Day Nineteen: Waiting

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This morning we woke up to an email message from a friend in Tanzania -- Pastor John's wife Addy is at the hospital, in labor!  

We are praying for mom and baby today. And we're all checking email frequently, waiting for news.


Breakfast with Rich and Nancy Nonini.


Ben Kilgore gave John some early morning training on the new laptop, orienting John to software for project management and a database.


Judy and John had lunch at Mim Campbell's home.  Mim's neighbor is from Kenya, so John is getting to visit in Swahili.


John gets a little practice in childcare, holding Mim's granddaughter Ebba.


Preparing for a baby is another one of many things where we have cultural differences.  Traditionally, Tanzanians do not share the news of a pregnancy like we Americans do.  While Americans prepare elaborately with nursery furnishings and decoration and clothing for the child, John told me that Tanzanians would surrepticiously buy only one item of clothing for the child, waiting to be sure the child is born live and healthy.


After lunch, they stopped at Judy's home to visit with her husband Richard.


Next, they visited the Minnesota Zoo.  Here's the Minnesota Trail....


....and here's the Tropics.  


 John commented that the zoo is so well built.  "You walk around and around and then find you are back to the same place."

John had dinner with the partnership steering committee this evening. From left, Mollie, Nancy, Richard, Joan, John, Pastor Diane, and Brenda.  Lyn took the photo and Kirsten came late.

Front row: Joan, Pastor John, Kirsten, Brenda
Back:  Lyn, Pastor Diane, Mollie, Richard

We had a fairly light agenda for our monthly meeting.  We asked John for his feedback on the trip -- what was helpful, where were the gaps in planning? What events did he enjoy? We all remarked on John's boundless energy and expressed our gratitude for the great work he did to strengthen support for our partnership.


Tutaonana tena [I will see you again], and still no word on Addy and the baby.  We continue to pray.

Tomorrow:  John will be at church from 10 to noon in the atrium.  All are welcome to drop in to say goodbye.  At 11:45 the SOTV staff will join the gathering to send John off with prayers. 

John will be driven to the airport by a couple who volunteer there, who will be able to accompany him beyond the security check point, take him to lunch and then to his gate.

Asante sana, Mchungaji John.

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