Hey there!! It’s been awhile since my last post – so I thought I would give you a little (ok…maybe big) update! I’ve been back in Tanzania for two months now, and I hit this dusty African ground running! I’m SO glad to be back for my fourth year, and am getting back into the swing of things!
I announced on my social medias a couple weeks ago that I am teaching FOURTH GRADE this year!! It is a whole new world for me, but I am completely LOVING IT!! Coming from kindergarten, I was used to the first weeks of school being crazy with a capital C, somewhat like herding cats. But I found out that: 1. Fourth Graders can do things on their OWN! 2. They can sit still and focus on a task or conversation for longer than a minute (most of the time)! 3. I’m LOVING developing deeper relationships with them, but still having tons of fun through morning meeting, read alouds, and more!
But really, I am so loving the switch, and am happy I took the plunge to try something different. I’m really trying to work on my classroom management this year and keep a high standard for my kids and classroom! My classroom reveal is coming, probably in November, due to the craziness that is the beginning of school. Not only that, but getting ready for school to start here in Tanzania is SO DIFFERENT than the States. We usually have some construction going on, have to move furniture, curriculum, and start from square one.
I’m also super happy to be back with my “framily” on this side of the world!! I’ve loved spending time with my friends and reconnecting from the summer away. The first week back was just for teachers to prepare our classrooms for the school year, but we also did some team bonding: worship, Sardines, and Rock/Paper/Scissors Tournaments! 😉
My friends and I took a road trip (a bumpy 2-hour drive) to a place called Simba Farms. There are BEAUTIFUL Kili views on the way, and the Farm is amazing!! Acres of vegetables, land for animals (horses, cows, chickens, dogs, lambs, etc), and a super charming lodge where they provide delicious farm-to-table meals and a place to stay, if you’d like!! The surroundings are SO beautiful too. Here are a few pictures from the day:
We’ve also gone to Village Church, celebrated the birth of a friend’s baby, and took a couple of day trips to Arusha, a bigger city about 2 hours away! We love visiting Arusha for the good food and fun shopping!! The Maasai Market has any and all souvenirs and Tanzanian goodies! We love shopping and bartering with the locals to pick up some African treasures!
The hardest part of the last two months happened this week…one of my closest friends here in Tanzania, and the director of our school, took off for a new season back home in America! We are sad to see her go, as she transformed the school, and has played a huge part in my life here… she is SO special to me! But I’m excited for what God’s got in store for her, and hopefully for a reunion this summer! 🙂
God is already stretching me this year – giving me the opportunity to train new teachers at our school and help them get their classes ready for the school year. I’ve loved partnering with them and sharing from my experience.
That’s all I know for now!! The past two months have been FULL of FUN and BUSY, so I’m excited to settle into the school year, and continue to teach and love on my fourth graders!! Thanks for reading and following along! If you would like to support me and my mission in Tanzania to teach, love, and serve, here are ways to do so:
PRAYER is powerful! I would so appreciate your prayers for me, my class, and the people of Tanzania.
- Please pray that God would continue to unite my classroom, and that He would give me the exact ways I can best teach, love, and impact each student.
- Pray that our school would continue to gain momentum and that the transition to new (awesome!) directors would be easy and smooth!
- Pray for my friend, who is about to have her first baby! Right now the baby is breech, and we are praying that God would position the baby for an easy labor and delivery!
- Pray for Tanzania, that God would reign and His love would permeate the hearts of the people here. He is working mightily in this nation!
- Pray for me, for continued health and rest, as this year has brought a lot of “hats” for me to wear, and it’s been hard to keep up with everything!
SUPPORT with a donation! I am a volunteer teacher and missionary here, and rely on your support to continue doing what I’m doing here. You can give a tax-deductible gift HERE. Please make sure to select Hope International School in the menu, and write Allie Elliott in the comments. Thank you!
HOST a Christmas party (Omaha locals)! I’m SO excited and BLESSED to be able to come home for Christmas! I will be back in Omaha for two weeks in December, with coffee and handmade goods to sell to raise funds! If you would be interested, I’d love to work with you on hosting a Tanzanian Christmas party for you and your friends…and be able to share about Tanzania and sell my Swahili Swag (great Christmas presents)! Email me if you’re interested! allieelliott@yahoo.com 🙂
Thank you for your support! I appreciate it so much!!
