Christmas break

We have been enjoying having Katrina at home for the last month, from Nov. 26. She returns to school in a few days on January 3rd.  December has been a great time to reconnect as a family.  We have gone shopping (grocery shopping mostly!), baking, cooking, reading together, watching movies, swimming, taking a weekend trip to Dar, celebrating the advent of Christmas, and just talking.

Katrina hadn't been home since March 1 off this year, when we left for the US for home assignment.  When we returned to the field, she went straight to RVA, her boarding school.  She had a great first term, and her favorite part was helping with costumes for the school play.  This term, January-March, she will be a goalie for the JV Girls' field hockey team.  That will keep her busy, along with her studies!  We have loved having her home, but know that she is where she needs to be at RVA for high school.
She usually calls us once a week, on the weekend, but we usually text back and forth every few days. I write her a letter every week to keep her informed of what is happening at home.  We are able to follow her grades online, can see her sports and class schedule and even what they are serving in the cafeteria.
RVA is a year-round school, which means they have three "terms" that are three months long, with a one month break in between.  So, she was home for all of December. She will be off for the month of April for Easter and off for the month of August for "summer".  She will have a new roommate when she gets back to school. She shares a room with one girl, and her dorm has a dorm mom that lives in an apartment attached to the dorm.  Her dorm mom, Aunt Candace, has been great.

Now, as she prepares to leave again, it is bittersweet.  I will cry when she goes, but I am happy for her.  She is making friends, involved in sports and doing well in school.  So, good-bye again, Katrina for now.

Homeschool Memories

Flashback time!

First year of homeschool 2008-2009

Katrina 1st Grade

My first year of homeschool, I had no idea what I was doing!  Also, how to keep Heather age 4 busy. I am also pregnant with Jonathan.  Halfway through the school year, we returned to the US to have Jonathan and entered Katrina into public school.

2009-2010 School Year

Katrina 2nd Grade, Heather Pre-K

Finally, Heather gets to do "real school"! She was so happy to learn to read like her sister.  

Same school year-- Jonathan joins in on the school day.  Keeping him busy was quite a task.

School Year 2010-2011

Katrina 3rd grade, Heather Kindergarten

We moved to Nairobi, Kenya for a year.

Homeschool in Kenya

School year 2011-2012

Katrina 4th Grade, Heather 1st Grade

We have moved back to Tanzania. 

                                                       Same school year.  Katrina learning the recorder

(School Year 2012-2013 we returned to the US.  Katrina was in 5th grade and Heather in 2nd grade in public school.)

School Year 2013-2014

Katrina 6th grade, Heather 3rd grade, Jonathan Pre-K

We are back in Tanzania

School Year 2014-2015

We moved to the coast of Tanzania

Katrina in 7th grade

Heather is 4th grade

Jonathan in Kindergarten

School Year 2015-2016

We did most of the school years in Tanzania, but had to finish up the year back in the US when we returned for home assignment.

Katrina 8th grade, Heather 5th grade, Jonathan 1st grade

That was our last year homeschooling all of the kids.

This year-- School year 2016-2017

Katrina is at Rift Valley Academy (Kenya) for 9th grade

Heather 6th grade- back in Tanzania

Jonathan in 2nd grade

Missing Katrina in homeschool this year!  

Winding down

With only 3 1/2 weeks left in the States, we are starting to wind down.  I use that term very loosely.  We are going to be traveling up until the last week before we leave, giving us one week to pack and prepare to return to our home in Tanzania.  

         This summer has had many memorable experiences.  Now, we begin to prepare mentally, and logistically for the return to Africa. 

At Lincoln's Memorial, Washington, DC

In front of the Ark Encounter, near Cincinnati, OH 

The Things We Leave Behind

It seems like every trip we make, I leave something behind.

       -a Kindle
       -a jacket
       -a necklace
       -a sock
       -underwear
     
The more trips we make, it seems like I leave more things behind!  No matter how carefully I check the room, house, or hotel before we leave, it seems like I am always leaving something behind.

             This can also be taken symbolically.
 A little bit of me is left behind at each place we visit.  With every church, family member and friend, I feel like a part of my heart is left behind with them as we visit them and then move on.

                We are so blessed to have so many people who love us, and it is hard to not be able to see them very often.   Everywhere we visit, I wish we had more time to stay and visit.  It never feels like enough time.   I wish we had weeks to spend with everyone, but we are lucky to have one day sometimes.

      If we haven't been able to see you, or if our time with you seemed too brief, we feel you!!  Just wish we had more time.

                 We head back to Tanzania in 6 weeks and most of that time is pretty heavily scheduled with trips (Nebraska; southern Indiana; Cincinnati; St. Louis; Anna, IL; McLeansboro, IL; Jackson, TN; Fairfield, IL; Crown Point, IN; and Dyer, IN).  

We are already on the "wrap-up" mode of this home assignment, and getting geared up to our return to Tanzania!  Blessings!

On the Road Again

This summer is one long road trip for us!  In the month of July alone, we will be driving 3,377 miles (for a total of 54 hours of drive time).  With this much traveling, I'm glad that we are on summer break from school!  It is a big blessing to be able to see churches, friends and family that we don't often get to see.

              Even though we aren't doing "school", the kids have been learning alot.  We visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and learned a lot about Lincoln and the Civil war.  We visited the St. Louis Botanical Gardens and learned about different species of flower and plants.  We visited the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and learned about fish and oceans.  We have gone to see the Dunes in Indiana.  The kids have worked in the garden, fished, read a lot and swam.  Heather is at horse camp this week.

 Sometimes I joke with the kids and say, "Uh-oh! You're learning something and it's not even a school day!!"  Katrina rolls her eyes and says, "Mooooom!  You don't just learn in school."   :-)

Summer begins

School's out for the summer!

                   
                                   We have officially finished our homeschool year.

For Katrina, she has finished homeschooling, and is preparing to go to boarding school in Kenya at the end of August.

         But, for now, we are enjoying summer.  We are doing a LOT of traveling this summer, visiting many churches, as well as family and friends.  This month alone we will be in four states, visiting four supporting churches, doing one VBS and presenting to a potential supporting church.
                         
             Let summer begin!

       

Katrina prepares for boarding school

 
         Katrina is preparing to go to boarding school, for 9th grade.

  Her school is in Kenya.  We live and work in Tanzania.  She will be 366 miles away from us, and at least 7 hours away, if we fly or a two day drive (stopping over in Arusha).

                        She is thrilled!

No, really.

                 Mostly, because she has very little social interaction in Tanga, the town we live in.  The only other family with kids is moving to another city. (What high school girl would want that?) 

                             Of course, there is also academic reasons.  The main reason we want to send her, is so that she will graduate with an American accredited high school diploma.  She will be able to go to any college she wants to.

     She will be able to be in choir or band, soccer or girls' volleyball.  She will have roommates, and study hall, and lunch in the cafeteria and dorm devotions each night.

Katrina's sheets, blankets, towels, and all of her clothes will have to be labeled with her name.

             She will have dorm parents that will make sure she is studying during study time, and not staying up past lights out.  

Bill went to this same boarding school, Rift Valley Academy, from 7th-12th grade.  We are happy that Bill's classmate, Kristy Faber, will be Katrina's 9th grade English teacher.

          Of course, as with everything else in our lives, we are doing this on FAITH!  We don't yet have the support raised to pay for her tuition, room and board.  

                                         So, if you feel led to give towards Katrina's school fees, please let us know.

Thanks and God bless.

Home Assignment Starts: March-April in photos

Riding the bus on March 1, on our way out of Tanzania

March 4, walking across the Tanzania/Kenyan border during our bus ride to Nairobi, Kenya

March 14th, Arrive in the US after a week-long conference in Kenya.  Cold enough to bundle up.  Thank you Valley of Bacca for the van!  We're going to put a lot of miles on it!

We got to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens with my dad and brother.

Jonathan's 7th birthday, March 24th

Catching up with friends Jody Shaffer, Angela Schultz and their kids

Easter 2016

Leah's brother, Ben and parents- Chris and Norb Fischer (our forwarding agent)

Bill with his mom, Carolyn

Homeschool continues on the road, while we are visiting churches in Iowa "library school"

Katrina's 14th birthday in Indiana

Katrina's 14th birthday in Missouri

Hanging with second cousins, Star and Aiyanna

What we leave behind when we leave Africa

The lion we saw about 500 ft from us at Mkumi Game Park.

"What do you miss when we leave Africa?"

           -Everything.  Friends. Food. Everything. The lifestyle. (Katrina)

           -Nothing. Actually, the ice cream. (Jonathan)

           -I guess the thing I'll miss the most is the trees, the wilderness. Even in the city, there are trees everywhere. And, the culture.  People walking everywhere. (Heather)

            -The consistency of temperature, people who greet you and will talk to you (Bill)

For me, I will miss the people, the fresh tropical fruits, the consistent 12 hour day and nights (we are near the equator), the consistent weather year round, living near a beach, and the relaxed lifestyle here.           

          There are also things that I miss about America while we are gone.

"What do you miss about America the most (besides family)?"

            -McDonalds (Jonathan)

            -Convenience. You can go anywhere and buy anything. (Heather)

            -Food. (Katrina)

            -The food. (Bill)

My answer, after family, is food.  Convenience is also a big one.  24 hour stores, multiple brands of basically anything, so many choices, mail delivery on your doorstep!

    Truly, we are never "home" in this world.  This world is not our home.  Our home is in heaven, and I can't wait until we get there! 

Only 23 days until we say good bye to this continent for a few months! 

Good bye to Grandma

Carolyn and the kids on the boardwalk

    I can't believe three months have gone by already!  Bill's mom, Carolyn (also known as Mimi D), arrived here at the end of October.  We have been able to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's together.  She was kind enough to watch the kids for 5 days for us so Bill and I could have an extended 16th wedding anniversary get-away.  Because she was here to help with the kids, I was able to help Bill with a Community Health Education seminar last weekend.  She has handed out tracks to shop-keepers, and been involved in the Ladies' fellowship every Thursday. 
     We have been blessed to go to Amboni caves together, have one night at a beach resort, and walk in the mangrove forest.
    We are leaving tomorrow for one last adventure together before sending her on her way home.  We are going to go on a game drive through Mikumi National Park the day before she will be flying out.  We haven't been on a game drive as a family since 2012, so we are all looking forward to it!
               It's been fun!