December Newsletter

Here is the December Newsletter that we just emailed. We are trying a new format. Let us know what you think!


Orwas Newsletter

Precious Moments

There are certain moments with Eli that melt my heart. This is one of them.

Back story: We think Eli is teething which has turned our usually content baby into one who is more fussy. This morning he was going back and forth between happiness and fussiness. We knew he needed a nap, but he resisted both mine and George's attempts to get him to sleep. Finally, I just walked him around for a while. When he settled down a bit, I put him into the chair to see if he would be happy playing with his toys. He was, so I did a few dishes and picked up the living room. When I checked on him a few minutes later, I found him asleep, huddled over his ball. Poor little guy finally gave in and slept.

Presents

No one here exchanges gifts for Christmas. Christmas Day is all about Jesus (if you celebrate Christmas), food and fellowship. Although we agreed not to get gifts for each other, George and I couldn't resist getting Eli a couple small things. So for Eli's first Christmas, he got a small soccer ball and sandals.

(He really liked the ball and I couldn't get him to look up at me no matter what I did! He also gave himself a gift... his feet! He recently discovered them and has been fascinated by them.)

(George found the sandals... they are ADORABLE!)

Even I was surprised by a present...

I have had my eye on this bag since July. Thanks, Babe... I mean, Santa. I love it!

Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, we cooked, cooked and then did more cooking. On the menu was: pilau, chips (fries), grilled beef, chicken soup, baked chicken, fried chicken, beans, chipatti, katchumbari (kind of like salsa), and mandazis. We had quite the feast.

Along with Lulu, Fatuma and the kids, we invited Eddie and his wife. Eddie is a taxi driver and is who we call when we need a ride. He has been so kind to us and has become a friend. We had so much food that we also invited our next door neighbors to come over, with their little daughter, Vero. The other person George invited (a Kenyan George met working at a grocery store) was a no show. We aren't sure why, but will ask next time we see him at the store.

Even though everyone didn't know each other, they all got along and we had a nice time talking after we ate. George and I miss spending Christmas with our family and friends and were happy to spend the day with new friends. It made being away from home a little bit easier. It was also good to get to know our neighbors. Our prayer is that we are a light in our neighborhood as well as in our church neighborhood.

(Eddie is holding Eli. Once again he was fawned over and loved!)

In the evening, we pulled out the leftovers and once again ate a yummy meal. Then we capped off the night with a movie... Kung Fu Panda.

Our Christmas was lovely. It was busy, but slow paced as well (if that makes sense). We were able to reflect on the gift of Jesus and all that we have to thank Him for. Namely our salvation and the peace He offers at all times.

Christmas Guests

For Christmas, we were honored to have Lulu, our dear friend from Korogwe, visit us along with her niece, Fatuma, and children,Emmy and Alan. They came on Christmas Eve and stayed until the day after Christmas. It was so fun to have our house filled with noise and activity. Eli, especially loved all the attention.

They loved on Eli so much, I felt like I hardly saw him for three days! Nala was also happy to see them since they were they ones who took care of her and our house while were were in Kenya having Eli. Lulu and Fatuma have huge, servants heart. Although I implored them to just rest, they helped me every chance they could. On Christmas day, they cleaned the house (inside and out) and did much of the cooking.

The kids had a good time playing in the yard and their laughter rang throughout the house.

We all were sad to see them leave on the 26th, but were so thankful they chose to spend Christmas with us.

Home Fellowship

At church on Sunday, we were treated to a Christmas performance by the kids. They were so cute.

Later, George continued his series in 1 John. Unfortunately, Eli was fussy so I missed most of it, but I heard it went very well.

After church, we rushed home to get ready for a visit by our discipleship class and women’s group. I cooked mandazis (doughnuts) while George cooked pilau (a rice dish). Even though it rained, everyone arrived around 4:30 after walking one hour to get here. What followed was one of the best evenings we have had in Tanzania.

With just the three of us in the house, it can get quiet and lonely sometimes. This evening, our house was full of fellowship, laughter, joy and love.

After welcoming everyone to our home and talking a bit about the meaning of Christmas, we all just hung out and ate some snacks. We had tea, soda, juice, peanuts, cookies, pilau and mandazis.

(Pastor Zac)

People here love babies and Eli continues to be a hit among our church group. There is never a shortage of loving arms that are more than willing to hold him.

(With Glory, Pastor Zac's daughter, and Edita)

(Busted! They are trying to give him a Mandazi. I have to keep an eye on these ladies... they will give Eli ugali and other food while I am not looking!)

(With Redempta, Pastor Zac's wife)

When they left, both George and I felt so happy. We were incredibly blessed by their visit. It was confirmation that we are in the right place. Everyone has made us feel so welcome and wanted. We are very thankful for our Tanzania church family.

Our Christmas Plans

For Christmas this year, we'll just be at home in Moshi. Christmas isn't a huge thing here because there are many people who don't celebrate it (Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists, etc). I am so used to Christmas not only being a religious holiday, but a cultural holiday as well. In all my life in the US, I have only met a couple people who didn't celebrate Christmas and that's because they were Jehovah's Witnesses. Everyone else does - whether they believe in Jesus or not.

Here, it is only a religious holiday. There are not the added cultural celebrations involving gift giving, Christmas cookies, snowman, etc. If people here celebrate it, they usually go to church in the morning, then cook all day and visit family and friends. Gifts are not exchanged, although if they are lucky, kids might have a new outfit to wear that day.

As of now, we plan to go to church and then cook at home. We have invited people over to our house, although we aren't sure who will actually come. George met a Kenyan working at a grocery store near us who is alone in Moshi with no where to go on Christmas. So, George invited him and he'll be coming. George is already planning to play Kenyan music that day. It will be nice to have a fellow Kenyan here. I'm sure we'll have a few more stragglers come and end up with a fun, random bunch of people. Should be a good day!

Although I miss the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season in the US, it is refreshing to have a low key day so we can focus on the Lord and all He has done for us. We hope you are having a great Christmas season and get to enjoy a peaceful day with family and friends.

Progress on the Permits

Good news...Today progress was made on our work permits. We were informed that they were approved and we just needed to pay. Unfortunately, the fee was three times what we expected. We are happy, though, that they were approved and we are one step closer to being done with this process. Now we have to wait for the work permit certificate to be issued which can take two months. So, we'll have to go out of Tanzania in January because we can only be here for 90 days without a permit. We'll spend a couple days in Kenya and then return as we wait for the certificate.

Thank you for praying... keep it up!

Making Friends

Eli is making friends. I hope he won't be too disappointed when he gets older and realizes he is looking at himself!

(By the way, people here believe if babies look in a mirror, they will have bad dreams.)

4 Months Old

Today Eli is 4 months old. Why does it seem like it has been longer than that? Eli continues to provide us with great joy. He generally is very happy and easy going. He enjoys sitting on the couch and playing with his toys. He also likes to read and go outside.

Yesterday Eli received two more vaccinations. The poor little guy does not do well with those. It means two days of fever and not feeling well. George does much better with the vaccination process than I do. He held Eli as I started to feel sick. The worst part for me is right before the injection. Eli is so cute, smiling and cuddling with George, not having any idea what is to come. We weighed him there and our heavyweight came in at 18 pounds!!!!! He doesn't seem THAT heavy to me. I wonder if their scale is wrong?

Eli is eating well (obviously!) and sleeping ok. He wakes up twice a night for feeding still, although sometimes he is able to sleep for 5-6 hours at a time. Right now we are working on rolling over. I think he will do it soon, he's so close. It seems like he might be teething, but we don't see any teeth. He is drooling A LOT and likes to munch on his fingers, our fingers, cold teething toys... anything he can get his hands on! It's so neat to see him grow and develop. We are tired, but having a lot fun with him.

(He is wearing six month sizes now and is rapidly growing out of his cute clothes! It's sad to pack away his smaller sizes. He wore newborn sizes until six weeks and I thought he would take a long time to go through clothes. Nope...once he started eating more, he began filling out... FAST!)

(The other day he was playing on the couch and I looked up from what I was doing and saw him looking at me, just watching and smiling. It melted me there, right on the spot.)

The Proverbs 31 Woman

This morning at church, George continued teaching on the book of 1st John. His theme was being known as a Christian all the time. Whether we are at the market, at home, at church, walking in our neighborhood, the people around us should see how we love Jesus. We show that by loving and helping others.

(George and Eli with some cute little girls from church. Faith, the one next to him is so funny and adorable. I want to take her home.)

In the afternoon, we returned to church for the discipleship class and women's group. Because he taught on the passage in the morning, George spent more time on application at this meeting. He led the group in a discussion of helping others. Last time he challenged them to help someone in need and each person shared with the group how they did with that task.

Once the class was finished, the ladies remained for our discussion group. We began by going over our homework which was to read Proverbs 31:10-31, which talks about the virtues of a Godly wife. And… wow… what a woman! Among her characteristics are:

Trustworthy
Resourceful
Wakes up early and goes to bed late
Prepared for any season
Organized
Plans ahead
Good with money
Energetic
Strong
Kind
Wise
Hard worker
Busy with her hands
Skilled at sewing
Helps the poor and needy
Doesn’t fear the future
Not lazy
Keeps an eye on her household
Blessed by her children
Praised by her husband

I was very inspired by this woman. I am not this woman, but hope to be someday. I was especially impressed with how hard she works. That led to our discussion of work we do as women.

I was curious what an average day is like for them so each of the women gave us an example of their typical day. All of them woke up early – around 5:00am and began a day filled with work: Making tea, lunch, dinner, dishes, laundry, taking care of the children, cleaning the house, etc. Some of them went to a job while others worked in the home. Each began and ended the day with prayer and Bible reading.

Girls begin working in the home at a very young age. By seven or eight, they can cook a full meal. Most girls that age know how to cook way better than I do! Children help take care of the younger children in the home. This little girl, Teddy, helped her mom take care of her brother all during the church service. Whenever he got fussy, Teddy came to the rescue.

Hard work, especially physical labor and working with their hands seems so natural to them. It’s their “normal” from the day they are born. I wondered if they ever get cranky, tired or feel unappreciated. YES! They answered. Ok, so they aren’t the wonder women I imagined them to be… well, actually they are, but they also have normal feelings too.

So, what do we do when we are cranky and feel underappreciated? We pray they Lord gives us strength and joy. After all, we are working for the Lord above all and He sees all we do.

(1 Cor. 15:58 “So my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord for you know nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” Colossians 3:23 “Work willingly at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”)

Although the Proverbs 31 woman is married, we agreed that we can apply her characteristics even if we aren’t married. Being a Godly single woman is just as important. It was an interesting discussion. At times, the ladies are still shy, but other times they won’t stop talking! I have found that if I leave it open for talking, it’s quiet. But if we go around in a circle and everyone shares, they will talk a lot. Our time together has been fun. I think the ladies haven gone away feeling encouraged and not so alone in their struggles.

We closed with some prayer requests and the homework assignment – think about Christmas and what it means to you. Be prepared to share that with the group next week. Since next Sunday is two days before Christmas, we invited both groups to our house for some tea and fellowship. We can’t wait!

Worst Parent Award

I think George and I qualify for the worst parents... at least by East Africa standards. :) People here don't hesitate to give you advice about how to take care of your child - family, friends, strangers on the street.... anyone, really. In the US sometimes unsolicited advice is appreciated, but often I think resented. We want to believe we know what we are doing and are doing the best we can. We get defensive if someone says we are doing it wrong.

Here, I have to just suck it up and take the advice. I admit getting really annoyed at first, although I tried hard not to show it. Now, I realize, it's not done out of malice. They just want to help and may think that we as first time parents need help. There is no use getting bothered because the advice will just keep coming. Now, I find it funny. I just laugh and add it to our list of parenting crimes. Here are some of the comments we get for our various offenses:

“Cover the baby's head!” (From a stranger as we were crossing the street. You would think we were standing in the sun all day in 120 degree heat holding Eli up to the sun.)

“Where are the baby's socks? You have shoes on. The baby should have socks.” (Yesterday at church. He is four months and it's hot outside. We are not making him walk barefoot on hot coals.)

“That baby is cold. Where is his blanket?” (We get this frequently. Kids are so bundled up here. Even when it is hot outside. He is not in Antarctica without clothes on.)

“Why is the baby crying?” (This one used to bug me the most. Babies cry! - Although they seem to do is less here. I don't know why he is crying. He is fed and changed. Maybe he is sleepy? Maybe he has gas? Who knows, but we are working on it!)

“You need to start the baby's day with a bath so he feels fresh. Then he will sleep for 6 hours during the day.” (Tried that. Didn't work as promised. Now we do night time baths. Still doesn't sleep 6 hours straight!)

“Don't let the baby stand. He is too young.” (Eli has loved to stand since he was born. At six weeks, he was standing on George's lap in Kisumu and George's dad freaked out when he saw it. They think it will hurt their backs. It's not like George was letting go!)

“You can't put a baby in a pool. It is too cold.” (This is our biggest crime of all. We took him swimming. Pools are rare here so most people don't know how to swim and have never been in a pool. There happens to be one within walking distance of our house at the YMCA that only costs $2 so we went once. Eli did great! He was hesitant at first, but soon relaxed. He didn't cry at all. There were many people there eating lunch and I can only imagine what they were thinking. They probably went home and told their families about the crazy people who put their baby in a pool. By the way, it was a warm, sunny day and the water wasn't cold. And we used an umbrella to shield him from the sun.)

There are so many more. It's funny how different cultures view child care. George and I have had to discuss different ideas and I think we have done a good job blending our knowledge and customs. Mostly we have learned it's trial and error. We don't know what we are doing all the time, but we are figuring it out. Until, then poor Eli will just have to hang in there!

We can't be doing too bad, right? He seems happy!

After swimming... just chillin'... doesn't seem scarred by the event.

Prayers for Permits

Our quest to obtain work permits continues. The process goes on tomorrow as immigration officials conduct their investigation. We really need your prayers. Please ask for the Lord's favor on this process. We'll keep you posted as we find out the results.

Thank You!

A Simple Chain of Love by George

On this festive season, the Orwa family through Africa Harvest of Hope and Rancho del Rey Church renew their vow in the field to make Jesus known throughout the world - preaching His peace, His love and His mercy, giving hope to those that have lost it, making a commitment to teach true Biblical doctrines.

Just like any other country, Tanzania faces a lot of problems which are religion related. This is because a lot of people who are born into a “Christian family” assume Christianity from birth hence they make no attempt to live right with God as their faith is “family inherited.” We give a different approach towards this issue as we work diligently to raise funds to build an orphanage where we plan to teach children Christianity as a way of life in an attempt to make a difference.

Over the past month and as we continue, we go back to the Bible, the first letter of John, discussing the authenticity of our faith, true fellowship and practical approach to Christianity. Basic Christianity as we find is simple. The problem is that we humans complicate it. For example, the two Commandments by our Lord Jesus: love your neighbor as you love yourselves and love the lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. This past week, we raised questions such us who are our neighbors? The person living close to us? The people we meet on the road? And etc.

Considering the two commandments, as we tackle the first commandment we find that it is becoming increasingly more common for neighbors not to know each other or even say hello to each other. Therefore how can you love people you don’t know? How can you fellowship with people to whom you don’t even say hello? As Christians it is our shot to be the first to give love, extend our hands to one another and reach out to people in our surroundings and build up fellowship. This is the first step to loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. It is that simple.

Therefore, we want to challenge you this festive season - invite a neighbor for a cup of tea or coffee. You don’t have to read a scripture for them. Just introduce yourselves and start one long chain of love!

1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Happy Birthday George

Today is George's birthday! We had a low key day. For his birthday, I gave him a cheap badminton set (two rackets and two "balls"... what are those called?). While Eli was napping, we decided to go outside and play. It did not go well. I am not athletically gifted. This quote from George sums it up "I think I will just wait for Eli to grow up and then play with him." Haha.

In the afternoon we went out for a birthday lunch. As always, Eli is the star. Here are some photos from our lunch...

Birthday kiss (I love how babies kiss!)

Happy Birthday George!

The Forgotten 1st Born

Poor Nala... Once the baby came, all attention diverted from her to him. Here is a blog just for her.

She is doing well at our new house. We have a gated yard so she can run around all she wants. Whenever a car drives by, she races it across the yard. She often parks herself at the gate and is a very good guard dog.

Perhaps too good. We are constantly yelling at her to stop barking. She sounds really mean, although she is very sweet. People are scared to walk by and will ask us to tie her up before they walk by. We remind them that there is a fence and she can't get out!

Nala has matured and isn't as naughty as she was when she was a puppy. However, no dog is perfect and I found her apparently digging a hole to China the other day.

She loves to play ball and fetch with sticks and shows signs of brilliance. The other day I was making her dinner (ugali and boiled beef leftovers) and she carried her empty food dish and dropped it at my feet! And a few weeks ago, she was out of water and carried her empty water dish to the couch where I was laying down. I keep hoping she would do those things again, but so far she hasn't.

We still love our Nala girl, even if Eli has taken over the spotlight.

Eli's New Ride

Thanks to my mom, Eli has a new stroller. We took it out for a test ride yesterday and he loved it. He's still a bit small and kept sliding down so we'll have to figure out how to prop him up better. It will be much easier to get around town now and it will also be so nice to give our backs a break.

Although, we'll still go out in this...

Because, I can't resist this little face looking up at me...

Thanks Mom!

Dating and Marriage in Tanzania

Last Sunday we met with our discipleship class and women's group. George started off by going through 1 John chapter 2 with the class. Since I was in and out with Eli, I'll have to do another post with George's take on the class. What parts I was there for were really good. George is good at getting a discussion going and involving everyone. He left them with a challenge to do something to help out a neighbor.

After George was finished, it was my turn with the ladies. We began by going over our homework from the previous week - bringing a Bible verse that encourages us. It was neat to hear what each woman picked. There were no repeats in the bunch.

Each week, we'll be discussing issues that affect us as women. This week's topic was dating and marriage. I explained to them what dating was like in the US, generally. Then I asked what the process was like here. I didn't know what to expect. Some countries have arranged marriages and other different customs so I was curious what it's like in Tanzania.

I was told that men marry around age 30 and women around age 23 or 25, usually. Before they are at marrying age, dating is frowned upon and usually forbidden. Once they are ready to marry and find their desired mate (not arranged), they are introduced to the parents. If he/she is approved, the parents are brought together to discuss the terms. The biggest issue - the dowry. The dowry includes livestock (cows, sheep, goats, etc) and money to be paid by the man to the girl's family. After all is agreed upon, the marriage takes place within one to three years.

I thought it was interesting that they don't date before they are ready to marry. I hope my kids do that! I tell high school kids... there is no need to date in high school. Save yourself from the drama and temptation! I didn't date in high school and I am so happy about that. No regrets.

After we discussed the process of dating and marriage, we looked at what the Bible says about it and what kind of woman we should try to be. (2 Corinthians 6:14-16 and 1 Peter 3:1,2) One of my favorite verses is 1 Peter 3:3,4 "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourself instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."I love the part that says "the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit."

It was fun to discuss this topic with the ladies. They ranged in age from 15-50+. Some of them are shy and got embarrassed. I encouraged them to be open. For the younger ladies, I encouraged them to commit to waiting for the right man and not settling for someone that doesn't share their beliefs. I made a commitment to do the same when I was young and prayed for a Godly husband.

At the end, I asked if anyone had prayer requests. One of the older "younger" ones had a prayer request she was at first too embarrassed to share. Finally she got it out and covered her face, laughing. Her request... prayer for a Godly husband. She is of marry age and has that desire in her heart. I told her not to be embarrassed and good for her for sharing. I told her so many people were praying for my future husband and I was so thankful.

I shared with them that at times, I have told people I would pray for them and then, sadly didn't. Perhaps I forgot or just didn't commit the time. Because there were a lot of prayer requests this week, we each just committed to praying for one woman - the one sitting on our right. We promised to remember our person everyday and lift up their need before the Lord.

The homework for next week - read Proverbs 31 and make a list of the attributes of a Godly wife.

1st Anniversary

Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that it has been one year already.

Who would have known we would be celebrating our special day with this little cutie?

I thank God for my husband who protects and takes care of me so well. We did it babe! One year down...a lifetime to go. I love you!

Christmas is in the Air

Do you ever sit back at the end of the day and think, "this was a really good day"? Today was one of those days. George and I have been a little stressed lately about some things so it was nice to have a low key day at home.

In the container someone sent us Christmas decorations. I thought that was so thoughtful. It's yet another thing that helps make our house, a home. Today we got out them out and decorated the house. We put Eli down for a nap and began working. With Christmas music in the background, it felt like Christmas. Here are some photos of our decorations.

After Eli's nap, we went for a walk. We have been trying to get to know our neighborhood and have set out in different directions. Today led us to the local YMCA where we sat and relaxed for a while before heading home. Once we got back, Eli took a gloriously long nap which allowed us to get more work done around the house and in the yard.

Mount Kilimanjaro was so beautiful as the sun went down. We don't always get to see it as there are often clouds blocking the peak. But not this evening.

Because Eli took such a late nap (Outings really take a lot out of him. He doesn't want to miss a thing.), he was up later than usual, but it was ok because he was in a good mood and really happy. After his bath, I read a book to him and then he hung out with George for a while. Finally, after putting him to bed, George and I enjoyed a late dinner.

It was a relaxing, great family day. One that makes all the worries get left behind. One where you can exhale and say "Thank you Lord. You are so good."