Safari Abroad

Hiya Friends,
As the title indicates, we are headed for a safari. Can you believe we have been gone for three months? Hard to believe! We were both reflecting how as you get older, time goes by so quickly. My parents arrive to Kilimanjaro Airport tomorrow evening for a two and a half week adventure in Tanzania. Sarah, my parents, and myself head to the bush to check out Tanzania’s wildlife on Sunday for six days. We are pumped about this opportunity to see many animals in their natural environment. Sarah really wants to see some giraffes run and I just want to see lots of elephants. Hopefully we will be able to post some pictures. After the safari, my parents will be joining us for a few nights in the village. We have been telling our friends they are coming and many people in our community are very excited to meet them. I wish you all could have the experience of living in a rural village. It would definitely change your perspective on life and what you have.
The time away will be such a blessing. We are both feeling a bit tired and need of some time for relaxation and rejuvenation. Living in rural Africa in a village and learning a new language can take a toll on your physical body, so the rest and time away I trust will be good. Also the time away will be good to reflect on what we are experiencing. I am finding I need to spend more time reflecting on God’s work within my own heart and the heart of this community.
We had a bit of an unplanned get away this last week as well. Our temporary 90 day visas were up and we still had not received our residency permits, meaning we had to make a trip out of country for two days in order to come back in to get another temporary 90 day visa. So we headed to Mombasa, Kenya, a little over three hours away by bus. We were joined by a couple we work with, Wayne and Joyce, and had a really great time. Wayne, Joyce, and their family lived outside of Mombasa for 16 years, so they gave us the tour of the island of Mombasa. We enjoyed lots of good food and laughter. And most importantly, we were granted another 90 day visa. We hope to iron out the official residency permit situation when we go to Dar es Salaam for conference in a few weeks.
I bet you are wondering, “How is work going for us?” For me I continue to stay as busy as I want to be. There was a school holiday and when the children returned, there were countless major health issues. The problem I battle most is skin issues. They come up with the weirdest things and then I searching through village medical manuals about what to do about it. The biggest thing is that parents need to learn to bathe their children with soap and water at least once daily, and I think a lot of these problems would be eliminated. I have recommended a few go to the hospital because of serious infections. Language continues to be an issue at times. Sarah and I visited a lady last week that was bit by a dog. Her doctor wrote that she needed the rabies vaccine. We thought she said she was unable to get it due to money and that is was not available. I was so concerned because if she was truly bit by a rabid dog and does not get the vaccine, it can be fatal. So I get to her Tanga to the vaccination clinic and turns out she was able to get the rabies vaccine the day before, just where she got it, it was their last dose, so would be unable to get the rest of the series. We thought we very clearly asked her if she was able to get it, but obviously there was some miscommunication. But our language skills are coming along.
Good stories Em…now that she has brought you up to date on life here, I will fill you in on my side of things. I, too, am excited about our safari, and we hope to return feeling refreshed with a renewed purpose and desire to serve our community. It has been amazing so far, and even though we face struggles and hardships daily, God has blessed our work and ministry. Here’s a recap on all things school: After our latest school break, the kiddos returned in rare form. As sad as it was to witness some of their conditions (as Em explained before) it showed just how much the school impacts the community. The kiddos were also super excited to be back at school. I realized how much I missed them too! The teachers genuinely care about the wellbeing of students and work with families to make sure they are taken care of. I am thankful to be an additional resource to help the children in and out of school, and more importantly, share with the families that our love comes from Jesus Christ. I got to experience my first round of teacher interviews as we are searching for 2 new teachers next year. Each year the school will expand to the next grade level, so next year we will have 2 kindergarten classes, 1 first grade class, and 1 second grade class. It was quite an interesting experience, but I was very thankful to get to be a part of the process. I got to meet with our principal and discuss possible questions beforehand and discuss how to ask them in English and Kiswahili. We interviewed 3 candidates over a four hour period. It was a long day, but we all learned a lot, and we know God will provide the right person for the job! We are still looking to follow up with more interviews, but we are excited about these first steps in the process. I am feeling more at home at the school and I have been taking over some administrative rolls regarding the registration of our school. We are not yet registered with the government, but we have been working for the past 2 years on this process. Everything here takes a lot of time and follow up to make sure things are happening! Our team has been working with our principal to aid and assist in this process, and we hope to complete it within the next year. I would love to see it done before our time here comes to an end, God willing. Please continue to pray for the kiddos at the school and for the interviews and registration process! As you can see, we have a lot going on! I will end with a cute teacher story. I have been teaching the standard one children the prepositions on, in, under, behind, and in front of to express location. We have done all sorts of activities to practice the words from asking questions playing hide and seek with objects and playing Simon says by putting their hands on their heads and sitting under their desks…I have to be creative. Any who, I saw one of the parents of one student on Wednesday night and she was very excited to be telling me that her daughter came home from school and was describing the location of every object in her house! As a teacher, the best news you can hear is when a child goes home and shares what he or she is learning at school! I was elated! Praise the Lord their English is coming even though there are gaps in my Kiswahili! I will miss the kiddos over the next few weeks, but I am eager to get back in the classroom with these kids that I’m falling in love with! Until next time, thanks for reading, and we can’t wait to share our safari adventures with you.
Peace out,
Em & Sarah