I am going to miss Africa!

hello friends, family, prayer warriors,

i can't believe my time here is almost over! i only have three weeks left! i'm excited to come home to see all of you, especially my family, and to have good food again, consistently hot showers, a car, easy trips to the supermarket, trips to target where i can get almost everything in one stop, conversations in English without language confusion, going outside without being called "Mzungu" twenty million times, and being able to do things by myself without comprimising my safety!

But i am going to miss so deeply the friendships i have made here, the fellowship, the opportunities to disciple and preach, the colors of Africa, the wide open spaces of land, the singing and dancing, the everyday growth and learning, the children, the fields and trees and mountains, the sense of adventure everytime I go off base, the ways i have been discipled by people on base, the hospitality, the slower pace, and the willingness to care for one another and take time for one another.

I pray that I will successfully bring home some of the cultural things i have learned here. that i will be able to integrate healthier approaches to life that i've learned from Africa: that i don't have to frantically accomplish a list of ten million things in one day. that i can invite people into my home and serve them even when i am struggling to provide for myself, and i will be blessed by the interaction. that i can exercise patience and grace with people (because the situation probably doesn't even compare to the patience i've had to exercise in Africa!!!). that i can appreciate speaking the same language as people, and i can take advantage of sharing Christ's love when the language isn't preventing communication. that i can appreciate the things i do have. i can appreciate the economy i live in at home, and instead of feeling guilty or ashamed or greedy, i can feel thankful and humbled by God's provision in my life. that i can allow every aspect of my life to proclaim Jesus and not have to water it down to fit in socially or with my culture, because in Africa i have had the freedom to make Christ my whole identity.

i am already praying about reintegrating into life at home, because i know coming back is always challenging. if God puts that on your heart, please pray for me as well.

Please also pray for tonight! i am having Judy, the administrative director's wife, teach on HIV/AIDS/STDS during our special guest night. I am so excited for this. this has been a big issue on my heart in coming to Tanzania, so i am glad that i can address it with my class. it is very hard for people to talk openly about private things, such as sexual activity, here in Africa, so pray that people wouldn't feel embarassed to ask questions or really listen to the talk.

also on Friday we have our second test, as well as workshops on preaching, cooking, and business/selling. we have three different speakers coming to teach vocabulary, give verses, and pratical application to help equip them for a skill in English. i'm really excited for the cooking workshop because we are going to bake a cake, and homemade cakes in Africa are really the best i've ever had (this is one food area i will actually miss!). Baba Zulu will be teaching on preaching, and he is amazing. And Claude will be leading the business workshop, which is such a great opportunity for one of my student's to use his gifts and step up to a challenge. he's also been filling in for becka these past two days!

i started making the website for ESL missionary teachers, so continue to pray for that. pray that i will organize it clearly and have creative inspiration in the materials i include!

i hope you are all doing very well, that God is blessing you today, and that you are feeling encouraged in His presence. Everyone that sees my mom and dad in San Diego give them a hug for me, and make a point of saying hi to parker (:,

much love from Africa,
Christina