Picture Perfect Summer Day

I am sitting outside  my temporary home under a large shade tree composing this blog post. If you sat here with me with your eyes closed you could imagine you were in Michigan on a perfect summer day. There is a light breeze blowing, not a cloud in the sky, birds are chirping, you can hear children voices in the distance and it is a pleasant 80 degrees.

When you open your eyes you would be shocked to discover that you must have traveled back to another time. Maybe an old western TV set. Light brown dust covers the ground as far as the eyes can see. Trees spot the horizon and cows, oxen, goats and sheep graze in open areas for anything left edible after weeks of no rain.

We are currently in the dry season,  December to April,  with very little change from day to day  -- just  hot, sunny  and dry. The day reaches its highest  temperature at about 5 p.m. when we are returning from school. As a result it can sometimes be a bit hot for falling asleep. Yet during the night it cools down nicely. My home has solar power. I have several ceiling lights and a fan to make things comfortable. It is pitch black by 8 p.m. and the sun comes up about 7 a,m.

One of my junior teachers took Lydia and me to the market yesterday morning to act as our guide and translator. He did a great job, but he told us he took a ribbing for being with Kahwajas (white people). He really was concerned about us. He gave us specific directions on how he wanted to operate the transactions so that the shop keepers did not try to rip us off because we are white people.

It went very well. I was able to get enough basic supplies for a few weeks. The supplies are very basic -- no meat, no milk, no eggs, no cheese. Pasta, peanuts, peanut paste, rice, sugar, tomato paste, soap, bread and  fresh tomatoes are readily available.

I have oatmeal for breakfast most mornings and the menu for dinner is rice or pasta mixed with various canned veggies that the team brings in from Uganda and Kenya. We have had some local dishes at the market on a few occasions. Eating with my fingers will definitely take some getting used to.

God has been good. I feel safe. I am healthy.  I am working hard with the three teachers I am mentoring in 1B -- Awan, Achol and Akuem  (more about them later), I am enjoying all the students but working on learning all 170 of their names is challenging. The  team gets together for prayer, worship and a meal at different times during the week. They are very supportive of one another. Those of us working at the school meet  with all the  Junior teachers for prayer each morning at 8 a.m.

Thank you for your prayers on my behalf. Please continue to pray for me on Tuesdays.