Christmas Season with the Gilmores

My teammates gave me a very special gift, before Christmas even came!  That gift was welcoming me (and others) into their family's celebrations in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  There are some holiday traditions that just don't work if your try to do them on your own!  So thank you, Gilmores, for making this year's Christmas season that much more special and meaningful.

Tim, Chris, and their kids have a tradition of celebrating Advent, and this year they opened up their family's Advent times to others on the team.  What generosity!  I was thrilled, remembering Advent readings and the candles in a wreath on my family's dinner table long ago.  Each Friday before Christmas I went to the Gilmores' house, where we all sang Christmas carols together and reflected together on our amazing God who entered the world as one of us so he could save us.

The youngest kids got to light the candles!

As Chris says, I benefit from preparing myself, through times like these, to celebrate Jesus' birth.  And uniting with others creates a more vivid experience.

Then the family invited a few of us girls to come caroling with them!  They like to show up singing carols at their teammates' houses one of the nights before Christmas.  (I was completely surprised both my previous Christmases in Musoma.)  They wear scarves and act like they're shivering, standing outside in the cold... even though Musoma temperatures never dip below the 80's (F)!  Again, I was excited to join in the fun.  I discovered that they also sing carols non-stop in the car between houses!  We had a blast.

Outside the Nicholls' house

We loved seeing everyone's reactions.  I think our new families were touched by getting something familiar in a strange place (that doesn't feel very Christmas-ey, to be honest!).  The kids were always excited--or baffled, in the case of the youngest ones!  And we will not forget Elisa K, shrieking her delight as she bounced in her father's arms!


Tim and Chris Gilmore and their kids Camden, Tirzah, and Braden are such a fun family, and they have always lit up my life in Musoma.  (I introduced them in a newsletter three years ago.  Wow, the kids were so young!)  Thank you, my friends, for being family to all of us.

Current photo, lifted shamelessly from facebook

Thankful for Big Things

Along with my post about small blessings, I want to also mention two huge, exciting reasons to thank God.

I now have a colleague!  Crystal Lucas arrived in Tanzania the same year I did, and she taught missionary kids (and others) at an international school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city and unofficial capital.  When she told me she was thinking about coming to Musoma to join me in teaching the MKs here, I was so excited!

And now she's here!  We can brainstorm and plan together and divide the teaching between us!  (Parents will still be helping, too, thank goodness, but it's so nice to have two of us full-time MK teachers!)  Already this semester I have been feeling that I'm not teaching all the ages and classes well, and we have more families coming, more preschoolers and toddlers on the horizon!  You know how you sometimes wish you could clone yourself?  Well, this is even better, because Crystal is a fabulous teacher with different areas of training and experience than I have.  The Musoma families and I are very thankful for her!

We are also very thankful to be seeing some of our team's hard work finally in print.  In the past year, there have been seven Scripture dedications!  That means people from seven different local ethnic groups have seen and heard God's Word in their own languages for the first time.  Wow!  These dedications celebrated (and distributed) the Gospel of Luke, and in several instances, the smaller books of Ruth and Jonah, as well.

Check out this slideshow, made by my teammate, Michael Nicholls.
Scripture Celebrations in the Mara Region of Tanzania

Thank You, Lord!

Thankful for Little Things

Isn't Thanksgiving great?  You know you'll hear the question, "What are you thankful for?"  So the days leading up to the holiday give you a good chance to think through exactly that.  This year there were several things that aren't exactly super significant in themselves, but each one has added to my life.

There are two acquisitions, made possible by generous people, that have made this second term in Tanzania that much smoother than my first.  One is a little washing machine.

I was able to get this early in the year, thanks to some send-off gifts.  It's just wonderful to throw in my clothes and a little later take them straight to the clothesline!  (Assuming there is electricity, water, and the intake tubes are not clogged, thanks to the dirty water.)  Last term I made regular trips to the houses of gracious teammates who let me use their machines.  This is so much easier!

Then there is my kindle, purchased before I returned to Tanzania when someone gave me a gift "to get yourself something."

I think I could just about say that this little gadget has changed my life.  I love to read; I always have a book going.  I read before bed to "shut down" my mind for the night, so at least that much reading happens every day, even when I'm busy.  Last term I had to be very careful--because when I finished a certain book, what would I read next?  Shipping books all the time gets pricey!  With the kindle, I'm just reveling in my ongoing access to reading material.

There are also a couple things I've been enjoying in recent months.  Thanks to increasing internet options, I can now watch football! ;)

I enjoy watching team sports, even just part of a game while I eat supper, and this is the first time I've been able to watch much at all while in Musoma.  (World Cup 2010 was a nice exception.)  I won't write a lot here, since I featured this little fun thing in an entry not long ago.

One more little blessing: my new kitten, Orio.

I love cats, but only now have I felt ready to take on the responsibility of owning one in Musoma.  Pets are always a responsibility, and my life here adds some challenges.  What will I do when I travel (which happens a lot)?  How will I keep my house comfortable for teammates with cat allergies?  Not to mention the fact that pet food is not for sale in Musoma.
Now that I've decided to take on the challenges, I am so happy to have my crazy little bundle of fur!  I wouldn't say I'm lonely, but it is fun to have a creature to love in an otherwise empty house.  To see more cute kitten pictures, click here.

Little things, yes, but still blessings!

Football Season

It's football season!  But what is a football?

My American friends are probably aware that in most areas of the world, a "football" is a round ball, usually white with black spots.  (We call the sport "soccer", to differentiate it from the "football" we play, in which most players' feet never come in contact with the ball.)

This is certainly the case in Tanzania.  Football/soccer is very popular, and many people enjoy following their favorite teams, like Manchester United, Barcelona, and other stars.  It's no different among our little community of ex-patriates.  The European Champions' League is underway, and we love to get together to watch a game, if we can.  (It's tricky to pull off a game night, because the games play late at night, and none of us has satellite TV!)  I try to at least see the highlights online.

Because my teammates come from different countries, I've been exposed to other varieties of football, too!  Americans, have you ever watched a game of Australian football?  It's a riot!  Your team of 18 tries to punt or pass an elliptical ball to each other, across a huge, oval-shaped field, and kick it through the goal posts (often from impossible angles).  Meanwhile the other team tries to get the ball themselves--and it seems like anything goes!  It's an intense game, where the momentum is constantly changing... very entertaining!  I've watched a few games of the 2012 season, and last night a group of us enjoyed the hotly-contested Grand Final match between Hawthorn and Sydney.  (The Swans were victorious, to the special delight of one Sydney native present.)

Meanwhile, the American football season is up and running.  And for the first time while overseas, I am able to watch my Houston team's progress!  Our internet options are increasing, and I don't have to be as limited in my data use.  I usually have to watch the games about a week late, but there's nothing here to spoil the results for me!  (As long as I avoid facebook on game day...)

It's fun to have different sports to watch, even if we have to be very specific when we talk about "football"!  In a place where there isn't much to do for fun, a game gives us an excuse to get together on an evening or weekend.  One teammate (from New Zealand) says he intends to get some rugby for us to watch; I'd like to figure out that game.  Let's see, what other football-type sports can we add?

My First ESL Student

(ESL: English as a Second Language)

I find that people often assume that if you're a teacher, you must be able (and willing) to teach anything.  "Oh, you teach kids?  Cool, how would you like to give some English lessons on the side?"  This is my response, more or less: "NOOO!"  Teaching Math or History to young ones in a shared language is completely and totally different from teaching adults to understand and speak a new language.  I know people who can do both, and enjoy it, and I have loads of respect for them.  But I can't.

God has His ways of working on me, though.  He gave me friends whose first language is not English. I've played with their children for over three years, and in our efforts to communicate, they learned my language far more quickly than I learned theirs!  And this August, Michaja Kamphuis from the Netherlands started regular lessons at our (English speaking) co-op school.

Left:  Michaja, age 3, at the camp where we (adults) studied Swahili
Right:  Michaja, age 6, at our co-op school

Even up to this year, I honestly did not know how much help I would be with the Kamphuis children's education.  Both Michaja and her younger sister have attended weekly programs (like the Group Days), but those events are less academic, more accessible to kids who are not entirely confident in English.  My friend Dorien has done an excellent job teaching Michaja at home these past couple years, and Michaja has become quite a reader in her own language.  Then this last semester Dorien began teaching her to read in English.  Michaja progressed so quickly!  So they decided she could start attending regular classes with the English-speaking kids.  She now has English school with us in the mornings, and Dorien continues her Dutch instruction in the afternoons.

That means I get to teach my sweet Michaja!  Now, do I really know what I'm doing in this situation?  No, it's a new one for me.  And I generally do not relish new situations!  I wonder, would I have embraced this opportunity if God had not already made the student in question especially dear to me?  I guess I'll never know.  As it happened, knowing the child and seeing how well her parents had prepared her, I was happy and excited to try this new challenge.

I still didn't know how it would work.  Michaja is pretty quiet; how would she respond to all this English?  Whatever we teachers unconsciously expected, we were blown away the first day.  I decided to ask Michaja to read to me from a children's Bible story book--and she read easily, only stumbling over a few tricky words!  Her other teacher, one of the mothers, reported that Michaja joined right in their discussion, making jokes!  I think she is doing VERY well.  (It is so much fun to see how quickly a child can learn to read a second language, even a crazy one like English, when they already understand decoding!)  This is all still new, and both of us--teacher and student--are learning.  Each day is its own adventure, as is any teaching situation, just with a little extra twist. :)

I'm blessed to have this new role in her life!

Me and my girl, kicking back (not at school!)

Life is Precious

Warning:  This post does not have a happy ending.  It is the raw reality of something I witnessed.

On Tuesday, August 28th, a little baby boy was born.  On the side of the road, just outside my gate.

It was right after school, and my teammate Chris Gilmore had just come to pick up her son.  She recalls seeing a woman slide off the back of a motorcycle taxi onto the grass.  As she drove out the gate a few minutes later, she saw that the woman had just given birth!  She must have been on her way to the hospital, not far from my house, when the baby decided he couldn't wait even a minute more.  (Can you imagine riding side-saddle on the back of a motorbike while in labor?!)

Chris quickly stopped the car and got out to help, calling for me to come, too.  The baby was alive... but not crying.  She tried to clear his mouth and nose, and could feel him responding to her touch, but he still hadn't started breathing for himself.  Feeling completely out of our depth, we lifted the young mother and her baby into Chris' car to rush them to the hospital.

The odd thing was, we seemed to be the only ones who felt any urgency.  The woman who had come with the mother, as well as a couple others who had joined us in the street, acted somewhat surprised by our concern.  The mother herself, poor thing, was exhausted--and already past hope.  We learned that she had given birth to one other baby, who had also died.  She didn't resist our efforts; she was just completely passive.  So Chris told me to rub the baby's gums, to continue stimulating him, as we rode to the hospital.  I could feel his jaws move.

Unfortunately, once we got to the hospital, the scary situation turned into a nightmare.  Chris ran inside to get help... and was laughed at.  Eventually, she persuaded people to come out, although they certainly took their time in coming.  The mother was helped onto a simple metal gurney, and a nurse cut the umbilical cord and examined the baby.  With Chris standing there, pointing out the signs of life, the nurse started to wrap the baby in a cloth, ready to pronounce him dead.  When Chris protested, insisting that he could be saved with help, the nurse grudgingly made some attempts--including holding the baby upside down by his ankles and shaking him so hard, he was whipping back and forth!  I can't get that image out of my mind.

They wheeled the mother and baby inside, Chris following to see that they received treatment.  (I stayed in the car with Chris' son Braden, who was patient throughout the ordeal.  It's not the first time his parents have suddenly turned into ambulance drivers.)  We waited and prayed.  When Chris came out later, she was visibly upset.  She kept saying that the hospital ward was the most traumatic thing she'd ever seen, that she was so glad I hadn't come inside, too.

She said the lack of facilities and training is horrifying.  Everywhere there were women in labor, screaming, with very little being done for them.  There was a single oxygen tank being used for four little newborns, with an attendant moving the mask from one to another, in turn.  And Chris said the man in charge knew even less what to do than she did.  She kept after the staff until someone brought a stethoscope, and they heard "our" baby's heart beating.  "He is a fighter," she said.  "With the right help, he could make it."

However, as she composed herself to go back inside, her expression told me she wasn't confident the baby would get the help he needed.  Even the man in charge did not know CPR.  Chris said she listened as the baby's heartbeat grew fainter, and she felt his spirit leave him.

As we left the hospital, Chris mourned the prevailing attitude even more than the lack of training and facilities.  Everyone she saw thought she was crazy for caring about this baby.  Even the other mothers in the ward were laughing at her efforts.  The hospital staff, she was sure, wouldn't have taken action at all, if not for her pestering them to do this or that.

Also, we were disappointed, to be honest.  We know that God's plans are greater than our plans, but we had hoped He would step in, and that everyone there would see His power and care.  We had publicly prayed for the baby to live, wanting to see God reveal Himself and get the credit.  Instead He chose to have that baby experience only an hour of this life and then took him straight to heaven.  He knows best, and we have to trust that, even if we don't understand.

Meanwhile Chris and I were left with a strong impression of the fatalistic society in which we're living. "If it's meant to be, it will happen, and if it's not meant to be, there's nothing you can do."  This thinking drives Tanzanian behavior, just as ours is driven by cause-and-effect thinking, that we can influence outcomes by our actions.  I imagine that Tanzanians' fatalism helps them to cope with their very difficult lives.  But, as we witnessed, the laid-back mentality has a dark side.

National Orientation Program

There has been a lot of action at the translation office these last two weeks.  Our staff here in Musoma got to participate in a National Orientation Program.  "National" because it's for the Tanzanian nationals (as opposed to us internationals), and "orientation" because... well, that's what it is!

If you think about it, we Western missionaries get a lot of training that our Tanzanian coworkers are never even exposed to.  We take Bible and theology courses; many of us have advanced Bible degrees (we're in a translation organization, after all).  Both before and after coming to the field, we are taught about different cultures and how to relate to people who think differently.  Meanwhile, those who join us in the work of translating scripture into their languages often have to figure it out as they go along.  Try as we might to behave and communicate in culturally appropriate ways, there must be many things we do that leave our Tanzanian colleagues scratching their heads about "those crazy foreigners".

(It's so good to have the nice big conference room in the new building!)

The National Orientation Program attempts to address these issues.  A variety of presenters, including Westerners and Tanzanians, conducted a whole host of sessions on many different topics--ranging from theology and Bible translation itself to poverty and physical health to culture and the many things culture affects.  Although I was not present for these sessions--I was teaching the kids, naturally--I heard a lot of good reports from both presenters and participants.  Lots of good discussion and new things to think about!

The program wasn't all lectures, either.  It sounds like everyone had a lot of fun with various team-building exercises (read: games!).  :)

Cup stacking!  Except you have to cooperate with 3 other people to position each cup...

And then, maybe you graduate to this balancing act?!

Always fun to blindfold a whole group of people!  They had to figure out how to make a square.

There was even an impromptu office party last weekend--volleyball, soccer, and lunch at the Nicholls' house.  (Note:  All photos in this blog entry come from Michael Nicholls' facebook album.)  We hope and pray that God will use the classes and the fun of these two weeks for increased unity and understanding as we all seek to serve Him together!

Don't miss this great video, put together by Danny Foster, our Director of Training & Development and  leader of the program.

Neighborhood Crime Watch, Tanzanian Style

I nearly lost my nice new phone last Friday.  Thankfully, it was recovered, and I got a nice look at "how it's supposed to work" in a community-oriented culture.

It started with a simple accident: I took a taxi to a teammate's house, and when I climbed out (carrying a fair number of things), my phone must have fallen out of my purse and landed in front of the gate.  I, of course, did not realize this.  (If I had, there would be no story!)  About an hour later, as we were sitting down to supper, my friends' neighbor boy showed up.  He's a teenager, and he often comes with my friends to play soccer with our group.  This boy, Michael, and his friend explained that they had seen a boy from their school pick up a phone off the ground in front of the gate--and when they urged him to make inquiries inside, the boy just ran off.

Sure enough, my phone was gone, and I immediately wondered if I'd see it again.  Michael, meanwhile, was volunteering to act as go-between, since he knew the guy.  We were so impressed and thankful!  The next hour involved Michael calling the boy who had my phone, getting assurances that he would come, reporting hints of a desired "reward", and all of us waiting... and then Michael would call again, and so on.  It was starting to get late, and my friends' night guard, Daniel, arrived and was informed of the situation.

Michael finally suggested we go find the guy, since he obviously wasn't showing up like he said he would.  This was a challenge, because it would be too far to walk, and my friend was alone with her three little kids, her husband being out of town!  She gamely got all three ready for a drive, and then we all--me, her, the 3 kids, Daniel, Michael, and Michael's friend--piled into the car for a trip to an unknown house in an unknown (and slightly shady) part of town.

We went to first one house and then a second, greeting this fellow's relatives and explaining the situation. He was not home (in either place), and it was starting to get dark, so we returned to my friend's house.  (I'd like to point out that she did an excellent job navigating various crowded alley-streets not really suitable for vehicles, and the kids thought it was all great fun and didn't want to go home!)  Daniel was not discouraged, saying that we had done a good thing in making our presence and situation known, that we would be well in place for further steps tomorrow.

Sitting in my friend's house, I was grateful for the calm I felt regarding the whole situation.  I knew I would be disappointed to lose my phone, but I wasn't exactly upset--and I figured that in itself was a gift!  "If it's gone, it's gone.  It's just a thing, and there are plenty of things that would be harder to lose."  I did wish that I could stop constantly thinking about it, but I suppose that's natural.  The kids were put to bed (late!), and my friend and I were in the living room, when--what was that?--Daniel called for me to come out, the guy with my phone had come!  (On foot, after dark...!)

I went out and greeted him and a couple of his relatives/friends.  Wanting to assume the best (and keep the discussion positive), I said, "I hear that you found my phone!  I'm so glad!"  And then my part was practically done!  Daniel took over, and although I couldn't follow everything that was said, it was a masterpiece of diplomacy.  He set about "saving face" for the guy, explaining "No one is talking about stealing, we weren't telling your relatives you stole anything.  This is what happened... and we were just looking for you, and you weren't there."  However, Daniel did let the guy see his options: "You found her phone, and now you can return it, and the whole thing is done.  But if her phone is not returned, well, then we will have to come with police to look for it."  And everyone agreed that there was no need to bring in the police!  So in the end, one of the guys pulled my phone out of his pocket and handed it to me.  More concluding remarks were made; then they shook my hand, wished me good night, and left--without even mentioning a reward!

Evidently our trip to the guy's neighborhood was exactly the right thing to do.  He couldn't very well claim "finders keepers" or sell my phone to someone else with his whole community knowing that the mzungu (foreigner) was looking for him.  I saw Daniel again recently, and he told me the guy probably couldn't figure out how to turn it on, it's such a different kind of phone--so he probably figured he might as well return it!  (Anti-theft tip: buy nontraditional phones!)  Meanwhile, after recovering my phone, Daniel and I went next door and gave Michael a reward for his honesty and helpfulness!

Fridays Are Group Days!

Despite the boring name, "group day," I am really excited about this!  I've been hoping and planning for it since last year.  In our area we have some missionary families, both from our team and from other organizations, who cannot use our co-op as the main school for their children.  However, they all desire opportunities for their kids to get out of the house and spend time with other kids.  So this semester we are trying a new format: one day each week for all the kids to come together for some special group activities.  Thanks to several talented, servant-hearted folks, our first few group days have been a success!

We begin the morning with a Bible session for all the kids.  (Sunday school is another thing not usually available to the kids here.)  I lead that "class", but for the rest of the morning I am usually just assistant or facilitator.  I'm so thankful for the people who contribute far more than I could on my own!

After Bible time, we divide the kids by age.  The elementary kids get Art class with drawing lessons from Shelley.

Kelly Nicholls, one of the parents, leads the preschool.  I'm often around to help with these precious (but active!) little ones, and I can report that Kelly does a wonderful job with them, preparing all sorts of fun activities.

After the chai break we further the divide the older kids, this time by gender.  A married couple on our team are graciously investing in these kids, Eric with the boys and Allison with the girls.  The girls have been SO excited about the chance to take ballet lessons!  Yes, ballet lessons!

Right now we only have two older boys, so athletics are limited. :(  Undaunted, Eric leads them in various fitness and skill exercises.

Before the kids leave, I try to give them some library time, so they can take a few new books home.  Shelley or I will also read a story aloud to wrap things up.  All in all, it's a pretty neat program!  (I can say that because I do so little of it!)  As we proceed, we'll see what else we can build in.

One video for you, to give you a taste of what I enjoy each week. :)  The kids are faithfully memorizing the verses I assign them, and they each recite for me on the following Friday.  We have kids from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.  (If you turn your volume up, you may hear Luke's response to my compliments at the very end--ha ha!)

New Year, New Students

We are two weeks into our new semester!  For now, there are five daily students--and each of them is new to the co-op in one way or another.  The Bitikofer family has just moved to Musoma, the Brewerton girls were only occasional participants last year, and young Mr. Nicholls, now 5, is starting regular school for the first time.  Also, I have a new colleague: Shelley, who helped another family while I was gone, is here to share the teaching responsibility.  Lots of new things!

In the mornings I work with the younger two students while Shelley teaches the big kids.  Luke and Jessica are such sweethearts!

Luke has begun the reading journey.  He read his first words for me last Tuesday!

Half-way through the morning, we take a break for chai.  After a drink and a snack the kids play in the yard.

Shelley also gives piano lessons!

This year kids stay into the afternoons, so they bring their lunches.

Before returning to the classroom, I read aloud to them. (Right now we're reading Star of Light by Patricia St. John.)  The kids play quietly while they listen... and complain loudly when I stop!

Our last part of the day is the Africa unit study I do with the big kids (and Jessica).  The kids are all different ages and levels, so it's fun to get them together for one class.

Nikki working on her notebook

One day we had a surprise visitor!

There you have it, a day at Lake Victoria Learning Center in its present form.  That is, on any of the days from Monday to Thursday.  Friday is a little different.  I'll have to do another post about that sometime soon...

I Took My Parents "Home" with Me!

When I returned to Tanzania this time, I had the huge pleasure of bringing my parents along for a visit! I'm so thankful they could come and see the place where I live and meet my friends.

Mom and I in London Heathrow's Terminal E, my other home!

Lunch at a cafe on the furthest tip of the Musoma peninsula (my house is across the bay, at the foot of the hill).

These fisherman came in to the beach while we were there.

Dad samples some Lake Victoria tilapia masala and ugali (the local corn mush staple).

We visited the translation office and participated in the devotional/chai time. 

Saturday was our local Missionary Fellowship gathering, and Dad shared with us all.

We visited a couple Tanzanian homes; Mariam prepared us quite a feast!

Musoma is very close to Serengeti National Park.  We went for a fun overnight trip.  It was my first time, too!

Yeah, that elephant just walked right by our vehicle!

There is no way I can choose from the photos I took in the park without making this an impossibly long blog post.  Maybe there will be a facebook album one of these days.  However, I did put some video clips together, to give a brief glimpse:

All in all, we had a fun, full week in Musoma.  (I think my parents also got a good taste of East African public transportation as we made our way from Nairobi and back!)

Now taking reservations for any others who want to visit my corner of the world!  :)