It is with very mixed emotions that we announce that our time in Tanzania is drawing to a close. Although our tour is scheduled to end in May, an opportunity has presented itself that will bring us back to the US sooner.
Mike has been offered (and has accepted) a position at CDC in Ft. Collins, CO. We do not have a definite departure date yet, but we will most likely be leaving Tanzania at the end of October.
We are excited about this new opportunity and new adventure. We look forward to having access to all of the outdoor activities that Colorado offers. Mike has always loved the West so the chance to live out there was one we could not pass up.
However, we are very sad that we are not returning to Monroe. Monroe has been home to us for over 6 years. We met and married in Georgia; our babies were born in Georgia. We have a beautiful home, great friends and neighbors and a wonderful church family at Harmony Baptist. It has not been an easy decision to leave that all behind. We want our Monroe folks to know that you are all very special to us.
And then there are the friends we have made in Tanzania...absolutely amazing people. We have learned that foreign servants are an interesting and unique brand of people. They sacrifice so many conveniences to make a better life for those who are less fortunate than we are. I know I will never look at international aid the same way again. We feel honored to have met some of the amazing people who make it all possible.
Although there certainly have been challenges, we have enjoyed our time in Tanzania. This is a beautiful country and we encourage anyone who is able to come and experience it. Tanzanian people are warm and inviting. They love children and have loved ours. They have put up with our feeble attempts at learning Kiswahili. We do not know what our future holds, but I hope it includes a return visit to Tanzania some day. I'm sure our children will have little or no memory of being here. I hope that one day we can show them the beautiful place where they spent almost 18 months of their lives.
We are ever grateful for the support that our friends and family gave us while we were here. The prayers, care packages, emails, Christmas and Birthday cards were always so special. Thank you.
We will certainly keep everyone posted as the next adventure for the Dillon family begins.
