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!

Pray for Pascaria: Part III

Since my posts in June I’ve been involved in helping Pascaria (yes, the one I called fat a couple posts ago) get the medical attention needed. It’s just been so confusing and… indefinable, that I haven’t posted an update.

So many things kept going wrong... Surprising diagnoses were considered. (The symptoms weren't currently visible, so doctors thought 7 years of reoccurring pain might be psychological.) Multiple doctors were seen. Appointments were waited for, and missed, and waited for again. Money and a phone was stolen. Sister Suzana, our friend the nun, was helpful on multiple accounts. Lots of letters and phone calls happened (in Swahili).

And, prayer continued among many people (thank you!), until… Pascaria left this morning for surgery, which is to take place on Thursday! Praise for God's guidance in getting this far. Please pray for the surgery to go well, for Pascaria's complete healing, and for God to be glorified.

Draw Near

I'm enjoying a study of Hebrews with my friends in Musoma, TZ. We came to chapter 10 this week, which is a place of summing up and focusing on the major points. I wanted to review the previous chapters first, and ended up with these two drawings.

The first shows how Jesus is presented in the opening of Hebrews: The Son of God made human, higher than the angels.

The second shows how Jesus ushers us into God's presence. He obtained the promises that God had given to Adam & Eve, Abraham, Moses, David, and Israel... the promises to make them His people, in their hearts and not just by heritage, despite their sin.

And the promises are for us, so Hebrews exhorts:

Pay attention...

Consider Him...

Draw near...

Hold fast...

It's not always the easiest thing to do, because there are lies that draw me from fully believing that God loves and accepts me... Even when I'm confused, even when I don't want to help a friend, even when I don't see how I'm useful... But then He provides His word and friends to remind me that He's the faithful one... So I keep remembering to have faith in His faithfulness... and somehow my thoughts and the actions straighten out in that experience... That's what I hear in Hebrews.

I Called Her Fat... And She Smiled

I don't have a photo to prove it, but my friend Pascaria gained weight this week. She spent the week away, waiting for a doctor's appointment (which yielded positive things! ...If you've been praying for her, I'll have more to share in the next few weeks... it's a bit of a long story...). So, she didn't have to worry about kids and cooking and all her normal tasks. She's just a little plumper than when she left, which suits her well.

The fun thing is, in Tanzania it's culturally a positive to gain weight; it shows you're doing well. So, if someone calls you fat it's just an observation, or a compliment. It took some cultural-mind-over-matter for me to do it, coming from a different culture, but I got up my nerve and told Pascaria that she'd gained weight. She smiled and told me how she'd enjoyed the rest that led to the fat.