Pictures of Life Here

Here are a few pictures that show some of the normal parts of my life here in Africa...

Before bed, the kids watch a movie while Amy does work on the computer

Emily gets really into the movies sometimes :)

Donovan brushing his teeth

Running the laptop requires a voltage regulator and converter

Making dinner - bread sticks :)

Bread sticks out of the oven

Dinner ready and on the table

I'll be bringing the camera to church tomorrow morning, so more pictures to come!

Awesome times!

The past two days have been really enjoyable! Yesterday was Saturday, so Amy wanted to have all of us go do something fun. We ended up going to Wet 'n' Wild, a Tanzanian water park! It was only $10 per person to get admission, lunch (drink included), and ice cream! We all ended up having a blast :D I rode on the biggest slide by myself, and then Amy and I did it together (each in a tube, with me in front holding her feet). Tanzanians aren't very strict on rules, so we could basically ride however we wanted. Usually there wasn't even someone monitoring. Lunch was great, and then after lunch we found a nice wide water slide that all the kids could slide down and then run back up (even Donovan). We were at the park all day, and no one got sunburn (yay!) Everyone was exhausted when we got home. The kids took showers and went right to bed. Then I played Carcassan and nines with Amy. Great ending to a great day :)
Today was Sunday, so in the morning we all got up and went to church. Of course, all of the teaching is in Swahili, so I brought my Bible and had my own church time while we were there. After church Rob stayed home with the kids, and Amy and I went to a fellowship/prayer/lunch gathering that some of the people from their church have with their ministry once a month. We got to talk for a while in the car while being stuck in traffic. The gathering itself I really enjoyed. It was cool to hear from other missionaries who have been here a long time and who have gone through a lot of the same experiences and situations that the Ellises are going through. It was also cool to hear from a guy who will be going to Uganda with a couple of other people tomorrow. Because of the stuff I've done with Invisible Children it was interesting to hear from someone who has been to Uganda and spoken with the people there. Everyone was very nice, and we were there for about 3 hours. We came home, had a small dinner, and right now the kids are getting ready for bed.
I'm having a great time here, and I'm learning and growing a lot. I definitely miss home, some times more than others, but I'm not quite ready to leave yet ;)

Doing Life

Since the team has left I've basically been doing life with the Ellises, and helping in any way I can (which is usually watching the kids and/or helping make dinner). On Sunday I got to go to church with them, and there was another American visitor there who will also be here for a few more weeks, which is pretty cool.
Shelbyanne, Emily, and Donovan are all doing great! During the day I watch them, and yesterday I started sitting in on Rob and Amy's Swahili lessons. My first lesson I learned parts of the body (head, hair, neck, arms, elbows, etc... As many as we could learn in an hour). I also learned some names of animals. Today I learned more animal names, verbs, reviewed body parts, and learned colors. I enjoy the lessons, it's a fun way to learn.
Another part of life here is the power outages. Normally it's just an hour or so every so often, but it (literally) just came back on after almost 40 hours! Luckily, we used the last of the meat for dinner tonight, so we didn't have to worry about food spoiling, but of course it was still inconvenient to say the least. No lights, chargers, cold drinks, or air conditioning/fans. I'm so thankful it's back on!
Well, that's about it for now. If anyone has a question about life here, feel free to ask! I miss you guys, talk to you soon!

Just me now

Well, the rest of the team has officially left (at the airport now), and I'm staying at the Ellis' house now. Yesterday we took a ferry to Zanzibar where we walked a winding narrow road full of shops, vendors, and crazy motorcyclists and ended up at a restaurant with a beautiful balcony view of the ocean. Definitely an adventure, and a tiring day for the whole team. Today we had some free time in the morning, so Emily and I relaxed a bit, packed our bags, walked to a market down the street, came back and hung out with some of the team by the pool, and then checked out at noon. We left the hotel at around 1:30 after having lunch, and went to a village where we saw different traditional houses and huts. Then an African music/dancing group played some songs for us, which was lots of fun. We stayed in that village for the rest of the day, had dinner there, and then said our goodbyes as the team left for the airport. So now it's just me and the Ellises, and we'll be meeting up with the Greeners again in Tanzania before they head back to Rwanda early next week. I'll keep you posted on life here whenever I can :) Miss you all!

Made it!!!

Well, for those wondering, I did finally make it to Africa! The plane rides and airport adventures all went well, and all of the luggage made it with no problems. The reason this is my first time updating the blog is that this is the first time I've been able to use a computer (thank you Amy Ellis!) So Let's catch up on the past few days...
June 17 -- Had an awesome day! The "kids" were staying in the Greener's home in Rwanda, so we woke up and had eggs and chipotee (spell guess), then picked up the adults from the hotel and went to the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base where we could see some of the first Water for Life water experiments, and even a turkey experiment that they were trying out! We had a tea break with Method and Mary (who work with the Greeners), and got to hear some of their Rwanda stories, which was really cool. Then we went to the school where FIGHT and Johnny's WaterWorks money is going to fund clean water for about 2500 kids! It was amazing getting to meet the kids and connect with them, even in the short time we had.Then we went back to the Greener's house and walked down to the market, which was dark and crowded, but still fun :)
June 18 -- Had pancakes and Nutella for breakfast (yum!) at the Greener's house, then took the bus to a village about 30 minutes away where we had the opportunity to celebrate with the locals the grand opening of one of the Water for Life wells! After watching them pump the water for the first time and all of the excitement died down, Johnny, Faith, Grace and I got to talk to some villagers who were about our age, which was both fun and interesting. On of the girls was saying that she loves Americans, because they want "peace and love", which seemed like a good attitude in light of the 1994 genocide. From the village we stopped at an old Catholic Church that is now a genocide memorial. People who took refuge in the church were all killed, and a lot of how they left it was still there as a remembrance. Their clothes were lining the walls and ceiling, and weapons used sat in a corner. We also went to the Kigali Genocide Museum, which related the events to Rwanda to genocides in other countries, and gave more history on their situation. It was a very sobering day... For dinner we went to Sholoka, where I did in fact try goat, along with a variety of other dishes.
June 19 -- Got an early start (5:30am) for an incredible day! Our team packed into 3 cars and headed off on a 2 hour drive to Akagera Park for a safari! Emily and I rode in a car with the Greeners, and we had a blast! We were allowed to sit on top of the car once we were in the park, so naturally I rode up top the entire time, which was just about all day. Highlight animals would be the giraffes, zebras, and hippos. We even saw a hippo out of the water, which Nick said "you never see!" The landscape was beautiful! There are lots of hills, and for now, there's lots of green. The dry season is coming up soon, so most of the green will be gone, but at this time it's breathtaking. I figured I would be sore after a whole day of bouncing around on top of a safari car, but surprisingly I held up pretty well. That was definitely a day I'll never forget.
June 20 -- not a very noteworthy day, basically it was just a plane ride from Rwanda to Tanzania. However, it was awesome to see the Ellises again! It's been really fun playing with the Ellis and Greener children here.
And now I am in our hotel after our first full day in Tanzania. Today we went to the market, then went and saw the Ellis' house. I stayed and watched the kids at the house (with help from Grace) and everybody else went to see the food market. Then we enjoyed dinner at the Ellis' and headed back to our hotel. Fun and tiring day.

Sorry this is so long!! It's hard to sum up all of the experiences we've had here. I miss all of you guys and I'm looking forward to seeing you all again!

Last Minute Preparations

My lovely friend Brianna Schieffer has just helped me finish up with packing and getting ready for Africa... It's hard to believe that in less than 24 hours I'm going to be on my way to Rwanda! I'm still not exactly sure what to expect or all of the things that we will be doing there, but that just makes me anticipate even more the things God has planned in order to bring Himself glory. Praying for God to use us in every way possible and for the safety and health of the team.

Preparing for Launch......

I am so excited to head off to Africa in only 2 days!! I just had dinner and a prayer time with my family and grandparents, and I can't even imagine the things God has in store for this trip. God has some amazing plans for myself and the rest of my team and I can't wait to see what those plans may be. I am praying that God will use us for His glory alone and that His will be done. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, I will keep you guys posted :)