Tag: New Tribes Mission

  “Mama,” Judah asked with a frown on his face as we were mixing up granola on the kitchen counter, “so…what is our country?” “What do you mean?” “So, do we live here now? Do we live here, then go to Nana and Papa’s to visit, and then go to Oma and Opa’s to visit? […]

Today, as we were riding in a little 3-wheeled “bajaj” taxi toward a local outdoor market, winding our way through the traffic jam, with an overfilled bus on our left and vendors selling anything from cashew nuts to windshield wipers on the right, the thought of how surreal it is that we live in Africa […]

We’re here!!! Our first month in Tanzania has been exciting, draining, beautiful, blessed, challenging, normal, smooth, surreal, hot, and many more things all at once. And it’s been different. Different in many, often small, ways… We still sit down as a family for dinner, hold hands, pray, and enjoy a meal together. But it’s different. […]

There it was. The day we moved to Africa. On that day, we woke up our kids early, drove to the airport in below freezing temperatures, checked in our eight suitcases, and said goodbye. On that day, we boarded airplanes, entertained our boys, ran through airports, watched the clouds from above, thanked God for a […]

Five years ago, a baby was born. Our baby. Our Judah. After wondering for several years whether we could even have biological children, Judah was a prayer answered, a dream fulfilled, a new chapter. I look at my now 5-year-old son and stand amazed at how much personality and life can be in such a little […]

We really do live in a 1-room apartment. That means our living room = our bedroom = the boys’ bedroom = our dining room = our kitchen = the playroom = everything else. At first I wasn’t so sure about staying in such a small space for 6 months, but is has become another home […]

I’m a very unlikely homeschooler. For one, I grew up and currently live in one of the very few European countries where it is simply illegal. On top of that, I don’t even have any school-aged children yet. Nevertheless, I am passionate about homeschooling, soaked up my training as a homeschool consultant, and continue to […]

Tights and waterproof pants: check. Extra socks and hiking boots: check. Undershirt, long-sleeve shirt, and fleece jacket: check. Insulated rain jacket and gloves: check. Hat and backpack with extra clothes, snacks, water, and a towel: check. Phew. Just a normal day getting ready for Kindergarten. Judah and Elias attend a “Waldkindergarten.” A preschool in the […]

“What’s your name?” Elias asked the older boy in the sandbox. “Noah. And yours?” The boy replied. “Elias.” I listened and smiled. This was the first time our boy introduced himself with his actual name — Elias (pronounced the German way). Before then, he was quite convinced that his real name was Li-Li and would not […]

“Mama….” Elias looked at me with a face of concentration and determination. After quite a long pause, he, very clearly and very slowly, asked, “Wo gehen wir hin?” John and I started cheering and clapping for our little language learner. After at least 500 times of reminding our boys that that’s the correct way of […]