Learning New Things

Over the past few months nearly everything I do, I do with thoughts of Africa in my head. When I see something I want to buy I think, "Do I need this?" If the answer is yes I buy it, but if the answer is no, then I think, "is this something I would take wih me to Tanzania?" If the answer is yes then I may buy it but if the answer is no I realize that it will be just another item to get rid of before we move so I leave it on the store shelf. Last week the kids and I went on a field trip to see honey bees and how the bee keeper collects honey. As I watched the demonstration I wondered, "is this something we could do in Tanzania? What a great treat this would be for the orphans and we could even sell some at the market." Today as I canned my first batch of applesauce and apple butter ever, from the first batch of apples the trees we planted several years ago produced, I wondered if I would do this in Tanzania. Our family loves applesauce and it would be wonderful to be able to continue to have it over there. By the way, I got 9 quarts and 3 pints of apple sauce and 4 pints of apple butter out of our two tiny little trees.

I think one of my biggest concerns about moving is finding ways to feed my family over there. Although I do make many things from scratch even those meals are made with preprocessed ingredients. My chicken here is processed and frozen. I have never had to pluck a chicken here. My beef can be bought by certain cuts here. Over there, you ask for beef and they go cut a chunk of beef straight off the cow hanging in the corner.

I will be fortunate to have the help of Pastor Richard's wife, Gertrude, as well as some women from his church to help me learn the new ways needed to live over there. Fortunately, I love to be learning something new all of the time. This is part of the reason I read so much as well as one of the many reasons we homeschool our children. I realize more and more all of the time what a good thing that will be once we move to Tanzania.

Today, the team should still be on Maisome Island. Sunday morning they will be splitting up to attend churches there on the island as well as doing a crusade in the evening. I am very much looking forward to church here tomorrow. I love our church family and love even more the praise and worship time together.