October 8, 2013
This message is coming to you from my new home in Kazovu, Tanzania. As I said in my previous email, I was placed at Kazovu Secondary School. I started my journey by bus on September 24th and arrived at 10am on the morning of the 27th. I have now been here for almost two weeks and so I am writing to let you all know what has been going on here so far. This message is extremely long, sorry! But so much has happened since arriving.
The journey was supposed to begin early on the morning of the 24th. So Alex, Lindsey and I were awake and ready to go at 7am. It turned out that the bus wasn’t going to leave Mafinga until 1pm. So we really didn’t need to leave Madisi until 11am. We ended up just enjoying the company of one another for the few hours in the morning, praying for each other as we left training and finalizing packing. Janelle told us that we could leave some of our stuff at her house so we would hopefully only have to take one bag on the bus (which we learned from the bus ride from Dar that having multiple bags on a Tanzanian bus is absolute chaos!).
Our first bus was from Mafinga to Mbeya. It was about a 6 hour ride, not bad. The bus was packed with people and we had our backpacks and pillows smashed on our laps. We arrived in Mbeya that night. As Americans unfamiliar with the country and unable to understand the language well, we would have been very lost without our good friend Jovinus (Jo-vi-noose). He is the guy that does building construction for the schools and also installs electricity. So basically he is like the handy-man of the organization. He himself graduated Form 4 from Madisi Secondary and is now 22 (like me!) working hard to make money in order to go to University. Jovinus traveled with us and helped us navigate the bus system, and find a hotel in Mbeya. We were also happy with his choice of hotel because to our surprise there was an actual shower! The water runs from the nozzle to the floor… foreign concept to us now since bucket showers have become our best friends. And the water was also HOT! Lindsey came back from the shower and said, “That was the best early birthday present ever!” Her birthday was September 29th.
After enjoying some local food we went to sleep and continued our journey the next day to Sumbawanga. This bus ride was 9 hours long, some of it on paved roads, other parts on bumpy dirt roads. I sat next to Jovinus that day and this is when we started to become good friends. Arriving in Sumbawanga we exited the very hot and muggy bus and met the directors of VST, Godfrey and Immanueli. It was so good to finally meet them. They are fabulous people with amazing hearts for God and for the children of Africa. We took our stuff to a guesthouse to spend the night. Had a wonderful conversation with Godfrey and Immanueli about VST and their backgrounds in the organization. They gave us some very good advice for our new schools too (since they had just visited each of them) and encouraged us in going.
That night was our last night together as new friends (Alex, Lindsey and I). Even though we were given separate rooms, we stayed together in one room, watched some Big Bang Theory of Alex’s computer, and enjoyed laughing, talking and praying together. We were so sad to have to part ways but also were encouraged because each of us has an amazing opportunity ahead of us to reach Africa for Christ through education in three separate places in the Rukwa region. I feel like I have known these girls for years and I am happy to have spent the first few weeks sharing experiences together. But the time to part ways had come and it was time to walk hand in hand with God into the unknown.
Jovinus and I took a bus at 9am the next morning (26th). I now fully understand the extent of the heat in western Tanzania. PHEW! The bus took many stops, for reasons both Jovinus and I were both unaware. When we stopped along the way, the wind was no longer blowing meaning that it was blazing hot. The bus ride was about 8 hours long. Once we arrived in Kilando we ran to the lake hoping to catch the boat leaving at 4pm. There was a young boy running at full speed with our stuff on his cart, Jovinus and I not far behind. Unfortunately, we did not make it in time. The boat to Kazovu had already left. We walked back through town and came upon a small guesthouse where we spent the night. It was here that I taught Jovinus the game 5 crowns. And I’m sure my Dad and Carl will be happy to know that he beat me… twice! We stayed up late because we got caught up in conversation. He told me all about his childhood and how he came to study at Madisi; did not expect a person with such a kind heart to have once been so negative. God has really turned his life around.
To my surprise I was awakened by Jovinus saying, “Emi, Emi, are you sleeping? We must go now to the boat.” I thought the boat was not coming until later so I was not prepared. I hurried and threw some clothes on and packed my stuff and we began the walk back to the lake. We loaded our stuff into a boat that turned out to be the wrong one so we unloaded all the stuff and put it into another boat. We talked with some local people hanging out on the beach and several of them followed us onto the boat as we left. The boat was a decent size and how you ride in it is by sitting on the edges. That was exciting! For me it was fun, but not for Jovinus. He does not know how to swim so he is terrified of water. Even though I assured him I was a very good swimmer and I would let the laptop sink in order to save him, he was still afraid.
It was the moment I looked up from the boat and onto the water, mountains and villages that I realized I live in the most beautiful place on earth; white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, and green hills and mountains. Absolutely amazing!
Many students and small children swimming in the water were there to greet us as we arrived. They are not used to seeing many white people in their village so soon the number of children went from 10 to 30 to 40… just staring. This happens when I am just walking through the village too. They don’t want anything from me just want to watch me. Teacher Jonathan says, “Oh look, you have so many friends!” Ha! The school and teacher houses are very close to the beach so we didn’t walk very far to arrive. Met the Headmaster, Chris, and his wife Winfrida (everyone calls her Madaam). I am living with them in their house during my stay here in Tanzania. The only other female teacher is the Winfrida, so there isn’t a female teacher only house. I am now their adopted daughter and live in my own room in their home.
The house is a one-level cement and brick building with four rooms, one main room, one room for kitchen things, a bathing area and a toilet room. The roof is metal, which is awesome, but the individual rooms do not have ceilings. So when I look up from my bed I see the wooden framework of the metal roof. This provides for nice airflow when the wind blows but also allows God’s precious creatures to enter the house at any time of day or night; noting too out of the ordinary for Africa. I have my mosquito net set up which is really nice because the first couple of nights I did not and I woke up with a dozen bites on my hands and arms. Now it is okay! It also provides me with some comfort knowing that I have my little walls of protection when I sleep so the sounds of small animals will not keep me awake. One thing I will have to get used to is the alarmingly loud roosters and chickens that live in the room next to me. No idea why these animals have a special room in the main house all to themselves but I don’t ask questions. They just walk in and out of the house as they please and it’s totally normal. The problem comes at 3:30am every morning when the roosters wake up… COCK A DOODLE DOO!!!! They do this for at least 30 minutes and then again at 5:30am. Needless to say my sleep from 3:30-5:30 is not so fantastic. It is getting easier to tune them out once they start but it is still an adjustment. But on the plus side, I never need an alarm clock!
The morning of the second day after arriving Chris sent me on a trip to a neighboring village with a couple of older girl students from the school, Markrita and Elena. We went to the village of Isabba, which is about a 50 minute walk south of Kazovu. This village is the home of Markrita and Elena. We went in order to talk with the Chief officer of the village and inform him of my arrival in hopes that he would spread the word that an American was in Kazovu to teach English. We ended up going to get fresh fish from the fisherman at the lake first. There the girls make me hold lots of fish and crabs, both dead and alive. Slimy! After paying for out meal we went to prepare the food. Scaled and gutted my first fish! Scaling it was no problem it was the gutting that was disgusting. The girls found my disgust to be rather amusing. As we waiting for the Chief we enjoyed some tea and andazi (African donuts basically). When the Chief arrived, I informed him of my purpose in Tanzania and in particular the village of Kazovu. He was very happy to hear of the news. But, he said the best way to convince the people to send their children to school would be to come back the next day and speak to the majority at their village meeting. So that is what I did. I walked back to Isabba the next morning with Chris and we spent time with the people there relaxing and eating food until 2pm when the meeting began.
The meeting was held under the largest mango tree in the village. Everyone gathered around seeking shad from the tree. They sat on the ground or on bricks while the leaders of the village sat in chairs at the front. What I noticed was that there were different sections for different people. There was a row to the side of all elderly people, men and women. Then there was a large section of young men and boys to another side. And all of the women and children sat on the ground behind the chairs for the village leaders. So almost always the words from the speakers were directed away from them. When it was my turn to speak Chris invited me to the center. I made sure that my words were not only directed at the men, but also the women as well. I spoke some in Swahili and some in English. Chris translated for me. We tried to convince the people that education is very important and that their children need to be in school. Which is a very difficult concept for these people because education in not valued here at all, especially for girls. I noticed there were dozens of young girls, most likely under the age of 16 already nursing and caring for their babies. Breaks my heart to see that their lives have already been decided for them and most likely they will never go to school. God was working on hearts of some of the people though. We had two boys stand up and say they wanted to come to school and fifteen adults! They told us they wanted to know English so that when their children come home from school they could communicate with them in English.
After the meeting I started to play with the young children of the Isabba. All 60 of them at once! Was a little overwhelming but I taught them numbers by drawing them in the sand and having them repeat. Also we played a game in which they could learn the parts of the body in a very fun way. We were all laughing and having a great time. The Mamas were even joining in too!
Once we were all exhausted from doing games I walked with Markrita to her house. But most people didn’t leave the gathering place and I really felt like I needed to go back. I think that the Lord was pulling me to spend more time with the villagers. So I went back and they had begun to sing and dance to music. Everything was choreographed and rehearsed! I asked Chris and he said this happens every Sunday as a way to relax and enjoy life, and enjoy we did! It brought all of us so much joy and laughter, especially when the old grandmas got up to dance. Definitely an African celebration!
The next couple of days were spent in the village of Kazovu going house to house asking children if they wanted to come to school and trying to convince their parents to let them come. Ten more students signed up! I was very happy. Many of those ten were girls too, which made me even happier. I started teaching Pre-Form last Wednesday. The schedule for teaching here is very obscure and relaxed. I asked many different teachers what the process was and all of them said, “Oh you just teach two or three periods per day and then the other teachers will come.” Huh? I knew there would be times when I didn’t know what was going on… this would be one of them. I just decided that I would go in the morning and teach until I was at a good stopping point. I taught from 7:30-10:30am and then again from 12:00-1:00pm. I finished almost all of what was planned for Day 1, which was good. Baraka, another teacher (yes the other teachers call him Obama), is a wonderful person and is quickly becoming my closest friend here. He is a very good teacher and extremely passionate about his work and the success of his students. He is going to be helping me teach Pre-Form but because there are only seven teachers total here, he has needed to teach Form 2 and 3. So for the first week I was teaching most periods per day in Pre-Form, which was fine by me because that is exactly what I expected to be doing.
I was nervous for the first day but it is becoming easier. Every day the number of students increases. Right now I only have 15, but I started with 5. They work very hard and are doing well even after just one week. I love them! Of course they are still children and goof off sometimes but I run a decently tight ship in my classroom, which is needed and expected here so it’s going well. The students here are used to structure so I need to keep that going or I will lose control of my classroom. 15 students are easy to manage but I am praying so hard that more students will come and make it almost unmanageable because that means more students are in school. Please continue to pray for that alongside me.
The nights are spent talking and spending time with friends; Chris, Winfrida, Baraka, Jovinus and some of the students that come over to help us cook. We talk, laugh and play games together. I taught them UNO and go fish. They love those games! And when it is late we all get a little goofy so it’s just an all-around fun time.
I have been practicing cooking over a wood fire and it is really fun. I like it very much! Winfrida has been showing me how to cook some things and I have even taught her how to make some things. Like spaghetti! I made American food a few nights ago and it was so good. One can only eat ugali so many nights in a row before going crazy. I made a tomato sauce that was very tasty and put it over noodles. Tonight we had chicken, for the first time. I knew we were going to eat meat because Chris said so earlier today, but I forgot that they butcher their own meat here. I was sitting out back with the women cooking and some boys came and put a chicken with tied feet right in my lap. They totally expected me to kill it for them. I have not been in Africa long enough to be ready for that! I gladly declined and so Winfrida took it and prepared it for dinner. Maybe in a few months I will have the guts to do something like that.
The other day I prepared roasted peanuts. They were originally intended for Jovinus because he bought them, but when they were done cooking he was nowhere to be found. So Winfrida and I decided to partake in the eating until he came. She set out the bamboo mat in the middle of the floor and we laid down on it and ate peanuts. I enjoyed this time so very much for many reasons. It was the first time I felt like I blended in. I felt as if I was a part of the culture and for once I was not just an American, but an African woman in training. I felt so comfortable just lying there on the floor eating peanuts with Winfrida. Her English is limited but we still have a very special connection and I am so happy to have her as a friend.
I have also been doing a lot of swimming! Once people found out that I loved to swim they were very excited. Chris and Winfrida do not know how to swim and so they asked me to teach them. So on separate occasions I went with them to the lake and gave them their first lesson. I used an empty jug as a kickboard in order to help them learn to kick. Both of them struggled a lot with that concept but were so determined to succeed. There was definitely a ton of laughter and joy during those times! They will need more practice for sure though. The other times I go swimming I go with students or I go alone. There is a large section of beach a short walk south of the school that never has any people. It is completely peaceful and I have enjoyed going there on many occasions, mostly evenings when the sun is setting. It is the one place that I can go to be alone and enjoy the peaceful noises of the waves coming onto the shore. I usually go to wash my hair and my clothes. I cannot describe in words the beauty of the sunsets. I sit in the water and gaze over to the vague outlines of the mountains of Congo as the sun sets behind them and paints the sky deep shades of pink, orange and blue and it reflects beautifully on the water. In the distance the silhouettes of fisherman in their boats are the only things on the water. I thank God for moments like these and his beautiful creation. I don’t think I will ever get tired of it.
Jovinus left on Sunday :(. Sad but also happy because he completed the work he came here to do which was to install electricity. All of us were sad to see him go. We walked him to the boat in the morning and waved as he sailed away. (He made Baraka go with him because he was still afraid of water...). Electricity is both a blessing and a curse because at night all of the cockroaches come in herds to the light in our home. It is really annoying. We have turned it into a game of sorts, how creative can we get smashing the irritating things. But it is no problem. It is only for a short time that we have big problems with bugs. I am thankful for that.
God has been revealing more and more of himself to me as time goes on here. He has overwhelmed me with a sense of peace. He has blessed me with strong forming friendships with the people, he shows me his glory through creation and the beautiful artwork he has crafter, and he reveals his power and authority through the storms. There is no doubt that Kazovu is one of the hottest places on earth, but God can take even the hottest places and cool them with rain.
My fourth night here we were hit with the biggest rain and thunderstorm I have ever experienced. Our roof is metal so when we tried to speak to each other, it was no use because we couldn’t possibly hear each other over the sound of the crashing rain and cracking thunder. I was overwhelmed by the Presence of God’s ultimate power. It was almost as if God was saying, “Hey Emily, I’m bigger. I’m bigger than the heat. I’m bigger than your worries and uncertainties. I’m bigger than you.” And yes He sure is.
One of my devotions a few days ago said…
“Relax in my everlasting arms. Your weakness is an opportunity to grow strong in awareness of My Almighty Presence. When your energy fails you, do not look inward and lament the lack you find there. Look to Me and My sufficiency; rejoice in My radiant riches that are abundantly available to help you. Go gently through this day, leaning on Me and enjoying my Presence. Thank Me for your neediness, which is building trust-bonds between us. If you look back on your journey thus far, you can see that days of extreme weakness have been some of your most precious times. Memories of these days are richly interwoven with golden strands of My intimate Presence.”
Days and moments are not always fantastic and easy. But one thing I can know for sure is that even in my darkest times I have the most powerful and loving ray of sunshine lighting my path and holding my hand and heart.
This message is coming to you from my new home in Kazovu, Tanzania. As I said in my previous email, I was placed at Kazovu Secondary School. I started my journey by bus on September 24th and arrived at 10am on the morning of the 27th. I have now been here for almost two weeks and so I am writing to let you all know what has been going on here so far. This message is extremely long, sorry! But so much has happened since arriving.
The journey was supposed to begin early on the morning of the 24th. So Alex, Lindsey and I were awake and ready to go at 7am. It turned out that the bus wasn’t going to leave Mafinga until 1pm. So we really didn’t need to leave Madisi until 11am. We ended up just enjoying the company of one another for the few hours in the morning, praying for each other as we left training and finalizing packing. Janelle told us that we could leave some of our stuff at her house so we would hopefully only have to take one bag on the bus (which we learned from the bus ride from Dar that having multiple bags on a Tanzanian bus is absolute chaos!).
Our first bus was from Mafinga to Mbeya. It was about a 6 hour ride, not bad. The bus was packed with people and we had our backpacks and pillows smashed on our laps. We arrived in Mbeya that night. As Americans unfamiliar with the country and unable to understand the language well, we would have been very lost without our good friend Jovinus (Jo-vi-noose). He is the guy that does building construction for the schools and also installs electricity. So basically he is like the handy-man of the organization. He himself graduated Form 4 from Madisi Secondary and is now 22 (like me!) working hard to make money in order to go to University. Jovinus traveled with us and helped us navigate the bus system, and find a hotel in Mbeya. We were also happy with his choice of hotel because to our surprise there was an actual shower! The water runs from the nozzle to the floor… foreign concept to us now since bucket showers have become our best friends. And the water was also HOT! Lindsey came back from the shower and said, “That was the best early birthday present ever!” Her birthday was September 29th.
After enjoying some local food we went to sleep and continued our journey the next day to Sumbawanga. This bus ride was 9 hours long, some of it on paved roads, other parts on bumpy dirt roads. I sat next to Jovinus that day and this is when we started to become good friends. Arriving in Sumbawanga we exited the very hot and muggy bus and met the directors of VST, Godfrey and Immanueli. It was so good to finally meet them. They are fabulous people with amazing hearts for God and for the children of Africa. We took our stuff to a guesthouse to spend the night. Had a wonderful conversation with Godfrey and Immanueli about VST and their backgrounds in the organization. They gave us some very good advice for our new schools too (since they had just visited each of them) and encouraged us in going.
That night was our last night together as new friends (Alex, Lindsey and I). Even though we were given separate rooms, we stayed together in one room, watched some Big Bang Theory of Alex’s computer, and enjoyed laughing, talking and praying together. We were so sad to have to part ways but also were encouraged because each of us has an amazing opportunity ahead of us to reach Africa for Christ through education in three separate places in the Rukwa region. I feel like I have known these girls for years and I am happy to have spent the first few weeks sharing experiences together. But the time to part ways had come and it was time to walk hand in hand with God into the unknown.
Jovinus and I took a bus at 9am the next morning (26th). I now fully understand the extent of the heat in western Tanzania. PHEW! The bus took many stops, for reasons both Jovinus and I were both unaware. When we stopped along the way, the wind was no longer blowing meaning that it was blazing hot. The bus ride was about 8 hours long. Once we arrived in Kilando we ran to the lake hoping to catch the boat leaving at 4pm. There was a young boy running at full speed with our stuff on his cart, Jovinus and I not far behind. Unfortunately, we did not make it in time. The boat to Kazovu had already left. We walked back through town and came upon a small guesthouse where we spent the night. It was here that I taught Jovinus the game 5 crowns. And I’m sure my Dad and Carl will be happy to know that he beat me… twice! We stayed up late because we got caught up in conversation. He told me all about his childhood and how he came to study at Madisi; did not expect a person with such a kind heart to have once been so negative. God has really turned his life around.
To my surprise I was awakened by Jovinus saying, “Emi, Emi, are you sleeping? We must go now to the boat.” I thought the boat was not coming until later so I was not prepared. I hurried and threw some clothes on and packed my stuff and we began the walk back to the lake. We loaded our stuff into a boat that turned out to be the wrong one so we unloaded all the stuff and put it into another boat. We talked with some local people hanging out on the beach and several of them followed us onto the boat as we left. The boat was a decent size and how you ride in it is by sitting on the edges. That was exciting! For me it was fun, but not for Jovinus. He does not know how to swim so he is terrified of water. Even though I assured him I was a very good swimmer and I would let the laptop sink in order to save him, he was still afraid.
It was the moment I looked up from the boat and onto the water, mountains and villages that I realized I live in the most beautiful place on earth; white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, and green hills and mountains. Absolutely amazing!
Many students and small children swimming in the water were there to greet us as we arrived. They are not used to seeing many white people in their village so soon the number of children went from 10 to 30 to 40… just staring. This happens when I am just walking through the village too. They don’t want anything from me just want to watch me. Teacher Jonathan says, “Oh look, you have so many friends!” Ha! The school and teacher houses are very close to the beach so we didn’t walk very far to arrive. Met the Headmaster, Chris, and his wife Winfrida (everyone calls her Madaam). I am living with them in their house during my stay here in Tanzania. The only other female teacher is the Winfrida, so there isn’t a female teacher only house. I am now their adopted daughter and live in my own room in their home.
The house is a one-level cement and brick building with four rooms, one main room, one room for kitchen things, a bathing area and a toilet room. The roof is metal, which is awesome, but the individual rooms do not have ceilings. So when I look up from my bed I see the wooden framework of the metal roof. This provides for nice airflow when the wind blows but also allows God’s precious creatures to enter the house at any time of day or night; noting too out of the ordinary for Africa. I have my mosquito net set up which is really nice because the first couple of nights I did not and I woke up with a dozen bites on my hands and arms. Now it is okay! It also provides me with some comfort knowing that I have my little walls of protection when I sleep so the sounds of small animals will not keep me awake. One thing I will have to get used to is the alarmingly loud roosters and chickens that live in the room next to me. No idea why these animals have a special room in the main house all to themselves but I don’t ask questions. They just walk in and out of the house as they please and it’s totally normal. The problem comes at 3:30am every morning when the roosters wake up… COCK A DOODLE DOO!!!! They do this for at least 30 minutes and then again at 5:30am. Needless to say my sleep from 3:30-5:30 is not so fantastic. It is getting easier to tune them out once they start but it is still an adjustment. But on the plus side, I never need an alarm clock!
The morning of the second day after arriving Chris sent me on a trip to a neighboring village with a couple of older girl students from the school, Markrita and Elena. We went to the village of Isabba, which is about a 50 minute walk south of Kazovu. This village is the home of Markrita and Elena. We went in order to talk with the Chief officer of the village and inform him of my arrival in hopes that he would spread the word that an American was in Kazovu to teach English. We ended up going to get fresh fish from the fisherman at the lake first. There the girls make me hold lots of fish and crabs, both dead and alive. Slimy! After paying for out meal we went to prepare the food. Scaled and gutted my first fish! Scaling it was no problem it was the gutting that was disgusting. The girls found my disgust to be rather amusing. As we waiting for the Chief we enjoyed some tea and andazi (African donuts basically). When the Chief arrived, I informed him of my purpose in Tanzania and in particular the village of Kazovu. He was very happy to hear of the news. But, he said the best way to convince the people to send their children to school would be to come back the next day and speak to the majority at their village meeting. So that is what I did. I walked back to Isabba the next morning with Chris and we spent time with the people there relaxing and eating food until 2pm when the meeting began.
The meeting was held under the largest mango tree in the village. Everyone gathered around seeking shad from the tree. They sat on the ground or on bricks while the leaders of the village sat in chairs at the front. What I noticed was that there were different sections for different people. There was a row to the side of all elderly people, men and women. Then there was a large section of young men and boys to another side. And all of the women and children sat on the ground behind the chairs for the village leaders. So almost always the words from the speakers were directed away from them. When it was my turn to speak Chris invited me to the center. I made sure that my words were not only directed at the men, but also the women as well. I spoke some in Swahili and some in English. Chris translated for me. We tried to convince the people that education is very important and that their children need to be in school. Which is a very difficult concept for these people because education in not valued here at all, especially for girls. I noticed there were dozens of young girls, most likely under the age of 16 already nursing and caring for their babies. Breaks my heart to see that their lives have already been decided for them and most likely they will never go to school. God was working on hearts of some of the people though. We had two boys stand up and say they wanted to come to school and fifteen adults! They told us they wanted to know English so that when their children come home from school they could communicate with them in English.
After the meeting I started to play with the young children of the Isabba. All 60 of them at once! Was a little overwhelming but I taught them numbers by drawing them in the sand and having them repeat. Also we played a game in which they could learn the parts of the body in a very fun way. We were all laughing and having a great time. The Mamas were even joining in too!
Once we were all exhausted from doing games I walked with Markrita to her house. But most people didn’t leave the gathering place and I really felt like I needed to go back. I think that the Lord was pulling me to spend more time with the villagers. So I went back and they had begun to sing and dance to music. Everything was choreographed and rehearsed! I asked Chris and he said this happens every Sunday as a way to relax and enjoy life, and enjoy we did! It brought all of us so much joy and laughter, especially when the old grandmas got up to dance. Definitely an African celebration!
The next couple of days were spent in the village of Kazovu going house to house asking children if they wanted to come to school and trying to convince their parents to let them come. Ten more students signed up! I was very happy. Many of those ten were girls too, which made me even happier. I started teaching Pre-Form last Wednesday. The schedule for teaching here is very obscure and relaxed. I asked many different teachers what the process was and all of them said, “Oh you just teach two or three periods per day and then the other teachers will come.” Huh? I knew there would be times when I didn’t know what was going on… this would be one of them. I just decided that I would go in the morning and teach until I was at a good stopping point. I taught from 7:30-10:30am and then again from 12:00-1:00pm. I finished almost all of what was planned for Day 1, which was good. Baraka, another teacher (yes the other teachers call him Obama), is a wonderful person and is quickly becoming my closest friend here. He is a very good teacher and extremely passionate about his work and the success of his students. He is going to be helping me teach Pre-Form but because there are only seven teachers total here, he has needed to teach Form 2 and 3. So for the first week I was teaching most periods per day in Pre-Form, which was fine by me because that is exactly what I expected to be doing.
I was nervous for the first day but it is becoming easier. Every day the number of students increases. Right now I only have 15, but I started with 5. They work very hard and are doing well even after just one week. I love them! Of course they are still children and goof off sometimes but I run a decently tight ship in my classroom, which is needed and expected here so it’s going well. The students here are used to structure so I need to keep that going or I will lose control of my classroom. 15 students are easy to manage but I am praying so hard that more students will come and make it almost unmanageable because that means more students are in school. Please continue to pray for that alongside me.
The nights are spent talking and spending time with friends; Chris, Winfrida, Baraka, Jovinus and some of the students that come over to help us cook. We talk, laugh and play games together. I taught them UNO and go fish. They love those games! And when it is late we all get a little goofy so it’s just an all-around fun time.
I have been practicing cooking over a wood fire and it is really fun. I like it very much! Winfrida has been showing me how to cook some things and I have even taught her how to make some things. Like spaghetti! I made American food a few nights ago and it was so good. One can only eat ugali so many nights in a row before going crazy. I made a tomato sauce that was very tasty and put it over noodles. Tonight we had chicken, for the first time. I knew we were going to eat meat because Chris said so earlier today, but I forgot that they butcher their own meat here. I was sitting out back with the women cooking and some boys came and put a chicken with tied feet right in my lap. They totally expected me to kill it for them. I have not been in Africa long enough to be ready for that! I gladly declined and so Winfrida took it and prepared it for dinner. Maybe in a few months I will have the guts to do something like that.
The other day I prepared roasted peanuts. They were originally intended for Jovinus because he bought them, but when they were done cooking he was nowhere to be found. So Winfrida and I decided to partake in the eating until he came. She set out the bamboo mat in the middle of the floor and we laid down on it and ate peanuts. I enjoyed this time so very much for many reasons. It was the first time I felt like I blended in. I felt as if I was a part of the culture and for once I was not just an American, but an African woman in training. I felt so comfortable just lying there on the floor eating peanuts with Winfrida. Her English is limited but we still have a very special connection and I am so happy to have her as a friend.
I have also been doing a lot of swimming! Once people found out that I loved to swim they were very excited. Chris and Winfrida do not know how to swim and so they asked me to teach them. So on separate occasions I went with them to the lake and gave them their first lesson. I used an empty jug as a kickboard in order to help them learn to kick. Both of them struggled a lot with that concept but were so determined to succeed. There was definitely a ton of laughter and joy during those times! They will need more practice for sure though. The other times I go swimming I go with students or I go alone. There is a large section of beach a short walk south of the school that never has any people. It is completely peaceful and I have enjoyed going there on many occasions, mostly evenings when the sun is setting. It is the one place that I can go to be alone and enjoy the peaceful noises of the waves coming onto the shore. I usually go to wash my hair and my clothes. I cannot describe in words the beauty of the sunsets. I sit in the water and gaze over to the vague outlines of the mountains of Congo as the sun sets behind them and paints the sky deep shades of pink, orange and blue and it reflects beautifully on the water. In the distance the silhouettes of fisherman in their boats are the only things on the water. I thank God for moments like these and his beautiful creation. I don’t think I will ever get tired of it.
Jovinus left on Sunday :(. Sad but also happy because he completed the work he came here to do which was to install electricity. All of us were sad to see him go. We walked him to the boat in the morning and waved as he sailed away. (He made Baraka go with him because he was still afraid of water...). Electricity is both a blessing and a curse because at night all of the cockroaches come in herds to the light in our home. It is really annoying. We have turned it into a game of sorts, how creative can we get smashing the irritating things. But it is no problem. It is only for a short time that we have big problems with bugs. I am thankful for that.
God has been revealing more and more of himself to me as time goes on here. He has overwhelmed me with a sense of peace. He has blessed me with strong forming friendships with the people, he shows me his glory through creation and the beautiful artwork he has crafter, and he reveals his power and authority through the storms. There is no doubt that Kazovu is one of the hottest places on earth, but God can take even the hottest places and cool them with rain.
My fourth night here we were hit with the biggest rain and thunderstorm I have ever experienced. Our roof is metal so when we tried to speak to each other, it was no use because we couldn’t possibly hear each other over the sound of the crashing rain and cracking thunder. I was overwhelmed by the Presence of God’s ultimate power. It was almost as if God was saying, “Hey Emily, I’m bigger. I’m bigger than the heat. I’m bigger than your worries and uncertainties. I’m bigger than you.” And yes He sure is.
One of my devotions a few days ago said…
“Relax in my everlasting arms. Your weakness is an opportunity to grow strong in awareness of My Almighty Presence. When your energy fails you, do not look inward and lament the lack you find there. Look to Me and My sufficiency; rejoice in My radiant riches that are abundantly available to help you. Go gently through this day, leaning on Me and enjoying my Presence. Thank Me for your neediness, which is building trust-bonds between us. If you look back on your journey thus far, you can see that days of extreme weakness have been some of your most precious times. Memories of these days are richly interwoven with golden strands of My intimate Presence.”
Days and moments are not always fantastic and easy. But one thing I can know for sure is that even in my darkest times I have the most powerful and loving ray of sunshine lighting my path and holding my hand and heart.
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