Welcome to the Wild Side!

Who wouldn't want to teach these students along with these teachers?!

We at LVLC are looking and praying for a teacher to join us.

If you or someone you know might be interested, there is more information at teachers-in-service.org... or contact me!

Simbiti Makes Her Smile

Here's a lady from the Simbiti tribe, one of the languages the office is translating the Bible into here in Musoma. She's reading a booklet that teaches people how to read in their mother tongue. (Many people can read and speak Swahili, but only speak their mother tongue.) These booklets prepare people to read scripture in their mother tongues.

I love the smile. I also love that I got this photo from a post by one of our Tanzanian translators. Both the smile and the post show me that the translation work brings joy. That encourages me, as I support the work by teaching a group of kids!

May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace
in believing
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Seven Happy Birthday Blessings

1. Monday: Surprise birthday party at an LVLC family's home. I know it LOOKS like Christmas, but that's just because the kids enjoyed piling stuffed animals on my lap and gracing my head with a Santa hat. 
2. Breakfast: hot coffee and homemade carrot cake... fresh coconut, pineapple, dates, and all!!
3. Classroom: Sneakily decorated by a mom the night before... during a rain storm.
4. Phone calls: Mom took the morning shift and Dad the evening.
5. Presents: Jokes, a hand-drawn kangaroo rat, tea, fruit leather, and more!
6. Verse: "The old is gon, the noo has com." I think it's still phonetically OK, so I don't feel bad about my teaching. And I appreciate the reminder of spiritual rebirth from this 1st grader.
7. Dinner: A tasty, saucy pork dish at a nearby roadside cafe... maybe Ronit and I will become regulars and it will be like Cheers, where everyone knows our names.

Makuburini

Makuburi means grave in Swahili. My friend Pascaria invited me to come celebrate the making of her brother's grave. (He died in 1998, but the family was just last week able to make the sculpted cement grave cover.) I was at work during the making of the grave, but came afterward for the food part. Pascaria asked me to take photos of all the family cooking and eating. It was fun to have a job!

After a big meal of duck, rice, and soda we walked 15 minutes to the grave site for more photos. I'm pictured here with one of Pascaria's sisters and her niece, the daughter of the deceased. Thankfully, I remembered not to smile, my normal reaction to a camera, since these were somber pictures.

I appreciated being included and the opportunity to spend time with Pascaria's family.