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I have not posted much lately. Part of the reason is that our connectivity has been spotty. This Is not uncommon when there are big congresses, etc. happening here. I don’t completely understand the reasons for this, but I know that it happens. It is hard to express what it feels like when I cannot connect as normal. For many (most) of us overseas social media, email, news, etc. is such a lifeline. We often feel very far from home and so much of the internet helps with that. Being cut off from it feels like prison or a drought or something. I do remind myself of all those years where I would wait and wait for snail mail letters. At one point in Zambia, it took 3 weeks for a letter to arrive. Now I can talk to my children a couple times a day on fb messenger. I am so so thankful, but it feels even worse when it is taken away from you.  It seems to be straightening out, though.

I have also not posted because I have so little encouragement to report about my hip. I keep thinking that if I wait I can send a good report. I know that I have progress from one week to the next. I can measure by what I can do at Monday morning teaching that I could not do the week before. But the progress are things like:  I can now pull myself up stairs in a more normal gait, rather than step step, step step. …but I am still pulling myself up with my arms. I can now walk about 10 steps in the classroom without my cane, rather than no steps at all. Things like that. I still am in pain when I walk without my walker. I am told to just give it time. It is 2 months right now since surgery. I do strengthening exercises, I walk with my walker faithfully, I bike a great deal. I am just waiting.

There also continues to be questions about us doing any small groups. There are friends/team members who have had to close down groups, with security people taking pictures of them, etc. And these are with legal connections. We fear for ourselves, but more we fear for those who would attend. The assumption is that if we wait, things will settle down. I pry so.

I am sorry that this sounds so defeatists. We still love teaching here. The new semester is into its third week. We both have a lighter schedule than last fall. The students are always such a delight, and it is very fulfilling. Overall living here is still easier on some levels than anywhere else. I need help getting onto the bike, but once I am on, I feel so gloriously normal with no pain, and can go long distances. We are comfortable within the cultural context. We have a good church, a nice apartment, good friends, available food, cheap restaurants and movies, etc. etc. So I guess we just need your pryers to keep on keeping on. Thanks.