Engedi

Some people reading my blogs, might wonder about where I live, more specifically than in Arusha, Tanzania. Sometimes i might mention "on the campus" or something like that. Well, this campus that we live on is called the Joshua Foundation or Engedi (after the oasis in the Bible called Engedi). It is a christian leadership training college, and a christian teacher's college for Tanzanians. Although we are officially seperate from the Joshua Foundation, we are closely linked to them spiritually. My dad sometimes teaches at the college and stuff, so we're not iscolated from them. Engedi has been a perfect, God provided, place to land on in Arusha because it has a safe environment, spiritualy and physically, and a great community of people. Engedi has people from New Zealand, Australia, England, American, and Tanzanian; that's not counting the students themselves who are all Tanzanians, but the residents and staff of Engedi.

The campus itself is very beautiful. The founders, Alan and Lynda Stephenson have worked hard for a number of years to make Engedi a colorfull, flowery, and lush place. There is also a river at the bottom of the campus. This river is nice, but, sadly, since it runs through town before it reaches us, it is full of garbage that has been thrown in it. That brings me to another point: Engedi is not actually in Arusha town. We are on the outskirts. It is about 20 minutes from our house to real Arusha town. But we are still in a place that has decent shops preaty near by. So it's not everyday that us kids go into town, though my parents go almost every day.

Engedi has truly been a God given gift to our family. It's an amazing miracle that we are even on the campus when we aren't really part of there same ministry, but that's another story. God has been working so much in our new journey in Tanzania and it's so exciting to look back at what he's done, and to look ahead at what he is doing. Engedi is so much a part of this journey. It is an oasis to come home to after a long day visiting the poor in Arusha.