The next three months

Holiday season in Africa is very different than the States.  Everyone and everything basically shut down for 6 weeks.  The kids are out of school, businesses close, and everyone is chillin.  At first it is kind of cute, and then it is just annoying.  We are still American in our blood and can’t wait to dig back in on January 2^nd.  Starting next week we will have a house full of highly anticipated visitors as well as 26 world racers, for the next three months.  We will be training, teaching, preaching, mentoring, mothering and fathering and traveling, non-stop….and I can’t wait!  It will most likely be chaotic and messy, and funds are extremely tight…so we will thrive, as we love a good challenge. It is about 98 degrees, the sun is intense, air-conditioning is very rare, and the bugs are so big you can put a saddle on them. Just last night Gary and I were almost asleep when we heard the earth shattering screams of Alexis and Emilie.  We didn’t even get up; we just called down to Michael and offered him Rand, ($) to go kill the cockroach.  Michael is usually always willing to slay dragons, but it apparently is getting old, and now we have to bribe him.  Gary and I had two bats flying around our room at an Inn last week.  I took the first shift from 10 to 2 am, and he protected me from 2 to 6.  I am sure they were harmless, but as soon as they stopped flying and we drifted off, they would dive down right towards us.  The flies and mosquitoes are rather relentless, I find myself questioning the point of their existence, and if God indeed loves ALL creatures?  The dogs still bark all night…(don’t tell PETA but there are some dogs around my house that may get a nice hamburger patty marinated in anti-freeze very soon!) The adventure continues, in our strange and fabulous life…

Please, be praying for new staff that is coming to serve G-42, Miss Tracie from Texas. At the same time Mike Paschall a dear friend and pastor, as well as Tom Davis, and Brett Irwin…all my brothers, that just happen to be some of my husbands best friends.  They are coming to save the children, preach, and breathe some life into this place….(Pray also that Gary shares his buddies, their wives are not joining them, and I am so lonely I could cry…)

We are beyond excited about what God is doing, even with everything at a stand still for so long, makes me wonder how much God actually needs us to accomplish his goals? more later…

Love to all,

LMB