Day 10 : Market and Farewell Dinner

After ten incredibly exciting days, today we leave you with our final entry, and we cannot express how much we appreciate the prayers and love that we have received from you all for this trip. From months of preparing for the trek to our return journey back to our regular lives, you have been a consistent support system for which we are eternally grateful. We look forward to sharing with each of you about our experiences and how God has moved within us when we get to reconnect.

For half of us, that journey home will begin early tomorrow morning while the other half have opted to continue exploring the rich culture and landscapes of Africa on a variety of safaris.

For today, though, after a lazy start and breakfast on the veranda, we dove headfirst into the hustle and bustle of the local market places. For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to explore an international street market, I would encourage you to do so. It is very different from the Wal-Marts, Targets, and malls to which we’re accustomed, and it gives you an appreciation for the “hunt” and the “haggle” that these salespeople thrive on.

You never know what you will find in one of these shops, so patient searchers are rewarded when they discover the perfect bracelet or carving to commemorate a journey. Perhaps your interests lean more toward a basket for a kitchen table or a hand polished chess set for a study. Maybe it’s a piece of artwork or even a blanket that you need. No matter, with the right temperament, a dutiful searcher can find just the right thing.

But hunting is only half of the excitement for a market-goer. Within most artisan cultures, including the market we started at today, the salesperson expects to haggle and barter with a shopper. After all, they value their products, and they appreciate the opportunity to get the most for them, and in my experience, there is a level of respect given and received for engaging in this game.

As one might assume, this creates an urgency that fills the air with energy and anticipation. But you can’t lose your head in the buzz. Just as you need patience to search for just the right thing, you also need patience and street-wise wits to combine items for discounts or simply volley opposing offers with the shopkeeper until both parties reach a satisfactory agreement.

Within our group, we had a mix of eager and passive shoppers who were either ready to knock out long lists or simply walk around looking at the fares on display.

Once our group had our fill of the first market, we went to a local pizzeria where we reflected on our trip with Papa Deo, who had rejoined the group for the day. It was refreshing to hear his insights as we shared our different reflections on what God had been doing in us during the climb. His words affirmed some lessons and illuminated others so that we could see them more clearly. The Holy Spirit moved strongly through our discussion and prayers then, just as He did in the calm moments we had on the mountain. It was a beautiful, contemplative pause in an otherwise bustling day.

Before heading back to the hotel, we swung by another market. This one was a bit more formal which meant no haggling, and despite a wider variety of items, its organization allowed us to be more streamlined in our explorations and shopping.

After an exciting day in and around the city, we gladly returned to the hotel to rest and to get a head-start on packing before dinner.

A few hours later, we reconvened in the lobby to head to the Coffee Lodge (remember Tanzania is famous for its coffee beans), which is an elegant resort restaurant with some back patio seating where we could all reminisce on the last ten days and laugh about all the fun we had. In addition to our individual reflections, Pete Hiskey offered some words on the importance of remembering God’s providence in times of need. As a memento and a tangible tool to help us all remember our time, he and his son, Michael, presented each member of the group with an rock shaped like Africa, which they had collected on the trek. We also shared group superlatives, which were such a fun way to laugh about inside jokes and funny instances that resulted from the delirium of climbing and the altitude.

As the evening progressed, the following themes resonated throughout our conversations: being strong and courageous, relying on each other, deriving greatness through humility, transforming dreams into reality, and overcoming fears. All in all, the food filled our stomachs while the conversation and company filled our souls.

In reflection, we see that, for each of us after summiting the mountain, we had additional cornerstones to our lives, each serving as an anchor to counter the weight and pressure of the world. Instead of breaking, bending, or even crushing us, we know that God will see us through the challenge we may face, not for our glory but for His.

-Greg