Busy Busy Busy

It has been too long since I’ve written a blog. It is my intention to stay up-to-date with my blog writing, but the past month has been filled with so much that it caused me to set my blog writing aside for a short time. But I am determined to get back on track and remain faithful to writing once again.

I thought it would be good to write about some of the activities that have been going on this past month.

• In late January Jodie left for a visit to California to see her sisters…Melissa had already been in California since late November for health reasons…that left me here alone. I should say that left me alone at night…except if you want to count the night guards outside. I found myself doing many jobs during the day that would normally be split between the three of us. By the time evening rolled around I was so thankful for a comfortable bed to sleep in. I didn’t even think about being here alone…I was too wiped out. But this was a good tired. I liked the work. I really enjoyed everything I was doing.
• Last October a guy from Shingletown in Northern California came to work at our orphanage for three weeks. His name is Steve. After being here three weeks he went back home but asked if he could return and work at the orphanage for a year. After praying about it the three of us all agreed he should come back. Knowing that Steve would be coming back and would need to a place to stay I began a search to find Steve a home. Looking for a place for an American to live in Africa is more challenging than you might think. During my “free time” I would look at places for Steve…happy to report he is here and has a place to stay.
• On occasion I have made mention in my blogs about the insects and bugs here at the orphanage. I have a greater appreciation for them when they are outside and not making themselves comfortable living inside our orphanage building. On one particular day I was in my office looking for something. I had my wall clock on top of my file cabinet…it had not yet been hung on the wall. I moved the wall clock to look at something underneath it and about a hundred black ants came out running. The black ants here are about triple the size of the red ants in California…they are HUGE. After taking the clock outside and spraying it to kill the ants it was discovered that they had made a comfortable home inside of it. Within an hour of discovering the ants we found a termite farm behind one of the wardrobes. Combine these two incidents with the regular insect sightings we have indoors, I decided it was time to have the building fumigated. We made preparations for two days to fumigate the building. Steve, our American handyman took on the job himself. I had to get a room for the night at the hostel close by. After fumigating we had to put everything that had been moved back into place and do a lot of cleaning. It was a big job but I can tell you that I have noticed a difference.
• I spoke at Eli’s church in early December. His pastor is very sweet and the people were great. After I spoke Eli told me his pastor wanted me to come back and teach a three-day seminar. Thinking that Pastor Dave and Rita were not going to be in Tanzania until the middle of February and Melissa would be back by early February I agreed to do the seminar. When the time came to do the seminar, Melissa was still in California and Pastor Dave and Rita were arriving on day two of the seminar I was teaching. It all worked out for me to teach the seminar and pick up Pastor Dave and Rita at the airport and to spend time with them…it just made for a busy time…Melissa arrived four days after Pastor Dave and Rita did.
• After my pastors arrived they began a conference in Mirerai…about an hour and a half away in Maasai land. On the same evening Melissa returned to Tanzania Pastor Eric Lehman, his father and a bishop from Kenya arrived to speak on Thursday and Friday at the conference. It was so much fun picking up all these people at the airport. After the conference was over Pastor Dave, Pastor Eric, his father and the bishop left. Then a team from Tracy, California arrived here. This was a group of six people. They came to check out the orphanage as a potential mission’s project for their church. They also came to put up the curtains for the orphanage…over 40 windows! They worked hard all week. The curtains are beautiful…so beautiful. They did a superb job. The curtains make the orphanage look like a home.
• After the team from Tracy left Melissa and I began doing interviews for potential care-workers, teachers, cooks, and domestic workers. We have approval from the welfare dept to take in children and Melissa and Rita have visited places where there are orphans that need a home. Now we just need to hire our staff…so we have been interviewing…a lot. It has been good and we are excited about the staff that we will have. Interviewing is a time-consuming job and on one day we interviewed seven people in a row…long day.
• Jake arrived on Wednesday. Pastor Kioko and Rita drove the van to DarEsSaalam…about eight hours away…they picked up Jake and the ten brand new computers and all the equipment needed to set up a computer lab in my classroom. The computers were donated by a man in Florida and he sent Jake, one of his employees to set it all up. Jake worked hard for four days to get everything ready…he did a great job. It all looks great in my classroom. I spent a lot of time in there with Jake and Pastor Kioko…Pastor Kioko was Jake’s assistant in setting everything up…I was trying to learn as much as I could. Jake spent one evening explaining things to us and I spent one morning just asking a lot of questions. I am so blessed by the generosity of this man who donated all of the computers, equipment, software, projector, and for sending Jake to set it all up. Thank you.
• Jodie returned to Tanzania on March 2^nd. She was supposed to be here on March 1^st but she missed her plane on one of her stops…due to the plane she was on being late…that put her twelve hours later to arrive in Tanzania…she had to take a different flight and add on two more extra stops besides the ones she was already going to make. She was wiped out when we picked her up, but she was happy to be home and we were so excited to see her.

I have described a small portion of the busyness in the past month or so. I like it. I love that there is so much to do. I appreciate so much all the people who have come to help. We are moving forward and the children are coming so soon. This is really an exciting time.