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.

LVLC Mural

It all starts with a blank wall and some ideas from the kids about what would make that wall more beautiful. Then there's some planning and gridding of the wall. Then drawing. Then PAINT! (And maybe a little tree-climbing in between jobs.) More to come...

Visitors & Safari!!

My brother and his girlfriend are here for a visit! I met them after their Kilimanjaro climb and we drove across Tanzania through three national parks: Tarangire, Ngorogoro, and Serengeti. It's so fun to share this home with them. And our safari was full of marvelous sites: elephants galore, napping leopards and hyenas, FOUR rhinos (rare sightings!), lounging lions, and more. One of my favorite experiences was eating lunch by a hippo pool, surrounded by bright yellow bird weavers (who wanted our food). The hippos snorted and yawned and floated as we enjoyed the very unique dining experience.

Multiplication!

It's been quite exciting in my first math level of the day lately. Addition and multiplication are old hat. But multiplication!!! That's the coolest thing. One day you're doing repeated addition: 5+5+5+5+5=25. And the next day you're doing pure multiplication: 4x5=20!!

It's a pleasure to see the excitement and learning.