Hello All.
So much has happened in the past week I almost don’t know where to begin!!!=) There was a wedding this past Saturday (07.07.07) which had a lot of significance – two long-term workers at the organization got married and have a nice 6 month leave to start their marriage off. I spent Friday morning voluntarily decorating the 3 wedding cakes and a birthday cake with another girl, that was very fun! We even had an icing gun and I did take pictures; mom you would have been proud=). We spent the morning of the wedding hunting down some beautiful tropical flowers to decorate the beach where the ceremony would be. After almost burning my back and getting a bit of sunstroke, I headed down to watch the ceremony. The feast afterwards was for 2,000-3,000 people (no one ever really knows the exact number around here!) from the surrounding area, they had handed out invitations everywhere, and though the food did run out and they had a mini-riot, it actually went pretty smoothly according to those who have orchestrated prior large events here. As far as what we’ve been doing on weekdays, it’s been a lot of class time, which is soon to change so that we can have afternoons free to go into the villages and visit friends, or do hospital visits, and they’ve just received permission for jail visits that they may organize. I do want to post some things that I’ve been learning but haven’t brought my notes with me today so will have to wait on that. Last night we watched a documentary on Mother Teresa and there has been a catholic nun visiting the base for a few weeks. The nun spoke after the film, which was very insightful and very gentle and very full of love – it is beautiful to sense the love and peace and other fruit from a life so devoted to ones God, and her purity of heart and purpose humbles me. When I first was looking into humanitarian aid work I first thought of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries for Charity in Calcutta and wondered if I could join their work in some way without becoming a nun (the nun part was the only thing I didn’t really want to do=)). I really enjoyed the evening because of the interest I had already had in it all. By the way, the way that we watch movies here is outside – a small white screen is hung on the porch of one of the compound houses and a couple in my house brought a projector (by request) so we set up outside in the dark on mats and lawn chairs. Dan, think “The Blessing” but in more of a camping mode…=).
Today one of our teachers is leaving, she is going to Russia next to speak at a similar school there (it is short-term as well). They gave her many many gifts to symbolize her life and what they see and want to bless in her life. A boat – that she needs a team to row it with her; candlesticks – to be a light and give leadership; a wall hanging of a painted village – that the village she leaves (Pemba) goes with her; a cane – a sign of authority and long life. It was very cool. We also washed the pastor’s school students (200 people) feet today and prayed for them, it was wonderful to bless them – and this is definitely a place in the world where daily foot washing is an actual necessity!!
Please pray for my body – I have not shaken the sickness I got three days into the school, it goes in bouts and I do generally feel well except for a cough and a sinus thing that comes and goes. The doctor thought it was bronchitis but after 5 days of antibiotics I haven’t seen improvement so I’m going to look into it again. I also woke up yesterday with a problem in my neck, I’ve lost some mobility in it and it is very painful to move about especially lying down, I can’t turn over or really move without a lot of pain. There is a massage therapist here and she has worked on it once so far. I have been sensing things a lot more spiritually and am wondering if that might be why I am also being hit with more health problems, so any prayer would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Well, that’s all for now. I was supposed to go on an outreach last weekend but it was cancelled, I don’t have much other news though, other than all is well and moving along. I can’t believe that we only have 4 more weeks left (before the extended outreach where we travel for two weeks straight). I find out tomorrow if I’ve been accepted for that, if you’d like to pray for that as well.