Tanzania Tuesday 8/4-Arriving at Irente

If you read down to the post I did on Saturday 8/8, you can read a little bit more about our arrival to Irente. I will just say again, that none of us has ever experienced a welcome like we did when we arrived. The drive to Lushoto consisted of many hours on a highway (actually a paved road) and then the last part of the trip takes you up the mountain. When I say "up the mountain," I really mean up the mountain. When we would look out the window it sometimes appeared as if there was no edge, just a cliff. That was sometimes a good point to just start looking straight ahead, or close your eyes and go to your "little happy place" (I visited that little place often that first ride up the mountain) :). As an aside,by the end of the two weeks none of us thought twice about driving the windy narrow roads on the cliff while riding sideways in the car. We were all riding sideways in the car going up a mountain, over looking beautiful valleys. Again, it was breathtaking. We all had so many pictures of mountain scenes, but the pictures don't capture the depth or really do the beautiful view justice. What is not so beautiful is the motion sickness that comes along with a ride like this. I think we would all agree that whoever invented those motion sickness patches you can wear, or the maker of the medication, Bonine, should be granted some award. Those things saved many of us!

When we were almost all the way up the mountain to Irente we heard a band playing. As we got closer, we saw it was a band in the back of a pick-up truck. Pastor Joyce said "That's for you." Children from the village started chasing the car. Chuck mentioned that he had never before been important enough to be chased. Pastor Joyce also made sure we heard that the band was playing "Rock of Ages" as we drove up the mountain to Irente. Adults and children were following us and waving at us. We had our hands out the window waving right back and I think this was the first time we really used our Swahili as we shouted "Jambo," which means "Hello" back to them.

Before I talk about our actual greeting from Irente, I think it is important to note that we were hours late getting there. They were expecting us around 2 or 3 in the afternoon and we did not arrive until between 5 or 6. We had to stop at the bank on our way from Moshi to Lushoto so that we could exchange money and this process took longer than anticipated. We were in the bank for well over an hour. I have to say that Tanzanians are some of the most patient people I have ever met The lines in the bank were incredibly long. Some people that were in line when we came in where still in line over an hour later when we left. But there was not a single complaint about this. Some people waiting for us at Irente did end up needing to leave Irente before we arrived, but most of the people stayed and waited on us for hours.

The actual Church at Irente is situated on a hill. So, our car stopped at the bottom of the hill and Pastor Joyce told us we would get out there and walk. We did this, shoulder to shoulder, with those from Irente, up to the church and then listened to the many songs they had prepared for us. We were greeted like royalty. We were in disbelief and we were overwhelmed. We climbed out of the car to strangers who were hugging us and singing to us and giving us flowers. It took only a few seconds for our tears to come. We were just completely overwhelmed by their unconditional love and joy over our arrival. We saw the face of Jesus in each one of them as they loved us and greeted us as if they had known us their entire lives, not as the strangers from another country who were hours late.

And that quickly, we were no longer strangers.

That was the moment that Irente was no longer a place on the map, it was a place we belonged to.

That was the moment that being Brothers and Sisters in Christ became real.

I will repeat what Pastor Sharon said that night, because it is something I won't ever forget.

That is God's Grace.

They are a living example of what it means to love unconditionally.

That love does not come with strings attached.

We don't deserve it.

We do nothing to earn it.

But it is there for us.

Thanks, Irente, for showing that to us.