Fun, Relaxation, Fellowship, and Food

Staff retreat this past Thursday afternoon through Saturday morning was amazing! What a joy it was to fellowship and worship together with the staff at school. I wish the retreat could have been longer. I brought a book to read, but I enjoyed spending time with people so much that I didn’t even open my book. The first afternoon I spent playing with Micah, my friends’ baby boy. We rolled around in the grass for at least an hour. He’s still my favorite baby in Africa. :-) Friday was spent all over the place. I chatted with a friend in a gazebo that overlooked patches of tea farms and a curvy road. I also went for a walk through a tea farm. I thought for sure that it would smell, but it didn’t. I even rubbed a leaf in my hands and still no scent. I tore the leaf and still no scent. The flavor probably comes out in drying the leaves. Friday evening I played games in the café with several of the teachers. We played Pick 2 and Catchphrase. Lots of laughter was shared by all. Much to my enjoyment I was placed in a room that had a fireplace. Friday evening I went to sleep feeling the warmth of a fire and listening to it crackle. It was my first time sleeping in a room with a fire and I liked it a lot. I have to say my favorite part of it all was the worship/teaching sessions. I felt a part of a fellowship of believers. At school we all seem to be busy doing our own thing that I forget that together we are part of the body of Christ. The knowledge that the staff are Christians is always on my mind but actually thinking of us as the body of Christ was never linked in my thought processes. I’m thankful for everyone God has sent to our school. I look forward to getting to know the staff better as the year progresses.

We have four full weeks coming up with only weekends off in between. Please pray for endurance and patience for the teachers. Four weeks may not sound like a long time, but as teachers we run full force all day long. Sometimes I feel like an old lady because Friday evenings I’m usually in bed pretty early.

Last week I stated that I would be making a new meal and dessert every week. Today I made chimichangas for lunch and a blondie with ice cream on top for dessert. Both came out delicious. I set out to make a different dessert, but I couldn’t find a crucial ingredient for it in the grocery store.