Luckily we didn’t get any adverse weather from all the excitement of volcanoes, earthquakes, and typhoons in the Pacific lately, but our seasons are changing here too. Rainy season is ending. Last week the winds started coming from the north and blowing all the time. Its been in the 70s and 80s! In the evenings I throw on a long sleeve T and jeans, and I can’t put into words the flood of familiarity that give instant renewal somewhere in my spirit. I remember that girl in the States that was so determined to get here and make a difference… and for a minute I forget how alone, confused, and frustrated I’ve been lately.

We added our 2nd village to the mix this week, Bentay Dike, and I'm wondering how well my team will be able to multitask. They can’t do it in meetings or in our first village, but maybe 2 distinct locations will help. I hate having to dumb things down for them, and want so badly to bring them up to a higher standard of understanding and work ethic, but I can see its tiny tiny tiny steps. I worked so hard at being a professional for the last 7 years that I’m almost confounded by how to lead. How do you teach adults why they should brush their teeth, let alone what germs are, why everyone in a household shouldn’t share the same cup, and why you should boil the water that they pump straight from the river. I find myself trying to deny how uneducated people are because it doesn’t comply with my world I’ve known, and I need to dismiss a semi-superior attitude I find creeping in when I wonder how in the world people don’t know these things yet. Those of you who know me know I’m not a creative person by any means, so coming up with things that will help people learn and trying to inspire my own team are obvious downfalls, if I can call them that. I spent a lot of time this week praying for a renewal of compassion and understanding. Hopefully out of the overflow of my heart my mouth can speak.