As I write this update, I want to start by giving a big Hongera (Congratulations) to our Standard 4 students on their first government standardized test and Asante (thank you) to everyone who prayed for them. The results for our ward are back which shows how our students did against 441 Standard 4 students in the closest 10 schools.
Gladness took 1st place, Grace took 3rd, Teresia took 5th, Kimani took 6th, and Obedi took 7th. That is right 5 of our 7 students placed in the top 10. All of our students placed in the top 5% of those in our ward. They still have another government standardized test in October which will be country wide and will be their exit exam (one that determines if they can advance to the next grade).
An update on my status is that the US government really knows how to delay things. I am still waiting on my overdue passport renewal. Last week I got a letter via email where the email said they lost my passport photos and the letter said they were either overexposed or underexposed. So another $45 to take new photos and overnight them to the passport renewal authority. This is really my only delay in getting back right now. Once I get the passport I can get my plane tickets and then my visa.
I have not let this time go by unused though. We continue to work with Tanzania about our overall school grades and finances. I have been building a virtual fundraising campaign for our dining hall and to purchase a vehicle for me to use, which is hopefully near approval. I am also working on a new element to these blogs. A podcast of sorts called Missionary Ramblings. It will be listed via Spotify in July but I will also be posting videos of the podcast here on the blog. These will be conversations I have with people who are active in the mission field or are Christian leaders to discuss elements of our faith and how it leads us to action in the mission field. I have recorded 4 episodes so far but hope to have around 16 recorded by the time I leave for Tanzania which will cover me until the end of the year. I should have an idea if they are something I should continue by that time.
Our students are currently on their mid year break of a month and will start back beginning of second week in July. Please continue to pray for their health as the Tanzania government has just warned about a third wave of COVID hitting the country.
I did get a chance to go on a vacation in late May to make up for the family outing that was canceled last June. I replaced the trip to Alaska with a trip to Boston to do some history trails and whale watching. I relaxed, ate a lot of seafood (I mean a lot), did two boat trips to see whales, the history walking tours and a duck boat tour. Here are some photos of a playful 1 year old whale (according to our guides) doing all kind of breaching maneuvers.
