Boma

When TJ was in the hospital last year I would get a picture in my head when I prayed for him. It was a man (I assumed to be TJ) sitting on the ground by a large bright fire. He was sitting with his right leg out straight and his left knee bent sort of leaning back on his left arm. His right arm was stretched out toward the fire with a stick in his hand. He was in an oval shaped shelter that I described as a hedgerow because it was the only thing I had seen that could describe it. It was a thick fence made of thorny sticks and seemed impenetrable so TJ was sitting there relaxed, yet alert and waiting.

A couple weeks ago my brother Will got back from a trip to Tanzania where he had the opportunity to visit a community in a very remote area accessible only by small plane. As he described the enclosure around the village, I realized that what I had seen when I prayed for TJ was really a Boma- as I understand it, a word used to describe the fence around a village and the homes in the village.
Here is an article that describes a boma: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boma_(enclosure)

I was really excited when I found the articles on bomas because it really fits the sense of safety I felt the picture I was seeing portrayed (albeit TJ was in a very small boma). We are supposed to go to Tanzania in March and I really hope we get to see a boma!

A year later we are still learning through the experience. It's not always comfortable -- there are many days when if would be nice to finally leave it behind -- but makes me hopefully eager at the same time for what else is in store for us due to that one, long, painful month.

Love and appreciate you all!
MA