Summertime, and the livin' is easy...

The fish aren't jumpin' necessarily, but there was a crab crawlin' in our campsite Tuesday night. Rose and I are the last two in the house. Emily and Ali flew home for the summer. So, Rose and I took two of our 6th grade friends for a camp out on Mbudya Island. It was lovely, playing in the warm waves and laying on the sand, gazing up at baobab branches. We roasted potatoes and smores in the fire, hiked across the island, and slept under the stars, enjoying God's beauty. The crab was a coconut crab, and he didn't just crawl into camp; this worker brought him over to entertain us. Big fellow.

I'm enjoying the freedom of an open schedule, and feel blessed by opportunities to visit with people, swim, take more time in the Word... and reply to emails! This week we'll head to Kenya for the SIL conference. It will be good to see people I've met on my travels to Mbeya and Musoma, and hear more about Bible translation.

Basi!

 "Basi" means done.

The year is done!

We finished with a Bible Celebration. See the beautiful banners that highlighted some of the clues to the Mystery of Christ.

Then we finished with food... The kids did cupcake art at our class party. This group of girls had an animal theme.

The teachers had gelatto at our favorite spot: Fairy Delights. It was actually Emily's and my 11 month anniversary of arriving in Tanzania (and almost Rose's too).

I think the year ended well, and I'm excited for the break and for next year. However, now my brain is a bit fuzzy and I feel like resting...

The Year Winds Down...

The year winds down... Here are my kids on International Day, at the beginning of the year. Two kids have gone and one has come since this photo was taken. They're still as colorful as ever, metaphorically speaking! I'm thankful for their unique personalities and their cohesive group zesty personality. It's made the year challenging AND amusing. Just today three girls explained that, when they got their uniforms mixed up during swimming class, they only had to smell them to figure out whose is whose. They said it like that is the most normal thing in the world. We also had a lovely discussion about Charlotte's Web out beneath the baobab tree and wrapped up our Bible studies by listening to and illustrating "Thief" by Third Day.

My thoughts are a bit disjointed, with all the busyness. This week in school I've written report cards, we're publishing a class newspaper... and in our house there's been lice, a friend visiting from Mbeya, and we're planning for a bonfire on Saturday. It's fun, and I'm glad for the rest and travels and my parents coming!

Bondwa Peak in Morogoro

This weekend Emily, Ali, and I went to Morogoro, 3 hours by bus, to hike Bondwa Peak, pictured here, with the peak part in clouds. We hiked with friends I'd met in Iringa at language school and friends of those friends. The route took us from town, through farming land built on the side of steep slopes (picture 2), up into a misty jungle forest (picture 3). The hike took about ten hours.

I was refreshed to be outside in God's creation, breathing in clean plant-scented air, listening to the sounds of animals and breezes. My legs and back are a bit sore, so I know the muscles are preparing for Mt. Kilimanjaro!

And now I have a different climb ahead: the last three weeks of school. There is learning to accomplish, reports to write, a Bible celebration and a class party to prepare for, and many fun school events like sports day and a whole school water fight. I also get to attend a Tanzanian wedding, dinner with our Greek friends, and have a second try at getting my dental filling replaced.

God Did.

Today we came to Bible lesson 37 of 40, exploring the mystery of Christ. At the beginning of the year I posed the question of who was responsible for Jesus' death. Today I posed it again and Anen raised his hand. "God was... because in Isaiah it says that 'it was the Lord's will to crush Him.'" (Isaiah 53:10). Then other students added that it was for our sins and possible because He is the Son of God, quoting other verses we've studied and memorized this year. The curriculum brought us through the Old Testament, from Genesis to Micah, looking at all the foreshadowing and prophesies, the "clues to the mystery of Christ." It was beautiful to hear that the kids have heard God's Word and that it has not returned void. They didn't even need today's lesson, because they already knew!

He's Pretty Cute Too

I met these two goats on the way to church this morning, along the side of a busy road. I stopped to buy some water at a duka (shop) after that. A fellow customer asked me where I was from, then how is America different from Tanzania. I told him it is cooler and there are less goats on the side of the road. I didn't think to mention that American goats aren't usually graced with quite as groovy hair styles as this particular goat.

Then I went to church. It was good to worship and see fellow members of the body. My favorite thought was from Ephesians 2:10, that we are created for specific good works. Here so many missionaries are doing so many good works, that I compare myself and feel like I should be doing more more more. It made me smile to think that maybe I'm here just to teach kids by day and listen to my Greek neighbor, sipping Greek coffee, occasionally by night.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 

for good works, 

which God prepared beforehand 

that we should walk in them. 

Geckos are Cute Too

Here's another cheery thought... Joah gathered gecko eggs from the playground weeks ago. We share a love of natural curiousities. He kept them in this cup on our window sill. The gecklets/gittens/guppies... what do you call a baby gecko?!!... subsequently hatched and graced our room with gecko joy.