the tub. African girls braid fake hair into their naturally wiry hair. It's not always black. Sometimes it's blond, sometimes it's red and sometimes it's who knows what other color.

And out Sister Okila and Sister Auma's window is the largest slum in Africa -- the Kibera Slums. They told us that it houses 800,000 people at last count. The sister missionaries go into the slums a couple of times a week but only with a priesthood-holder man to accompany them otherwise it's not safe. They have to be out of the slums by 5 p.m.

They said that the shacks are tiny and very close together, usually with an open sewer running between the shacks.

The sisters told us that not everyone who lives in the Kibera Slums are poor. Some even have cars and plenty of food. Why do they live there? Because it's cheap. Not for me!

The Kibera slum covers a huge area of Nairobi. Most parts of it don't have electricity or water. An outhouse (really just a pit) is used by up to 20 families. Trash is thrown into pits also. I can't imagine living this way. No wonder some people smell really strong, especially if they don't have water to bathe with.

Monday we drove to the Jomo Kenyatta Airport, which is 40 minutes to 2 hours drive away from our flat depending on the traffic. This is the entrance to the airport. All passengers have to get out and walk through a little building with a metal detector, just like inside the airport. Then the passengers wait on the other side for the drivers to get their vehicles checked and to drive through.

This is the funniest sign ever (read the boxed instruction bottom right) and it's just after you go through security and enter the gate area. Who would bring firearms or a harpoon in their luggage?! And how would you get this far with things like that in your luggage?!

Now here we are in Dar Es Salaam. (Dar Es Salaam still sounds like Jerusalem to me when you say it really fast). Elder Torrie (right) is helping train Elder Munson in his new office duties.

Agnes is a huge help to Sister Jones. She's a returned missionary whose Swahili really helps Sister Jones. She also gets the best prices at the market. L-R: Agnes, Sister Jones, Sister Munson (who will take Sister Jones' place in the Dar office, which is in their home).

Elder Jones and Elder Torrie both served in the same mission in Japan over 40 years ago. Their brothers both served missions in South Korea, and their fathers both served in the Great Lakes Mission over 60 years ago. What a coincidence. So here we are saying farewell: Elder & Sister Jones and Elder & Sister Torrie.

As always, I like to snap photos out the window. Didn't turn out too well but I was intrigued by the huge bundle on that man's head. In Nairobi, only women carry things on their heads but here in Dar, lots of men do too.

Always fun to see people on the streets. So colorful too.

And the tuk-tuks are interesting. LeRon and I rode tuk-tuks in Cambodia, or was it Thailand but they are against our mission rules here. So we just drive ourselves.

More street scenes in Dar.

Lots of westerners wanting to do good send clothes to Africa. Most of the clothing ends up being sold on the street.

Colorful things sold on the street.

There's a huge Muslim population in Dar Es Salaam and actually all over Kenya and Tanzania. This part of Dar has lots of goats and food processors for the Muslim diet.