The big event of the weekend was visiting the evening service of the African Gospel Church down the road. We were originally supposed to go with our friends but they were in a meeting so we ventured out on our own. A few steps of faith on our part… First of all, we had to walk down a dark road by our house to get there. About half way down is a boarding school and we were met in the road by at least 100 smiling, screaming African children (they were screaming and smiling because a white family was walking with them to church). They were pulling and pushing and crowding around us to get to each of us (I told the kids that may be the closest you’ll get to knowing what its like to be Hanna Montana.

When we got into the church we were asked to introduce our family – there were probably 300 children – mostly primary kids – and a handful of adults. It looked like no one was in charge and they pushed us up onto stage. We sang some African songs together and the pastor finally showed up and asked me to give “a message from God”. I laughed to myself about how we try to make visitors comfortable in America. Well, in Africa it’s a 180, not only do you have to get up and introduce yourselves - they ask the visitors to preach and lead worship! Fortunately I had a heads up from our friends as we were walking down there that there was a reasonable chance they would ask me to speak. It was a great honor and we had a lot of fun leading a few songs for worship.

Today, Monday, Ben (the retina specialist), Katherine and I drove out to the middle of NO WHERE and ran a mobile eye clinic along with some of the eye clinic staff. We saw about 100 people in 3 hours “in the bush” and loaded up about 20 people in a bus for surgery for this week. I use the word “about” a lot because it is hard to keep track of people and how many exams we do. On the way back, the lady that was sort of our local contact took us by her home that her parents still live in. What an experience – the real behind the scenes tour in the middle of a tea plantation – dirt floors, drinking water off the roof (although we do that too!), cows, chickens, the stove was a couple of large rocks in the ground. I told Kat we can’t complain that our trip has been too touristy – although we are going on safari at the Fairmont (the same Fairmont chain as in Fairmont Olympic Hotel – our favorite place to stay in Seattle) on Friday – looking forward to that.

We have adjusted to African life by doing American things every so often – like watching a DVD, eating some chocolate, oreos, mac cheese, taking a hot shower.

Thanks for thinking of us.

Dan, Heather, and the kids