Ladies Seminar at Monduli

Yesterday began very early for the Jensens! We were up by 4:30 am, and were out the door at 5:40. We picked up a couple ladies from the congregation - Julia and Rachel , and then we headed for Kisongo. George dropped us off at the Staffords, and he headed on to the school, where he had a class to teach, and Lindsey and I caught a ride with Stephanie Stafford and Angie Baker to Monduli.

Even though there is no door or covers on the windows, we were able to meet in their new building. When we got there, Innocent, the preacher, wanted everyone to have tea first. After tea time, we began with Stephanie giving an introductory lesson, challenging the women to think of the many things that women can do in the church. I taught a lesson, part one, on the topic of helping our children grow like Jesus did - in wisdom and in stature. Julia Mwakabanje then spoke on teaching our children, and what can be done at various ages to help them learn about the Bible. After Julia's lesson, we took a break for lunch. Stephanie, Angie, and I provided the food. Often times, when the ladies need to provide food for a church function, it means they are spending most of their time tending a fire somewhere, instead of benefiting from the lessons, so we decided to provide lunch, so that they would not have to have the extra burden of feeding everyone. After lunch, Lindsey started us off again by leading a song in Swahili. She did a great job. I gave another lesson, part two, on helping our children advance in favor with God and man. Following my lesson, we took a little time to answer a couple of questions. It seemed to be great day for the ladies.

The last time I went to the open market in Moshi was very interesting. There are many vendors on the streets, and there are also little alleys that lead into the interior part of the market. I entered one of the alleys, a way that I had gone several times before. There was a lady sitting in a spot that she often occupied, and I recognized her from previous trips to the market, when I had purchased some things from her. She greeted me, and so I stopped to exchange some polite greetings. She had her little boy with her - the cutest little fellow you could imagine, about 6 years old. I asked what his name was, and she told me. And then to my astonishment, she tried to get me to take her boy. She suggested that I could help him learn. I cannot describe how disturbing this was. Most troubling was the fact that she had a smile on her face, and didn't seemed to be too bothered by the whole thing. It bothered me.

On a lighter note, if you want a good laugh at my expense, keep reading. Today I really needed to do some "deep cleaning." Trying to keep the dirt under control is difficult, at best. I decided to tackle two big windows in our bedroom. After wiping down the windows, the ledge, and all of the bars, I reached up to wipe the wooden curtain rods. Apparently, I disturbed a gecko, who was resting up there, and much to my dismay, he fell off and landed on my face. It all happened so fast, but I can positively tell you that I screamed! Julia came running to see what was wrong, and then we both had a good laugh. I have no idea where he went after that, but I'm guessing he's still in there somewhere.

We hope you have a great weekend!

Love, Joy

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