"Thursday morning at 6 am is loading time," said Fred. And so we were up and ready to load, saying goodbyes to Steven and Simeon again while Juma (driver) loaded and tied down the luggage. By 6:30 we were on the road, all 8 of us including Juma and Fred for the 4.5 hour ride to Mwanza. Shoehorned in yes, but we had all become good friends during the Project and the trip was over before we knew it. The AC didn't quite reach the back seat so Jane, Tammy, and Jack might say that it was longer than they had hoped, especially the last half hour as the temperature outside had climbed!
Along the way, Fred pointed out the Aggregate company that was making the pea gravel for our bricks. These are mostly women using fire, water and hammers to make large rocks small, and screening them for different sizing as per customer order.
Once we arrived at the house in the compound where Fred and Leisha had arranged for us to stay, all was well as we unpacked and prepared to go to a small resort on the beach where we could have our lunch.
After a leisurely couple of hours of waiting to eat, the food came and we were ready for it! We met several of Leisha's friends from other Missions who were stationed in Tanzania and Kenya and then we headed back to our rooms to catch up on some sleep.
Supper was at a shoreline restaurant with an absolutely magnificent view of the lake and the setting sun. Leisha's father Sam joined us as well as the Otieno children. The food was amazing and after we ate, the Team took some time to highlight things that we appreciated about the Otieno family. The Team then handed out thank you gifts to Fred, Leisha, and the children.
After returning to our compund, Terry said goodbye to the Team, since their return journey starts Friday while he, Sam, Fred, and Juma will return to Shirati and beyond for some future project research. "Pickup at 4:30 am to beat the traffic," said Fred! "Ohhh Kaaayy," replied Sam and Terry.
This is the last day to day Blog Post. Look for a wrap up once we have all returned to Canada. FYI, the Team will report on the Shirati 2019 project at Shantz Mennonite Church on Sunday, October 20, at 9:30 am for the service and 11:00 am for more photos, in depth information and Q+A.
Thank you to all of you who followed us along the way, and for all the thoughts and prayers. They were so appreciated!