48 Hrs and Counting
Here are some thoughts from Loretta written a couple of days ago…
Habari za leo!
Thank you again for all your continued support, we’re hanging in there! It’s also been (now more than) 48hrs since we arrived and wanted to share some thoughts as well as some praise items with you.
We’re staying at a hotel that has a generator! This is a big deal here in Tanzania, but coming from Canada I took for granted that we just have power - all of the time. For most of Dar Es Salaam, it is quite common not to have electricity for hours at a time throughout day. We learned that only 15% of the population of Tanzania is connected to the main grid! I’m getting used to not having access to hot running water all the time, the dimly lit rooms, and the limited selection of food, especially for Judah. Right now, there is a severe famine just north of us, and it’s definitely hit me a lot harder being on the same continent. I’m fighting the urge to complain, and really want to focus on all the things that I am thankful for. So with that, I’ll just quickly end with some praise and prayer items.
Praise
I am so thankful for:
- the limitless electricity that has allowed us to have air conditioning and wifi (sometimes) in our room
- the provision of bottled water for our time here during orientation
- the fact that Judah has had food here already and his body seems to be receiving it well
- the lovely people we have met so far who will be also joining us during orientation - a total of 21 people
- Sunday was the 24th is both Judah’s first birthday and our 7th anniversary! We would have never dreamed of this seven years ago and are so humbled by God’s grace and provision to us.
Prayer
- Please pray that I would trust God with our health - especially Judah’s health and well being. I get easily upset when I think about how different Judah’s experiences will be and there’s that mother in me that just wants the best for Judah. I feel guilty when I think of all the comforts and conveniences we’ve left behind, and it’s hard knowing that I can’t provide a lot of these things to Judah.
- Please pray that we’ll be able to find a vehicle before our two week orientation ends. In particular that we’ll be able to navigate the fine details and overcome the language barrier with the help of our colleagues here.
In Him,
Loretta (and for Toby and Judah)
