Oak Hall comes to Sanga Sanga!
Oak Hall is a Christian tour company based in the UK. Steve and Ruth Lancaster have worked for Oak Hall in the past and lead many of their trips abroad. So it was a pleasure to be able to host the first Oak Hall trip to Tanzania in August. Twenty-four men and women came for a taste of mission and culture. Part of their time was spent doing some practical work at Sanga Sanga - painting the outside of the conference centre and working on the hydroponics shed. Tony Swanson commented, "It was great having the Oak Hall team with us at Sanga Sanga. They were a delight to host, so willing and flexible to muck in and get involved where needed. They certainly made a lasting impact on the staff and have encouraged us that, even though we are over 4000 miles apart, we are not alone in implementing our vision."
One of many highlights for the group was meeting Martha Komanya and hearing her testimony. Martha runs a small sewing project called Sewing Hope. She said, "I enjoyed meeting all the visitors from Oak Hall – they listened to my story of how God has helped me. They gave me good ideas about how to improve the sewing business – for example, making men’s ties or table mats. I sold many things and was so encouraged!"
The trip also included visits to two AICT churches, experiencing a local Maasai market, an eye-opening tour of Morogoro town, a day on safari and time at the beach. One of the participants reflected on the trip saying, "“It was a wonderful opportunity to see the real Tanzania and its people; the challenges, the beauty, the colour, and the true character of this amazing country. Meeting and working alongside those who are putting projects in place to support local people was inspirational. These projects are really making a difference to the future of this country.”