Year 2 compared to Year 1...

We are happy to be back in Dar es Salaam, serving at HOPAC! It's hard to explain the difference between our first month in TZ last year compared to now but I wanted to touch on it as best I can. We are thankful for the parts that felt like we were coming "back home" as we landed in Dar on August 9 this year, although it can be hard to reconcile that with how much we miss our families and the comfort of being in our own culture in the US.

So, here's a small picture to compare Year 1 to Year 2 - Wesley's birthday celebration: 2018 vs 2019. 

2018

When we first arrived in Tanzania last year, it was August 15th. Honestly, our heads were spinning and we were trying to find ways to keep bits of "regular life" for the kids, and for us (despite no McDonald's or Goldfish crackers here). Wesley's 7th birthday was on August 22nd and Chris had started new-hire orientation a few days before so he was at school all day (which equaled a more emotional mom at home as we were unpacking). So, it was just me and the kids at home - adjusting to this new place, not sure how to get around, no car, not knowing many people yet, and feeling waves of homesickness. But, we celebrated our sweet Wesley!

A new friend helped me arrange a car to the grocery store where there's a coffee shop next door along with a playground. I got cupcakes for the kids (iced coffee for me!) and Wesley got to pick out a present at the store (a toy car which he still loves!). I honestly don't remember much else of the day except that Wes had such a good attitude even though we weren't with family, we're in this completely new culture, we don't know how to communicate. I was asking him about all this last night and he reminded me that we made pancakes for his birthday dinner - he always remembers pancakes!

So, it was a rather simple birthday coupled with jet lag and uncertainty of what was ahead, while grasping for "normalcy" in this new life, but still the kids were smiling. Thank you, Lord!

2019

Jumping ahead... this year we arrived in Dar on August 9th, picked up at the airport by a dear friend (and 2 of her boys) in her van that was stocked with snacks for us as well as dinner for that night! Our kids played happily in the long car ride back to our house. Again, going to our house in TZ it was that weird mix of feeling like coming home but also not totally feeling rooted here as our worlds constantly feel like they are shifting. Which I guess they are. 

(Side note: One sweet blessing as we got to our house - Anna was walking in the front door and she said "I just love this house, momma". Thank you, Lord. Here are a couple pictures from the day we got home to Dar.)

Wesley's birthday (still on August 22nd :) was far different this year, except one similarity was that Chris was at work. We invited one of Wesley's best buddies over for the day to play and hang out. A year ago at this time, I couldn't comprehend driving 45 minutes into town (Peninsula area), on my own, on the left side of the road, dodging motorbikes and cows, to pick up a kid for a playdate - but now it's something we do often and the route is familiar. The kids had a great time and we enjoyed cupcakes to celebrate Wesley's birthday at lunch. 

Dinnertime: we now have some favorite places to go as compared to last year where we had no idea where to go! So we went out to Wesley's favorite spot - an Indian restaurant (the real reason he loves it is because they have a huge play area with a climbing wall and really good kids' pizza. But Chris and I sure enjoy the good food!). 

That day felt good. A sort of accomplishment to celebrate a birthday together knowing a bit more about how to do life here, knowing some spots that we enjoy and feel comfortable, because truthfully we often do still feel unsettled and out of place living in such a different culture from our own.

We are thankful for how God has opened our eyes to see the ways He is helping us adjust.

The Lord put this passage on my heart as I was writing....
"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." -Psalm 139

Catch Up!

Hello from TZ! Well, it's mid-May, halfway through our 3rd (and final) school term of the year, and it's been 3 months since our last blog post (sorry). So, it's a catch-up post of mostly pictures and some snippets of info.

FAMILY VISITS!

Chris' parents (Rollie and Sandi) visited for over 3 weeks. We LOVED showing them around HOPAC and Dar - and you can only imagine how excited the kids were to have Nana and Papa here! Uncle Jonny came for a couple weeks too - super special.

Bet you can imagine the tears of joy from our side when we got to see and finally hug Nana and Papa!!!

Family dinner!

Sandi read to Laura's kindergarten class while she was here

And they got to encounter a good ol' power outage (8+ hours)

Wesley with Nana and Papa after his Grade 1 assembly

Uncle Jonny doing the mile run with Wes and his buddies

Out and about with Uncle Jonny - we adored having him!

On safari!!

Service Emphasis Week (SEW)

Service Emphasis Week is when the whole school, grades K-12, get involved with service projects in the community!

Chris helped lead a group of Grade 11-12 guys who taught a football camp for boys from neighborhood schools

Laura's kindergarten class helped host a neighborhood preschool 

Connection with a new friend

We loved getting connected with a new friend...our good friend in IL connected us with Emma who was coming to Dar for 8 weeks for research work. We adored having Miss Emma!

Anna loved her Miss Emma, who Anna will quickly tell you is a nurse! :)

Swahili lessons continue

Ahh, Swahili lessons. Have to say learning a language is not one of my gifts, and I know I don't study enough, but it's been helpful and fun and mind-stretching. Here's a picture of my two dear friends (Mandy on left and Allison on right) who I've been studying with, along with our very patient teacher Eli. 

Grade 1 and 2 Basketball after-school activity

Chris is doing an amazing job leading a basketball FASA (fun after school activity) on Tuesdays for Grade 1 & 2 kids (he probably has around 20-25 each week). The kids LOVE it and seem to really have a blast doing the drills and games he's teaching them. And, the girls and I sit and watch while eating a frozen juice (or Laura is off catching grasshoppers, more likely).

Ahh, rainy season. So it does exist.

We started to wonder about this rainy season that everyone has been talking about. At first we heard it'll be end of February/beginning of March - but nothing. Then we heard late March. Nothing. Then April. Again, nothing. And now it's finally here. I'm not a fan of the huge rains, which equates to very muddy roads and extra mosquitos, but we are all enjoying the cooler weather!!

Waiting at the stoplight by school

This is the view on our dirt road - we had to find another way around for a few mornings until this dried up more

Wish this picture did justice for this crazy downpour

We're looking forward to sharing more with you as we wrap up our third and final term of the school year. Lots to do in the next 5 weeks!
Much love,
Lindstroms

A weekend in Nairobi vs. A weekend in Dar es Salaam

The other weekend we did life in different locations - Chris in Kenya and the four of us at home in Dar...and here's how it went! 

Feb 14-18...Chris went to Nairobi, Kenya with the HOPAC U-18 boys and girls basketball teams for a big tournament called ICSA (International Christian Schools of Africa). Chris helped organize HOPAC's participation in the tournament and oversaw the trip. There were 20 students from HOPAC - 10 boys and 10 girls - and they competed against 5 other Christian international schools from around Africa. 

Group picture of the basketball teams from all of the schools. HOPAC players are in orange jerseys.

It was held at Rosslyn Academy and Chris said it was a really great weekend. During the tournament, chapel services were held twice a day for all teams involved. The focus was on who Christ is and the choice we each have to make to either say "Yes" or say "No" to following Him. The HOPAC teams played well and had a blast - both the girls and boys finished in 3rd place!! As much as Chris doesn't like to be away from our family, he values these times as he gets to connect more with the students and build those relationships. Even though he doesn't coach those specific teams, it's still a unique opportunity to spend time together.

Chris said that Rosslyn Academy divided up all their students and assigned them one of the visiting schools to cheer for. So each school had a banner made for them and a built-in cheering section! What an awesome way to encourage each other! Here's the "GO HOPAC" sign that was there for our teams.

All the teams at the end of the tournament - what a fun group and weekend!

Now back to Dar es Salaam...while Chris was gone those 4 nights I was at home with the kids (which doesn't seem too long, but I've determined that spouses-traveling while living in a foreign country multiplies the amount of time away :). So here's what our weekend looked like....Thursday was a regular school day and after school we went to the playground at our grocery store with friends (which included picking up fried chicken for dinner - easy meal!). Then Friday came and the kids were off of school...a friend (who is also new to Tanzania) invited us to a waterpark. Neither of us knew that here, you don't go to a waterpark before 1pm. They say the park is open at 9:30am, but nothing is running or going on. We got there at 11am and we were the only people there in this huge park. Eventually an hour later a few slides came on and the kids had a BLAST!

Can you spot Wesley and Laura? Anna stuck close by my side so you won't see her in the pictures.

Wes and Laura and their friend at the top of the slide where Wes hit his chin. This picture makes the slide look bigger than it actually is!

Then the fun ended as Wes ended up cracking his chin open which meant it was time for stitches. However, I was so grateful. Grateful for my friend at the waterpark to help when it happened; another friend close-by to watch my girls while I took Wes to the clinic; recommendations for a specific clinic so I knew right where to go. Very thankful! And Wes was so brave with the stitches! 

Right before the nurse removed our make-shift bandage to clean him up for the procedure. This clinic was amazing!

Can you see the stitches under his chin?

After all that, Saturday and Sunday were more low-key...we invited a couple kids over to play, watched a movie that night and pretty much enjoyed Sunday at home. Very happy to have Daddy return on Monday afternoon! 

A specific way the Lord has met me (Amy) here in Dar

I wanted to share a specific way the Lord has met me here amidst this transition to living and serving in Dar es Salaam. Back in the US, the Lord led me to Bible Study Fellowship in 2012 during a time of transition for me. In case you're not familiar with BSF, it offers in-depth Bible studies in more than 40 countries around the world. BSF locations cover the same study at the same time, so last year we studied Romans (while I was attending & serving as a Children's Leader in Elburn, IL) and this year we're studying People of the Promised Land (Part 1). So while I'm here in Tanzania studying People of the Promised Land, my previous BSF class in Illinois is also doing the same study, same notes, same questions every week. Amazing.

Now in one of the bigger transitions of my life, the Lord has met me again through BSF. Several months ago when we first started to talk with HOPAC, I just thought I would look up BSF classes in Dar es Salaam, on the off chance that there would be one there. Not only is there a BSF class here, but it's a Day Women's class, with a children's program (so Anna can attend), and in this large city of 5 million people the BSF class is only about 10-15 minutes away. Check, check, check. The Lord is so kind.

The BSF leaders in pre-class prayer

The first week of BSF, my new, dear friend Allison joined me (she attended BSF back in Texas). We walked into such familiarity, seeing the BSF nametags, the BSF leaders in pre-class prayer praying over their women and the morning, the BSF notes, and then the opening hymn was "Standing on the Promises of God". What a morning! Have to admit there were some tears from both Allison and me as the teaching leader began her lecture with the statement "Some of you are in transition..." Why yes, yes we are. And the Lord was so gracious to allow me to have BSF as a bridge from life in Illinois tou life here in Dar. And did I mention the first month of the study we were going through the book of Joshua, studying when Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land and all the transition that came with that? The Lord is so kind.

Anna outside her BSF classroom

Anna's nametag for the Children's Program

BSF has a stellar children's program - and I'm not just saying that since I served in it for a few years, but they really do! BSF headquarters develops lessons for the children where the kids learn along the same lessons as the adults (of course tailored to their age group). The children's leaders genuinely care for the kids, pray over the kids (not only during class but during the week), and teach them about the love of Christ. And I see that in this BSF class here as well! The leaders joyfully welcome Anna each week and she now comes out of class saying "happy class! happy class!". Thank you, Lord for those women who teach the kids each and every week. 

In my BSF class here there are probably 100 women or so, mostly Tanzanian ladies with a few of us expats mixed in there, but the teaching and discussion is all in English. This last week at BSF we sang "What a Friend we have in Jesus" both in English and Swahili. Thankfully the words are up on a screen and Swahili is very phonetically similar to English so I could somewhat follow along :) 

Not sure if this post explains just how meaningful it was for me to begin attending BSF here, but want to give praise and glory to our Lord who sees us where we are, when we sit and when we rise, He knows our thoughts from afar, He hems us in behind and before (Psalm 139).

Opening hymn our first week there: "Standing on the Promises of God"

We meet at a Lutheran church just off of the main road where we live

My dear friend Allison who is attending BSF with me

Interested in finding a BSF class? Here's a link

https://www.bsfinternational.org/map

Daily life

Well our daily life sure has changed. There are lots of similar things between our two worlds, which my new, wise friend calls "bridges" - and there are lots and LOTS of new things. I heard my friend explain the concept of bridges to all of our kids, the night before the first day of school, explaining how a bridge is a bit of familiarity between your old and new world. The new can be exciting, and it can also be exhausting, and I think it ebbs and flows between the two. Lately it's been more on the exhausting side, to be honest, which reminds me how much I am in need of our able Father.

So here's a start to explaining bits of our daily life! Some bridges, some differences.

Early morning start for school includes packing lunches, reminding kids to grab their folders and water bottles. We leave by 7am for a 7:30am start time for school. Definitely similar to life back in the US as it can be rushed, trying not to forget things, putting Anna's shoes on her feet about 3 different times and remembering to feed the dog.

Ahhh, the drive to school. We have two options: one is the paved road that leads to the main street (very fast option, probably 5 minutes, unless there is a traffic jam...then it could take you 45 minutes). The other option is the back way, the dirt road with no traffic and lots of bumps and dips (which has actually been evened out since we moved here and is better than before). The kids love the second option, but I've heard come rainy season it's not as easy to drive.

Our side road that we take to the big paved road, but we don't get longhorn cows there every day unfortunately!

The main road in our area of town, this is on our drive to school

The side street up to our school gate (that's the school wall on the left side, some dukas/shops on the right)

After school drop off, Anna and I will often go home to work around the house, or maybe meet up with friends, but every Monday from 9:30-11:30am we have a special morning at BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), a ministry that is near and dear to my heart. I think I'll write a post on that later because BSF is a special bridge that is a kindness from the Lord where He met me in one other transition point in my life, and now He's meeting me again through BSF in another big transition.

Random house "to-do's" we've done the last several days....gone with our house helper to buy a couple pots at the local market (I pretty much followed her and watched as she bartered for 2 new pots for me and a rice sifter), adding money to our phone so we can pay bills (lots of mobile banking done over the phone here - M-Pesa anyone??), filter our drinking water and fill up a new jug every couple days, pay our Luku (electric box - see below, electricity is all pre-paid here - which yes, I've forgotten to pay at one point so our electricity got shut off).

Swahili tutoring! I (Amy) just started this a couple days ago...a tutor was recommended by some people at HOPAC so my friend and I are meeting with him twice a week for 2 hours each time. I have zero experience learning a new language, but I'm really excited about it. It's frustrating to not be able to speak beyond "asante sana" and "habari za asabuhi" (thank you very much and good morning). This one is definitely a difference.

Wednesday mornings: another new addition to my week, but a very welcomed one. I get to volunteer in Laura's kindergarten class from 8-9:30 each Wednesday (Anna stays home with our house helper Mama George). 

Lots of laundry and dishes at various points in there...a bridge from back home as I work to keep our house running somewhat smoothly, but in a different way. Dishes done by hand and clothes hanging out on the line to dry. Takes more time, as most things do here. Very thankful for our house helper, Mama George, as she helps us out 3 mornings a week. What a blessing she has been.

School pick-up is at 2:30pm and we usually end up hanging around school, getting a snack from Snack Bar and then get some time with friends. So grateful for these two families (in pictures below) who came to HOPAC within days of us. How amazing the Lord knew these families would be coming here at the same time as us. He's given me two wonderful friends in these ladies for which I am oh so grateful, and our kids have quickly joined in friendship as well. Praise the Lord for giving us what we need!

Happy almost weekend everyone! Sending you all much love and hope you know we are so very grateful for your prayers, love and encouragement.

A peek into Chris' role as Sports Coordinator at HOPAC

I thought we would give you a peek into Chris' role here at HOPAC as the school's Sports Coordinator. Chris' first day was Aug 20 with new hire orientation, and then school started Aug 28 and it was time to jump into his new job!

Here is Chris in his new office - and with a little visitor (who is starting to ham it up for pictures lately)

The school year is divided into 3 terms, with each term focusing on one major sport and then there are a few that go throughout the year (such as swimming). Term 1 is football (soccer), Term 2 is basketball and Term 3 is track. Here's what Chris has been working on so far in Term 1....

• Organizing coaches for all the different levels of football (8 teams, so he's been figuring out 8 head coaches and 8 assistant coaches)
• Getting familiar with the campus and specifically the athletic facilities, that are also used for a lot of other school activities and events. He's learning schedules and who needs access to what and at what times - he hasn't double booked anything yet!
• Meeting with students to answer questions on the sports sign-ups
• Developing game schedules for term 1 for HOPAC as well as other schools in Dar (as HOPAC hosts most events). HOPAC has 3 football "pitches" with one one pitch split into two fields for younger age groups. So an example of a typical Friday during football season is HOPAC hosting games for U13 boys and girls teams and U15 boys and girls teams. This includes HOPAC and maybe 4 - 6 other area schools depending on who is able to make it. So that's approx 12 different matches in one afternoon (they are shorter time-wise, so that helps)! Chris still can't believe it and we'll get to see how it goes starting next week (games start week of Sept 17th). Fortunately there are some great coaches and people Chris works with who have been around for a while, so there are at least some people who know how things should go :)
• Organizing intramural activities (not all sports-based, some include music or board games - just depends on the parent/staff member who is leading that activity)
• Preparing for a big athletic tournament at the end of November in Moshi (another city in Tanzania near Mt Kilimanjaro)

Where has Chris seen the Lord encourage him in this role? 

Through HOPAC's strong focus on loving Jesus and spreading the Gospel to the kids/families at the school; other staff members who have helped him transition; lots of interest from the kids and families in the school's sports programs; the beautiful facilities at HOPAC where other schools around Dar come for games/events (another avenue of outreach to spread the name of Jesus!); and also it's always encouraging for us to look back over the last several months at how the Lord has provided for us to be here serving at HOPAC!

On a side note, Wesley and Laura are super excited that their dad works at their school. Might just be a wave as they head to their PE class or playground, or sometimes Chris will get to see them at lunch or snacktime. 

Laura got a quick visit with dad on her morning snack & playground break

And good night! Week 3 of school starts bright and early tomorrow morning! The coffee pot is already set-up :)