All the Way Home

Quite often I have an escort on the last leg of my walk home. The neighbor kids think it's fun to greet me, hold my hands, and follow me to my gate. They're cute, so usually that's fun. But sometimes it seems excessive because we don't really know each other, especially if they ask themselves in or tease our dogs.

So this day I decided on a consolation prize to keep my sense of humor: a photo of the parade! That's the challenge with cultural differences. When behaviors clash with one's sense of appropriate, you tell yourself that there are lots of ways to do things and yours isn't the "right" way and it's fun to try new things. And you laugh:)

Talking Toes

We're finishing up the semester, including our study of African geography. One interesting fact: some people groups in western Africa used toe puppets to free their hands to play instruments during story telling!

My oldest student took the teaching role for a toe puppet craft lesson last week. We walked through the lesson plan together: objectives, attention getter, directions, etc... Then she gathered and set up all the supplies, taught the lesson, and here you see the results!

Be Still

Sometimes, especially if I haven't slept well for awhile or if I have a cold, my thoughts can get dark and messy. I'm drawn to not only negative thoughts, but untrue thoughts. God's been teaching me to "be still and know that He is God." Ps. 46:10

Sometimes "be still" means I actually slow down, lie in a hammock, or sit and watch the sunset. Sometimes it means I push away thoughts that race around and overwhelm. And, with the Spirit's help, I "know that He is God"; I focus on true things about His character, or my place as His child in Christ, or just about how pretty He made the sky and things I'm thankful for. A dark day can turn bright and exciting. I'm so thankful for His teaching!

New

Today after work I went into town to do a few errands: printing photos, fruit shopping, etc. On my way from the market to the bank I spotted an alley, half in shade, quite welcome in the heat of the afternoon. And it was an alley I'd never walked through, despite the smallness of Musoma "downtown." I love that there are new places to experience, even after being here almost four years.

And that's just in one spot on earth! Who knows what plans God has for the future?! There are people to meet, places to go, parts of His character to comprehend, good works to walk in... It's beyond imagination.

LVLC Around the World

Every semester is different. This is one of the more stretched-out ones!

My co-teacher is in the States on furlough. One family is in Israel, taught by my former housemate with instructions from me. Up until last Tuesday I was teaching six kids in the LVLC building in Musoma. But two are on their way to the Netherlands for furlough. Their mom will finish up instruction for the semester.

So after Easter we start back up with four in Musoma, and the rest spread around the world! All the goodbyes aren't my favorite, but I love living and hearing about the adventures.

Different Views

A couple weekends ago I spent Sunday afternoon with Pascaria and her family. It's so lovely to have a Tanzanian home that feels comfortable. We sat around, exchanging news. We snacked. I felt tired, so they pulled out a mat for me to rest on the floor.

Pascaria took my phone and had fun taking pictures. I took it back and took some photos from my low vantage point. I've spent a lot of time over the years here sitting in that room, often looking out he door to life in the neighborhood, so I made sure to take a photo of the door.

Again, it's a lovely relationship. It was an answer to prayer for a Tanzanian friend, and Pascaria's certainly a friend.

I'd appreciate prayer for her, as she continues to support a large family, that God would be her strength and provide her needs.

LVLC Mural #2

Week two of painting! Despite a small squall, the kids thoroughly enjoyed seeing their design come to life. We're nearly done with the water side. Next to come is the land side.

It's been a fun way to end this portion of the semester. One family is leaving during the Easter break for a furlough, so it's good to have their input (such as monster and mermaid input!) and presence for this indelible project.