Wait for it...

I'm back from a great weekend on Mombasa's South Coast, the place our team will be moving to sometime in the next few months. On Friday I taught in Swahili, which I haven't done very much, and it was fun! A friend was bringing a program called "True Love Waits" to a community school in a village near her home, and she asked me to come along. The program targets young kids in upper elementary school and teaches them the benefits of abstinence and purity until marriage. The program has had great results in other African nations in stemming the spread of HIV. It is based on Biblical principles, but because of its important message, even schools that are predominantly Muslim (like the one we went to on Friday) welcome it.

The school is also a neat place. The community got together and erected the buildings with their own hands. They also help the poorer children in their area pay for uniforms so they can come to class. I was surprised to learn that many kids don't go to school because they can't afford the uniforms! This community is really taking care of it's own, and I'm so glad I got to visit. I'll post pictures soon!

I also spent time with a couple families from our new church, and enjoyed getting to know some new people and hearing their stories. It's fun to think about these small beginnings, and wonder who will become my close friends in the months and years to come.

My other task this weekend was house-hunting. Friday was a torrential day, but my friend Melissa slopped around in the rain with me looking at apartments and houses that I might rent. We found a few places that may work for me, though there is often more to a place than meets the eye. The biggest "invisible issues" that are common problems in Diani are the fresh water supply, security, and shifty neighbors. Diani is a unique place with a lot of different dynamics - lots of tourists on one side, bringing with them a variety of benefits and problems, and on the other side is a very distinct group of indigenous people, the Muslim Digo tribe, who I am just beginning to learn about.

I haven't made any decisions yet about where I will live. All I can do is choose based on the things I know, and trust God for the rest. I am praying that I'll make a wise choice!