4-1-15

Hello from JoBurg and welcome April, and a happy early Easter!

This past week has gone well, even while not being too “adventurous”. I was able to share fairly in depth last week with a friend and I hope that our conversation goes somewhere. The classes have been drastically smaller in the past week with next to no male students showing up to learn. While there have been a few days that I’ve either been too tired or in a funky attitude, and didn’t leave the classroom, there have been many days that I have taken the English as well as conversations to the nearby perfume stall.

The nearby store is a perfumery ran by a few men from Jordan, these guys like to talk when they are not too busy, and I had one of the guys coming to class for a while. I think that there are somewhere around 150 varieties of perfume and cologne that are sold there, all mixed and measured when the choice is made to buy.

I am now sporting a new hairdo, or lack thereof to be more precise.  I had a Somali friend shave my head last Monday, and while it took a few days to regain my sense of self, I think that I really like the new look. (Here people don’t assume that your part of a hate organization when your white and have your head shaved.) The new do is rather cold compared to a little hair on the sides.   

Our team is doing well, as are the little children that are part of the team. The baby, now 7 weeks old, is growing fast and not too fussy. Our team leaders had a child a week and a half after we joined them here, not to confuse anyone.

We are going to a meeting away from the city in the upcoming week and it will be a blessing to have some countryside quiet again, even if it is simply for a few days. Also, as soon as we are finished with the meeting, we have to fly to Botswana in hopes of renewing our visas. Some thoughts and pr@yers would be most welcome.

Thank you for reading this update, and I hope that you keep all of us over here in your thoughts daily.

Ethan