Arriving in Arusha, half way around the world, has gotten to be more like coming home than ever. Seeing all the familiar faces of our friends and extended family at the airport was a true joy. Much of Arusha feels familiar, but much has changed since my last visit three years ago, as well. The traffic in town has gotten exponentially worse! Not only has the number of cars increased, but the government is working hard to shore up the infrastructure, and there are road repair and repaving crews everywhere, as are the commensurate traffic jams.

The team has done great work and seen many patients. There have been several surgeries, like the cleft lip of a 12-yr-old, that we know will be especially life-changing. The medical team saw over 200 patients in the village of Kisongo, and expect to see many more out at Endulen, near the Ngorongoro Crater. As has been the case in past trips, the satisfaction of helping a population with such need is always tempered by the frustration of all the cases that would be routinely treated in the US, but that are all but untreatable in the Third world.

We are all looking forward to the celebration of Ezekiel’s graduation, and the adventures that await us next week.