Mondays with Allee

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 When I was little I had these “I Wonder Why” books- I Wonder Why Snakes Shed Their Skin, I Wonder Why Stars Twinkle, I Wonder Why Zebras Have Stripes, etc.  They were some of my favorite books to read.  They were full of all the questions you asked yourself as a kid that seemed so impossible to answer.  We included these books in the hundreds we brought for the library here at school and I’ve come across several of them over the past few weeks as I’ve been unpacking.  It’s been fun to watch the kids and adults here love on these books as much as I did.  Over the month and a half that I’ve been here, I’ve found myself asking “I Wonder Why” questions just like I did as a kid- questions about my life in America, about the choices we make as Americans and why we...

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.  1 Thessalonians 3: 12 Last week, just a few hours after I finished my last post, I started feeling sick to my stomach for the second night in a row.  My head was hurting which was making me feel more nauseous and I just wanted to go to sleep.  Had I been in America I wouldn't have thought anything of this.  I would've assumed it was something I ate or that I hadn't drank enough water.  I would've gone to bed and waited for whatever was bothering me to pass on it's own.  But...I'm not in America. When I told Anita, the young woman who lives with me, that I was going to bed before 8 PM for the second night in a row she went to tell my friend Junior immediately and within minutes he was in my room. (As I said in my FAQ post, I am very well taken care of here) Junior and Pastor Umba insisted that we go to the hospital the next day despite...

But Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 I praise God that I am sitting down to write this blog post today.  Since my first post, every Sunday I am reminded that I need to write, but I have been overwhelmed just trying to figure out where to begin.  Also, we've been having a lot of issues with the wi-fi in my house, so I've been using that as my excuse.  I think we finally have it figured out now.  Knock on wood! So back to my dilemma, where to begin.  I now have officially lived in Tanzania for one month.  To try to summarize all that has happened since I arrived would be impossible because literally every day has been eventful in some way.  But you came here to read about my life in Africa and how I am doing, so I'm going to take you through the overarching emotions that I've experienced over the past thirty days. Overjoyed Arriving back in Morogoro, this time with ...

Answering the most commonly asked questions  about my life in Tanzania Are you safe? Yes!  I am very rarely alone.  Whenever I need to go buy something or go to town, someone comes with me.  There is a young woman named Anita who lives with me so even when I am home, I'm not by myself.  She cooks all of our meals and cleans the house.  Her cooking is incredible (in Swahili we say 'tamu sana').  I have a watchman named Baraka who stays outside my house every night just as a precaution.  He is probably the funniest person I have ever met and such a loyal friend.  I'm very thankful to have him.  My friends here are always looking out for my safety and I trust them. What kind of food do you eat? Staple foods are rice, beans, bananas, bread, eggs, and vegetables.  For breakfast I normally have bread and peanut butter, an egg or sausage, a banana and tea.  For lunch I have beans and meat of some kind, chicken or beef, ...