Well, I found out this morning that I am still not over my deep-seated fear of preaching. Though I probably could have prepared more for that time, I absolutely bombed it. I just don’t like to preach. Teaching for me, though many think it the same, is so different. In teaching I can get the input of those who are in attendance, we can learn from each other. We can take into account the wisdom of the group. Thankfully, John rescued me in the first service and then after I begged him again did the same in the second. Praise God!

I am so excited about tomorrow, getting to take Mwende and her mother into Nairobi to do as she wishes. We are thinking she will want to visit the animal (giraffe) orphanage, maybe the museum, eat at a nice restaurant, take her to a movie if she wants (they have the new “Night at the Museum” movie playing, as well as “Up” which I know nothing about. She’s 13 years, so “Up” may be too elementary for her, I hope she likes it. We will also hang around in a nice park in downtown, they have some nice fountains and swings, we can take a picnic basket, etc. I hope she enjoys.

It’s only been one week since we have been here, and in one week we will be gone, but if feels like we’ve been here for a few weeks, which is good, as the time has been well. We now begin to wrap up the trip, and like I said I am thankful to get home.

It was crazy, Friday morning I awoke at the house of a friend and he was on the computer. He was checking how the Lakers did the night before, but the game was still on, in overtime. That time was a little weird.

I didn’t have time to write this last night, but on our return to Arusha, TZ from Babati we arrived quite late at night. We checked into a smaller hotel but one that seemed secure, went to dinner, and were just ready to retire for the night when we heard a loud and frantic pounding on the door. I opened to see the man who was accommodating us and staying with us rushing to pull up his pants and tuck in his shirt, exclaiming that we needed to leave, immediately. Our first thoughts were, “We need to leave now, like gather our money and passport and run out the back door, or pack up your things and meet us in the lobby.” Our feeling was that he was thinking the former, so we threw our things together, grabbed our luggage, and were quite literally thrown into a van and taken to a different hotel (though we did have to pay for our short time at the other hotel). When we got into our rooms and finally found out what happened, it seemed that the man who dropped us at the first hotel was cornered as he was leaving in his SUV and some thugs tried to rob him. He got away, but he thought they were coming for us next. There was no threat, but to be sure we were safe we were taken to a different hotel. In the end, probably more care than we needed, but we were happy to see that they were looking out for our protection, as has always been the case in my trips here.

I think I’m going to give Mutuku my favorite Red Sox t-shirt. I love that guy, he works harder than anyone I know, and I don’t have anything else to give him this year. I can always buy a new one.