Wow!

So now that I've done a few of the basic general description blog entries, and more will continue to come, I'll mix in a bit of where I'm at now, not just generally what I'm doing or where I am.
Mostly I've been doing very well, enjoying life here, loving my work with the kids. The biggest factor to my being able to say that I'm doing well is that much to my surprise, God has proven himself to be near enough to me that I'm not overcome with being alone and away from everyone back home. I miss everyone, of course, but God is showing me that I can function without the tangible support structures of home, because He is enough. I actually feel like He's enough, not just knowing in my head that He should be. And my response to that- is wow! He can do pretty amazing things if He can bring me to Africa for 10 months and guide me in not being anxious or lonely. The better you know me the more you realize how amazing it really is- if how I'm doing would be still dependent on how many long conversations I participate in over coffee sharing life, making decisions, figuring stuff out, etc., I'd be completely starved right now- but the great thing is He can change people in ways that would seem to be impossible. Bwana asifiwe is what I have to say to that. (praise the Lord!)

Some recent examples of Him showing up in unexpected places to encourage and teach me....
Tini has been encouraging me to 'get out' and participate in what little social life there is in Mwanza among the NGO/volunteer type crowd (it really isn't a big crowd) of young people. As a result, I stumbled upon a young English-speaking Christian med school student who asked me the 2nd time we met if I was interested in studying the bible with him and a few others. I had to laugh- of course I'd want to do that, and I figured it would not happen while I was away for the year. Also, an elderly couple named Simon and Greta are at Starehe for a few months until January, and I get the privilege of praying with them (communal prayer has been really absent despite my attempts to suggest more) almost every day!! Finally, one of the kids who has spent most of the time I've been around at Starehe seeing me as his enemy for whatever reason, has suddenly decided to begin to look pleased when I smile toward him, and showed up 2 times in a row to bible study now that the rest of the older boys are home from school and not just the Standard 7 grads. What's going on? Some things have really discouraged me the past few weeks, and then God goes and dumps at least 3 huge blessings that I didn't dream could happen, leaving me wide-eyed and stunned, muttering Bwana asifiwe all the time because I can't get over it all. So exclaim Bwana asifiwe along with me and spread the word- He's not kidding when He says that nothing's impossible with God and that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine. Amen!