The Wood Store

This would have to be my favourite place in all of Arusha. Why do I like it so much? Well, it’s not the aesthetics. It’s not pretty; in fact it is very dirty. Every time we study here we get covered in dust several times. The local people dump their rubbish near by, so if you haven’t got the smell, there’s the smoke from the fires they light, or perhaps it’s more dust from when the council bulldozer picks the rubbish up.

No, it’s not the usual reasons for liking a place, the reason I like this place so much is because of the people who gather here and the studies we have had here.

This is a working area. Wood is sold here; in the picture you can see the piles of wood. Different carpenters come here and work on benches on the right of the photo. In the background you can see a make making coat hangers. He starts with wire, bend them into shape and then others paint them.

While it’s a working area, it is also a social area. Before work is started they gather together to have a cup of coffee and discuss the day. The people who are working here on various tasks are also friends, so they spend the day working and talking. They have their breaks together and they have their food together.

Allen and I have spent many hours studying here. As we study often passers by will stop and listen. Many times that have pulled up a place to sit and joined in the discussion. This is how we first met Brother George. He was just passing, became interested and was baptised 2 days later. He now is a regular contributor to our studies and has invited many to join us.

We studied with these people yesterday and had a very good time looking into God’s word. We discussed what the Lord meant when he said, “You must be born again.” (John 3:7). Later that day we were driving past when George flagged us down. He ran over and reported that they had continued to discuss this all day and indeed they were sitting around talking about baptism. We told them we would be back on Saturday, to which we were told that they all would be there.

So, I think you can see why I like this place so much.