Advertising Help?

Please share this if it makes you think of a possible match!

Lake Victoria Learning Center in Musoma, Tanzania is in urgent need of an elementary teacher to join their team.

If you are a certified teacher with at least one year of experience, then this is a great opportunity to work in a unique, multi-level, non-traditional setting which enables several missionary families to continue their work in Tanzania. 

If God is calling you to this ministry, we’d love to explore the options with you. We would like to have you in country by January 2016… or July 2017, with a commitment of at least 18 months.

Please contact Toby Mak in the Uganda-Tanzania Branch’s Human Resources Department at recruitment_utb@sil.org.

Please pray that God would call the right person to this position.

Also, we now have an LVLC website to help share about our learning center.

Musing on a Painter's Palette

Sometimes I like the palette just as much as the actual painting... spontaneous mix of colors with lively strokes.

I wonder if God finds similar pleasure in watching the lives of His children in process. Maybe a seemingly random mess made on the side of the canvas of our lives is, to Him, a necessary and beautiful part of His work.

Maybe that's a way to think about trials. I've been struggling with unexplained sleepless nights, and the effects that follow: shaky hands, queasy stomach, melancholy thoughts, and clouded judgement. But I see He's worked beautiful things in what seems to me a very messy state: deeper understanding of Christ's grace and love, strengthened relationships as I reach out for help, less self reliance... Maybe this time period in my life is a palette, messy yet beautiful, and used to bring His beautiful painting towards completion.

Paper Me to Nairobi

It all started one day when I realized my housemate was going to Nairobi to pick up a family returning from 9 months away, and I had to WORK! (Disclaimer: I do like my work, it's just that a trip to Nairobi sounded really fun.) At first I tried to be adult about it: be happy for her, and focus on my work. But then I realized I didn't HAVE to be adult; I could have more fun than that. 

Earlier in the semester the kids at the learning center made "paper-selves" to mail to European countries, as part of their geography studies. So, I took the idea and sent myself to Nairobi. It was a great trip: First, I had forgotten to make my paper-me a passport, so Ronit smuggled me across the border. Then I helped her spot all the speed-bumps as she drove (something like 300 from here to Nairobi!). Of course we stopped for coffee. The view of the Rift Valley was beautiful as usual. And in Nairobi I got to go to Nakumat (the Walmart of Kenya... with an elephant mascot), eat out, and--best of all--get a big hug as I greeted our returning friends.

To find out want paper-Ronit did, check out her blog.

Maharague Malia

I got these at church, via a fun tradition churches do here...

Someone brings a physical offering, like beans or fabric or tomatoes. Then people in the church bid for it. After the first person bids you can offer a higher bid of your own, or you can just add money onto their bid so that they get it, but more money goes to the church. Sometimes people bring items for the church (like a cross for the wall) and people bid to buy it for the church.

This was my first time participating in the tradition; I was a little nervous because I wasn't quite sure how it worked, but now I understand more AND we got to enjoy eating these maharague malia (a type of bean, which, by the way, our house helper prepared in her family's style, with PEANUT BUTTER!).

Keeping up the Theme

Last week I had a student teach the other students about marsupials. This week a different student taught me something...

She learned to crochet from her grandmother (in the Netherlands) and her house-helper (in Tanzania... quite the multi-lingual child!). She's an avid artist, and enjoys figuring out how to make new crochet items. So, when I asked for a "how to" essay, crocheting was the choice.

It's quite the essay. I asked her to bring in supplies when I was checking the rough draft. I didn't allow her to give extra oral directions, wanting to see if the written directions communicated clearly. They did! Now, I'm not saying I produced a dainty doily. (Her directions assure me that is normal the first few tries.) But, the words on the page led me through the initial steps accurately.

You can see, in the first picture, how much focus the excersise required... and how interested my student was in seeing me try out her hobby!

Done with That Teaching Thing

Thanks to my co-teacher, Lyndy Henrickson, for taking this photo!

Why teach when you can have your students do it for you?! It's pretty fun to have an older student in the learning center. He takes science with the other students, so it seemed like this 6th grader needed an extra challenge. And he rose to the occasion; his first lesson was leading an experiment that illustrated why polar bears benefit from having black skin (yes, black, under the white fur!) by putting thermometers under black and white bags in the sun. He asked questions and gave directions... like a teacher. (I was just curious about the temperature... not teaching something.) He's taking care of Monday's lesson, introducing marsupials. I may be working myself out of a job.

Confessions of a Bus Spy

Bus rides in Tanzania are a little different than a Greyhound trip. This weekend I went down to visit Pascaria in the hospital. (Her surgery went well and she's healing up! More later.) I hopped on a bus called Peacemaker and settled in. Then I became a spy, sneaking photos right and left...

After an hour or so a preacher stood up for prayer and a sermon... a common occurrence. He exhorted us to remember God all the time, not just when we're in trouble. Then he prayed for us and our journey.

A while later we pulled over for new passengers, well we did that a lot actually. It's so nice, because vendors are always ready. You can buy beverages, snacks, washcloths (my personal favorite), phone credit, potatoes....

On my way home I got another Peacemaker, this one a bit more crowded. I wedged into a seat right by the driver, surrounded by excess luggage. One man was less lucky; he spent the first few hours trying to snooze on the wheel well!