Hi there, friends! As amazing as it seems, for the past year (nearly exactly 12 months now) we’ve been SWEATING in Dar es Salaam, and the thought of “shivering” or “chilly” or “frigid” has been fading into the far recesses of our memory, words we just NEVER use. But now, we are in Arusha, Tanzania, at a much higher elevation and totally different climate as we proceed through a three week Swahili language course. There are a number of firsts we are experiencing, as well as some awesome times of focused, undistracted language study. For the first time in a year:

• I took a HOT shower.
• We wear sweatshirts and jackets in the evening.
• Holly started shivering as we walked back to our cabin.
• I wear one shirt all day instead of needing to change sweaty shirts every few hours.
• We covered up with a blanket in bed.
• We did not use mosquito nets over our beds.
• Also a first was the rear tire EXPLODING as it blew out on the 10 hour drive from Dar to Arusha. Praise God we were OK, but there was no shortage of adventures on the drive.

Having completed our first week of language school, the family is in high spirits now that we are all over our colds and have settled into the routine of study. We’re wondering why we didn’t do this when we first arrived, as being able to focus on language study with none of the mundane distractions is incredibly helpful. Although we are making some good advances, and even the kids are learning more Swahili than they have all year so far, yet we still have a very long way to go, so would appreciate your continued prayers.

Tunakushukuru kwa tutembelea pamoja nasi. Tunakupenda!

Pressing on by God’s grace, Eric