red knot racing company

Red Knot Racing Company is the premier luxury endurance racing company serving Tanzania.  They provide their racers with the opportunity to run and bike in some of the world’s most beautiful locations, both comfortably and in style. Red Knot’s luxury racing packages are all-inclusive, their tour groups are small, and their itineraries are custom designed for endurance athletes with distinguishing tastes.

Currently, Red Knot Racing is offering a special on their 2013 Kilimanjaro Marathon package which, in addition to the race, includes luxury accommodations, dining, and wildlife viewing in four Tanzania game parks, a host of really great extras while there, and an American endurance athlete host and guide.

That host and guide… me.

on running in rural tanzania

“How’s the morning,” he offered as we passed one another.

His words were twisted and accented, though, making them sound more like, “Za asubuhi?“

I was so happy I didn’t even notice.

I’ve been running in and around Geita town for three years now.  And this was the first time I’d ever passed someone else running for exercise.  He was Tanzanian, probably 20 years old, and jogging slowly up the hill in our neighborhood.  I was jogging down the same hill.

missionary predicament: machine gun bribery

A machine gun hung from his neck, resting just above his belly like an incredibly dangerous bib, the kind you’d never want your kid to wear.  He stumbled over to our truck and began to greet me.  His breath wreaked of alcohol.

brett’s morning blend (16feb12)

Grab your coffee and enjoy the links.

The Importance of Roughhousing With Your Kids

This just in from The Art of Manliness blog: good fathers wrestle with their kids.  It’s really beneficial to their development, guys.  Go on, put your kid in a headlock.

missionary stress and 95º living rooms

I’m a relatively laid back person.  I don’t generally have high stress levels.  I think I adapt easily and quickly to any number of factors that may change in either my surroundings or my responsibilities.  

But it’s been a rough couple of days.

arrivals

“She’s throwing up!  She’s throwing up!”

Those were the first words spoken to me in the United States in 2 1/2 years.  And they were offered by a stranger describing Baylor’s first ever action on U.S. soil.  An action I didn’t so much need described, however, as the girl was in my arms and her vomitus was enveloping my clothing and bags.

lazy… or efficient?

I’ve got a big, blue Diadora duffle bag with which I like to travel.  So the other day when I needed to pack for our furlough to the states, I grabbed it.  It was heavy.  

my recent absence and permaculture

The last week has been crazy busy.  I slept in six different beds in six nights.  Only one was missing a mosquito net, only one was missing a pillow, and only one was missing a sheet for cover.  Five of the six, however, were missing my wife.  [Guess which bed I liked the most?]

I was in Musoma studying an approach to agriculture and living called permaculture.  I’m sure I’ll be writing a few posts about permaculture later, but for now I’ll point you to some reading material that might be useful or interesting:

• Permaculture at Wikipedia
• Introduction to Permaculture
• Kinesi Village Permaculture Demonstration Plot (where I studied)

Because of my travels, aliens and strangers was a little different this past week — though I did manage to get a few posts scheduled to publish before I left town.  I’m not sure next week is gonna’ be a great deal better, but I’ll try.  We’re leaving Saturday for Rwanda, where Christie will be attending a women’s retreat, and I’ll be preparing a few team documents and doing some sermon writing while keeping Baylor in a house that belongs to some missionary friends of ours.

So I may be scarce over the next ten days, especially in the comments section (not sure if we’ll have internet at all while in Rwanda).  Bare with me, though, and your life will be filled with rainbows and kittens.  Promise.

one thing i’ve learned… (2)

One’s willingness to wait patiently is generally tied
to the perceived importance of the task at hand.

**********

We’re currently in Mwanza for various and sundry errands, the chiefest of which is to request from the government renewals for our residence permits.  I first went into the immigration office on Wednesday, and (as of Friday at 2:00pm) we’re still waiting to receive these stamps in our passports.  Two days of waiting to be given permission to remain in Tanzania for another two years is not a big deal at all, though.  I don’t mind a bit.

However, I could not have been described as patient when I waited 2 1/2 hours Wednesday in the police station in order to pay a $0.35 charge.  Irritated is probably the word that comes to mind.  I couldn’t help but think about all the other things I could have been getting done in Mwanza (or at least I could have started the process of waiting on several of those things).

I waited 150 minutes at the police station.  Compared with two days (as of now) waiting on immigration.  My patience increased dramatically with the importance of the task at hand.

When does your impatience show?

prayer and the ambiguous direct object infix

image courtesy of heavenawaits

[I'm building a small soccer field in my back yard.  We moved a bunch of dirt around to make the yard level.  Then we added manure and planted grass.  The grass is growing, but it'll be three or four months before we can play on it, I think.  But that's all besides the point -- just a little aside.]

---

Five Tanzanian guys helped to plant the grass on the soccer field; and we got it all done in one day.  Christie and I wanted to feed the guys a good Tanzanian meal, so we asked Margaret to cook for the guys — and to cook something they’d really enjoy.  She did.  And the guys anxiously awaited lunch.  

Once we were all washed up and the food was set out, we decided to pray.  Not all these guys are religious, so I asked Kulwa (a Christian) to pray before our meal.  After some discussion as to whether he should pray in Sukuma or Swahili (Swahili was decided upon), he bowed his head and began by saying:

“Tumshukuru.”

Translation:  ”We should thank him (or her).” Or even “Let’s thank him (or her).”

See that little ‘m’ towards the beginning of the word?  That’s a direct object marker; it tells us we’re thanking a single person (or being, in this case).  Kulwa could have said, “Tumshukuru Mungu,” and it would have been a very specific, “Let’s thank (him) God.”  

But the him is assumed when preparing to pray, right?

Not if you’re Oscar, one of the other guys in the group — one who was not so accustomed to praying before meals.  He heard, “Let’s thank him/her,” and quickly responded aloud, interrupting Kulwa’s prayer with an emphatic, “Thank you, Margaret!”

We all had a good laugh.  [Except maybe Kulwa who possibly thought Oscar's comments sacrilegious.]  In the end, though, God was thanked, Margaret was thanked, the guys where thanked, and I’m going to have a beautiful (yet small) soccer field.

Also, it’s always a good idea to thank both God AND the cook for the food.