Munkundee and her Family...

    I wanted to write a separate blog about the part of town I visited that is one of the poorest in Arusha. It is called Sokoniwon(that spelling could be real wrong)...As you drive through the narrwow, bumpy, dusty, crowded road of this area you see poverty. You see kids in dirty, ripped clothes, skinny dogs, people everywhere just sitting or cooking up corn on the cob on small grills, or these tiny little goldfish that get roasted as well. 

    There are kids not even 5 years old carrying babies on their backs. The streets are filthy, but the smiles are many. It truly is an amazing place beneath the surface of what you see with your eyes. You must meet the people that live there, be one with them, hang out with them at their homes, meet their children, eat their food, help with the cooking, scrub laundry with them, and that is exactly what i did.

  The mama's name was Munkundee and her daughter was Neema. The mama greeted me with a huge hug and kisses and we were off to eat lunch at her house that afternoon. There were 4 of us in this group. We all split up with the Younglife crew from Arizona and took off...

   I followed Munkundee through narrow passages and over wooden boards to get to her one bedroom home with a sofa and 2 chairs. 

  All 4 of us got to work. We were greeted so friendly by neighbors of Munkundee and they all got many laughs as we attemped to cook on the tiny stove outside, doing laundry with a bar of soap and a bucket(i wasn't so good at that), and just enjoying the time spent learning from these women and what their lives are like each day. 

   We all had the best time ever, it has been one of my most memorable times here in Arusha, but i dont think they know how much i truly was blessed by their presence. They all had big, gorgeous smiles, they shared their love, and their hearts for Jesus. They rely on Him for everything. It is amazing to see this with your eyes, to feel it, to see the overflowing love from these women who work so hard, doing so much everyday and do it with a smile.

   I was humbled. I was joyful. I was in awe of these followers of Christ. I was touched by them and pray that I will always remember my time at Mama's house.