Nyama & HAPPY BIRTHDAY CODY!

This should be pretty quick! The title means meat in swahili. say the word: ny (aaaa)ma --exactly like it looks. It's fun right? Well this week we have been the crazy white people walking around town saying it and then laughing hysterically. We have also been quite the little bakers. Brittany and I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch, TWICE. The first batch was gone after 3 hours. We also made pancakes from scratch and tonight we made peanut butter icing from scratch to put on our chocolate cake (from a cake mix) for Morgan's birthday! We have been quite proud of ourselves as we have had to improvise ALOT and use cooking pans as mixing bowls & cake pans and our eyes as measuring cups and chocolate bars as chocolate chips, This week I switched from Gender and Development to an African music class which is held at a local University in Arusha, Makumira University. I love this class already! I think that it will be a saving grace through out the semester as I get to go to their school and learn their dances and songs and how to play on their instruments.

We also had the opportunity to visit the African Courts of human and peoples rights today with some graduate students from a Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I really enjoyed getting to talk to them and learn a little bit about their backgrounds. Two things I found most surprising: 1-they don't really like the city at all, they think it's too busy and chaotic with politics and religion; 2- not one of them is Jewish or religious for that matter. One of the girls told me they follow the Jewish holidays but not one of them practice Judiasm, not even the least bit. Now, I don't know if that is a stereotype that I had, or if they are just an unusual group of Israelis. This week has been full of challenges, laughter, and missing people. I would love to say more, but I am exhausted and have to wake up in about 6 hours to go on safari and we have a lot of traveling to do.

I encourage you to read Psalm 16 and praise God for the power He has and the fortress we find in Him. After I read this, I just want to get up and shout it to everyone! Maybe I should do that.... :) In the mean time, on a closing note, I was very humbled after reading Judges 7-11. The Israelites disobeyed God and turned against Him time after time, even after He saved them. He was frustrated with them and tired of giving them second chances but they repented and got rid of their ways of idolatry and sin and God forgave them and saved them once again. How many times have I wanted to say "Nope, you've already messed up again why should I give you ANOTHER chance or forgive you again?" Let me tell you, it's has been a few too many times. I am so thankful that God is so merciful and so full of grace that He takes us back time after time! I am prayerfully trying to make God's mentality my mentality on many things and especially this one. I hope this email finds you all doing well! Sorry for any typos or sentences that don't make sense, I am way too tired to read through it :)
Love and truly do miss you all and my american food!

HAPPPY BIRTHDAY!

Last but not least I have to give a shout out to Cody because today he turned 24!!

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!