On the road again...

We are moving, again, this coming Thursday. We will be going back to my Mom and Dad's for the Christmas holiday and will remain there until we leave on the 9th of January for Cameroon. This home has been such a blessing to us in these past months. The Marsden family return on Friday from their autumn in Russia.

Gaby will get some oral surgery tomorrow and so we are praying for a good, quick recovery for her. She and Josh rocked through 18 performances of Glorious Christmas Nights at our church and loved every minute of it. They were both sad to see it finish. Though it was exhausting, what a joy to be able to have them connect like that.

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat...or something like that. We are excited to be here in this season, though the weather is not at all reflective of what we were hoping for. Today it was 75 degrees. Wow, huh...and it is the 10th of December.

All I can say is "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

Blessings and may you find Him this Christmas season.

I forgot to share that Josh turned 9 on the 15th of November. What a fun day we had and we went to see "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" at the movies. His buddy, Josh, came too. Yup, they have the same name. He was really blessed and we have been delighted to see him grow in wisdom and in stature this past year.

Josh and Gaby are in our church's Christmas production. This is quite some big deal...there are a total of 18 performances and we are half way through. There are 160 kids in the youth choir and about 60 in the kids' choir. It has been such a fun experience for them to practice, learn fun choreography, get into costumes and then perform. Gaby gets to go out and encourage audience participation for her group's dance number (a fantastic '60's medley). Josh is up front and center for the Littlest Star scene. They are so precious, but hey, you all knew that right?

Thanksgiving was fun and filling! :-) We ate much and rejoiced much in what we have been given and experienced over this past year. We helped Mom and Dad cut a whopper of a Christmas tree, the day after Thanksgiving. The tree was so huge that it wouldn't even fit in the bagger tube. What a bunch laughs we had over all that! Gilles/MacGyver to the rescue!! He used a match and a paper clip and got it all wrapped and loaded on the van. (OK, he used a bit more than that, but he was super industrious.)

I confess being a bit overwhelmed at all we have ahead of us. The packing, arranging and moving is on the near horizon. If I am not careful, I will just shut down and nothing will get done. Bad news! So, I am trying to exercise more, eat better and keep my focus on Christ in this stressful time. Thanks for your love and prayers for us.

Heading to get supper out of oven and feed my crew. Hugs and love

Changes all around

Gilles is back and life has continued on without pause! It seems like we are in the never-ending phase of doctor, dentist, allergist, speech and vision therapy appointments. We are so blessed to have access to all these and yet we are weary and our pockets are a bit lighter!! We are grateful that Josh could begin vision therapy and that Sam can continue with his speech therapist. We are grateful to know that all 3 kids need (and can easily obtain) reading glasses. We are very grateful to get Gaby's braces on here and then to just continue treatment in Cameroon. In a week where we pause to give thanks...we are oh, so grateful in so many ways. Check out the picture of our sweet Gaby with a new haircut, new glasses and her new braces - just on today. Her mouth is in a lot of pain a present and we are working to keep meds on board. Thanks for your faithful prayers.

Grandpapa and Grandmaman with our kids and our nephews

Grandpapa playing the accordion at our nephew's birthday in June

A Time for Mourning

Saying good-bye is never easy...a lesson we know well in the life we have been called to. However, when it comes to saying good-bye forever, boy that is tough. We are mourning the death of Gilles' father, Jean Ali Naine. He passed away Saturday morning early (1:15am) Swiss time. He was battling some nasty cancer and we knew that his outlook was grim. But we held hope. Gilles arrived in Switzerland on the 11th and was given the gift of 9 days with his father, before he passed away. We see God's hand of grace and mercy in many ways, not the least of which is that Gilles was present. Tough stuff...but we are so thankful for your prayers and love. Thanks for being there for us and for those of you who have been so supportive of me, as I am torn between Switzerland and Virginia...I so want to be with my man in his mourning time and yet he needs me to be here with the kiddos, who are also processing the death of grandpapa. Bless you and thanks so much.

Single Mom

Well, I will be single mom-ming it for the next month...Gilles left tonight to go to Switzerland. His father's cancer, now very well established and quite aggressive, is rearing its ugly head. He has had two tough weeks and after a conversation with the oncologist, we realize that this doesn't look to be getting any better. So, after struggling to process this info, we were able to book him on a flight. He will be returning not before November 10.
Gilles' dad (and whole family for that matter) haven't yet come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Obviously this burden is paramount for us at this time. We pray that he can be an instrument of hope and peace as the family processes tough decisions that need to be made.
So, I will do the single mom thing. I always knew that I have an incredible respect for single moms...and after only 6 hours into my journey, that respect has grown exponentially!! I am most thankful that in this period of separation that God is never far away. What a reassurance. I also thank God for his timing...at this point of our furlough I am surrounded by family and dear friends that can step in and help me when needed. What a blessing to be here during this time.
Thanks for your prayers...will keep you posted.

A latest family pic with a new African outfit..."rico suave."

Fun pic with LB after lunch at Bertucci's. She came with the Grace mission team that helped lead our summer camp last year.

A cool pic with the Oriole...fun evening though the O's got shellacked 15-8!!

Gaby getting ready to play a duet with Mrs. Weems, her piano teacher from Maryland. What a special afternoon that was together with her...tea, scones, cookies and duets.

Gaby finishing up her last day of horse camp.

Josh and Sam in front of the Flying Dutchman (from Pirates of the Caribbean) at Castaway Cay - the Disney island - during our time on the Disney Cruise.

The kiddos with Aslan at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs.

Circuit Riding

Promise not to whine...we are travelling, staying with friends, eating in lots of different homes and trying to keep some sense of family identity...Welcome to our world.

Furlough - what does it mean anyway? For us it definitely means connecting with family and friends. It is also meaning church visits, annual picnics, donor reports and some fundraising. Is it restful? Well, that depends on everyone's individual definition of that word....

We don't have to deal with crazy traffic patterns, corrupted police officials or power outages and water glitches. We can go to Target at all hours of the day or night for "conveniences." We can opt out of homemade pizzas and call 1-800-DOMINOS.

But this journey for us is somewhat weird...adjusting to "land of everything." (Tends to give the kids a bad case of the 'gimmes'). The children have been real champs about being "on" so many nights and meals with donors or new/old friends. We struggle at times with our role in requiring them to be on best behaviour 24/7. Not an easy juggle, but they are doing phenomenal. We are so proud.

We had a real fun reunion with our NavYouth leaders from around here and then another one with the missions team that came from Grace church last year. What a neat time to laugh and have fun together.

We had a blast this past Tuesday going to an old stomping ground of ours - the National Aquarium in Baltimore. That was so fun...an addition of the Australian Outback exhibit was super. The kids also enjoyed seeing the Tropical exhibit and recognizing many of their "friends" from 'back home.' Then we blasted to Camden Yards and watched the Baltimore/Tampa Bay baseball game. What fun...especially as Gaby and Josh did Cameroon Little League the past two seasons. As you saw, they even got their picture with the Oriole...!!

We love you and send hugs and much love. Do get in touch with us...

Enjoying the US

Hello and greetings!

This is overdue and comes with apologies...life has happened! And we are enjoying it so much...our time in Switzerland was rich and priceless...met with so many different people, spent much time with family, ate lots of chocolate and fondue, and really loved the cold weather.

As you may remember, upon arriving in the US, we went immediately to Colorado Springs for the Family Gathering with other furloughing missionaries of The Navigators...what an amazing program! We could go on and on about how well we were taken care of and how many opportunities made possible to help us (nutritionists, physical therapists, counsellors, free book tables, home school forums, and on and on) but we won't. Suffice it to say that we were incredibly blessed and truly feel refreshed and empowered after those 9 days. The kids had a super time connecting with other MK's (missionary kids) and made some fun friendships. We spent a day white water rafting in very chilly water (50 degrees) but made great memories.

We have just returned from another super experience. Together with my older brother and his family (here on vacation from China), my younger brother and his wife, my parents and my 89 year-old grandma, we went on a 4-day Disney Cruise in the Caribbean...WOW! We had not been all together for 3 years and we just laughed and laughed so much. God gave us these special days to talk, catch up, giggle and play together...what a gift...We even go to snorkel with and feed stingrays, and saw the Flying Dutchman ship from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean." Memories galore.

We are heading to the beach on Friday for a week with my younger brother and my parents...should be very relaxing. This is our last break before we hit the circuit of churches and supporters and we are really trying to rest up well.

This week, the youth team in Cameroon is having a youth camp...with about 50 young people in attendance!! Here is a small list of prayer requests from Wilson, who is serving as the camp director together with Jeanne-Marthe:

*******************************
Please do pray:
- that the students will meet with God during this Camp
- that students will see the need to reach out to thier friends with the Gospel fearlessly
- that the students will develop the skill of sharing the gospel through thier personal salvation testimonies.
- that the leaders will be as clear as posible in the presentations so that the students may not misunderstand any important point
- that emerging student leaders will be engaged in helping the young ones grow.
- that the inter-relationship among students be healthy
- that the leaders will co-opperate seriously to see that God alone is Uplifted during this Camp.
Please also Pray
- that the seeds that will be sown during this Camp will fall on good soil so that it will produce good fruit in its season.
- that activites will be purposeful and Christ-centered.
- we need wisdom to handle incidents and other such things
- we need wisdom in trying to handle the personal problems that some students may have in thier homes, schools, etc concerning thier personal life in Christ and otherwise. The students need to trust us enough to let us know some of these details. pray then that they be open enough
***********************************

Thank you for joining us in prayer for these leaders and youth until Saturday. It seems like they have a super week planned.

blessings and hugs to you! We look forward to seeing you and have enjoyed so many fun reunions already in our few weeks here. Have a great week.

The field outside our apartment...filled with the farmer's "marshmallows" - or bales of hay!

The old houses in Grimentz

The Matterhorn...almost...

Our little snowman...first one in 3 years.

Zermatt Switzerland

Here we go again

Well, time has absolutely flown by and in just 3 short days we will be, once again, “leavin’ on a jet plane.” (It will be fun to see how many times we can sing this tune during these 7 months) This month has been complete, for sure. Do you remember one thing we were hoping to have in Switzerland – COLD!?!?! Well, we have reaped a harvest of cold! Fleeces, shoes and socks, fondue, raclette, long pants, fires and so on. Wonderful! Here is what the next few weeks hold for us.

Monday July 2 – 13h40 flight to the US…arriving 8pm in Washington DC.

July 3 – Gilles and I have to pass the driver’s test…again…snicker, snicker. And Sam has an afternoon appt with the speech pathologist

July 4 – Family time

July 5-July 14 – Colorado Springs…debriefing and retreat for furloughing Nav missionaries…rafting, family time, hiking, Focus on the Family and catching up with our Nav buddies…

Back to the East Coast on July 14 for about a week of family stuff…

Please pray for us during these next few weeks…the kids are weary of going into different houses every day and meal…

Hugs, blessings and love to you!

I'm (we're) leavin' on a jet plane

Well, this is it. Wow! Excited, anxious, sad, happy, etc. The gamut of emotions today is complete. This is truly a day we have dreamed about for the last 2 and a half years...to be reunited with family and friends. Without a doubt that is the hardest part about the life to which God has called us. We're not whining...just recognizing it for what it is. (and then there's good Gruyere cheese, cold nights under a duvet in the Alps, swimming in Lac Neuchatel, Disney World, hopefully snow, Starbucks and Chick-Fil-a...:-))
We leave tonight around 8:30pm and will eventually arrive in Geneva around 10:30am on Friday morning. Cameroon is 5 hours ahead of the east coast and Switzerland is 6 hours ahead. We will covet your prayers during this time.
Blessings, see you soon and thank you for journeying our blog with us! We love you.

Wrapping up

Well folks, this could be one of the last blogs from Cameroon for 7 months…

Time, as we knew it would, has absolutely flown by. We find ourselves amazed, baffled and at times overwhelmed at wrapping things up in the next 5 days. We are trusting God with every step and are even asking Him to multiply the minutes.

We are trying to get the rest of our running around done tomorrow so we won’t have to take the car in town again. Here in Cameroon, if we are involved in an accident, even if we are not to blame, because of our skin color, they could cause us some great troubles. We don’t want to have any additional challenges before leaving. A friend of mine just left on Saturday for a year’s furlough with her family. She said that once she got on the plane and sat down she would finally be able to take a deep breath and begin the “letting go” of Cameroon for awhile. Then she added, that because of the recent tragedy of the Kenya airlines flight, it might be best to wait 15 minutes after take-off before we take that deep breath. (finding humor and light heartedness in the midst of stress…thanks MEK)

Please pray for these next few days for us…we don’t need any stitches or broken bones, malaria, amoebas, or car accidents to deal with before Thursday. We are passing the baton to Donatus and Hedrine on Wednesday and Thursday and we hope to answer all their questions before then. Just checking in at the Nsimalen airport (with 5 people, 3 trunks and 3 suitcases) can be a whole other adventure that we are just so not wanting to experience. I know however that there will be issues and may God please give me GRACE to deal with these in a way that will honor Him.

The kids, as is normal, have mixed feelings about our departure. They are very excited to see grandparents, cousins, friends and family (along with the Batman store, Chik-fil-A, snow and Target). They are sad to leave Smokey (our dog), their friends here, plantains, ‘real’ papayas and grilled fish. I would really ask you to pray for the kids in this transition…they can’t yet grasp that the world everywhere outside of Cameroon has not been put on hold since January of 2005. My mother’s heart so does not want them to be hurt to learn that other friends have ‘moved on’ to new friends. I’m sure this is part of the journey of the life we are called to, but it doesn’t make it smoother. We do know though that He who calls is faithful to provide…and so we are trusting that even in this seemingly insignificant thing, He will provide all that we need to parent these 3 gems as best we can. When we moved here, Sam was 4 years and just 4 months old…he is now 6 years and 7 months…almost ½ of his life already has been spent in Cameroon…he will surely be the most African of us all.

This was evidenced yesterday when we got in the car after some dear, dear friends’ wedding. We were all dressed up in our fancy clothes and the boys even had to wear shoes and socks! As soon as he was halfway in the car the shoes and socks were stripped and he sat in his Sunday’s best and barefeet…I love it!!! I can probably count on two hands the number of times in a year that the boys wear shoes with socks…our feet with have their own transitioning to do, I suspect.

I said this would likely be the last blog from Cameroon, but I sense already that won’t be true…I will probably post at least once more to keep you posted. Please pray and thank you in advance…we love you so.

D minus 11 days

Well, we are in the final crunch before we leave for Switzerland next week. Much to be done, much is getting done, trying to keep the peace and empty the fridge and cupboards. Voila in a nutshell.

We are doing well, in the midst of all this hectic packing frenzy. Unfortunately Gilles had a disappointing meeting yesterday with his leadership team. This is a major holiday weekend in Cameroon and so traffic and time schedules are unbelievable. Many arrived very late and he was a bit discouraged. He had prepared a sort of “passing the baton” type speech to encourage and launch them and he had to delete that part of the program. Too many details to cover and responsibilities to pass out. It is a good thing God is in charge of it all and we are just here to help Him. We are believing that He will empower these folks to keep on keeping on.

We are praying for the kids’ adjustments to Swtizerland and the US…it is hard for them to grasp that life goes on for friends in those countries while we have been away. They are hoping to find everything exactly as they left it…not!

Hugs, love and SEE YOU SOON!

Countdown is on...

Well, the countdown is rolling...26 days. We are counting not because we are dying to get out of Cameroon, but for a couple of reasons. We are very excited to see family & friends...we are looking forward to a month in Switzerland...and there is just so much to get done before we leave. Please pray that we would not forget anything important...thanks.

The kids finished up another 3 week session of FES yesterday. They had a very successful time...complete with standardized tests, swim lessons and lots of learning about Ancient Rome...some pics are below. This session was a wee bit bittersweet as Gaby will have only one more FES session before she moves onto the International school here, in 7th grade. Wow...time sure flies.

Voila...that is all for now. Packing, organizing and getting things in order...that is the agenda for this weekend. It is hot outside today with a thick cloud covering...pretty standard for this "small wet" season. Hugs. W

When in Rome...or Cameroon!

Oh to be Roman for a day...well the Naine trio did just that, yesterday. Sam was a Roman centurion with a wicked spear and ultra cool helmet. Gaby dressed as Cleopatra...for those of you that may argue her Roman authenticity...she did marry Mark Antony, making her Roman by marriage. Josh was the coolest Red Cross Gladiator...with a cool helmet too...to rival that of Russell Crowe of course.

Holy Injury Batman!

OK, so we are not hoping for a Grammy Award, but we sure had fun with our own special effects, Naine style. Josh had a whopping head injury...Sam a black eye, laceration and a broken arm, and Gaby a broken wrist and forehead laceration. Lots of fun!

Crazy Hair Day!!

Gaby, Josh and Sam went crazy! A much harder thing to do with short boys' hair, but we had fun. Have no fear, we have evened out this cut now!!

NavJeunes Team at the retreat

Here is Gilles and the NavJeunes (French for NavYouth) team at their retreat in April. It is odd to get Cameroonians to smile on pictures, but Gilles insisted on this one. They look so great!! We are very proud of this team of laborers. A real blessing!

This weekend (13-15) Gilles and his leadership team will be going to the Mt Febe Monastery for a retreat. The facility is really beautiful and so we are hoping it refreshes and renews his crew. He will be doing lots of team building, deeper instruction about The Navigators and their core values, and also some passing of the baton for our time away. Randy Vernon will be teaching on building trust and resolving conflicts in the context of teamwork. Then, next week we start another FES session for the children. This session is particularly “meaty” with swimming lessons, standardized testing and full days! There is a medical team from the US visiting, so we will begin our week (16^th) with full family physicals and full lab work. This is a huge blessing but will also mean NEEDLES for the kids, oh joy! During this session too, we will have Josh tested by some education specialists that come every April to serve the educational community within SIL. Time is really moving quickly now. We have a bunch of practical things that we are doing or that need our attention. One of the most important is the renewal of our Resident Permit. Do you remember the drama two years ago to get these cards?? J Well, this seems to be a pretty painless process, but nevertheless we ask you to cover it in prayer. These need to renewed before we leave. We are working actively with Hedrine and Donatus to prepare them to live in our home while we are away. Our house will also be used as a home base for several visiting teams from the US that will come off and on between June and August. And then, we only have about 2 weeks left of school after FES ends (the 4^th May)…so we are trying to tie up all the loose ends.

Thank you for loving us, for praying for us and for just being there…what a joy to fill you in and know that you carry these burdens in prayer. We really love you!

Tuff Guy a la Kribi…complete with thick, black mud – for the complexion of course.

This was our supper for two nights…not our favorite fish to eat but lots of fun to look at.

Josh singing and flying the kite with the waves in the background.

Sunset at Kribi and suntanned faces.

Africa: the only place kids dress in their Sunday’s best and…bare feet…don’t you love ‘em. They won’t know what to do with shoes and socks again.

This was the coolest brown butterfly with really long tail things…very big too.

We continue on here in Yaounde in a very dry, hot and muggy period. The Big Dry period is almost over, or so they say, and we are anxious to see the end of it. Having only been here 2 years, this is the first time we have ever seen it this dry. We weren’t missing much and hope it ends soon. Normally they rains should come by mid-March. We had one good rain last week and are praying daily in school for the rains to come.

We went to Kribi (the beach) about 10 days ago and had a very good time…photos attached below. Weather was hot, water fresh and games and fellowship abounded. A truly relaxing weekend…until the car broke down on the way back. (It had broken down on the way there too…ugh) Kids and I piled in our friends’ car (with the 6 of them already…yes, count it…that makes 10-for 3 hours of travel!) while Gilles stayed two more days to get the car fixed down there. Thank the Lord it is fixed and we are still eating!

School moves along…just 9 more weeks of my teaching…we will have 3 weeks of MK school in there…so a total of 12 more! I am really trying, and at times struggling, to live in the present. God is still working here and so I don’t want to check out just yet. Please pray for me in that regard. It is going much smoother and I am grateful for God’s help, daily, with the kids.

As far as ministry, we are a bit frustrated at present. The attendance from the volunteer leaders is really down. Of the original 10 there are only about 3 consistently coming around. The good news is that the youth number in attendance at the monthly meetings is growing. They are inviting friends and we are really encouraged. So, the balance is tough and we are praying about how to best deal with this new challenge.

I had a dream the other night that a Richmond area grocery store (Ukrop’s) had opened a new store in…YAOUNDE. Wishful thinking I know. Gilles and I had the best time shopping for things like rhubarb, good sausages, apples & pears, asparagus and broccoli. Can you tell I am missing a few things these days? Actually I don’t think I have really missed them until the prospect of having them again is so close on the horizon. Weird, Gilles and I also both dreamt about Twila Paris…very bizarre! What did we eat for supper that night????

Thanks for praying for us so fervently and faithfully. We are truly blessed.

New Year’s Eve 2006…Chloe, Gaby, Mallory, Josh and Sam all eat spaghetti, Jell-o, salad and ice cream with no utensils…à la Withers family tradition. They had a real blast and no food fights were to be had.

Sam has lost both top and bottom teeth and is looking oh so cool with his holes…can even stick a straw through to drink. We have made up our very own Naine Family Tooth Fairy Call and the kids are adamant to “call her” when teeth are lost.

Here is a group pic from the December Youth Retreat.

This family picture was taken at the wedding of some dear friends. Tradition and culture here dictate that all the friends of the bride or groom wear clothes made with the same material…to show a connection to one or both parties. Nadine and Theo picked the same material for everyone and so here is the Naine family in our wedding outfits. Gaby designed her own skirt and top.

Our BIG Christmas tree. What fun we had with some of the real smells of the season. It was losing needles like crazy at the end but every needle drop was so worth it. It is a Cypress tree, FYI.

Well, didn’t do so well with the once a week blogging, but here are the latest. School is moving along…I am a bit less weary and grateful for that. Kids seem to be really enjoying it, praise God and we are grateful for the continued friendship with the Magruders and their kiddos.

We are also all healthy! That too is only by His grace. We are in the EXTREMELY hot, dry and dusty season here in Yaounde. This is my least favorite time to live here. I lately find myself whining about it and realize how blessed we truly are. In countries even bordering Cameroon, the climate is dramatically different. We are blessed by the tropical rainforest effect we have going on here. “Hot” doesn’t even reach 100 here. So, one of those oddities…we practically border the equator and yet we have relatively cool temperatures. Have your kids try to figure that one out…should stump them for awhile.

Have you ever been deep in teaching some great spiritual truth to one or a group...something that you have researched and spent hours studying and finding God’s perspective on it…only to find that once it is time to lead the group, you find yourself battling the very issue you were thought to be “expert” at??? Well, this is a reality Gilles and I are now dealing with. Though we felt all prayed up, empowered and totally victorious, we find ourselves again at the mercy of His grace alone. He is ever present and so faithful, even when we are faithless, sinful and sporadic in our time with Him. What a God we serve. Continue to remember us as we fight the good fight.

Kids are busy into baseball season with weekly practices and games. Unfortunately games are on Sunday afternoons, but again a symptom of a Little League led by those that don’t know Christ. We are having a great time building bridges with those there that don’t “go to church.” The teams are mixed boys and girls and Cameroonians and expats. We have the Lions and the Sharks. We are not on just one of the teams as we assemble teams each Sunday based on who can be there. The kids have shown good improvement and we are looking particularly for Josh to get a batting average this year…last year he only “walked.”

Blessings on you…thanks for remembering us in prayer…enjoy the cold weather and snow, should it ever come.

January 2007

Wow! Christmas has come and gone…it was no less odd to celebrate this year in a Tropical country. Though the house was festive: we had a real tree this year that smelled so wonderful and we ate lots of yummy Christmas traditional foods, it was still so HOT! That is just a weird thing for us to adjust to…Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" while we sit around in shorts and drink iced coffee. There are definite pro's and con's.

We had such a great time with friends this holiday season. We had Aunt Margaret (the FES director and a single) over on the 24th for grilling out, carols, and cookies and spiced cider. Then on the 25 th we spent much of the day with the Magruders…just chilling and reflecting on God's goodness to us during this season. Immediately following Christmas, Gilles had much work to do to get ready for the retreat the 29-31. We both worked hard to get all the logistics wrapped up and he got all of his teachings in order.

The retreat, held at the Scripture Union facility here in Yaoundé, was a great success. They had about 30 youth come and Gilles was so encouraged about the interaction the youth had with each other and also about their response to the teaching on girl/boy relationships. The kids put together a last minute talent show/ skit night that rivaled any that could have taken weeks to put together. We are blessed by their spontaneity and challenged by the lack of inhibitions that these youth have.

So, needless to say, after the retreat wrapped up on the 31st in the early afternoon, Gilles was ready to "chill." We had a fun evening with the Magruders…games, kids ate spaghetti, ice cream, salad, and Jell-O with no utensils, shrimp and sausage jambalaya with garlic cheddar biscuits for the adults, some bubbly for all at midnight, pot banging from our rooftop, blowing horns and even a local marching band that played outside our gate hoping to get a little "encouragement" (small monetary gifts). It was really a hoot…even Sam made it all the way till midnight…but crashed almost with the stroke of 12! What fun memories.

Since then, we have launched fully into our school year…again. The kids were ready and seem like they are well disposed to dig in and finish out strong. I, though, am getting a bit weary. Though the structure (with 5 kids) provides good accountability, it is also exhausting. We are doing the usual 3 R's and then a 12-week study on AFRICA. Did you know that there are 50 countries in Africa, just like the 50 states in the US? Did you know that The Sahara Desert is the size of the US? And did you know that the place in Africa to get the most rainfall per year is in the Southwest of…CAMEROON, at the foot of Mount Cameroon, at 400+ inches per year? These are just some of the facts we have learned so far this week. Pretty fun, huh? Wanna come to class for a few days? Oh, what fun that would be.

The major event for us happens on May 31st when we will begin our first furlough…but until then we are really working to keep focused. There is still much to be done before we take off. Gilles is continuing to train and equip his leaders, though not without frustration at times. We are so culturally different and that can be a real bubble-burster when we set expectations too high. He will have a leader's retreat before we leave to give them a "commission" for the time we are away. The will hopefully take place sometime in April and we will keep you posted…you can begin to prepare it in prayer with us, please.

Hugs and much love to you…I will try to blog again weekly but make no promises…thanks for your grace and patience with me…I am a truly flawed being. Stay tuned.