Sable Square Shopping Center

During the coronavirus, I've been doing almost all of my grocery shopping at Sable Square, a shopping center just between the town of Kisongo and the Arusha airport.  Usually, we always went all the way into Arusha and did most of our shopping at Shoppers, which is a bit bigger and often cheaper, but these days I prefer not to go all the way into the city.  Sable Square is a bit closer (still about a forty-minute drive) and is right off the highway, so I can avoid city traffic.  I'm trying not to go any more than necessary both because of the virus and because I don't want to risk a car that's not mine.  

It was a beautiful evening, with nice views of Mt Meru in the distance, so I took some pictures before going in to get my groceries.  Also, I have learned in my years living in different places to take photos of the ordinary, everyday spaces and activities.  When moving away, it's nice to have memories of the grocery store and the bank and the street you live on. So, here's the Sable Square shopping center, which is easily the nicest one I visit on a regular basis.  It's built in a South African architectural style.  Unfortunately, quite a few of the shops are empty these days as a lot of the expat community in the area that shopped there have moved away with the more difficult immigration issues these days.  

 

School of Preaching

Today I accompanied Beth and the kids on several errands; we went to the butcher, which was down a long, bumpy road that looked like it was leading nowhere.  Despite being very out of the way (you'd never find this place by accident), the butchery was very nice.  It's owned by a South African expat, and has high-quality meat.  

We also stopped by the school of preaching in Kisongo; they have a farm that helps to support the school, and they sell eggs by the tray.  Michela wanted to stop and see if we could pick up a few trays--it's amazing how quickly we go through eggs.  I've gotten into the habit of eating a couple for breakfast every morning for the protein, as the Shorts typically eat less meat in their diet than I'm used to (and as a diabetic, I feel a lot better when I have plenty of protein with my carbs).  Omelettes are my go-to when I need a quick meal, too, so I guess going through eggs quickly should be a surprise.  

Some of you may have heard of the school of preaching here; I know of several preachers from middle Tennessee who have visited before.  The church was originally established in Arusha, but moved to its current location in Kisongo, a small town just outside of Arusha, a few years ago. The school is associated with Bear Valley.  I haven't actually been inside myself, although there are various lectureships and other events open to area Christians, so I'm sure I will at some point.  There are two American missionary families that live in the area; Justin and Anna Maynard have been there for a couple of years and live right by the school and the Duncans live about a fifteen-minute walk away.  They arrived the same week I did. 

If you'd like to know more about the school, here's a short introduction:

https://www.kellercofc.org/missions-andrew-connolly-school-of-preaching/

If you'd like to hear about the work of missionaries I know here:

The Maynards: http://goatgirlgazette.com/

The Duncans: https://havegodwillgo.com/

There's a beautiful view over open fields to Mt Meru from in front of the preaching school.  This photo looks like it has a filter on it, but it does not; the late afternoon light combined with a bit of haze created a natural filter.