Just one year ago, I was just finishing up a two and a half week trip to Tanzania with a group of travelers from three churches, including St. Timothy. One year later, it is interesting to see which memories and experiences have stuck with me in profound ways. There are a solid handful of them, and one of them was our day of home visits to AIDS patients in the town of Mto wa Mbu with Mama Sara, a volunteer at the clinic where we were working.

Packing light - only a water bottle

The day was going to be hot, and we were going to be doing a lot of walking. I can see clearly what I wore that day – lightweight khaki cargo capris, a loose and light brown cotton shirt, a headband over my hair, a scarf thrown around my shoulders to keep off the sun, and comfortable walking sandals. After debating whether or not to carry a backpack full of just-in-case items like my camera, Band-aids, and extra sunscreen, I decided to carry with me only one thing: a water bottle. And I left the rest behind.

Our first visit was to a young woman named Rukia, who lived with her mother, Zubeta, in a small, two-room mud house. Zubeta greeted us and ushered us in, pushing us back into the bedroom, saying, "Sit on my bed," and finding an array of stools and seats so that we could all sit and visit together. So surreal: here I was, sitting on a bed, squashed into a tiny, dark, dusty bedroom, sitting between Matt and lovely Rukia, being cared for by two women who have next to nothing, who were quiet but absolutely pleased and grateful for our presence among them. There was a surprising lack of cultural divide.

I was glad in that moment to be carrying nothing but some water. I was glad, when Zubeta repeatedly urged us to sit on her bed, not to have had a backpack to shove out of the way, or a camera to have taken up extra room in my lap. In her vulnerability, Zubeta wanted me to have a space to sit, and in my vulnerability, I accepted her offer. I was amazed in that moment to have received hospitality even as our group was seeking to show hospitality. There was nothing to get in the way.

Jesus said to the disciples, "Take nothing for your journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them."

In Zubeta's house, sitting on her bed.  (She is the one in the purple headscarf, and her daughter is the one in red.)

For more stories about our group's home visits with Mama Sara, check out this blog post.