January
I love visiting churches around the city where I live (Moshi). We went to a village church soon after the new year and got to love on lots of kiddos, and God did amazing miracles! I love being part of His miraculous handiwork!
I introduced labeling to my Kinders also, and they got to label the teacher!! We giggled and had fun, but also got to work on some beginning literacy skills! You can read more about it in THIS blog post!
February
I introduced my label and color resources to my students in February, and they learned how to stretch out the sounds they hear and write them down! Click to see all of these resources and get them for your classroom! 
I witnessed Battle of the Bands: Tanzania Church Choir edition!! It was so much fun seeing all these choirs come and sing/dance in one church! There must have been at least 12-15 choirs there!
I took my students on a field trip to the greenhouses in February, too!! They got to see the stages of the life cycle, pick Carnation seedlings, and more! I love these hands-on opportunities! March
Of course we had to take some silly selfies too! I love these kiddos and seeing their personalities shine! 🙂
April
I learned how to make one of my FAVORITE Tanzanian foods – Chapati! It’s a lot of work, but it makes delicious flatbread, that’s kind of like a combination between a tortilla and naan. SO GOOD!
Kili was showing off on my early morning bus ride to Nairobi, Kenya, where I met up with my friend, Sarah, for a couple of days! She lives there as a missionary as well, and I went to visit her over my Easter break!
We went on a hike in a forest. It was so fun to spend time together – we were really good friends in high school, and reconnected before I left for Tanzania the first year! I love that God has brought us together, both working as missionaries in East Africa!
While in Nairobi, Sarah took me to the Elephant Orphanage, and a beautiful bead shop where the ladies handmake the beads out of clay! It is quite the amazing process.
I spent Easter with my missionary family back in Moshi. We had church together, a potluck lunch, and did some fun Easter activities with the kids! It was so much fun to celebrate Christ’s amazing sacrifice with them.
May
June
School ended in June, and I packed up for the summer! These lovely friends sent me off at the airport, as I made my way back home for the summer!
July
I spent time with my grandparents! We went to a fun local bakery and took a trip down memory lane with my grandparents on my dad’s side.
Then, I went to a beautiful glass chapel with my grandma on my mom’s side! It’s right off the main interstate outside of Omaha, and it’s absolutely stunning!
I got to spend some time with my besties, and celebrate my friend Emily by throwing her a bridal shower!
We went on our annual family lake trip too!! It’s always awesome to take some time away to relax, refresh, and spend time together! Boat rides, reading on the dock, and enjoying meals as a family are some of my favorite things to do at the lake!
August
It was so special to support Emily on her special day, and be a bridesmaid in her wedding!! She scheduled the wedding day so I could be there – and I was so glad to be a part of it. The whole day was BEAUTIFUL! I’m so thankful for her friendship! 🙂
I was able to celebrate my birthday with my family before taking off for Tanzania again! It is always special to spend time with them, no matter what we’re doing!
I jumped right back into the swing of things when I arrived back to my second home of Moshi, Tanzania! We spent the first week back at school getting to know the new staff and bonding through team building activities, worship, and more!
I also found out that I would be teaching fourth grade, and got to set up my classroom and prepare for my students. School started the last week of August!
September
I have the opportunity to help teach art class at our school this year, and I LOVE it!! It is totally up my alley, and I love encouraging the students to let their creativity come out! We made masks with construction paper one week, and every mask was unique and fun!
We LOVE playing games too! We visited some friends one weekend and played Heads Up. So much fun and lots of laughter!
October
My class LOVES science experiments…we had fun seeing how yeast reacts with sugar!
My friends and I took a fun day trip up to a place called Simba Farm – a couple hours away from Moshi. We stopped for a breathtaking view of Mount Kilimanjaro. I seriously can never get enough of this beauty!
The farm grows organic produce, and houses many animals too. We went on a walk around the farm before eating a delicious farm-to-table meal together!
Here’s our group! It is an amazingly beautiful and serene place that I will definitely be returning to! You can even stay there overnight! I love finding these hidden gems while traveling.
Unfortunately my dear friend and our school director, Kara, left Moshi in October. It was scheduled, and we have great new directors, but I was so sad to see her go! She is an amazing friend, fantastic director, and wonderful woman of God. I hope to see her this summer! 🙂
We started working out after school with the women (teachers, cooks, etc.) at our school on Tuesdays, and it has been a lot of fun! We’ve been teaching them the correct way to do squats, push ups, and more. We usually download a YouTube video to project on the wall. Friends who sweat together stay together! 🙂
Each month we have a dress-up day at the end of the month at school. October was Book Character Day! I dressed up as Fern from Charlotte’s Web, and my co-teacher, Esther, was Mary Poppins!! So much fun!
November
One of the BEST parts of my year was becoming an AUNTIE!! We welcomed my sweet nephew, Theodore Wallace, into the world on November 3rd! He is absolutely PERFECT. I was so sad to miss his birth, but ecstatic to be able to see him during Christmas break!
I was honored to be the Hope School employee of the month in November, voted by the other staff members. I love these people and am so glad I get to work alongside them each day!! They make life so much fun and my heart so full!
The Jacaranda trees bloom in November, and drop their beautiful purple blooms all over. It looks like purple snow!! It makes landscapes in town even more stunning.
December
As the dry season starts, Kili is seen more often! I took a lovely Sunday morning walk and captured this beauty. God’s creation never ceases to amaze me!
We presented our Hope School Christmas play this month! I organized it, once again, but each teacher was responsible for their class’s part! My students were the shepherds!! It was so much fun, and we loved seeing the uniqueness of each class, but coming together to share the Christmas story with our students’ families and friends was so special too!
Animal Day is always a highlight! Our students are so creative!
The absolute BEST part of the month, and maybe the year, was coming home to the US for Christmas! Not only did I get a break from “eternal summer” as I like to call it, and enjoy Christmas with family and friends, I got to meet, spend time with, and snuggle my sweet nephew!! He is such a sweet boy, and he is our little Teddy bear!! Time with him makes it even harder to go back to Tanzania, even though I know that’s where I’m supposed to be. I’m so thankful for the time I got to spend with him and my family this Christmas. It was refreshing, relaxing, and made my heart so happy!
I hope you had a WONDERFUL 2017 and are looking forward to all that 2018 holds! I wish you a Happy New Year!!
