Lovely Week

This is the stuff dreams are made of: one week ago today, my friend Sharon emailed with the question, "Can we stop by and see you for a day or so this weekend?"

Now, Sharon, her husband Brad and their children have all been to Africa. They know that coming to Dar is not 'stopping by' even on the way to Ethiopia, their destination. The expense. An extra day away from home. They had every reason not to come and visit us.

But they did anyway.

We were thrilled to host them in our home:

 Making a 48 hour itinerary that includes rest and relaxation is not as easy as it sounds. We managed to get in several of our favorite places and people, but time limited us. We did roll them into a Saturday night Scottish Summer Ceilidh with some dear friends, which was fun. Also, tea at one of our favorite local spots, Mediterraneo. Sharon thought she was safely out of this shot:

 Mediterraneo is right on the Indian Ocean, and is one of the most peaceful spots I've found locally. The kids can play endlessly with coconut shells and other sea treasures they find, and the sound and sight of the water and parade of local fishermen walking by are both soothing and interesting.

 I really thought about kidnapping Brad and Sharon at this point. Two things hindered me: they were headed to Ethiopia to pick up their son, and also the traffic in Dar does not allow us to go fast enough to keep them from jumping out. I decided to preserve our friendship, and the moment, with a photo instead.

 After church Sunday morning (I took some photos not included here of the Bonnetts talking to some of our friends here...I think that's what heaven might look like!), we took them to another favorite local spot, Interchick, where for $5 or so you can get half a barbequed chicken and chips (french fries). The people behind Len are preparing for a wedding reception.

 Bonnetts on the beach:

 And then they were gone. There were so many things we would love to show our friends who come over, as well as those who don't. Reservations are still being accepted!!

Monday we had a special Pentecost SalaSala, combining the Monday and Tuesday groups into one with some special activities. Grace (middle) and Winston led a funny rendition of the electric slide. African kids love to dance!

 Dear friends Laura and Shaun talking to the kids...their two families spearhead the ministry. One thing I love about it is that there is nothing asked in return. Just come, be loved, hear about Jesus, go home, repeat next week.

 Ruby and Henry at SalaSala with their pal James.

 Loving the crayons and working in a group. These kids are working much of the time, and they get to come and just be children at SalaSala club each week.

 The aforementioned dancing...shy kids come to life when music plays! The little one in the orange skirt brings her younger sibling (next to her) on her back each week.

 There were about 150 kids this week from my estimate, not counting helpers.

 The children were divided into teams to study the Holy Spirit.

 Oh my GOODNESS I need to get my 'Mama' face on and stop laughing so hard at these antics. The more time I spend with the children, the more I fall in love with them, and with God.

Those days, plus a lot of school, active living, unnecessary drama and being able to laugh about it all puts us another week down the lovely road.