Bible Study

Wow, it has been a long time since I've updated my blog! I have lots of stories to share but will space them out instead of writing pages today. Last night I joined a women's Bible study with some other missionary women. Since my closest friends left in June and the death of a teammate in November which led to his family returning to Germany I've been thinking about how eventually I may not know any other missionaries in town. I have to admit that meeting other foreigners hasn't been a priority before so I have never gone out of my way to get involved in missionary activities outside of Lutheran church. Maybe some of you are wondering why that is even important. It is really nice when you've had a bad day to be able to talk about it with someone. If the reason you've had a bad day concerns cultural issues or misunderstandings it is sometimes difficult to share that with a Tanzanian...I don't want to sound like I'm bashing the culture but I need someone to talk to who understands. That is where having a good missionary friend can be so important. Or maybe I want to go out for a 'Western' dinner or on a vacation. Most Tanzanians can't afford these things. Then my choices are not to go or invite a friend and pay for everything. Those aren't great options. So with this in mind I've begun making more of an effort to get to know other missionaries in Morogoro town.
Last night I went to my new friend Dena's house to join a Bible study. Dena has been here for a few months and is a single missionary like me. It seems easier to connect with other singles, regardless of age, because we don't have family commitments like everyone else. She had me over for dinner before the study so we could catch up on what's been happening since we saw each other last week. Right now the women are reading and discussing the book "Expectations and Burnout: Women Surviving the Great Commission". I just got the book last night and am excited to begin reading it to catch up with the others. There is also a monthly prayer breakfast that I went to last month and plan on attending again this month. It is great to be able to get together once in awhile to pray and worship in English.