Baby Shower!

The day after my birthday was Joanna's baby shower. She and Simon still don't know what they're having, so we had to do a generic-gender party. I spent the entire morning making the cake, and took a picture of it to post here (mostly for my mom), but apparently the memory card wasn't in completely, or it was full, or something, so the picture ended up on my camera's hardware, not the memory card! As soon as I can figue out how to get that on here, I'll post it. It was the cutest giant baby rattle!

The shower was at Arusha Coffee Lodge, which is a lovely place with wonderful outdoor seating under the trees, but it was so cool and overcast I kept wishing we were inside by the fire! We had hot drinks with our cake, and Joanna got some lovely and some practical gifts for her elephant-themed nursery; we are in Afrca, after all! She and Simon leave next Monday for New Zealand, and will come back in mid-January with the newest addition to the Joshua Family!

Birthday, Tanzania style

It's been over a week since my birthday, but with power shortage, internet "issues," etc. this is the first time I've had to write. Last year I was in Karanse for my birthday, and this year I was in Arusha. I was having a meeting at Imara the day before my birthday, so I made a cake (!) to take and share with them. On my actual birthday, one of my housemates, Shelley, had me a carrot cake for breakfast, and pancakes! So, with that sugar rush, the day was off to a great start! We had an education department meeting right after breakfast, and Joanna had made a big birthday brownie for morning tea to celebrate!

I had brought back a present and cards from home, so all day, I doled those out to myself. At team lunch, there was another carrot cake (good thing I like carrot cake!) from the Joshua "family." Later, my friend from Imara, Jenny, and Carly (newbie here from Australia that met last summer), and I met for drinks before dinner. Then, several of us met at my favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner. (I also took some carrot cake to share for dessert!)

To top off the sugar content of the day, Jenny, Carly, and I went out for dessert and hot tea after dinner! (Something other than carrot cake!)

All during the day, I also got to check emails and facebook, and I heard from so many people that it made it a very special day. Finally, that night I got to talk to family and friends at home, as my birthday was winding down.

Good day.

Almost time to head back to TZ

Boy, that month flew by! But, it was a great month! I sooo enjoyed seeing old friends - thanks for all the breakfasts, lunches, dinners, ice creams, pounds I gained! and, oh, yes, water aerobics so I didn't gain any more! Loved seeing various family, too; thanks so much, Bethany, for driving over from B'ham; several meals and shopping trips with Mama; talking to my sister, not on skype or across 7 hours' time difference! It was good, too, to be back at Perimeter, both for church (love the new chapel): a TZ luncheon where I got to tell my favorite stories from this past year, running into people I love, Tz Wednesday night prayer and school: talking to 2 classes about TZ, wandering the halls hugging people, impromptu meetings, discussing various sponsored children, etc., etc.!

Daddy's still in rehab. Thanks to all of you who have prayed faithfully for him and my mom. Don't stop! Pray for him to continue to gain strength in his legs so he can walk out of there, pray for the chemo to work in shrinking the tumor, pray for him to keep up his spirits as the days get long, and pray for Mama to juggle her 2 patients (my uncle who lives with them is the 2nd one) and still find time to rest and take care of herself.

People kept asking if it felt weird to be here, or if I missed TZ. I guess I am more a person of the moment than I realized. It felt perfectly normal to be here, because this is my other normal. I did miss people in TZ, but not like I would if I weren't going back. That's probably the secret - I knew all the time that this was a "furlough," not forever, so I couldn't get too attached here, or miss TZ too much since I'll be back there so soon.

However, judging by my suitcases, I'm going for a decade this time! I'm praying that I don't have to pay too large a fortune for overweight baggage. Good grief - even my luggage gained weight!

Next blog will be from Tanzania!

Where did the rest of July go?

When I checked the last date I wrote, I couldn't believe it has been a month! Well, July was very busy! I was out in schools almost the whole month, with giving and grading exams, an extra week in Magugu, one of our other training schools, and getting ready for the seminar in Arusha that I joined teachers from Scottsdale Bible Church in presenting. In between, I also finally broke down and bought a modem so that I can have more frequent internet access, even on base at En Gedi, but especially out at Karanse. However, this still didn't give me access much of the time, so it's about 50% better!

I enjoyed my week in Magugu, as it gave me a chance to see students that I had taught computer and sports to a year ago when they were on campus here. They were very open, and as I was there to help observe their teaching week, I got to compare my Karanse student teachers with others in their teaching practice. I also got to see how Sarah and Shelley live when they're "in the field," and see how good I have it at my guest house at Angaza! One of the highlights was the student teachers cooking dinner for the 3 mentors at one of their rooms; this was their way of welcoming me to Magugu! Since they spent their own money and time on this, and opened their "home" to us, it was a very special, generous offer.

Another very special and generous offer came from Zilpah, a woman Tz pastor that I have known for years. She is a great prayer warrior, and if she says she will pray for you, you can count on it! She had been praying for Daddy's health, as well as my return to the US (later today!), and she wanted to gather together several of us who are getting ready to leave TZ, for long or short periods: Janet left Tuesday, for maybe 4 months; Don left about a week ago, till the end of November; Neil is leaving in October, indefinitely; and me. She booked an afternoon at a local lodge and retreat center, ordered tea and peanuts ahead of time, and wanted us to spend the afternoon with her a couple of Saturdays ago. It was a lovely setting, so peaceful, and we felt refreshed just being there. But, her main purpose in having us, was so we could spend some time praying for daddy and for all of our journeys. Then, she thanked US for allowing her to use up our time that way!

A side note, yesterday afternoon I heard a knock on my door (no one ever knocks here - you just shout, "Hodi!" and walk on in; this means a version of, "Is anyone here? I'm coming in!"), and when I went to answer it, it was Zilpah. I asked her in, but she said, no, she knew I was busy packing, but she had come to say good-bye, and let me know she was still praying for me and my family. She had walked from her house to say good-bye, and then turned around and walked back! She's not a young woman, and it's a hot, dusty road, but that's the kind of woman she is! She has a daughter in Atlanta, of all places, and she had just spoken to her the night before and asked her to pray for my dad, too. Just too wonderful!

Really good time at the seminar this week.I had gotten to know the SBC people when I was here first in 2006, and we have stayed close since then, with them inviting me out to Arizona a couple of times, getting their church to help support me, investing in me personally, etc. When they heard that I would still be in Arusha this week, they asked me to help be a presenter at their seminar for the Imara teachers. I had taught many of those teachers at Joshua, visited them in their schools and homes, and it was a real treat to see them again. I did a whole day on learning games and activities and a half day on teaching the slow learner, and I think they enjoyed them both. It was also great to be around fellow Americans that I have a little history with and who know me and Tanzania!

And now, tonight, I leave for home! I've cleaned, and packed, and shopped, and I think I'm actually ready! Much to do in the month I'm home, and I may not blog much of that time, but stay tuned!

4th of July in TZ!

Since this is an "in" week, meaning the mentors would be in Arusha, I decided we Americans on base (all 4 of us!) should celebrate the 4th of July together. Josh and Renee are a young couple from Boone, NC, and my friend Janet and I had a cookout together. We invited a token New Zealander, Neil, and did it right: hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, deviled eggs, even roasted marshmallows. Josh had a huge American flag, and I had been saving party decorations for a year, and Josh even had some sparklers. It's "cold" here right now, so the fire felt great - no 100 degree 4th for us! One of my favorite parts was when I told Neil that it was one of our traditions for the non-American visitor to perform the first skit of the night! He wasn't sure whether to believe me or not and said, "I think I would have heard of that custom!"

Tomorrow is a holiday, too, Saba Saba, which means the seventh day of the seventh month. It is known as Industry Day, which, given the recent massive power cuts, is a little ironic, as virtually no industry is happening at the moment! So, I guess it won't hurt for everyone to take the off! Since we didn't take the 4th off, I'm thinking of it as a delayed 4th of July holiday!

The banner picture

I know this isn't very easy to read, but it's mostly for my mom! I'd told her about this saying we put up in the dining hall because it reminds me of one we put in her living room, and I wanted her to see it. It says, This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it, along with a bright yellow-orange sun and the reference. The school uses the dining hall for devotions once a week, and the student teachers and mentors use it as a meeting space, as well, so I just wanted the newly painted bright white walls to say smething to us all! With the help of a wonderful lady at Perimeter (plug for Mary Francine and Uppercase Living!), and Melissa Duffy, this is a wonderful reminder of the Lord's presence, even in a dining hall.

A busy couple of weeks!

Yes, I'm still here, but have been completely cut off from the internet for most of the past 3 weeks! Spent 2 weeks with the teacher team from Perimeter, first at Karanse, then Tanga and Zanzibar (I went along as tour guide!)! In Tanga, we went to Samuel's school. He's a pastor that Bobby met on his first trip to JTTC and they have been like father and son ever since. A couple of pictures so you can get the feel of that sweet little preschool.

Then a teaching week at Karanse with our student teachers, then back to Arusha for the second part of the TaCSA (Tanzania Christian Schools Association) conference. The first part was in Dar, but the mentors had to miss that as we were out in schools watching our students teach. One of the best parts of the conference was
seeing students from when I was here before and reconnecting with them. I led a science workshop for 3 days and really enjoyed the time with former students.

Things should be back to "normal" now - week out, week in, no power from 6 at night till about 7 the next morning (for the foreseeable future or 3 years or whatever!), but at least laundry and internet during the day!