What happened...

Ok, so, Addison is doing well…. Sort of.

It turns out that he broke his ulna in his left arm, fractured his wrist in two places on the same arm, and sprained his right arm….. He has to wear casts on both

Already, though, he is starting to go from being almost completely helpless in regards to eating, etc. to actually being able to do much of what he needs by himself.

I think the toughest part for him is his inability to type. He is taking two online classes, so he is required to type in order to create and submit work. So, as a result, my mom has been able to improve her already fantastic/fast typing, and at the same time proofread Addison’s work before he submits it.

Anyhow, just keep him in your prayers…. He will be hopefully getting the casts off in 2 and 4 weeks- 2 for the sprain, and 4 for the break.

He has been going to school, and is pretty much back to normal, but you can tell that there is still a struggle to carry on with life as it was before.

My mom has recovered her good humor from the shock, but is still firm in her statement that he won’t be allowed to get back on a motorbike, except maybe once, just to make sure that there is no timidness there… though I doubt that that is the case:) 

Anyhow, have a great week!!!

Addison's Accident

So, as I am sure that you have heard the latest news regarding our safe trip home, Grace’s bunnies, and stuff like that from my mom and Addison…. I am going to use this opportunity to tell you something that I know you haven’t heard…

Well, as my mom had prophesied, my brother has had an accident on Thursday… on a (shocker) motorbike…

Even though I was not witnessing the crash, I have heard that it was”beautiful”. On our way back from school, since my dad had picked us up, we stopped by a friend’s place (You know, the one who Addison says is awesome) so that Addison could try out a motorbike that the man had just bought. As soon as he had gotten into his gear, he started puttering around the track, while I did homework in the car.  ( it was biology homework due the next day) One of my dad’s coworkers who was visiting from the U.S. and had come along in order to see the motorbike place, soon came running towards me, and asked my breathlessly if I had any idea about what had happened…. Of course, I had no idea, so I asked, and heard the news…

There was something wrong with his right hand (they had no idea what) and his left arm seemed to be dislocated and his wrist had something wrong with it as well….

I ran toward the site of the accident and saw Addison hobbling along with Dad and one of our friend’s workers supporting him. They placed him in the car, him groaning all the while, while Dad went to ask our friend where he should take Addison.

About 20 minutes later, we were on our way to Arusha X-ray clinic, bumping along to the background of Addison’s groaning as we hit each bump. When we reached our destination, I stayed with Add in the x-ray room while Dad made some calls. Of course, my purpose was to encourage him, but I think it was the opposite; I kept on crying, praying, etc. while he told me not to worry, although of course he took the offer of prayer gratefully.  Of course, I did have a good reason for crying; he was groaning, and showing signs of agony, as the technicians made him move his arms in order to x-ray them. I couldn’t bear it, and struggled to speak so I could pray with the tears coursing down my cheeks. We checked out the x-rays at the center and could clearly see the break in Add’s arm, something wrong with his left wrist, but nothing visibly wrong with his right. While, I had been in the room with Add, my dad had figured out that we needed to go to a doctor’s house immediately and then to the air-evacuation pilot’s house in order to pick up a vacuum cast. At about 10:40 at night, we finally pulled into our driveway…. As soon as we had eaten dinner, we decided that Addison and dad would take the plane to Nairobi early the next morning where He would have to get surgery…. So know, we are waiting to hear the news… Please pray hard!

Sorry...

Well,   I know it has been a very long time since I have last written… But, I promise you, I have good reasons! The power has been very, well, pathetic, since we got back home…. It has only been on for about 6 hours a day…. And, naturally, since there is no internet as long as it is off, when it is on, there is quite a scramble for the internet…. And, since I was the only one without a computer, I only got on for about 5 minutes a week, which I had to use for my email. But, praise God, that is no longer the case: I just inherited my dad’s old laptop, since his company replaced it with an updated one!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!

So now, with my new laptop, I am writing on my blog, so thank you for hanging in there!

In the U.S.

At the moment I am in the U.S. so I am not sure how much time I will have to post....

I just got back from Worldview Academy, which is a Christian apologetics camp that Addison and I went to last year and enjoyed it so much that we begged to go back this year. We, of course, had a fantastic time and are feeling at the moment, completely revved up and ready for Tanzania again.....

Counting down...

THREE MORE DAYS.........

I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Just wanted to wish a happy, even though it is a little belated, Father’s Day!

To all the fathers in the world… You make a difference in your kid’s lives! Even though you might not believe it, you do.

My dad once traveled a lot… and I mean a lot! He wasn’t home about 80% of the time. He was almost always away on some kind of business trip….

Even though we weren’t on bad terms, we were kind of separate. We just didn’t spend a lot of time together. My mom was definitely closer to me than he was.

Then he quit his job. When I first heard the news, I cried… from happiness. Somehow, it just seemed like a miracle! Even though he was out of a job, I was thankful. I remember crying, my mom asking if I was okay, and then me sobbing, explaining how I felt.

Everything seemed to change! It didn’t take one day, but gradually, our relationship grew closer. Soon, I would be wanting to spend time with him, and our interests grew more alike. (maybe they didn’t grow, but I found out about the similarities in our personalities)

The biggest part of the change came in…. basketball. When he had gone to college, he had played b-ball, as well as in high school. If you have seen him, you will understand why- he is 6” 4’. I started to take a bigger interest in b-ball and asked if I could get more involved in it. He found out about a travel team and asked when the try-outs were. We spent a lot of time practicing and the day came. I tried out and (ptl) I made it! I was ecstatic!  After that, he took me to all of my games and practices, as well as spending a lot of one-on-one time drilling me on ways to handle the ball as well as strategies. It really helped build our relationship!

Now, we are quite close, as father and daughter as well as friends… I would not give up my father for anything!

God has blessed me with a father and I will always thank him for the gift. To me the reason for Father’s Day is quite obvious. Unfortunately, one of his now –few trips happens to be right now, so I was not able to celebrate it with him….

I am praying for his safety, please keep him in your prayers as well!

Thank you Dad, I love you so much!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!!!!

I am coming HOME!!!

Just to let everyone know, We are coming home!!!!!!! We are leaving on July 7^th and are getting into the U.S. on the night of the 8^th! We will be spending some time in MA and will be there for VBS (vacation Bible school) and then going to PA for WORLDVIEW ACADAMY (which is, btw, awesome!!!!) and then going back to MA for some time, then leaving for TZ, again. We will be in the U.S. for about 5 weeks!!!! I can’t wait… I am looking forward to seeing all of you! 

What Not To Wear

When I think about the culture here, it always boggles my mind. At home, you could probably wear anything you wanted to and it would be accepted as the norm. Here, it is different. Here, there are millions of rules about what you are allowed to wear, and what is culturally accepted. 

Time and again, I thank my parents for bringing me up with pretty straightforward views about what I could wear. It wasn't about the style, but the modesty.(eg short skirts, low tops...) In the Bible it gives some very clear rules about what we should not wear in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 (Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness-with good works. ) Now, I am not saying that I never wear pearls or gold (false or not) don't get me wrong! what I mean is that I don't wear flashy stuff (at least I hope not) and other things that my parents and the Bible deem inappropriate to wear or immodest.

 At the time, I must admit, I wasn't too excited about them. I remember secretly wanting to wear something, but not being able to. Often times Mom and Dad wouldn't outrightly say no, but usually I could tell wether or not they really liked the outfit or item I would point out, and I wouldn't want to disappoint them. My dad was probably more strict than my mom; I would ask my mom about an item and she would be okay with it but refer me to my dad for further appraisal. Many times I would return with the dejected face and attitude my mom came to know so well. Also, because of my wanting to please them regarding my wardrobe, I ended up buying many items that I never wore. ( which did not exactly please my parents ) It did change as I got older, and I either was able to inform them that I would never wear it, or my views became more compatible to theirs. 

Here in Tanzania, it is different. Constantly, I am glancing myself over before           leaving the house, contemplating whether or not my outfit is acceptable to wear, often times I have to change.

The rules are few, but they affect a great deal. You aren't really supposed to show your shoulder or knees in public, and it is better to cover your behind. The shoulder and knees are in deference to Muslims and other religions that take showing your shoulders or knees as a sign of disrespect. The 'showing of your behind' code of conduct (eg tight pants and short shirts) came about when our friend told us of a time when a friend of hers had tight jeans and in turn got many unwanted stares from men as she passed by.

As a result, many of my shorts and skorts (skirts with shorts sewn in) are not allowed in my wardrobe unless I wear them strictly in the house. Also tank tops that would be wonderful to wear in the hot weather here are out of the question.  

Many times, the customary glance-over that I give myself, shows something that needs to be fixed, changed, or swapped. I am constantly boggled with the ever widening distance between the cultures in America and here. In America, the glance over might spring from the thought of wether your outfit looks okay or wether your top's color is flattering; Here it buds from whether it is actually possible to wear it without being culturally offensive.

By the way, I know I still need to finish my story, I just felt called to share my thoughts on this topic:)

Lord give me strength part 3

Immediately, I started sobbing. As soon as I could speak, out of my mouth flowed the story of the troubles that the day had brought. Then, much to my surprise, my mom started crying! She drew me in, gave me a huge hug, and started crying. I had no clue what to do, so I just put my head down upon her shoulder and relaxed. Somehow I knew everything would be ok.

I heard a knock on the door… my dad was home. After a few minutes, he entered the kitchen to behold his daughter, trying hard to suppress her tears. The question that I knew was coming, that was inevitable,  was asked, “ Anna, what is wrong?” I told him.

At the dinner table, the topic of discussion was obvious, my parents told me that what I had done was right- a comforting few words. They told me that even though he had done me wrong, I should still forgive him… I explained that I had, I had spent the whole bus ride home doing that. Telling me that that was great, but that I should go to him the next day and tell him I had forgiven him, they helped me to practice what to say; I wanted to inform him of my opinion, but make sure that my way of telling him was above reproach. –I definitely did not want to anger him more!

My words would be,” Sir, what you did to me yesterday was wrong. I just wanted to let you know that I forgive you. But, don’t do it again, not to me or anyone else.”

The next day, all my classmates wanted to know what had happened… when I had explained they were shocked, but all agreed that it was normal for the teacher to do. When I had told them what I had resolved to do, they were amazed- would I really be so bold as to say that to him?

At lunch time, I set out upon my mission, but he avoided me and I was not able to speak to him. I went home, a little relieved that I was not able to, but even more determined to carry my resolve through!

The next day, at school, one of my friends, told me that I should do it right before I left because there were sports after school and he always gave a little pep-talk before the students left for sports. I immediately seized upon this plan because it seemed to provide a good opportunity, and one that would ensure my being able to speak with him.

Later that afternoon, immediately after the bell rang, I set out to complete my dreaded task.

To be continued…

Lord, give me strength, Part 2

As she glanced over it, I could see the compassion flowing up, filling her face.  “Who gave you this?”

 I answered that the P.E. teacher had.

“Come with me to the office,” she briskly commanded. Turning to the boy and saying thank you, she started to the office, beckoning to me to follow.

Having no choice, I slowly followed her, hoping that I would be given strength by God. As soon as we got there, she  motioned me to sit down on a couch in the reception room. Pulling up a chair, and ignoring the pitying glances we were getting, she asked me to tell her what had happened.

Trying to stop my sobs,  and failing miserably, I started to pour out my story. She listened then excused herself for a moment after I had finished, went over to the secretary, and said that she wanted her to dial up the teacher's phone and also to not allow him to make students who are injured run his errands for him in the future.

I saw her taking the phone, listening for a few seconds. Evidently, he had picked it up, and I soon heard her voice saying, “ Anna is here in the office, she will not be coming up to PE.”

She stood listening for a few more moments, then hung up.  Walking over to me, she sat down next to me again, and told me that it was all settled, but that I must have misunderstood; He had informed her that He had not expected me to come back up.

Realizing what she had said, I sat there quietly for a moment, stunned. Gathering all my thoughts, I calmly said, “Miss, I know that I was supposed to go back up there. He told me clearly, that I was to go down, collect the papers, go back up, and fill out a form. I saw the form before I came down, it was requiring me to write paragraphs and fill out a questions about the lesson.”

I saw her face slowly comprehend what I had told her. Just then the head mistress, came in. Trying to wipe away my tears, I made an effort to compose mysel… I failed miserably. Immediately, as she sat down next to me, I was bawling again. She looked over at the one who had been helping me, her eyes asking the question that I had heard so many times before that day.

“Please explain.  I can’t, “I requested.

Shebegan the long story, ending with the ominous words,” He gave her the observation form.”

The head mistress began to speak, explaining that this was not the first time, but that she would take care of it, etc. etc.

I felt bad for her, it must have been  a tough position... she was the headmistress, and therefore, it would have been wrong to criticize a teacher, even if it was for a good reason. She tried to be as neutral as possible, explaining that he was only doing it to prevent troublemakers from gaming the system. But, at the same time, she understood that I would not have done it for that purpose. She also informed me that it was good for me to have come to her and told her...

At this, I looked pleadingly at the right-hand woman and tried to ensure that I would be considered a snitch by asking her to tell the headmistressthat she had found me—I had not sought her out. I did not want my pe teacher to get into trouble to get into trouble. She reassured me that that would not be the case, and that she knew that I did not want to cause any problems with him. She then told me that I could stay there for the rest of the period and try to calm down.

As soon as the bell rang for the release from school, I rushed off to get my bag and climbed aboard the bus so that I would not meet any other classmates with my tear-streaked face. Knowing that crying on the bus would evoke questions, I wisely abstained from shedding any tears and waited until I returned home to freely cry to my heart’s content. When I arrived, I learned that my mom had visited the local playground with Grace.

Calling her to ask her when she would be back, I implored her to hurry up, as I had something to share with her. Then, going into my mom’s bedroom, I lay down on the bed and cried. After having shed all the tears that I thought possible, and hearing a knock, I went to answer the door, which turned out to be my mom. Going into the kitchen to start my lunch for the next day, I started putting together ingredients while my mom finished doing a few things. Coming into the kitchen soon, my mom, as is the customary habit with her, asked how my day was. I replied that it was probably the worst day. She immediately asked why.

To be continued…

Lord, Give Me Strength! (Part 1)

Well, it all started when I sprained my knee and ankle........

I took motor cross lessons last Saturday and fell, spraining my knee and ankle. By Tuesday it wasn't hurting at all, even though I still had to wear crutches to school. Unfortunately, though, I had P.E. that day and my P.E. teacher is not exactly a nice man.

I asked my parents to write a note excusing me from all exercise involving my leg..... my dad argued that it wasn't necessary as one could tell that it was swollen and sprained just by looking at it and the crutches I was carrying in my hands. However, I wanted to be on the safe side and convinced my mom to write it just in case.

Feeling certain that I would be sent to the library to read a book while my classmates completed their lesson, I hobbled up the hill that led to the teache's office. Following my classmates slowly, I reached his office and went in to find him cleaning a chair. I swung over to face him and apologized, saying that I would be unable to participate in the P.E. He asked me why and I answered that I had sprained my knee and ankle while motorcrossing. Without glancing up, he asked if I had a note.... I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to him.....

Stomping over to his desk, he skimmed over the note and looked  up at me for the first time, remarking that my parents were incompetent for allowing me to go to school instead of staying at home where I could elevate it. I could feel resentment rising inside of me, but I kept it in with an effort. He started shuffling through papers on his desk explaining that there was one particular article about sprains and strains that he wanted me to take home to my parents.

However, he soon realized that he had already given out all of the pamphlets on the topic. He turned towards his computer and started searching through different files stored on the desktop.  Arriving at the sought for file, he clicked on it and moved the curser to the button marked print; He clicked it four times.

Next he turned towards another pile of papers on his desk. Picking up the foremost one, he gave it to me along with a clipboard that was taken off of the wall. I glanced over it, trying to stop my tears from welling out- the words on the paper composed a series of essay questions about why I wasn't taking P.E.  Other questions required me to observe and compose about four paragraphs in total about what I observed my classmates doing during the lesson. I could scarcely keep from sobbing.

He soon made it clear to me that I was going to be required to fill out the form, but before that, I was supposed to go (on my crutches) down to the office and collect the papers from the secretary as he did not have a printer in his office. He informed me that I would have plenty of time to go and come back as it would take ten minutes to go through attendance and explain the task that would be set before them for the day. I could not believe my ears! Ten minutes! was he crazy? did he not realize that I was hobbling on crutches?

Determined not to cry or rebel, I set out down those steep steps, praying for guidance all the while; I tried in vain to suppress my tears! Seeing that there were some boys playing basketball on the hardcourt in their free time, I quickly dried my tears since I knew that they would probably see and ask me questions that I was not prepared to answer.

Finally reaching the office, I asked the secretary for the copies, she handed them to me with a comment about how cruel He was to make me come down for them with crutches. She also handed me a newsletter that I had not received yet. I quickly realized how hard it would be to carry the papers, let alone the newsletter that had an unbendable cover, all the way up to Hooke's office. Figuring that He would not mind me at least spending 1 min. to put the newsletter into my bag, I took a slight detour. Shedding a few tears in front of a class room, I was spotted by some younger students and a teacher, the teacher came out and asked if I was crying, but, I , not wanting to start sobbing, quickly shook my head.

 Contemplating telling my homeroom teacher and asking him to talk to my teacher, I quickly out-ruled that  idea as telling tales and continued on my way up to Him. Passing a high wall that was not very visible to people, I suddenly lost it. Then and there, I started sobbing. My body was literally heaving! (Now I know what it means when a heroine in a book startes heaving with sobs:) Trying to continue walking, I looked up and saw in front of me a classmate of my brothers. It was too late, I tried to turn back, but he had already seen me.

Immediately spotting the marks on my face which I was trying so hard to hide, He asked me what had happened. I pulled out the papers on sprains from my pocket and handed them to him with one word; " PE."
 Glancing at the paper I saw the instant realization coming into his eyes. He looked at me and said," I understand, and I am sorry. This happens all the time, it has happened to all of us! The good thing is; He is leaving after this term."
I still was sobbing, "You don't understand, it's not just that, he called my parents stupid for not having me stay at home..." I could see the compassion in his face, so I continued, " I am not sure if I should tell my form tutor." I explained. "I just don't want to be a 'snitch'."

Just then, as he was about to say something, the head master's right hand man/woman came up and asked me what the matter was. I looked at the boy, then at her. Without a word I switched the pamphlet from his hands to her's.

                                 To Be Continued

A Tribute to All Mothers

I just wanted to wish all of you a happy Mother's Day! If any of you are at any time suffering doubts about whether your job as a mother is worth it, don't! You have the most important job of all time: the job of raising up children to glorify God!

I will always thank my mom for spending the time that she has, teaching and encouraging us. Many days have been hard, many days have been painful, but through it all she, with God's help, survived. I will remember it throughout my life!

My only hope is that someday, I will be as much of a blessing to her as she has been to me. I know that children all over the world feel that way.

So if at some time, all you mothers feel discouraged, weary, or angry, just remember that one day you will be heaped with blessings for what you are doing as you raise your child.

 "Do not grow weary from doing good, for in due  season you shall reap, if you do not lose heart."



                          HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

No internet, apologies

Hi, my apologies for not writing in my blog very often. Our internet is very limited at the moment so I will keep this short and brief. I will try to write as soon as possible. Hopefully we will get better internet soon. Love to all and I miss you!

Only Grace

There is no guilt here, there is no shame, no pointing fingers,  there is no blame. What happened yesterday, has disappeared. The dirt has washed away, and now it’s clear: There‘s only GRACE, there’s only LOVE, there’s only MERCY and believe me, IT’S ENOUGH! Your sins are GONE without a trace. There’s nothing left now, there’s only GRACE.

                                                -Only Grace (Matthew West)

Close your eyes and  imagine me starting to sing this song………. Mom joining in……………. Addison starting to strum on his air “guitar”…….. Gracie, twirling and doing arabesques………… Dad trying to sing, maybe a bit off-key……….

Now you have a picture of our house tonight.

The thing that gets me about this song is the way that it puts it. The simplicity of the message. And, above all,  the wonderful truth of it! Jesus  died for us, He took all of the punishment for us, so that we did not need to do anything except receive that gift. Receive,  and believe that He did it.

When you think about it, the essence of what makes Christianity so unique is the fact that it is not based on works! All other religions attach a price, so that one way or the other, you have to do good works to go to heaven. You have to perform good deeds, sacrifice something, etc. etc. But Christ made it so that our price would be cancelled, our debt would be paid, and we would have free choice of whether or not to accept it…..

One of the best things to me is the relationship with God. If we believe in him, we will go to Heaven and we will always live and be with God; I mean, how amazing is that! However, if we don’t accept the gift of life that God has offered, we will be eternally separated from him and doomed to Hell, an everlasting torture. God has offered us the gift, and the only two end destinations are Heaven and Hell…… If this is what life comes down to, why not accept the free gift, salvation, and eternal life in heaven that Christ as offered?

I urge you, if you have not already accepted the gift,  then receive it! Today is a day of salvation!

First, realize that you have sinned. Admit that you have done wrong, and confess that you are a sinner. Realize that sin leads to eternal death and separation from God.

--- Romans 3:23 “ For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.”

---Romans 6:23  “ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life with Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

Second, Believe that Jesus Christ gave his life for you!  God loved you enough  that He sent his only son to the Earth to die so that we might be saved!

---John 3:16 “ For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life.”

Third, Confess your faith in Jesus as your Savior and your Lord.  Pray to God, repent of your sin, and realize that the blood Christ shed on the cross has washed them away.

---1 John 1:9 “ If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Please, if you have not already, accept Jesus into your life and start reading that Bible! If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them or ask Jesus! Pray to him and ask him any question you might have!

--- John 16:24 “ Until now you have asked nothing in my name, ask and you will receive so that your joy may be full.”

May God bless you and become a part in your life as much as He has in mine!

By The Way

By the way, I know this is kind of belated, but we moved into our house the Sunday before last…..

It is a pretty nice house, smaller than our other one, but very cozy. We all love it.

Weight Loss- my testimony

It was a few months after Christmas 2009. Probably around February. My mom finally convinced me to step up on the scale and weigh myself. I looked down and read aloud my weight: 162.5 lb. I looked at my mom.

 “ Well, is that good, bad, or ok?”

I could see the worry in her eyes, for months she had been urging me to cut down my weight.

” You’re eating too much, it’s not healthy.” She would plead with me.

I had gotten into the bad habit of snacking; I would snack while reading, I would snack while doing school, and I would snack if I was bored. To me, snacks and desserts were my body’s worst enemy. I found that I was always hungry, so I would always eat. A few times I had gone on some halfhearted diets, but they never came to amount to anything.

Many times, my mom’s mother, Nanny, would tell me about her childhood, how she had been been overweight when she was in her early teens, dieted, and then stopped at just the right place. I found myself being proud of her, and I wished that the same would be possible for me. Encouraged, I would make a small, pitiful effort, and then soon sink back into the old ways.

I got to the point of where I hated how I looked, I hated my body, I hated my lifestyle……. But I didn’t really know what I could do….. so I just continued eating. Then I reached the worst stage, I didn’t care, at least not visibly. One teacher told me that when she hinted that I was not exactly the way I should be in regard to weight, I replied, “I am fine the way I am.” However, all through that stage, inside, I was ashamed.

There, looking at those numbers on the scale, I found myself crying. My mom, trying to comfort me, reassured me and told me that it was not final, it was not the point of no return, I could still change.

Hours later, I laid down, crying on my bed. There were tears streaming down my face. I found myself in complete abandonment, and then I started praying. I had reached the point where I knew that I couldn’t do it by myself, I realized that I needed God’s help. I suddenly found a small ray of light in my heart.

After that revelation, I started exercising each day, even though it was hard. I, with my mom’s help, stopped snacking on fattening things and started eating more apples and fruit. I also cut down on my meals. Also, I started being more willing to move, I would offer to do extra things and be more willing to get up from my chair and get stuff. My mom started to notice the improvement and began to rely on me more for her errands.

By the beginning of the summer, I had moved my weight down to 152.5 lbs. I started being more proud of how I looked and actually enjoyed wearing certain clothes again. Even though I had started on the road, I was not about to slow down. During the summer, my family went on a cross-country road trip in which we visited many of the national parks. I made sure that I ate healthy, refusing to snack, and ate a lot of salad. I also started working out and got my metabolism up so that I burned fat faster. Researching the topic, I found out that sugar slowed your metabolism. After years of loving sugary things and having a immense sweet tooth, I found myself on a no-sugar diet.

When we returned home, I courageously climbed the stairs to my parent’s room to weigh myself. Afraid that I would have gained or stayed the same weight, I whispered a prayer asking that I would have lost at least a few pounds. Stepping up on the scale, I heard the beep telling me that it had reached a conclusion and I bravely peered down. The numbers read: 142.5 lbs.  I raced down the stairs and burst into the kitchen where my mom was scraping up dinner.

“ You’ll never believe it,” my face was shining,” I just weighed myself and I was 142.5 pounds!”

My joy was reflected in her face and I knew that she was proud.

I started taking pride in my healthiness and I stayed on my no-sugar diet. I also continued to eat many vegetables and virtually no trans-fat. However, I made sure that I stayed healthy. Soon, I even joined a travel-basketball team which helped me keep up my exercise. My weight dropped to 136.5 lbs.

I went from obesity to a little over obsessed…not anorexic though. My mom and grandmother warned me of the danger I was in, and, with their help, I discovered a medium that I could stay in without going extreme in both ways.

My joy reached its height again when, in going to the doctor’s office, I found that my cholesterol had dropped from being on the verge of dangerous, to 127; a very healthy level. The Doctor did urge me to not drop any more, but expressed her gladness as she had been a bit concerned before.

With God’s help, I overcame my weaknesses and am now at a very healthy weight and have a healthy diet. I will always be thankful to God as well as my mom and Nanny particularly, and my family in general for supporting me in my battle. God also provided an amazing testimony for me that I have been able to share and will be able to share. I have been told that it Is amazing to have dropped at least 30 lb. in roughly 3 to 4 months.

I will always praise God that His power was made perfect in my weakness!

Am I spoiled????

This morning I caught myself thinking about what some kids had said on the bus a few days ago. They were talking about how they were not spoiled and who was more spoiled….it was quite entertaining to listen to. But this morning I found myself really analyzing what they had said. And I found myself wondering, who isn’t spoiled? And. What defines being spoiled?

The common definition of a person who is spoiled would be someone who is given everything that they could possibly want or desire-sometimes even things that they don’t, and who usually becomes pettish and sour-faced.

If you think about it, everyone is spoiled. Maybe not to the same degree of everyone else, but no one, at least in the developed world, has nothing nonessential. Looking around here, I am stunned by the luxury that I and my family are accustomed to. In America, we were not wealthy, even though we had a big house. But we still had stuff that we definitely could have done without. e.g.:  television, computer, 2 cars… In fact, when you look at the stuff that is essential- food, shelter, water, clothes….. we were well off.  Here we are well off and we don’t have a television, we don’t have constant electricity, we don’t have a dryer, or dishwasher, we don’t have a microwave, toaster, or coffee maker. And yet, compared to those around us, we are “billionaires”.

All the kids on the bus are spoiled, Addison and I and my family are spoiled. Very few westerners aren’t. We just don’t really realize it.

 Every day here, I thank God that he has provided us with the things that we have. But I also pray that the spoiling would not “spoil” us and that he would help us not to be attached to worthless things but only to him.

Bibles! Bibles! Who wants a Bible?????

  A few days ago on the bus, a boy who always wants us to sit next to him, asked Addison to show him where in the Bible Judas hangs himself..... Addison flipped to it and handed the Bible to him. He poured over it for about 5 minutes and then asked if he could take it with him to show his teacher..... I waited to see Addison's response.
  I could see the faint sign of hesitation on Addison's face and I knew what he was thinking: What if the boy never gave it back???? What if he lost it??? What if it was just a prank??? But what if it was actually God working in him -- what an opportunity!!!
 
 The day before I had had a slight urging to give him an extra New Testament that I always carried in my backpack. I was not sure though, if I should give it to him....it was pink after all! I guess I sort of thought that he might reject it or even mock me...... I wasn't sure...... so I decided to ask God to make it clear.
  
 I suddenly knew the answer! I reached into the backpack pocket and put my fingers around the book. I slowly drew it out and handed it to him. " I have this and I don't really need it since I have the other one, would you like it? You can keep it if you want." His eyes bulged out," You would give it to me?" My brother quickly affirmed what I said and explained that even though it wasn't the whole Bible, it did have the story of Judas hanging himself in it :) ( the boy seemed to have a fascination for that particular story) For the rest of the ride he was engrossed in reading the Bible.
   As I walked of the bus, my heart sang in praise of God and I silently thanked Jesus for the opportunity and answer to my question!

A Letter To My Mom

I wanted to thank you Mom!
  All through my life you have been with me- you have been guiding me, nurturing me, instructing me, and teaching me. You have always been there and I will always remember the times you have spent with me.
  Ever since I was little, You were my model. All I wanted was to be like you..... And that is still how I feel. I remember one Sunday, our pastor asked us to tell the person next to us who our model in life was. You happened to be sitting next to me so I bashfully whispered that it was you. At the time, I think that you just thought I was trying to be sweet, but that was, in fact, the case.
  One of the things in life that I am most thankful for is the time you spent with us teaching us the Bible. Of all the things you have given us, the gift of our knowledge of God's Word is by far the best and most important. Now, being in school, I constantly thank God for the Bible studies that we had each and every morning with you before we started school. They have helped me so much!
   Another thing I thank you for is the time you spent comforting me, helping me, and encouraging me! There has always been time made by you for me; even when you didn't have time.
                       Thank you for always being there for me!
                                    
  I love you Mom!

A New Perspective.....

    When I was back home in MA I would often think, "I can't wait to get out and do something! You know, get a job, go to college, just do something for God." I would always be looking ahead, always be wanting to get through the day, week, month, and year. To me, there would be some days that I would think were worth it, but, mostly, they just seemed the same.

    When Addison got to go to school, I was a bit envious, I found myself wanting to do the same. Then Addison started evangelizing and I saw what an impact he was making, My heart cried out to God," What do you want me to do God, what is your plan for me? Please, please use me for you!" But, even though I was given some opportunities, there still was no real purpose.

   In the past month, my life has completely been turned around. I have a new meaning, a new purpose, I have a huge burden for those around me. Every day is new, I have so much to do, so much to say, that I can't afford to look forward any more then the next morning.

  God has blessed me with so many opportunities! Every day I wake up with the same prayer on my heart: "Lord use me today, show me what I need to do; what to say!" Throughout the day God constantly shows me new things that I can do to share Him with classmates and teachers......... Thank You Lord! 

The Competition: Who is more stupid Chickens or Squirrels?

  Back in Massachusetts, my mom persistently said that squirrels were stupid as, any time they try to cross the street, they appear to run into the wheels/car instead of the opposite. (Road-Kill!!!)

  In fact, she even got into a debate with my sister because my sister, Grace, has been taught that you should not call objects stupid. And so when my sister heard my mom calling squirrels stupid, she would tell my mom that we should not call things stupid-it is not nice!
 
  Mom, however, would argue that, although we should not call things stupid, squirrels were one exception, and there Gracie found her conclusion.

  The issue has been revisited when, as we are driving, we are aware of chickens, crossing the road at idiotic angles and times! We have therefore been forced to think: Are squirrels really the only animal to be dubbed as stupid, or can chickens share that honorary title???

Opening the Bus Doors, A Gospel Opportunity

Today at school and on the bus God gave me the most wonderful opportunity!

  A while ago, my mom gave me the present of a bracelet. Not just any bracelet, but a bracelet with a special message; the gospel message.
 
  The bracelet is made up of different beads telling the story of Christ's birth, death, resurrection, and his love for us. I memorized it and for the past few days the Lord has answered our prayers to open doors to share the Gospel and He has used this bracelet in a big way.  The story goes like this:

  Yesterday, a girl sitting next to me asked about it and I told her quickly because we were just beginning an exam. She said that the story was beautiful but I was not able to converse with her on the subject as the exam was beginning. I did pray for her and thanked God for the opportunity! I also prayed that I would be given more opportunities to spread God's good news and love!

 Today, God answered my prayers and opened the doors once again for me to tell His story.

  My first narrating began with two of the girls in my class, they admired my bracelet and asked if I had made it. I replied that, no, my mom had given it to me. They said that that was nice and were about to talk about something else when I realized the opportunity given to me. I quickly told them that it did tell a story and would they like me to tell it to them. I told them the story and they asked if I was a Christian. The conversation ended with one of the girls explaining that she was a Seventh Day Adventist and invited me to her church. The other girl turned out to be a Catholic and invited me to her church as well. I had known that a lot of the girls went to church so this did not surprise me, I do know that they do not always act like it and I do not know if they really know the Gospel. I am sure that it did them a lot of good to hear the gospel story again, I pray that God would work in their hearts.

The second and last relating of the day took place on the bus. One girl who was sitting next to me asked if I had made it. I replied no and went on to tell her how I had acquired it and asked if she wanted to hear the story. I told it to her, and some other girls behind wanted to hear it as well. Then a boy, sitting in front of me, wanted to hear it. ( At first he was skeptical and asked if I believed it- I said yes and he was a bit surprised)

 I ended up having to tell it several times, thanking and praising God the whole time, and when I counted all the different people I shared the gospel with over the two days, it tallied up to nine people! One girl, who had to get off the bus early, even asked if I could bring it tomorrow and tell her again! 


  God has been so amazing opening the doors, and giving me a gospel opportunity! What a huge answer to prayer! God is so good!

No TV

It was hard preparing to not have any of the tv shows that we enjoy watching( although we don’t watch a lot of tv) We have found that our favorite shows are available; White Collar and The Office( White Collar is very good although The Office of late has been unfortunately pretty inappropriate and we have had to do some screening recently)

My mom, has said, though that we should work on not watching half as much TV as we watched at home and I think I am going to try to accomplish that!

Our First Week

The first week was very productive as we worked to get used to our surroundings and adapt to the culture. Almost every day we would go house hunting with Jerry and his handyman Alex. Alex is a native and has been blessed with acquaintances all over. He simply calls up a person in a certain area and finds out what houses are for rent there. It is amazing how many results he gets!

              We also found it amazing that for the first time in years, my dad actually had regular work hours! He leaves for work at 7:30 am and arrives at home at 5:30pm. His work prior to this has always had irregular hours and we are all loving having my dad at home during normal hours!

              It was also found that our family and Jerry and Tammy had something very weird in common- the love of canasta! It is an old card game that our family has played with each other ever since we discovered it in 2002. We had a lot of fun playing with Jerry and Tammy and since then have played with each other often.

 On Friday we went to Braeburn, a British school that we were thinking of going to.  We met the school headmistress and went over what we would do. After a while, we decided that we would go through a trial week, after that, we would decide whether or not we would go and which classes we would take.  It was decided that I would be immersed into the school completely for the first week  so that I would know for sure how it was. We enjoyed a quiet weekend, househunting on Saturday and going to church on Sunday. The church that we went to was okay, but did not have the in-the-word teaching that we yearned for.  Overall it was a pretty restful week, which helped us prepare for school in the following week.

Daniel's House

          The name of our hostel is Daniel's House. It was named after the son of Tammy.
  It is really a blessing to be staying in it and we thank God everyday for it!
It was started only a few months ago in order to support the orphanage that the owners run. The orphanage is for girls only and has been a true blessing to so many young girls. The orphanage has changed lives and is really changing the girls lives for the better. It is a Christian orphanage and is a great example of how an orphanage should be run! My mom, who has been to many orphanages, was shocked when she saw how clean it was and the loving care the little girls are getting. May God truly bless it!
 The hostel is very clean and has a few rooms that have many bunk beds. There are two rooms with double bunk beds and one room that has four bunk beds. The hostel is made complete by two bathrooms with showers and a kitchen in which we can cook. We are provided with breakfast and dinner and have bought some materials with which we can make lunch. What a blessing it is!

Our Trip to Tanzania

It was Feb. 21, 2011 and we were finally on our way to Tanzania! After many hours of crazily stuffing our clothes into our bags, we finished minutes before we left! Addison, my brother, was the last one to finish and we were literally packing up the taxi to take to the airport while he finished. Our trip to Logan Airport in Boston, MA was blessedly uneventful and we arrived there with plenty of time. We checked in our bags as well as our dog(Peaches, our standard poodle) and headed toward the gates. We were all a little nervous about Peaches because last time we took her on a plane we could hear her barking in the baggage hold, but thankfully she was silent- Praise the Lord!!! Our first stop was in Schiphol, Amsterdam where we had heard countless tales about how there were many professional pickpockets...... my parents warned us to take very good care of our bags. When we got to the airport, my dad proposed that my mom go to the frequent flier's lounge(my dad used to travel a ton) and keep the bags, while the rest of us go and get a bite to eat since only the person with the miles and one guest could stay in the lounge. My dad went to get my mom situated with the bags and set everything up while Addison, Grace(my sister), and I waited in the entry way. However, embarrassingly enough, the desk clerk apparently thought it looked bad to have three, tired, dirty kids in the entrance to a "frequent flier" lounge, and told us after about 20 min. that we could go in. We, therefore, were able to have some breakfast, check our emails, and keep our bags safe! To us, tired, weary souls:) it was a miracle! We then left for Kilimanjaro on another providentially quiet flight and got some sleep which we definitely needed! When we arrived, it was nighttime in Tanzania and quite warm after the freezing temperatures we had left behind in America.  We went to get our bags and green cards sorted out and then went to customs with our dog. ( who was very happy to see us) We then got a wake up call to Africa when the officials decided that peaches was very valuable and tried to charge us money to take her into the country. My Dad finally agreed and priced her at $2.50. (my mom joked that she was probably only worth half of that because she was in heat) The custom's officials argued that she was worth 50$ and we finally agreed on $12.50. We left the airport finally and got into the cars.(because we had so much luggage, 2 per person, we had to take two cars) My dad, Grace and I were in one car and my brother and mother were in the other car. We started off and the going was smooth for about 15 min. but then the driver of my car suddenly got a call- the other car had some engine trouble…… I started praying. After a few minutes of trying to get the car running, we finally ended up hooking up my mom’s car and towing it. We headed to the hotel where we were supposed to meet the owner of the hostel in which we were staying. We met him there and followed him to the hostel where we were greeted by Tammy( the hospitable wife of the owner) She hastened to inform us of hot showers,  clean beds, and pilou, a traditional Tanzanian dish.(It is rice with some seasonings and meat) We sat down and ate, surprised about how hungry we were. Even though we probably would have eaten anything at that point, we found that the pilou was fantastic! I ate more than I had eaten in one sitting since Christmas! We tumbled into bed at about 3:00 am and were sound asleep in minutes!