retreat from the retreat...

Do you ever feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? I do.

So this past weekend we had a wonderful prayer retreat in the beautiful mountains of Lushoto, Tanzania. It was a much needed break from the heat and a great time of refreshment with our friends. We absolutely LOVED the cool weather (I got to wear long sleeves and a scarf!). We had people cooking for us and 24/7 chai and coffee with CoffeeMate from the States (yummy!) The ladies had a wonderful tea and gift exchange while the guys played wiffleball and corn hole. And most importantly--we had a chance to just get away and pray and retreat from the places that so often wear us out. 

Unfortunately it was so cool that no fans or air conditioning were needed and at night it was extremely quiet without that white noise. Quiet except when Zoe heard us roll over in bed or heard dogs barking outside. So it was a looong night. She is so used to being in her own room with the fan on high and she usually sleeps so well. Fortunately, the next night, the staff found a fan for us to put in our room and the next two nights went much better! Until the sickness came. Our group had been passing around a little stomach bug and I thought we were going to narrowly escape getting sick...well...not so. The night before we left I caught the bug. I was up early that morning really sick. Of course...disturbing Zoe from her sleep which didn't help the situation much. Nate packed up the car and I layed in bed until the last possible second. I grabbed my pillow and toliet paper and dragged myself out of bed and into the car. A friend gave me some medicine and only by the Lord's mercy did we make it home without any major problems. A 6-hour car drive down the mountains on bumpy African roads is not a great time for a stomach bug. But we made it.

So yesterday and today I've done alot of resting and recooperating. I need it because we are scheduled to move on MONDAY! Yep, that's right...moving day is almost here so we have quite a bit of work to do over the next few days! I will leave you with a few pictures of our trip to Lushoto...