Mondays with Allee

So do not fear, for I am with you;   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.   I will strengthen you and help you;  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41: 10 I hope you all had a safe, healthy, and joy filled Thanksgiving weekend!  We ironically had no school on Wednesday and Thursday due to the fourth graders taking their national examinations.  I spent all day Wednesday preparing the traditional Thanksgiving dishes as best I could with the ingredients we have here.  It was a cool and rainy day, the perfect day to be in the kitchen with Christmas jazz playing.  By the time the sun set everything was prepped and in the fridge, ready to be cooked the next day.  But when Thanksgiving morning came, I didn’t feel the same excitement that I had felt just the day before.  Being surrounded by people just going about normal life, trying to convey our traditions to Joseph who has no context with which to und...

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12: 28-29 Wedding preparations are in full swing! We had a committee meeting last week where every decision was discussed and voted on by the staff (yes, every decision), and then smaller committees were formed for each part of the celebration (décor, food, security, cleaning, drinks, etc).  All of the smaller committees were assigned a chairperson who was to arrange meeting times for the committee and then report all of their discussions to me.  The major topic of discussion was the price of the horn players who will lead our procession from school down into town and back after the wedding ceremony, as well as which kind of car we should rent for Joseph and I to ride in during the procession. I pretty much just smile and nod, trying to keep up with the Swahili, and then ask Madam Peace about eve...

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 1 Peter 3: 9 Only a day late in posting this week!  For starters, I’m feeling much better.  No stomach issues in over a week!  I can’t even tell you how relieved I am to be able to say that.  Also, in just two days we were able to raise more than enough money for our three sweet boys in Morogoro! Joseph, Damas, and Eliya, as well as their parents, are so deserving of this assistance and I am so thankful to you who donated and continue to keep this family in your prayers.  We’ve ended the fundraiser until this time next year, but if you would still like to make a donation, as always, I will list multiple ways you can do so at the end of this blog post.   This past week was a busy one (a welcome change after being pretty much confined to my bed for three weeks).  At the beginning of the week we had a meet...

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 What a whirlwind this past month has been.  And while I’d like to hope things will calm down soon, I have a feeling that now until the end of the year is going to be just as eventful.  But before we get into what has gone on the past couple weeks, I have an exciting announcement! Keeping Kids in School: Tanzanian Student Scholarship Fundraiser  For those of you who have been following me for some time, you may remember the fundraiser we had last year around this time for three students here in Tanzania.  These were students who I had sponsored myself during my first year here, but due to the nature of my volunteer position, I was unable to afford to continue supporting.  Within days, you, my incredible friends and family, had donated mor...