(Photos: Boys swimming in the ocean--the women would certainly not allow us to take their picture; Peter giving a big smile)
Most islanders live near the water. These are small islands so most villagers are in walking distance of the ocean, Yet many islanders don’t know how to swim, especially women. They go down to bathe and like the feel of the water, but the waves and stories told by their mothers place a fear in them at a young age.
One of the exciting ideas I had when coming to this small island over a year ago was the idea that I would be able to swim on a regular basis. I love the water and looked forward to relaxing dips in the ocean.
Then we moved into a house just a block from the ocean. I made it a goal to find a culturally appropriate way to go swimming regularly. We would walk as a family down to the ocean near our house and I was embarrassed to find that I had to repeatedly avert my eyes away from men bathing among the rocks. After asking around a bit I was disappointed to find, there was no culturally appropriate way for a woman to swim regularly (unless perhaps they live near a nice beach). The rocky shores were for bathing (men and children in the daylight and women after dusk).
My swimming bug had to wait for day-off when we could drive to a beach. But now an unexpected opportunity has popped up. I have started teaching swim lessons to a small group of ladies. They arranged time at a hotel pool (one of the only pools on the island). We meet outside and walk through the hotel to the outdoor pool. Poolside there is a beautiful view of the ocean so as you enter the pool’s saltwater you can almost imagine yourself in the ocean. My students are 
beginners. They are hesitant and shy but really want to learn to be comfortable in the water. They awkwardly attempt to float while keeping a hand on the wall and their strokes quickly turn into panicked flailing. But I am loving it- I’m in the water and building relationships with island women. Life is good.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
Time with all our team visitors has gone well. We still have two groups with us. There hasn’t been any more excitement or violence related to the murder we talked about last week. We had some good times of prayer about our future over the past week. We’ll inform you of some of our thoughts in the coming weeks as we talk to others about future possibilities.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
A bunch of the men (including Tom) are going to hike the island’s volcano on Friday/Saturday. Pray for their safety and that the rain would hold off. This is the last week for Jonny (our 19 yr old teammate with us for his gap-year) to be on the island. Pray for his final goodbyes and for him as he prepares to transition back to life at home and beginning university. The water in the capital has been very bad- it has been shut off in our neighborhood for 2 days and all the local pumps are out too. Pray that the water comes back.
