A Season of Team Sports and Some Good Advice

Another month where the tension between living life and taking time to chronicle it seems completely unmanageable. In our last update, Rebecca described our exceptionally blessed holiday season with a very restful break in Kenya and Tanzania. But it seems that every day taken off is paid back double in workload later, and we have spent the past three weeks in very intense activities, to try to catch up again. One reason for this is that our fiscal year ends in March and there are a number of internal events that need to be completed before the money is no longer available. 

Not that any of this is an odious task, in fact, we have had some great times with our staff in at least two of these. One of the first things we had on our schedule upon our return though, was convening a meeting of our advisory committee. MCC requires us to have local advisors in every country context and it is our responsibility to convene an appropriately austere and experienced group to be able to advise us on issues we are encountering as we try to fulfill MCCs strategic goals in our context. (For those of you wondering what MCC's strategic goals are for the next 5 years globally, they are focused on relief for those harmed by displacement--especially from conflict, including peacebuilding as part of all of our relief and development work, and providing relief and resilience for communities harmed by climate change.)

MCC had had an advisory committee meeting together pre-COVID, but with all of the complications of the pandemic, the meetings had lapsed and Rebecca and I were virtually restarting. Fortunately, we have a large number of contacts and MCC Ethiopia's stellar reputation in the country, which made recruitment easier than we thought it would be. We were able to get a senior person (and MCC alumnus) in the Ethiopian Mennonite church (MKC). We also got an ally in the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as a program officer in the Canadian Embassy, the Country Director of Tearfund UK, and a former advisor for the Canadian Food Grains Bank, to agree to be on our committee. Honestly, it is a very illustrious group and I was almost intimidated to convene us all together. 

They graciously agreed to meet together with us on a Friday afternoon and we shared lunch, followed by a two-hour meeting where we overviewed the program and asked for some recommendations regarding strategic direction.

We were pleasantly surprised that all of them, given the last two years of civil strife in the country, strongly advocated for us to pursue peacebuilding initiatives in our current development and food security projects. It felt like a mandate and something we will be exploring in the coming year. I do agree that sadly, even with the fledgling peace agreement for the Tigray conflict, other regions and ethnic conflicts have seemed to ignite and the country feels, in many ways, more fragile than ever. Most recently there has been a major rift between the Orthodox (Coptic) and Protestant churches, and even within the Orthodox church itself. 

We left the meeting challenged and inspired by such generous and esteemed colleagues who took the time to wrestle with these issues in the current context. We were also happy to have our entire team of project staff to listen in and contribute. 

Preparing for the meeting required fair amount of logistics to make sure everyone could get to a particular restaurant with a suitable dining/conference room, with powerpoint capability etc. But it was dwarfed by the activity we planned for the very next day-- a Christmas party (Orthodox) for our entire MCC staff and their families. This included all guards, our cook, and all office staff with all of their families. About 40 in all, nearly 2/3 children and youth. 

Our bookkeeper Hannah, Rebecca, and logistics officer Wonde, did a lot of the coordination. We planned to rent a bus and go down to a sports resort about 45 minutes from town in Oromia region to play games then have a big meal together. Things seemed to go as planned and we were all able to be there together to ride horses, play pool, foosball, basketball, volleyball, and soccer. Everyone had a very good time and it was good to see our kids playing with kids of our staff who they do not see often as they are all in different schools. Sadly David did re-sprain a recently healed ankle, but it was quickly on the mend. 

The party included lunch, then a huge gift distribution. Thankfully former reps left the names and ages of all kids in previous years, and we have added the new babies since, so we were able to shop, this past summer and during our time in Tanzania for everyone, and find an appropriate gift. (Shout out to Decathlon Sports store in Kenya where we got a half dozen soccer balls for $9 each!) I think people genuinely appreciated the gifts and our efforts. We were also blessed with some nice Ethiopian traditional clothes. 

We had nearly 5 days off before we were off on our next big social venture (and that included Rebecca preaching on Sunday). Besides the all-staff Christmas party, we normally have a multi-day retreat with the families of our professional staff. This year we made arrangements to go to a Haille resort in the southern town of Hawassa. It is about 6 hours south of us by car and we took 3 vehicles down to accommodate all the families who could come. 

This was a smaller gathering, more like 18, with just over half kids. Fortunately Haille had a lot of options for kids including a pool, a lake with boat tours to see hippos, put-put golf, soccer, basketball, volleyball and ping pong. Thanks to Yoffet, the teenage son of Wonde, we had several full group games of soccer that we played on a small field. It was actually a ton of fun, despite the fact that most of us do not take after Messie or Mbape. All the girls, boys as well as men and women played together. We also had devotionals in the morning, as well as some other organized indoor games. Surprisingly, Pass the Pigs was one of the biggest hits of the indoor games. 

We returned on a Saturday, and as usual, Rebecca and I were very involved in the service and Sunday School at our church the next day. We really enjoy being a part of Redeemer, but it is hard to keep up with our responsibilities when our work is so demanding. 

Our string of programmed weekends was not to cease the following week, but this time it was an event at our kids' school that took our time. Field Day is a historically important day at Bingham Academy pre-covid, and this was the first year they have brought it back in full. It is two full days (9 hours each) of track and field events for the whole school which is attended by all family members. Families come with chairs, and food and plan to spend the whole of two days watching the 3 school Houses compete against each other. 

I was skeptical of the time commitment but ended up enjoying myself and even made myself an unofficial photographer and photographed and shared photos from all the events. There were even several family events including a Dad's 400 meter. I took a chance and competed. (I did not win!)

Both our kids participated in multiple events, and David surprised us all by winning the shotput in his age group!. They both racked up a number of team participation points as well. (Not enough to carry their house, Taylor, to victory though.)

We were thoroughly exhausted the following Sunday but did manage to lead music (Rebecca) and do Sunday school. 

There were many other interesting daily activities, but these were the main events of the past three weeks so I will end there with life in Ethiopia. 

On a personal note, I finished reading (audiobook) a very long biography of Abraham Lincoln written by poet and Illinois homeboy Carl Sandberg. I cannot recommend it because of its length, but I am better for hearing it. Both the man and the time he led the country were truly extraordinary. I am currently reading a less ambitious book about Mennonite history called The White Mosque. It promises to be a fascinating story as it is told through the eyes of a Somali American Mennonite woman. 

Renewing for the New Year

 

A walk in the Tigoni tea fields

Happy New Year! Greetings from the tarmac of Kilimanjaro International Airport, where we are about to take off for Addis again. This is my favorite place to write blogs apparently, in an airplane seat, looking back and reflecting on what has just happened over the past two weeks during the brief transition in between.

At last writing, it was just before Christmas, and I had been diagnosed with COVID. Thankfully, I was not very ill – but still felt quite contagious through most of Christmas Weekend. So, I tried to stay outside and wore a mask in the house. 

Roast chicken chefs

My illness meant that we could not participate in a 4-family gathering we had really been looking forward to. We had already bought a fresh chicken and made cranberry sauce from craisins (look it up! It’s pretty good for us overseas Americans). And yet it was a very interesting opportunity for Oren and David to really take the lead on a lot of traditional Christmas cooking, because I was trying not to be in the kitchen or touch food. So, Oren, together with his friend Barry, prepared an excellent roast chicken for Friday night. On Saturday morning, the boys worked out together how to make a triple batch of sweet dough and formed it into cinnamon rolls with their friends. Paul was master of ceremonies in terms of baking and constructing a home-made gingerbread house. The boys were happy to decorate it thoroughly!

Gingerbread house

In the late afternoon on Christmas Eve, Paul, Oren, and David headed off to participate in our family church service, a service I had been preparing to lead. But with people planning travel the next day and those with pre-existing conditions in our church, I didn’t feel it was right to go and share my germs. I am very thankful for my co-worker in the vineyard, Bob, who took on leading that service as well as the one on Christmas morning. It was quite strange to be alone at home as the sun set on Christmas Eve. And yet it also was something of a gift. 

Christmas Eve scene in our home

I absolutely love listening to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s college, and I have taken it as my own meditative practice annually for many years. As it turned out, COVID allowed me the backhanded reward of that introverted celebration. We finished our annual Advent readings as a family when the men came home and then went to bed.

Our Christmas morning was quiet. We were incredibly blessed to have some actual Christmas gifts to unwrap, thanks to our Ethiopian friend and Timonium house tenant, who had come for a visit home to Addis and had brought a few things from our families. 

Christmas morning gifts

Paul had also found a very special import shop that carried Cheerios, Jiff peanut butter and maple syrup – the little things become incredibly special in Ethiopia. I gave out invitations to my family members to special outings, but I did find a simple, local fire pit for David. And our big family gift to one another was a home-made Corn Hole set. Paul and Oren put together the platforms. I worked on the bean bags, trying to transform a pair of old pants. Unfortunately, the sewing of the local seamstress did not hold up and a few of the bags split within the first 3 throws. David and Barry were picking up (and counting) 154 black beans at least per split bag. We would need another solution to have a real game ready to go…

An abbreviated round of cornhole

Mid-afternoon, we welcomed our British friends, the Myers, to come and play games in the garden – they also were not super well, so we decided to share our illnesses (or just care less about them). A younger German couple also joined us – they had been our neighbors for a year before moving. And it was a really nice time to play Kubbs, trying out some of the games my brother had sent, and also play a 4 bean bag version of Corn Hole. The Myers helped to bring some significant old-world charm to our Christmas feast. We all stood around the table and pulled open Christmas crackers in the required cross-armed fashion. Katy made chicken with Yorkshire Pudding, bread sauce and a “well-fed” Christmas pudding for dessert. We listened to the King’s Speech on BBC, and missed his mother more. In spite of being different than we had expected, it was a good Christmas day celebration with friends.

Pulling the Christmas crackers

Christmas on Dec 25 is not an Ethiopian holiday, so Monday was a normal workday, and we really needed it in order to be prepared to leave on vacation Tuesday. Paul and I spent all day in the office trying to remember all the most necessary tasks, signing and stamping all the important letters and making sure our team felt adequately supported for our absence. I had the most tangible case of brain fog I think I have ever experienced, though I felt better physically, so it was hard to think straight. COVID can really take you by surprise. And Tuesday morning, we left early for the airport to start on our East Africa break.

Kristen with their youngest at landlord house

Our first stop was in the environs of Nairobi. We ended up at Brackenhurst Conference Center, but passed through one of Nairobi’s many malls very expeditiously (our plane was 3 hours late) for some sporting goods and a few key groceries. Sadly, no bean bags could be found at Decathlon. We went on to spend the evening with our Area Directors Kristen and Wawa. It was our first time to visit their amazing home, surrounded by Tigoni tea fields. They are renting an old colonial cottage for a great price in a big, green yard. Previously, they had worked in hospitality, running a boutique guesthouse. When they ended that business, the furniture came with them, and their house is exquisite, in a very simple way. David loved playing softball in the yard with their three older kids and trading riddles. Oren was really engaged in talking about college with them. We took a lovely stroll through their gardens, past the main house, and enjoyed having a delicious dinner by their fireplace. Later in the evening, Wawa helped to get us over to nearby Brackenhurst and we found our rooms.

reconnecting with good friends

Wednesday was the beginning of the Renew Conference, which was the main reason we had decided to come to Kenya in the first place. A little background: our closest friends in Arusha, the Taylors, have been part of Renew since they moved to East Africa nine years ago. We finally decided to join them for the Conference in 2019. It was such a great experience, to enjoy good teaching, really interesting conversations with fellow Christian workers, all in such a beautiful, refreshing location, in the forest and tea plantations. We had planned to attend in December 2020, but COVID. 

Music team at Renew

In 2021, we were back in Arusha because of the evacuation. Renew still could not meet in person but we joined the Taylors in helping to prepare music for an online conference day and we did an interview about our experience of moving to another country in the midst of such uncertainty. Katie invited me to join the committee that January. We had just moved to Addis, and it seemed like a good idea to make a commitment to join the committee and attend Renew in 2022, so we could all see our good friends again. Of course, along the way, back in Addis, a majorly huge set of church commitments came up. That made it a bit tough to keep up with late night committee meetings at various times during the year. Still, it was really a joy to keep connecting with Katie and another old friend from Burundi days, Alison. So, we had planned a year in advance to be in Nairobi by December 28, 2022.

Kids playing Spike ball

For full disclosure, this turned out to be a somewhat costly commitment. Midway through the year, we learned that five different families with whom we had been quite close were planning to return to Burundi all at the same time in mid-December. It became a massive reunion of the Burundi mission community, which is now basically down to one long-term family that we still know. This was a once-in-a-lifetime reunion, for sure. We looked at the possibility of flying to Burundi first and then going on to Kenya, but it was just far too expensive to manage 2 separate international flights. It would have required taking our kids out of school, David missing his special 8^th grade Northern trip, and also not celebrating Christmas in our new home with our present church and community. And if we only went to Burundi, our kids and ourselves would not have the chance to be with very close friends we left more recently, or to reconnect with a place that had truly become home to us. 

Walking in the tea fields

We were faced with a choice of loyalty – with which past would we decide to be more deeply connected? Do we sacrifice commitment to our present community to remember the past? I have had days where I really struggled with envy of those who develop a deep connection with only ONE other country and language and culture and Christian community. For all those other families going back to Burundi, that was the only place they had served outside their passport countries. I even think of my parents, deeply bonded to Bangladesh, or our dear friend Louise who holds dearly to the memory of the years she spent in Ethiopia. I think of virtually all the mission community families we know currently in Addis – they have just one place they would go back to.

Outdoor lunch at Brackenhurst,
intersecting communities

We have moved too much; our hearts are far too divided to ever make it an easy choice.  I absolutely do not regret the decision we made. But it’s interesting when you are suddenly faced with very tough choices between wonderful reunions how you have to both rejoice and suffer at the same time. I wrote a blog five years ago when we had recently arrived in Tanzania called Fractured Ubuntu. I reread it recently, and I don’t think I can improve upon this expression of grief and ambivalence at our nomadic lifestyle. I hope I don’t alienate any dear friends we have met along the way, and for whom we are very grateful. But maybe there are others like ourselves who have moved too much, and need someone else to describe to them the inner dislocation they feel. Click above, and read. If that’s you, you’re welcome.

Let me get out of this dark and deep hole of introspection and come back up to the sunlight of the joys of the Renew Conference! We arrived a day before the conference and so we had the morning with the kids to enjoy a walk in the enclosed forest around the Center. And then by lunch time, I was on duty, meeting with the all-volunteer committee, trying our best to remember what we needed to do to make everyone feel welcome. My main duty was to help with worship music during the 4 days. Several other people had volunteered to sing or play instruments, but sadly, all of them had been prevented from coming at the last minute. And so it came down to just Mosleys and Taylors on the worship team. By the end of the week, I counted up 10 worship sessions we led in total! Yet it was so fun to play music together with such good friends, including their immensely talented son who played piano during the times he wasn’t in the youth sessions. Their older daughter often ran the PowerPoints. Paul sang, too. And I became convinced that I should probably lead music with the guitar more than with the piano. I am thankful for the Spirit’s guidance through the preparation, bringing out the response of the people.

Simon 

Another huge joy was seeing our Conference speaker again. Simon Guillebaud had been a good friend in Burundi. He and his wife have kids of similar ages to ours, so they were one of the first families we met and bonded with when we arrived with very young kids in Bujumbura. Simon is a sort of famous extreme missionary, the kind who proposed to his wife by saying: “Are you ready to become a young widow?” He’s witnessed the unexplainable power of God firsthand, over and over. Raising teenagers has also given him an increased level of compassion about the kinds of inner challenges we might meet as mission families. He spoke on the letter from James, making our call to discipleship practical with stories from his own experience as well as from renowned missionaries who have gone before us. I went away from all that good teaching reminded that following Jesus is never going to be easy and we need to be diligent in staying close to Jesus in order to persevere.

On our first free afternoon, we had a guided walk through the nearby tea fields. As we went along, we were led on more and more narrow paths through the tea, until at a certain point, we were just swimming through, pushing our way through tea bushes. On the good side, there was no way you could fall! A few of the smaller kids might have gotten swallowed up somewhere, though! It is a great joy to have opportunities to take such a long walk in open, beautiful places. We also loved the chance to walk and talk with friends old and new. We arrived back a bit late and footsore and needed to postpone our folk dancing for later.

On the second afternoon, a few parents took the kids on a special outing to a mall 30 minutes away for some time in their trampoline park. Paul took our kids and I elected to remain back at Brackenhurst for a quiet afternoon—the schedule was pretty packed for us leading music, and I had arrived from Addis quite weary. I was grateful for a nap and time to journal a bit about what I was hearing from Simon. Brackenhurst is an amazing place for birdwatching. 

However, Ethiopian government regulations make it impossible for me to carry my binoculars on a trip like this. Then I remembered that Paul’s camera has a good zoom lens and so I went back into the forest. I was so delighted with the birds I saw, the flowers set along the path, waiting to be marveled at, the wind and sunlight and clear air. It was such a refreshing walk, and wonderful to have time alone in a forest, without security concerns. These are simple pleasures we have no way to enjoy in our new home, Ethiopia, and are the ones that have sustained me over previous years.

New Years Eve included a packed schedule. We had a few people interested in line dancing before dinner. Paul and I took a brief walk before the sun set. At 7 pm, all the younger kids made tons of noise to welcome New Year in Australia (they wouldn’t make it up to midnight). 

New Year in Sydney

We had an evening teaching session with Simon – I should mention that throughout the conference, we had our teens sit in the main teaching sessions because Simon is such an engaging communicator. I know they got a lot out of what he shared, though they may be still processing. After the serious stuff, we enjoyed a hilarious DIY Show (Talent show). Lots of kids participated in reciting poetry, bible verses and sections of Hamilton. One adult participant led an audience participation Pantomime-style drama of the Prodigal son. We laughed hard, but didn’t lose the point of the story. David had his moment to shine as he performed Weird Al Yankovic’s Amish Paradise, with Paul and I singing backup vocals and me on the electric keyboard. He’s really a great singer and enjoyed sharing his newfound love of pop music spoofs, along with educating people about our Anabaptist heritage 😉. After all those laughs, we had a quiet and reflective watchnight service and then moved out to a big bonfire to welcome in the new year at midnight.

DIY show drama

And the whole Conference wrapped up on Sunday morning with teaching, worship and communion. We had a leisurely lunch, saying farewell to many wonderful new friends we had made in just 4 days. The kids didn’t want to stop playing Spike Ball, which they had become professionals at during that time. And it was hard for our boys to separate from their best friends for a few days. But finally we got a taxi to take us back over to Wawa and Kristen’s house. The Chege’s were away on a camping trip, but let us stay in their place overnight. That was a huge gift. Just about all my extrovert energy had been expended during the conference, and then we had a little space to be introverted. 

David in the cow pasture

We played some frisbee in their big yard and watched a pair of colobus monkeys pass through in the tall trees overhead. I took David exploring through the gardens and down into the forest past the cow pasture of the main house. He really recovered his curiosity about nature, given a few days for it to awaken again. In particular, he relished the little gooseberries we found here and there along the paths, along with trying nasturtium flowers and pasture clover. In the evening, we had some good laughs with a card game my brother had sent for Christmas, and helped Oren to wrap up his college application for William and Mary while David sat in front of the fire. It was a good, peaceful night there. We woke early to tend the Chege animals and then got a taxi at 7 am to take us to the airport where we caught the shuttle down to Arusha, the final stage of our little vacation.

It's just a 5-hour drive, with an hour at the border, to travel by road between Nairobi and Arusha. Although the kids moaned a bit about being on a crowded coaster bus, honestly it was cheap and easy. We were happy to share the bus with many foreign tourists coming to spend their money in Tanzania again. When we arrived, the husband of our former MCC accountant Lucia met us at the bus station. We had made an agreement with them to pay for some maintenance on the former MCC car they had bought, in exchange for using the car for the week. It was a win-win situation that was a major blessing for us. This allowed us to drive to get some lunch at Andrews (our favorite local nyama choma place with amazing grilled chicken), and for Paul and I to run around getting our phones working on the TZ system again, grab some breakfast groceries and then finally land back at our former compound in the late afternoon. 

Chege's backyard, monkey in tree

We had just enough time to drop our stuff in “Wendy’s apartment” next to our old house and then for Paul and I to take a walk down to Atomic before sunset. After the bus ride, it was exactly what we needed to reset and feel like we were home. We came back to sit on the porch in the dusk, and noticed our old companion, the Verreaux’s eagle-owl, perched on a branch overhead. During our last year in Arusha, they were always just in sight around our house, a constant reminder of the protective, unpredictable hovering of the Holy Spirit. In fact, we only saw one the whole week, on that first night, but it felt like a very spiritual welcome.

On Tuesday, we had a change of plans and actually had nothing on the schedule. Paul observed that you know you really have time to rest, when you have nothing to do tomorrow. David found his old neighbor friends and spent the morning running around with them. Paul and I exercised on the porch and tossed out a few emails to keep the work at bay. And then we took the boys to their favorite Arusha restaurant, George’s. We also managed to get Paul’s phone repaired and finished shopping for our MCC Ethiopia staff Christmas party. In fact, it was quite a productive day, yet restful for not being very scheduled. There was time for another long walk in the evening.

Lunch at George's

On Wednesday, by contrast, we needed to run around a bit. First, Paul and I went to visit our former housekeeper Nay and her children. We had hoped to keep it low-investment for Nay, just chai and conversation. But she urged us that she had cooked anyway, and so we had to stay to eat some rice and spinach. It’s interesting how much Tanzanian hospitality is about sacrificial generosity, while we were trying to reduce our burden on her. It was good to catch up with her and that really helped our Swahili wake up and get into action (our brains are very language-confused over the past 2 years switching between Kiswahili and Amharic, over and over). We had to leave too soon and pick up the kids to take them to hang out with the Taylor boys for a while. 

Jam session at Millers

Paul and I then continued driving on out to a really spectacular music jam session, hosted by Neil and Christy Miller. Jon with his guitar and Megan with her fiddle joined us, along with the Miller’s old friend Cynthia Yoder whom we had just gotten to know during her 5-month service term in Ethiopia. It’s amazing what a group of great musicians can do to dress up the old classic folk songs like “500 miles” or “ABCD” (requested by Megan’s daughter).

Soon we needed to leave that party of musicians and go on to meet the whole Taylor family along with some Wensels at a beautiful new restaurant called Tumbili Lodge. The owners have actually been working on landscaping their large grounds for the past 6 years and the winding paths and beds of varied vegetation are an absolute work of art. We just loved walking through and talking together, noticing all the little touches. The kids are all great friends, happy to continue their on-going Spike Ball game. 

The garden at Tumbili

We adults had a good long time to talk about how they are doing in school, their challenges and joys, a recent vacation to the Mediterranean and other news. Arusha has numerous options for beautiful gardens in which to sit and enjoy good food in a quiet, peaceful setting – yet another thing we miss about the high quality of life there.

On Thursday, I made a spontaneous decision to join the women’s bible study meeting on the other end of town to catch up with a couple of friends I hadn’t yet seen. It was good to go and listen and know better how to pray for those friends. We sat in Lena’s yard, which is one of the best-ever places for birdwatching while studying the bible and supporting friends. It was so funny to observe that all of those women are avid bird-watchers and know the birds by their calls. I certainly haven’t found a comparable number of bird-watching women in my Addis bible studies….Maybe the environment itself creates such a passion in missionary women? There were a few other gifts to pick up for Ethiopia staff before I met Paul and the boys for lunch at another favorite restaurant, this time Indian. That’s another thing our kids were longing for – going out to restaurants where the food really tastes good. Arusha certain has lots of options. We did not need to go on any expensive excursions to satisfy their longings on a vacation.

Spike ball at Tumbili

That afternoon, we were back at our compound for some good conversation with our former neighbors the Robertsons. David was running around like a maniac with their boys and some of the Tanzanian kids from the compound. Unfortunately, David badly sprained his ankle and it swelled up alarmingly. We iced it all night, but he insisted he could still hop over to the main house next door to enjoy a “sausage sizzle” at Alan and Lynda Stephenson’s fire pit. In that way, we managed to have a good chance to catch up with the owners of our former compound, along with other guests they are hosting.

Lunch with MCC Tanzania former team

Friday was full of other highlights. We met our MCC Tanzania former colleagues Lucia and Chrispin, along with Lucia’s daughters, for lunch back at Andrews. It had been one of our favorite places for work lunches. There is a lot to talk about after a year of not seeing each other, catching up on kids’ education, the status of projects that were just beginning when we left, and the whole situation in the country. We remain so thankful for great colleagues in our time in Tanzania. Then we headed off East to meet the Taylors again. Paul had made a plan with Mike months ago to play a round of golf at Kilimanjaro Golf Club. David insisted that he would not be prevented from golfing, so we had found a good ankle brace for him that morning, but it was still painful after 2 holes, and he went back to sit for a while at the clubhouse. Paul observed that David would have become a talented golfer if he had been able to continue practicing, but that is not an option here in Addis. 

Kili Golf club house

Meanwhile, I had time to take a 2 hour walk with Katie around the perimeter of the golf course and have a good long talk about things besides which songs to prepare for the next worship session. In just a year, a lot happens in a family and people have their ups and downs. It’s really a gift to have a good friend to share with. We arrived back at the clubhouse in time to get a drink and watch the men finish their 9^th hole. Kili Golf at sunset is the most extraordinarily picturesque place with it’s little lake, sprawling lawns, and impala running across the greens. It was almost too good to be there as the moon rose, our kids played happily (Spike Ball again) and we could talk about what is happening in our churches and mission work. And what is amazing is that it is not at all expensive to enjoy that kind of quality of life in Tanzania.

Ultimate Frisbee players

We had to fly out on Saturday afternoon, but we planned a grande finale activity in the morning. As soon as the compound kids saw us again earlier in the week they asked, “When are we going to play with the flying disc? We miss it!” And so we realized we had time to squeeze in a morning Ultimate Frisbee match, with just enough time to shower and head for the airport. It was an incredible joy to have 18 people come out and join us in the hot sun that morning: some Taylors and Robertsons, 4 young men who are teachers from the Joshua school, 5 teachers’ kids from the compound (all under 12), and our family, with David and Oren limping around, each with their sprained ankles, but not wanting to be left out. Some of the kids have gotten really good at catching and throwing over the past 2 years, and it was amazing to just let them take the lead on our team, with no adults needing to add in any heroics. We still won! We really miss having easy access to a big field and the opportunity for people to mix across cultures and classes to enjoy sport together. And then we had to part ways, with barely repressed tears on my part, to clean up and head back to Addis.

Our old house where we were able to stay

The flight was not long enough for me to finish recounting all that has happened over these past 3 weeks, so I’m wrapping up now on Monday afternoon. Thankfully, it’s a public holiday for Ethiopian Christmas and Paul and I have some time to catch up on office work and home work on a quiet compound. We look back at this time we’ve been away and it was both super-refreshing, as well as filling us with bittersweet regret for the life we had to leave 18 months ago. Now we need to pray for new resolve, for perseverance, and for appreciation of the place where God has called us to serve in the present. We would be grateful for your prayers on our behalf.

Bonus photos:

Christmas cloth

Cinnamon rolls

Playing kubbs

Christmas cracker hats

 

 

Visiting Nay's family

Exercise on our old porch

Relaxing at the Chege home

Final communion service at Renew

Brackenhurst tea time

An interview with new participants

New Years morning

More Spikeball

New friends at Renew

Tea fields

Simon and Paul

Friends on a walk

Charades bible verses

 

 

Ultimate Frisbee

Joshua Foundation

Moonrise and spike ball

Evening at Kili Golf

Kili Golf

Simon sharing conversation with Renew participants

White-eye

Crazy trampoline park

Little bee-eater

Jam session

Violet backed starling on a walk with Katie