Mondays with Allee

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 We had quite the weekend here at KEMPS and we are all feeling the effects of it this Monday.   Saturday was the graduation celebration for our seventh grade students.  In Tanzania, the students have their graduation ceremony before they take their final exams and actually finish school.  They do this so that in the days leading up to their exams they can give all of their effort and concentration to their studies, rather than anticipating their special day.   Preparations for the ceremony started over a month ago, and each grade level began practicing songs or dances for their part of the event.  Invitations were sent to all the parents of the graduates and to special honored guests from the community and from the Lutheran church.  By this time last week, you could feel the excitement buzzing around ...

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 Have you ever met someone, and at some point in the process of getting to know them you think to yourself, “this is my kind of person”?  And it’s the best feeling because whatever it is that causes you to feel that- whether it be personal values or beliefs, or a common denominator between the two of you- once you know that they’re your kind of people, you can relax.  The awkward small talk and fear of saying the wrong thing fades and you can just be yourself.  And it’s so exciting because making those kinds of friends is rare.  That happened for me a year and a half ago when I met Tom and Lori.   Tom and Lori are business partners who started a consulting company 21 years ago to, as they told my fifth and sixth grade classes last week, “help organizations help people”.  Their work has taken them to over 30 countr...