Conference

On Monday, our family returned from our branch conference. Once a year, the members of our branch gather together in one place to reconnect, relax, worship, and conduct branch business. Here are a few snapshots from our time at Turtle Bay:

CONFERENCE WAS...

• Stepping back into the West, but with East African flair. Because of the size of our branch, we get an amazing deal on accommodations at an all-inclusive seaside resort on the Kenyan Coast. Even though we sat in a lot of meetings, it still felt like vacation.

• Putting faces with names. Since this was our first conference, we enjoyed getting to meet colleagues from all over Tanzania and Uganda.

• Worshiping in our mother tongue! Paul loved getting the opportunity to use his guitar to help lead a few sessions.

• A week-long VBS program for our kids. A team from a member's supporting church came to Kenya to put on a kid's program for the children in our branch. Since Sunday School is rare where we live and work, this was a HUGE treat for our kids.

• Taking communion as a branch. Simple. Reverent. Wonderful.
  

• Reconnecting with good friends from orientation and language school. Since we all live in different areas of Tanzania, it was fun to be back in one place again.

• Water polo. Both the men and women played fun, yet intense matches.

• Eating great food that I didn't have to cook. The main restaurant served a wonderful buffet each day, and the hotel had an excellent pizza restaurant too!

• Cappuccino! I think I drank more cappuccinos last week than I have in an entire year. No Starbucks in Dodoma. :(

• Josiah learning to swim. One of the childcare volunteers worked with him one afternoon, and before we knew it, he was dog-paddling across the pool.

• Ocean breezes, playing in the sand, and searching tide pools for tropical fish. Anytime I'm at the beach, I'm a happy woman. So are my kids.

• Remembering. This year our branch celebrated its 10-year anniversary. It was exciting to hear about all God has done.

After a wonderful week at conference, I came away refreshed, recharged, and ready to get back to ministry, doing our part to see Ugandans and Tanzanians have the opportunity to read Scripture in their mother tongue. I can't wait for next year!