Mondays with Allee

For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong. Colossians 2: 5 (NLT) I’m glad so many of you enjoyed last Monday’s “Week in the Life” blog! While I do my best to describe my life here with words, sometimes I wish I could walk around with a GoPro, live streaming day to day life with you so that you could see how truly beautiful and joyous this place and these people, this life really is.  This weekend our excitement entailed getting our TV fixed!  When I was living in Morogoro I purchased a TV, but in the move to Bukoba, the screen cracked.  Joseph was able to find a shop in town that could replace the screen and he spent most of the day Saturday building a stand for it and installing the dish on the side of the house, of course, surrounded by a group of students watching and learning as he worked.  When they were called back to the dorms to bathe I laid down on the couc...

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the day of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23: 6 We had a pretty exciting afternoon here at KEMPS on Saturday.  Early last week we got in touch with a local vet about having Lucky spayed.  But when he came to see her, he told us that the kittens were still too young and that we needed to wait another month so that she could recover fully without her or the kittens suffering from separation anxiety.  He told us that Leo however, the only cat we still have from Lucky’s first litter, was old enough to be neutered and that it was probably a good idea to so sooner rather than later.   So Saturday afternoon the vet and his assistant arrived with all of their supplies, ready to do the procedure.  They asked for a pot of boiled water and a clean table to work on.  As they prepared, a large group of students started to gather around the front porch, curious as to what was happeni...

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.  3 John 1: 4 Coming back to Tanzania after an extended period of time away is always an adjustment.  With all of the joy that comes with arriving, there is also a mental shift that has to take place as I am consistently reminded just how much I am no longer in America.  Running water and electricity is not a guarantee.  Hot showers consist of boiling water and pouring it over my head with a cup.  There is no HEB or UberEats, no unlimited high-speed internet or air conditioning and ceiling fans.  Teeth must be brushed with bottled water, faces washed with mouths closed tight. All of these things become normal over time, but the initial shift from the comfort and accessibility of life in America never seems to get easier, no matter how many times I do it.  I feel like now, after being here just over two weeks, I am finally back in “Tanzania mode”, and it feels so good to be bac...

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.  Romans 8: 28 I had forgotten how beautiful the weather is in Tanzania this time of year.  While my friends here remind me of the inevitable downsides of the dry season (dust- lots of dust, and crops in great need of water), I can’t help but enjoy as the leaves change color and fall, and the cool wind rushes through every open window.  Finally, I am back.  I dreamt of the day that I would return to Bukoba more nights than not while I was home in Texas with my family.  I dreamt of the layover in Europe, of arriving at the airport in Bukoba, of checking my many, overweight bags, of being reunited with Joseph and with my students and friends.  When I finally arrived and awoke that first morning back in my room here in Bukoba, I actually wondered if I may still be dreaming.  But as the smells and sounds of this place I now call home f...