Rainy season

It's wonderful to be back in warm Kigoma. The kids have enjoyed playing outside every single day, except when we get a downpour and they have to take cover from the rain. We are in the beginning of rainy season and we are so thankful for the good rains in this region. Everyone is busy planting their corn and beans. Even in our yard, the guards have sectioned off a large portion of the property and were busy planting last month. Now with the new shoots coming up, our ducks get herded to a fenced-in area so they don't eat the new plant shoots. Later they need to guard the flowers that come up from the bean plants, and then the ducks will be free to roam once more. The kids are excited for the 3 new nests that the mama ducks have laid, two have 13 eggs each and the other has 5.

Emily in action.

Emily and Aaron catching "kumbikumbi".

Our first week here, we had a nice hard rain. The very next day, the termite mounds were full of activity as the big termites came out of the ground and took flight. The ducks eagerly grabbed at the clumsy termites, the birds swooped down and snatched them up, the lizards were quick to get the ones on the ground and our kids were not to be left out.  They ran into the house to get their empty containers, returned to the busiest dirt mound they could find and grabbed them by the handfuls. About an hour later, when the excitement wore off and the termites were retreating to their underground homes, the kids sat on the steps and de-winged their stash of "kumbikumbi", (flying termites) to get them ready for the frying pan. That evening the kids enjoyed a batch of freshly fried kumbikumbi.

Enjoying their snack after their hard work of collecting them.

Two weeks later we had a couple more hard rains and the kumbikumbi were out in abundance once more. In fact, this time they came for 3 days straight, more than I'd ever seen. The kids filled a 4-liter container! Well, that probed to be a bit much so they gave a lot of them away to the grateful guards.

Enough about bugs...

Kigoma is right on Lake Tanganyika and the port is a busy place. From our house we can hear the horns of the big boats as they arrive from Zambia and DR Congo and also the whistle blowing from the trains as they arrive from the western coast of Tanzania.

Kigoma port.

For Thanksgiving some 30 people came over to our place and we all enjoyed a feast and we thanked God for his provisions and blessings in our lives. We are also thankful for this community of missionaries that we meet with regularly for fellowship, encouragement and teaching.

Thanksgiving.

Kids' table.

Living by the lake, it provides for a great get-a-away as a family. Our kids enjoy the water and all the fun that it brings. Even Aaron, has lately been enjoying looking for small fish with his little net.

Esther and her friend jumping from the rocks.

I have been enjoying the beautiful colors that come with the rainy season. Everything is fresh and green and bursting with new life.

Colors in our yard.