the grouchy bugs.

 I’ve been here four months now. Can you believe it’s been that long? Time really does fly. The older you are, the faster the time! This week is our home stay with a Tanzanian family. I will admit to feeling a fair amount of dread over this stay. Camp has become home. I had my little bathroom-less banda in the woods. The food was great and the company too. It was familiar and comfortable. I didn’t really want to leave for a week. Not to mention having to pack up my banda. Again. First for our Zambia trip, and now this! But, as most unknowns in life are, it’s now fine and dandy and as Tricia said our first night here, “We’re in a home!” We haven’t had much of a true home as of late.

Baba Mchungagi – Father Sheppard or Pastor – is the senior pastor of one of the Assemblies of God churches in Iringa town, and he and his wife – Mama Mchungagi – along with some of their - I think – relatives’ kids are our hosts. Baba is a gentle and happy man with a bit of a tummy and Mama is an excellent cook who has us pumzika (rest) a lot. That’s one of the beauties of this culture. They’re very welcoming, hospitable, and they let you take lots of rests! Their house has many rooms, and squatty potties. I am blessed with my own room, and I’m pretty sure my bed’s bigger than DJ and Tricia’s! But theirs’ has a bathroom…

 Sunday we rose early for breakfast and church. The 7:30 am service is in both English and Kiswahili, and they sing in English! The service was nice, although a bit loud on the ears. After service, we got to see where kids meet for church. The church meets in a building owned I think by a lumber yard. As we walked to the kids spot, our senses were met with the aromatic scent and sight of sawdust. It made me think of my daddy. Miss you dad. Less than two months till I run into you and mama’s arms!

Mama Mchungagi makes wonderfully delicious food. Meats in sauces or with a sort of breading. Rice. Chipati (like a tortilla, but not). Ugali (another sort of carbish dish made of maze flour). Lots of fruit and cucumbers. They introduced us to a new kind of fruit. I can’t remember the Kiswahili name, but the fruit looks like a brain, has black seeds the size of almonds and tastes like an incredibly sweet pear minus that grainy texture. I am a huge fan. I hope we’re graced with this fruit’s presence more before the week is over!

Sunday we went for a pleasantly long walk in the afternoon air. The sun shone, and the temperature felt quite perfect. This last week I did a couple of intense workouts with Andrew and Amethyst (among others) – intense to the point of feeling ill – so almost every major part of my body has been complaining at one time or another. It started with my thighs. It gave me great pain to sit down. It moved to the muscles behind my armpits. Recently it’s been my neck, upper abs, and almost every step I take, my claves scream at me, letting their presence and protest be known. I was grateful for the long walk to loosen them up. Iringa is quite a beautiful place to be. Lots of green and mountains scattered with giant boulders. We are so blessed to be here!

The day I posted my blog was also the day we had our early graduation ceremony. Games. Dancing. Delicious Tanzanian food. What a day! I had the pleasure of leading games, and it was pure joy to watch everyone’s faces and see how much fun they were having. I even got in on the balloon toss. My poor partner ended up the wet one J

I’ve got news for you dad: since 9000 miles is a bit far away for you, DJ’s taken over as my protector. One day, I think it was a Saturday, I was lying in bed and some small man who works at camp came upon my porch and looked in my window. In Tanzanian culture, the bedroom is a very private and sacred place. I felt bad he had to see such a sight of me. I wondered if he came to take care of my bee problem, which is still a problem. You see, around the time of my getting back, honey bees took up residence on my porch. When I left Saturday, they were still there... Anyhow, when DJ heard about the guy peeking into my window, he was sitting at another dining table facing away from me. He turned sharply with a great look of shock on his face and said, “WHAT?!” I did discover later that he thought the guy was climbing into my window. A bit of a difference, but still... A bit awkward to have some guy peeking into my window!

This week I had my share of tears and grouchy bugs. May is a huge month of memories for me, some unpleasant, others bittersweet. I was struggling with the upcoming home stay, God’s voice, and the kiddos were getting down each other’s throats and I couldn’t take it. Tricia encouraged me after dinner (the remains of a good cry were still on my face at dinner) and my mama called me that night. She’s so kind and thoughtful! I also got sweet texts from Aunt Susie, and one of mom’s Bible Study ladies shared Ephesians 3:16 for me through mama. Thank you Emily, great verse!

Later in the week, the grouchy bugs visited again. I read some Proverbs, journalled about my complaints, and then wrote what I was thankful for and some Proverbs verses pertaining to my attitude. Afterwards, I worked out and had a long, nice chat with Amethyst, edited pictures, and went to dinner. It worked wonders. Distraction seems to be the trick for me when I’m struggling with grouchy bugs and useless thoughts. So next time you come upon a problem, upside down attitude, or are struggling with pointless thoughts, go to God’s word, journal prayers, thank-you’s, verses, whatever you need to. Pray. Then distract!

For my thank you’s this week, I want to dedicate them to my mama. I surely hope she enjoyed her mama’s day despite her daughter being far, far away!

*         For being brave and supportive and letting me live across the ocean – only about eight more weeks, mama!

*         For sharing her heart with all the mamas and daughters at the mother/daughter tea on Saturday – even when her own daughter wasn’t there

*         For her strength these last few months in incredibly difficult circumstances

*         For so kindly giving herself to the church and to others

*         For managing to take care of her daughter even when she’s far away – especially in regards to money transferring and taxes!

*         For years of giving and loving her daughter so gently and selflessly

*         For being such a shining beauty and letting Jesus shine through her

*         For being a kind and faithful wife to her husband for the last 28 years!

And to all the other mamas out there – your job is not easy. It seems also to be underappreciated. But I’ll speak for all of us kids out there. You are needed, loved, and wonderful. Thank you for all you do! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Ps: a bonus thank you – for my silly kiddos… Dressing silly, making goofy movies and taking funny pictures!

good morning zambia.

that's not fog...

my sweet morrison family.

tanzania, you are beautiful. who actually sees all those colors in the rainbow?! wow.

waiting to leave for zambia..

yep, that was our home away from home for 25 hours.

good morning zambia!

tycho the she bunny.

one of our many visits to the bus station...

mocha. yes please!

need i say more?

ta-dah!

eighty hours.

Autumn hangs in the air. It rustles the leaves and beckons for scarves and fleeces. The days remain warm, but the mornings are chilly and the evenings call for getting cozy. I know, May and it’s autumny.. Welcome to the Souther Hemisphere! This week I discovered the camp has hot water bottles. Upon discovery, I asked for one, and as I write this, it’s making an awesome foot-warmer!

Two weeks have passed since I last blogged, and it might as well have been two months! That week passed with packing, finishing a gripping Agatha Christie novel, and bussing ourselves off to Mbeya Friday to catch the train for Zambia on Saturday. And thus started our nine day journey of adventure…

Funny story: Friday morning before we left for a field trip, and then Mbeya, I was asking Amanda, the owner of the camp, about packages, since I was expecting one. She was explaining how long it can take, and in walks Godfrey, one of camp’s drivers, with an arm load of mail. I got three packages, and two letters. Hehe, perfect timing: right before we left! Thanks Mama and Aunt Jeanne. I love everything I got! Sam and Tessa, I cherished your letters and read them on the train J

I must note that one of the only things that seem to be on time in Tanzania is the buses. Our bus for Mbeya was, in fact, early and was just aching for us to leave on it, honking its horn and inching forward. And that seems to be the norm for most buses here, especially the honking horn/inching forward thing. The bus drivers seem to think that going as fast as possible is the best way to transport large vehicles full of people. Live people. People who could die if they went faster than possible and wrecked. On our bus back from Mbeya on Monday, we almost got side bumped from a truck we were passing that was passing a motorbike. Eeek! Of course after traveling all the way through Zambia on public transport we would come back to our Tanzania and get in a wreck! Thank you Lord we didn’t.

The train on Saturday started out arriving late and leaving even later. Instead of 2:45, it was 4:30ish, and we left the station at 6:30. The train was full of germs, and God knows how long it had been since the benches were sanitized. Our second class cabin consisted of about 4x7 feet (not meters!) of space with three bench type beds on each side it. We got a mini table and a window too. Yippee! We slept fitfully, me due to cold feet, my blankie being too small, and fearing the roaches Garrett saw by what I thought was the edge of my bench bed. We got to enjoy our first Zambian sunrise, and lots of bush/tree scenery. Oh, and on the way there I read about half a book.

We railed our way to Kapiri Mposhi around eight Sunday night, caught a mini-bus filled mostly with wazungu, and pulled into Lusaka at midnight. I found myself quite amazed and pleasantly surprised by the cleanness and nicer looking buildings in the towns of Zambia. I even, honest to goodness, saw a Subway in one if the towns. When we pulled into Lusaka, it was as if we’d arrived in a certain part of Portland or else Johannesburg, South Africa. What a huge city!

Monday, after sleeping in, we had the tasks of getting money, buying bus tickets for more of our journey, and getting our visas. Unfortunately, on the train crossing into Zambia Saturday night, the immigration people didn’t have the patience to wait on the train for us to get our visa money. And upon arrival at the train station in Kapiri Mposhi, immigration was gone. So here we were stamped out of Tanzania Saturday night, and hanging out in limbo land with no stamp or visa in Zambia. Whoops!

Immigration was a process that required lots of waiting. We didn’t even get it all taken care of until mid-afternoon! But we got it done, so that’s what counted. And we got to enjoy some yummy street food in the process and I got to discover what a Zambian eggroll is… When you think eggroll you think Chinese roll with veggie-type goodness inside, right? That’s what I thought and ordered two. What I got were two rolls with egg and veggies in the middle. Ha! DJ and Garrett had to eat my second one.

We enjoyed visits with DJ and Tricia’s friends the Turnbulls who so sweetly opened their home to us and fed us wonderful food. Tuesday we went back into Lusaka and got to, wonder of wonders, go to a mall. We’d briefly gone to a strip mall to get money on Monday, and Charles (who traveled from Iringa with us) and I went through a bit of culture shock. Kind of overwhelming going from small-town type Africa to big city Africa!

Tricia was hunting for a dress on Tuesday for a wedding she’s going to the end of June, and I with my dress-love was looking for one because I could. I fell in love with a bunch, bought none. The one I loved the most needed a medium and a half to fit me right. Oh well, shopping was still quite nice. Afterwards, I got myself a coconut mocha and Tricia and I split a chocolate chip muffin. And this wasn’t just any chocolate chip muffin. This was a Mugg and Bean chocolate chip muffin. That means you must put butter, jam, and cheese on it. Strange, right? That’s what I thought. Until I tried it. It was yum! And so was my mocha. Ahh, vacation, how I love thee!

On Wednesday, we settled in for a six hour bus ride to Livingston. We also discovered that Zambian buses are quite nice. They even stop at real toilets for ten minutes! We relaxed at Jolly Boys backpackers place, I had soup for the first time in a while, and we even met this awesome older couple and their daughter from The States. A wonderful surprise!

We awoke and were in a taxi by about eight Thursday morning heading off to set our eyes upon one of the World’s seven wonders – Victoria Falls! It was a wonder, this is for sure. A wet wonder. Before you even arrived, you could see the spray of it, especially it being the end of the rainy season. There were parts of the Falls you couldn’t even see due to the spray. We started out quite dry. But, as one can imagine, we left quite wet. It was like dashing through a rain storm, without the rain and gray clouds. I loved it. Until my jeans were soaking and sagging. The experience made me smile, and the pictures can tell you the rest. What an incredible wonder to witness. One of God’s many truly beautiful forms of art!

Before we left, one of the raiding baboons in the Fall’s parking lot had to give me a story to take home… He saw I had a bag and thought sure I might have food in it. So, he grabbed it and pulled. I didn’t even see it, but felt it and screamed! Yes, typical American tourist, screaming. But that was my natural instinct. I feared an attack. Baboons are not nice creatures! He let go, and this left Tricia and even more, Avery, laughing. I was too scared to laugh. Stinkin’ creatures!

After rushing to and fro, we made it to town in time to eat yummy food at Wonderbake, get a soft serve ice cream, and jump back onto a bus bound for Lusaka. We got in that evening to the power being out at the Turnbull’s. First the water pump (when we got there Sunday), now the power! I honestly think the best shower I had all of vacation was, well, wasn’t. It was here at Rivervalley!

Sandwiches were in order for dinner instead of pizza. They tasted delicious J We packed up, and headed out the next morning to take another bus back to the train. As we drove to the bus station, DJ gets a call: the train isn’t running today. It’s running tomorrow! Thank goodness we hadn’t bought tickets the night before for the bus. God is good! We stopped at the strip mall place again, and DJ saw a paper headline about the train. A bunch of the workers were on strike and got laid off. Oh boy, will we ever get back to Tanzania at this rate?!

Friday was a most relaxing day, and that night was actually got to eat the pizza. That afternoon I even got the chance to sit down and write down pros and cons of different options for this fall. It felt quite nice to get things down on paper. All I’ll say for now is, keep praying for my future! And thanks for all your already prayers!

Saturday our bus left Lusaka earlier than scheduled. It left at 5:45… AM! We pulled into Kapiri Mposhi around 8:30. Our train wasn’t meant to leave until two. Oops! We hung out at a gas station type place for a while, almost got kicked out due to our large amount of luggage and I guess it being an eyesore or something. We taxied to the train, bought tickets, and boarded at one. Right before two we phoned Charles - who loved Zambia so much he decided to stay a bit longer - to sing him happy birthday (a day late I think!). And right after that, a miracle happened: it was two and the train left. Hallelujah, glory be!

We slept a bit better that night, although I had to pee all night but was too lazy and kept smelling strange smells coming from the hallway, like alcohol, and hearing things like some guy who sounded quite intoxicated saying funny things. Plus, Avery was my toilet buddy and I didn’t much like going alone. The toilets are squatty’s that just shoot out onto the tracks. How nice! I finished my book Sunday. The train was such a fun place to just relax and read things. Sunday got us stamped out of Zambia, then into Tanzania. Immigration came onto the train in Tanzania with forms to fill out. The usual. We filled them out, and then they came back. Stamping went on. But alas, in the mess of five passports to stamp, mine got missed. Thank Jesus I checked, and DJ hunted them down on the train. Phewf, that was a close one! And in fact the main reason for our week of travel – to get my visa re-stamped so I could stay another three months. One little stamp could have caused a big trouble. Emphasis on could, thank goodness!

We stayed the night in Mbeya again, and took off on another bus at six in the morning. On our huge adventure we saw a total of four early morning skies, which is almost the average of what I usually see in a year!

After over a week’s worth of travel and adventure, thanks to God is quite necessary…

v  For a total of about 80 hours using African public transport, and surviving!

v  Zambia being a step up: they have real toilets. But they’re still working on the whole toilet-seat thing…

v  Gazing at the wonder of God’s handiwork – something we didn’t think we’d get to see – Victoria Falls

v  A baboon non-attack

v  Going to a country where you could successfully communicate. In English!

v  Edible, actually tasty, train food

v  Gracious and hospitable friends

v  Missing bunnies, and then, surprise! Sarah Turnbull had one. His name was Tycho. And while there, I shone a new light on Tycho: Tycho wasn’t a he…

v  Having a chance to enjoy the last five weeks in Iringa

v  Finding out (thanks mama!) over break, that I got the Treacy Company scholarship. Again J

v  Psych antics (Laura and Kama if you’re reading this, you can smile now!)

v  Home sweet home

v  So far, receiving since being here, four packages and three letters: the same amount of African and North American countries that I’ve visited, respectively

v  God’s provision in all things

Happy May friends and I hope your springs are feeling quite springy about now! PS- sniff a lilac for me when you get the chance, please and thank you J

peek-a-boo!

happy easter all!

our happy little group plus almost all of our kiswahili teachers.

hence the happy. or silly. or something like that!

two worlds collide.

Last week found me discontent and wishing for the things of home. It also found me remembering that this is where God has me and where he wants me for the time being. I know that Satan can use my discontented, focused on the future self to try and screw up God’s plans, and I DON’T WANT THAT! So, I’m trying to focus on the now. Dang it, it’s easier said than done!

Friday, after my blog posting, I went around town to do a little shopping. One of my stops landed me at what turned out to be the shop of a guy who’d sold me salt and pepper shakers and a painting last month near the street. This guy speaks great English, but is unfortunate kind of pushy. He’s the kind that if you want your price, you have to walk away. And as you walk away, he’ll give you the price you want! Well, after getting the price I wanted, he asked where I was going. “To shop,” I told him. “Are you going to the market?” He asked. “Yes.” I replied. “Well, can I accompany you?” “No!” “Why not?” “I like to be alone.” Mama, aren’t you proud of my reply? Must be the introvert in me ;)

Last Sunday we enjoyed sunrise on vodarock. I found myself missing home, family, and the scrumptious Easter breakfasts we used to feast upon after hikes up Spud for sunrise. Breakfast here was good nonetheless, and after a rest and taking my time getting ready, we hiked to the camp next door for an Easter service and lunch with the college kids and other wazungus. It was a pleasure to socialize with people my age. Life is so different when you live in the bush of Africa…

Tuesday found us at William’s funeral and it also found us hot from the sunshine. After the 2k walk that I took with some of the men here (call them my dads J), we stood through the service, and the slide show, and the toast, and finally got food way past our lunch time. The reception was much more like a wedding then a funeral. The food was amazing, and the alcohol abounded. Due to the fact that they didn’t serve dinner that night at camp, Andrew, Amethyst and I went to town and bought snacks. Upon return, I shared my snacks with the Morrison’s and then headed down to my banda.

I entered my banda to see a giant spider on the wall right by my bed. As I set my stuff down, I told myself that I was bigger than the spider. But, further inspection told me that this spider was bigger than my bravery. I called Tricia. “Can you please send someone?!” Garrett came to my rescue.  “That is a big one!” he said. “And it’s hairy. It looks like the bad kind. Maybe you should sleep on the other bed.” Ha! Thanks for the comfort. It took him some tries, and me making funny noises as I watched, but he finally smooshed it. He brushed it outside, and was going to leave it on my porch I think. “Can you please get it off my porch!?” I asked. “Oh, sure.” And he brushed it off into the semi-darkness.

If you put your thumbs and your pointer fingers together to make an ‘O’, that was about the size of this booger. Well, ok, that included his legs. His body was a fair bit smaller. Still, I had to turn on classical music, talk to God out loud, and read Psalm 18 to help calm myself down. And I almost slept in the other bed. Funny how nighttime and living by yourself can drive your creepy crawly/freak-out-ness to new levels. I memorized Psalm 18:3: “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” That night, my enemies were spiders and my imagination!

We started Kiswahili Wednesday due to William’s service Tuesday and Monday off for Easter. This being the case, we also had Kiswahili on Saturday. What a wacky week. The good news? Saturday – Lord willing – we take a train to Zambia for our break! Please pray for safety in our travels, good timing, and that we’ll hopefully be able to see Victoria Falls!

Sunday, we had an all day cultural affair: we went to church at Kanisa la Biblia. Sunday School/Church started at nine. And got done around noon. When we arrived, they kindly gave us seats in the tiny building, me right up front. I must admit to feeling a bit awkward at first. Here we are, the only wazungus in the place, and they stick me right in the front row!

The singing was lively and joyful. I don’t think one of the songs was anything less than upbeat, and in Avery’s opinion there was a lot of clapping. The pastor only spoke Kiswahili. My prayer was that I would be able to get something from the service, and God’s way of answering that was by having a nice young man, Kelvin (and also the pastor’s wife some), translate the sermon for us. So, we listened to one of my first bilingual sermons. Oh, and to all those Cougar fans out there reading this… There was this adorable little person in church wearing a vintage WSU sweat suit. I totally had to gawk a bit to make sure I was seeing right. It pretty much made my morning!

We ate lunch around two at the pastor’s house. His wife made a lovely meal of ugali, greens, and fish. DJ did an awesome job of speaking Kiswahili with the pastor. I continued with my Kiswahili stage fright.

On our walk to catch a ride that turned out to be a dala dala (mini bus), we walked down a dirt road. You know that one song that you hear on the radio about finding love in a hopeless place? I’m not sure who sings it, but it’s some chic. Well, there we were, seeing sights you’d expect to see in Africa like Tanzanians, lots of dirt, chickens, small houses and dukas… And that song is playing in the background! It was to me a hilarious mix of cultures.

 Once crammed in the mini-bus, we waited. You seem to do that a lot here. And I got to talk a tad – as in a greeting and not much more – with these two ladies who had adorable baby/toddlers. They thought it great that I could speak a few words of Kiswahili (muahaha, if they only knew that I could speak more than a few words… ;). I even got a high five from one of them! It wasn’t long before they started nursing their mtoto. African women, however, don’t see a need for such things as blankets or those neat little cover-ups you see some mamas in the states using to nurse. Nope, they just pull up or down their shirt and let their babies nurse. Talk about letting it all hang out!

Thanks Lord for…

*         Avery asking me if I was going to come visit them someday in the future. It’s nice to know that I’m wanted J

*         A compliment about my eyes that helped fill me love tank.

*         God’s little ways of cheering me up when I’m down.

*         Prayers of the righteous.

*         The chance for another stamp in my passport.

*         Days of sun.

*         The end of the rainy season coming.

*         April 14^th – 28 happy years for my mama and dad.

Wiki njaima! 

birthday girl!

reason number who knows what why i'm getting fat around the edges.

watching the video of the staff's version of happy birthday to avery.

and if the zipline breaks... you have a soft landing.

even horses have bad habbits.

our farm visit. you see everything here in africa!

this is a hyrax. super cute and obnoxious little creatures. it's like a guinea pig, a rodent, and a rabbit all had a baby together. sort of.... 

just a hop and a skip.

Only in Africa would you send an excited text saying that the toilet flushed. And since I’m in Africa, I sent that text, just this week. I think that there was a break in the pipes or something, and most if not all of camp was waterless. But, at around 12:15 in the morning on Wednesday after watching a movie with Amethyst, I sent her that text  after using the choo down the hill from their house. Oh, it’s the small and unexpected things in life that we get the biggest kick out of!

At least a couple nights I had a new roomie. Unfortunately my creativity failed me on this one, and I didn’t come up a name much beyond Mr. Frog, but the name was pretty appropriate nonetheless since he/she was a frog. The first night I noticed him was quite a hopping one. I also had a lively grasshopper hopping about. He was fine until he jumped into my hair. That was just too much! I eventually let him out, but it took some effort. I captured him under the bottom of a solar lantern, and eventually got him outside. I think his heart was still beating when I set him free, and if it was, I imagine it was beating quite wildly. I know mine would have been!

I have to confess: I’m rather afraid of hopping things like frogs and grasshoppers. I mean, if they’re just out doing their thing its fine, but I’m scared to pick them up. The idea of them jumping in my hands doesn’t bode well with me. So, while I tried to shoo Mr. Frog out, he was also scared of me, so he would hop to some unfortunate hiding place where I could no longer reach to shoo. I think he might have stayed the night inside that night. The next night or, he (or his buddy) showed himself again. After I went to Morrison’s house to potty, Tricia brought their little broom down with her and helped – ok pretty much did all the work – shoo Mr. Frog outside. She left and I immediately put a towel/shoes down to block the huge gap under my door. I turned my light out shortly after that, and I hadn’t laid in bed very long before I heard something. I shone my flashlight about, and the light landed on something. I looked around a bit more then got up to check. Sure enough, there was a frog, frozen in the light, scared for his life. I’m not sure if he was Mr. Frog, or the buddy, but regardless, I left him to hop around and went to bed. I didn’t wake up to a frog on my face in the morning, and I really haven’t seen him since. Maybe he decided I wasn’t the best roommate…

This weekend, we had a nice visit with the Morrison’s colleagues from Dar who came for a visit. We even hiked and ziplined across the river to a farm where some of the kiddos got to ride horses. Last week was Avery, Tricia, and little Emily Ellis’s birthdays. So, for the girls’ birthdays they got to ride horses. And Tuesday, Avery had her first riding lesson at that same farm. It was a most beautiful place to be, full of green, and hominess, and great creatures like hyraxes and friendly dogs. They have this great big Belgian Shepherd named Dingo who’s fir you can simply sink your fingers in and who would do just about anything to get some lovin’. I won’t lie, I’m thrilled to give that lovin’, even if he does shed like crazy. J

Sunday morning, God’s goodness shined. I got a special phone call: My mom and very sleepy dad! We got to talk for over an hour, and as wonderful as it was, it simply wasn’t enough. I’m thankful that I’ll get weeks with them when I get back! I felt bad that I did most of the time. They sounded healthy aside from my dad’s sleepiness, which isn’t much of a health thing, just a need for sleep. J Thanks to mum and dad, and our DCBC pastor’s Skype, my morning was made!

HOPAC is an international Christian school in Dar. Just this week some single gals who teach there stayed the night at the campsite, and I got to play Hearts and Dutch Blitz with them. What a blessing to get some single gal time. Since my roomie left, that’s been lacking in my life. And it was funny too because just that day while on our prayer walk, Tricia prayed that God would maybe send other friends for the kids and I. I think it was around this time that I realized that girlfriend time is lacking in my life. It’s quite different than my life back in the States. And then God provided me a night of cards, girls, and then a movie with Amethyst while her hubby watched soccer. Way to go God!

I’m scared to say this for fear something will change, but miracle of miracles, I think I’m getting this Swahili thing. Pole pole of course (pole-a pole-a means slowly slowly). Don’t get me wrong, I can’t speak like a Tanzanian. I can’t speak much at all. But, I’m understanding the language more, and I feel more comfortable and less like AM I EVER GONNA GET THIS?!

I’ve enjoyed getting more reading time in, and have made it through several novels since being in Africa. Tricia loaned me The Shack which I’m reading right now. I don’t think I’ve ever read such a thought-provoking novel in my entire existence! It’s such a good reminder of God’s love and how as humans we complicate what God intended to be simple. If you wish to be challenged a bit, and haven’t read The Shack yet, read it!

The last chapter in Tricia and I’s Bible Study has really challenged us to acknowledge God’s presence more in life. When we wake up. Thank God for the food. Travel (even more important while living in Africa J). Dot dot dot. I’m still working on it, but it’s really quite amazing. I’ve been seeing it, and it’s awesome. God is never not there, but the unfortunate side of life is that we sometimes miss him in the business of our schedules. The life that God intended us to live for him sometimes gets sidetracked and way too distracted.

This week’s thank you’s… For fluffy dog fir. All the great friends we’re blessed with here. Progress. Silliness. Peppermint tea. New music. God’s continual provision and fulfilling of desires. The best parents on the planet. And changes for the better.

Have a wonderfully Happy Easter, friends! Amidst all the fuzzy bunnies, Cadbury eggs, and Easter baskets, be sure to stop and just thank Jesus for the ultimate sacrifice He made for every single one of us. How different our lives would be were it not for that painfully great moment so long ago…

PS- please pray. Will Phillips, who owns River Valley with his wife, passed away in the night. How interesting that he died on Good Friday… As far as we know, he was closed to the gospel up until his death. Pray for a miracle in the lives of his wife and daughter and for comfort. The funeral is on Tuesday.