Little Miss Tendai...

...is just so cute.

Especially...

...when she wears my glasses.

(Photo credits go to Heather, as is often the case)

Blending in...

(Just act casual)

In my mind, this is how this week will go:

Sunday: Er...listen to a downloaded sermon?

Monday: My new passport will get here.

Tuesday: Business as usual. Laundry?

Wednesday: Fly to South Africa with Mr. and Mrs. Boss (in the little plane).

Thursday: Get my visa for Mozambique.

Friday: Good Friday. Go to Mugg and Bean (South African equivalent of Starbucks).

Saturday: Fly to Uganda.

I will keep you posted on how it all pans out.

Sincerely,

Your's truly

PS- The health manual is almost done!

I've been thinking lately...

...that if I am ever a mother and one of my children comes to me, heart sick because life has handed them some cruel disappointment, this is what I will do.

I will say, “When life gives you lemons, have a good cry.” I will encourage them to take the time to honestly acknowledge the extent of their pain, even though it will be hard for them to do and hard for me to watch. I will not offer up any “bright sides” or quotations or advice. I won’t try and make them feel better so that really I can feel better. I will try very hard not to do those things.

Then, when some time has passed and the tears have begun to dry a little, I will remind them of what I hope they will have already learned.

I will remind them that they are still alive, and that other people are still alive too. And, as that is the case, their path is clear. I will remind them that they exist not for themselves, but for others, and of how that is a comforting thing. For although something sad has happened to them, it does not mean that something has gone awry in the grand scheme of thing. Their life, although precious, is not the grand scheme. It is only a part of it.

I will remind them that none of the meaning or purpose or richness in their life has been lost. They are doing and can continue do what they are meant to do. Loving God, loving others. Those are the things that flood a life with goodness. We are filled by what we give, not by what we get, I will say.

And, I imagine, they will look at me and I will see hurt and doubts and questions in their eyes.

"Trust me," I will say. And I will mean it, too.

Sad.

It was a sad day, the day the helicopter whisked away my uncle and my cousin.

Don't I look small and lonely?

I can only hope that this will encourage an avalanche of care packages.

(I am just kidding about the care packages.)

This weekend...

...has pretty much been dedicated to finishing up the next unit of health curriculum for the school. It has taken a back burner to the health manual this month and now time is running somewhat short.

However, I have writer's block. 100%. I only have to write one more lesson plan but for the life of me I have no good ideas. I just keep staring at my laptop and making more cups of coffee.

Perhaps blogging about it will inspire creativity. If nothing else, it will give me an excuse to use some of the many photos I have from the last month thanks to Laura and her photog skills.

As mentioned, I head out to the school at least once a week to observe some health classes. I have begun bringing my laptop along so that I can get some work done while I am waiting. It has turned out to be a surprisingly productive time for me and is quite the hit with the kids. A crowd of some size usually forms and the kids watch intently, talking amongst themselves, exclaiming when I scroll up and down the page or when a word is misspelled and underlined in red. Rather cute.

Here's the title page to the current unit, "What's In My Water?" I am working right now on "Hygiene and Me", which shall be followed with an as of yet untitled unit on sanitation.

When it is time for a new health unit to start I meet with the teachers to go over the material. In this shot the teachers are participating in a drama called Criminal Illnesses about sicknesses that travel in dirty water. The teacher in the blue shirt is playing the role of Diarrhea and the teacher standing is interrogating him.

Here we all are talking about the health program.

This has been a very interesting experience for me as I learn about culture and education. As I have been watching the classes I have been thinking a lot about how information is given and received, and the cultivation of problems solving skills, and how we can help develop and mature a learning environment at a pace that is not too fast or too slow. If I ever get to grad school I think that those are the things I will study.

But for now, one more lesson plan.

Dear Laura...

Can you spot the differences between these two pictures?

Me neither. There really is nothing new under the sun.

In the last month...

I did the following:

Hung out at the local watering hole.

Enjoyed having my cousin and uncle here for four weeks.

Went to Malawi.

Observed a lot of health classes at the primary school.

Worked on the health manual.

Made a pancake that looked exactly like Jason Mraz. True story. I would have taken a picture, but a monkey stole the pancake. Also a true story (I think).

Started Girl's Club at the school.

Broke my previous speed record with my cousin on The General.

Crashed The General (it had to happen sometime).

Worked on the health manual.

Got malaria.

Worked on the health manual.

Almost ran over a piglet on The General.

Worked on the health manual.

Sadly neglected my blog.

(I'll do better this month?)