Geyman Steps

It is about time we updated pictures of the children. The girls are growing and changing so fast! Every day they learn new things and get faster at crawling. Tivoli says Mama regularly and said Dada for the first time the other day! Esther is seriously addicted to her fingers and Tivoli decided a pacifier is a wonderful thing. They are nine months now. Tivoli (yellow headband)  Esther (purple headband) Many struggles over who gets which toy occur every day... And usually the result is one happy baby and one sad baby. Tivoli is almost always happy, steady, and consistent. However, she loves to explore and escapes every time the door is left open. She really likes the dogs who are probably five times her size and like to lick her face. Unfortunately, her explorations outside usually end with a very happy but filthy baby.  Well, this is 100% Esther when we say smile. She loves to snuffle her nose at you and once she is comfortable with som...

Wow. It has been five weeks since our last post. The last month has been packed full with SIL conference week, moving out of our house in Dar, Jacob going to the UK, moving into our new house in Arusha, and the commencement of training with MAF. And we were sick a couple of times... Along the way, we had so much happening and so much to write about, but hardly any time to even stop and take a picture! During SIL's conference week, translators and support personnel in Tanzania and Uganda got together in Dar Es Salaam. One of the highlights for the boys was a sandcastle building contest on the beach during a family evening event. During the conference, Jacob left for the UK. Carmen had to complete the conference by herself before travelling north to Arusha. We were so blessed by the help our friends. Above is Ruth, the HR director in Tanzania. She took a few days off in order to help Carmen and the kids get to Arusha. We really could not have done it without her!  A...

I needed to pick up a few items for my sewing projects, however, I was not having any success finding what I needed. After asking around I was told of a market that would likely have what I needed. Kariakoo. Not knowing much about this newfound market other than that it is big and in the general direction of downtown, I debated how to go about a trip to "Hobby Lobby". Feeling as if going solo on this expedition was not the best idea, I had been contemplating on who would come with me. It so happened that the day before I was to go I met a lady at a used clothing market while I was looking for the next size for the girls. She helped me find a few items that were tucked away in an obscure corner of the market, walked me through the back neighbourhood, and helped me to the bus stop before going home. In the process of talking, I asked her if she had any plans for the following day. As she did not, I asked if she would like to go with me to Kariakoo. She agreed and we sor...

This last week Carmen was sick and I had meetings in the city. On my way back I bought a bundle of roses from a roadside salesman for Carmen. A few mornings later, I noticed that all the other roses were quickly wilting. But in the midst of these dying roses stood one, alive and beautiful in contrast to the others. It was an instant reminder of a verse. "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ...Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58 In this life, we have the choice to either stand firm, unmovable and confident in the Christ, or we can wilt under the cares of the world. I have to admit, the latter choice is an easy one to make. In fact, it just happens. Many times, by the end of the day I look more like one one of those drooping roses. But thanks be to God, who give us victory so that we can continue....

Yesterday, I made a trip to the TCAA (Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority) in order to schedule my three aviation tests before we leave for Arusha in a month. As the TCAA is past the airport, it takes a couple of hours to make this trip. On my way back I snapped a few pictures with Carmen's phone. It is rather difficult to be inconspicuous when you are a white dude holding a big pink phone! One of the intersections on the main road has been undergoing construction for while. I wanted to bypass this and so I took what I thought may be a shortcut. There are a few main roads which intersect the city. Let's just say that when you leave these main roads driving can become interesting. You never know when you will have to turn around because the puddle is too deep or due to other complications... as a rule of thumb, we have learned to not be the first to make the tire tracks! Yay! Pepsi. Usually, it is Coka Cola With a population of 5.5 million p...