Thankyou for fallowshape

I guess some of you noticed a severe lack of updating this blog from my part, my apologies for that. When I got to my usual routine of writing emails and a blog post on my laptop last week, in order to save time at the internet café, the power was unfortunately cut off... My laptop’s battery still had some life, but as you perhaps experienced, after some three years laptop batteries tend not to be as good as they were when you bought them. So I only got time to write my emails.



So yes, the power has definitely not always been there, which caused some trouble, as about all I had to do required it. I made a DVD about our school, and I had to work on a university report. My teacher thought it could be a little better still.



This week there was a seminary here at the Kihonda base. One part was about high quality leather processing, the other about small businesses, if I understood correctly. We had quite a few Maasai guests, which meant trouble for the one that had to take pictures, but also beef both at lunch and dinner. We don’t even have that in the Netherlands!



The seminary is now over though, and it has got rather quiet since. The DTS has a ten day “mini outreach”, so all the students and teachers are now even further in the middle of nowhere, teaching the gospel to a village there. One of the teachers told me it isn’t so hard to evangelise here, we concluded that it was actually much easier here than in Europe. People are actually curious, they actually want to know about the gospel. At the mere mention of the word Europeans would slam the door shut I’m sure...



So today we had dinner with five, two of which are guests for the seminary that stay for one more night, since they have to travel quite far. It was a flashlight dinner, actually, as there was no power. And there still isn’t at the moment of writing – right now I’m typing this under the light of a good old petroleum lantern.



It did rain a few times the last days. Or maybe one should say it tried to, as the showers only lasted for five minutes or so, and didn’t even get the ground wet. Still though, it gives hope for some more rain, and thus power.



Two weeks ago, actually (before I completely forget to tell about it), I joined a more homely birthday celebration, as opposed to the communal ones here at the base. Freddy, Niwaely’s husband, was the lucky one. Bebe was also invited, but she was in Dar Es Salaam at the time. I was glad to be able to be there and see it, though it wasn’t as traditional African as most I’m sure. We had a nice dinner, and cake, prayed for Freddy, sang happy birthday... It was very nice. At the communal celebration we actually sang happy birthday in Dutch. Well, I was anyway, while most did try they were probably very confused. But anyway, I enjoyed being at home with Freddy and Niwaely, it’s an experience I’m quite lacking here as I spend most of my time on the base.



And also, Sered and Sitini, the area leader, invited me to come to their son’s graduation on last Saturday. I was of course very thankful for that too! The graduation actually started with a “church” service, as it’s a Presbyterian school. It’s founded by Korean people actually, and there were quite a few there. The ceremony was from ten am up to four pm, though it was meant to end at about two thirty. Of course there was a guest of honour, speeches, songs, and even a martial arts presentation. The Koreans certainly did something there... After the official ceremony we had our own little celebration, with some eleven people, outside in the grass field. There was an MT too, and speeches and all that, and we enjoyed some cake and snacks and soda... Really, we had a great time.



Next week there’s actually another celebration: Timothy, the base leader and also my “room mate”, is actually getting married. The poor guy. Not because he’s getting married in itself, but here in Africa the husband to be has to arrange everything for the wedding – the his fiancé isn’t really allowed to do anything publically; after all, here in Africa the husband marries the wife only, not the other way around! He’s really incredibly busy, partly because due to some circumstances he only had one month to prepare instead of the usual three. And marriage really is a huge thing here. Next week there will be several kitchen parties, a send off, and of course the marriage itself. Nearly every day there is something... He does have a wedding committee though, fortunately, but the poor man still is really having it. Right now he’s off to his own parents for the final things there, so that’s another man missing. I’m really looking forward to the wedding though, I’d really like to see how that is. The Tanzanians are really celebrative – just sticking a ring on each other’s finger definitely won’t do. Plus, I’ll see some of my friends and ex-students from the English School again, which would be great. After that, Asheri and I will finally definitely go to Arusha.