A Week In Review

so, it's been a little over a week since i arrived in sudan. and what a great week it's been. i will try to catch you up to speed.
this past friday, we ate at an arabic restaurant in town. it happens to be a favorite of the team. as we arrived they quickly set up tables and chairs for us to sit down in front of the restaurant. it was beautiful weather for eating outside. the sky was blue and there was just enough of a breeze to feel comfortable. the air smelled of sweet pipe smoke, and the dirt road was busy with pedestrians. women passed by carrying baskets on their heads, and children rode their bicycles, sometimes pausing to get a second look at the white people. our food was brought out on 2 big trays, served family style. each included pita bread, mashed beans,lentil soup, and fried egg. it was delicious, and i thoroughly enjoyed my first taste of arabic food.
the next morning, however, the entire team was sick. i woke up wondering why it was so quiet. i seemed to be the only one up. i remembered it was saturday and assumed that everyone was sleeping in. turns out, i was the only adult not sick. how that makes sense is beyond my understanding. i'm supposed to be the new girl with the weak stomach. maybe it was all your prayers.
despite bypassing the team sickness then, i have managed to have some stomach problems the past couple of days. i'm sure my body is beginning to adjust to all the newness. i would still appreciate your prayers about this.
i had my first week of school! i have enjoyed teaching the kids and getting to know each of their personalities. gaby is your typical 8 year old boy, full of energy. he has a mischievous dimpled smile that makes me laugh. liana is 11 and keeps gaby in line. she loves to play games and has already taught me a card trick. acacia will be 13 next month. she tends to be quieter than her siblings, but has a secretly wonderful sense of humor. she is always laughing and i have really enjoyed hanging out with her.
teaching older children has not been scary after all. they are good students so it makes it easy. each day this week, i added on an extra-curricular activity after classes. monday we had recess. their choice. of course they picked capture the flag. they put me to shame. while i struggled to run in my flip-flops, they whizzed by me in their bare feet. i think they realized ms. melissa was not the best partner to have in that game. we had a blast though. needless to say i enjoyed my cold shower that night. tuesday we had art. we collected trash from the recycle bin and work area to make our own trash art. it was great. they spent over an hour making robots, collages, and such. wednesday was baking day! we opted to use some canned peaches and make what we called "peach surprise," which was like a peach cobbler. delicious! thursday, we went to the airstrip to pick up larissa, kim, and her fiancee. we called that field trip day.
my time here has already proved to be such a blessing. it is neat to see God's faithfulness in action. i am reminded of the many prayers he has answered and how he provided the funds to get me here. it was neat for me to catch a glimpse of God's plan as i talked with karen the other day. she shared her story of how God brought her and her family to sudan and of how God has answered her prayers in needing someone to teach the kids. i am so blessed to be a part of their ministry.
again, i'm reminded that God's got this thing rigged. i'm just along for the ride.