Family Time!

Happy Father's Day!!!
And happy marriage, Blaze & Jamie!!

I had a different Sunrise experience this morning...
Last night I was chatting with my neighbors (as chatty as we could be with the language barrier and the limited amount we knew of each others' language), and they invited me to come swimming with them this morning. So at 5am I hopped on the motorbike with them (it took 2 motorbike for the 5 of us) and off we went.
We arrived and headed straight for the water. Usually if I get in the water it's mid-day so it's super hot, or I've biked 20 minutes to get there, so I'm ready to cool down in the water. But today was different, and I feared the water would be shockingly cold.
Who was I kidding?
The water was warm and refreshing, with a slightly cool kick.
We were in the water when the sun rose (is that the proper way to say that...??) and it was incredible. I wonder if the sunrise will ever seem routine or like not a big deal. I can't imagine that being the case. I hope and pray that I will never take it for granted. It is so beautiful and incredibly full of hope, provision, restoration and newness. I am so thankful that I get to experience it and feel blessed by it.
It was fun being there with a family; just me and a family. I got to see the father interacting with his daughters in a way playful and loving way that I did not think existed in this culture of men distant and absent from their families. Or so I thought. I'm glad I had this experience so my eyes could be opened and I could be rid of the false conception I had against the men here, which I didn't really realize I had.
This family is so kind and loving and inclusive, I felt honored and blessed to be apart of their family outing.
I will be moving out of the house I'm living in now, in just less than 2 weeks. I am excited for the move and arrival of my friends from APU, but I have really come to love the street I live on and the families I've gotten to know around the house. I'm really going to miss seeing them multiple times a day, "Chatting" with them and playing with the babies. Hopefully I make the time and effort to come visit for one reason or another. And I want to, so I will. Hold me to that. :)
Like I mentioned before, the rest of the teachers will be joining me about a week into July. I am so excited! Please keep them in your thoughts as they are getting prepared for their journeys and saying their goodbyes. It's a difficult and exciting time, and I hope that they are feeling at peace about tying up their loose ends and beginning a new adventure.
Kaitlyn, Ashleigh, Robin, Andrew & Christa, I'm excited to see you and we're all eagerly waiting for your arrival!!
Peace & Ubuntu