Not a fun week...

Well, last week is a total blur!! The week was jammed packed with going to language class, getting out talking to people, packing and wrapping things up in Mali.

I had my last prenatal appointment in Mali on Tuesday. Praise the Lord all went well. I hadn't gained any more weight which is a good thing, since the month before I gained 6 pounds!! Butterbean is still growing and healthy as can be!

Friday, I boarded an airplane and left Mali and Arnett behind. It was extremely difficult on both of us. However, Praise the Lord, He has showered us with His presence, peace and love! I arrived to Dakar Friday afternoon about 3:15. I got through customs, baggage claim, and the airport in general without any issues. A HUGE praise as I was very  nervous about the whole experience. I was greeted at the airport by Cindy, a fellow "M" who will be with me through all the doctor stuff while I'm in Dakar. Praise God for her!! We then went to the guesthouse where I'll be staying while I'm in Dakar. Arnett went over to one of our teammates house that night for a good ol' southern supper. Shirley fixed fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and home made biscuits! She even taught Arnett how to cook biscuits! Praise God for Shirley and for feeding my honey while I'm away!!

Arnett and I at the airport as I'm getting ready to leave! Don't you just love that we match!!

 

 

 

Saturday, Cindy took me grocery shopping. The stores here are a lot nicer than the ones in Mali. I felt like I had been in Wal-Mart!! It was great!! After grocery shopping, I went with another "M" family to a used clothing market. I got some cute baby clothes for very cheap!! Arnett took it easy today. Slept, studied, and rested.

Sunday, I went to an English speaking church service with Cindy and her family. It was nice to be worshipping in English for a change!! I spent Sunday afternoon nesting and unpacking!! Arnett spent the day studying and then went to worship with our team that night.

Praises this week:

1. Safe travels to Dakar.
2. God has showered us with His presence while we're apart.
3. The weather in Dakar is 20-30 degrees cooler.
4. Language continues to improve.

Prayer Requests:

1. The timing of Arnett's arrival to Dakar.
2. Continued peace about being apart.
3. Language learning.

We thank you so much for your prayers!!! I'll post pics of my new home next blog. Until next time...

Cooking for Malians, Chicken-n-dumplings, and a baby shower

Praise the Lord for another great week!! We were busy as usual with language learning. We are very thankful that God is allowing us to hear and understand a little more each day!!

Wednesday, we had our night guard, his wife, and two children over for supper. Just a note: Everyone here has a night guard, including some of the locals. They come and sit in your courtyard between 6:30p.m.-6:30 a.m. I cooked hamburger steak and mashed potatoes. Pretty much all Malians eat with their hands. Well, I had laid forks out for them. Our night guard and his wife picked them up and used them without any problems. Well, their daughter, who is 5, went to use her hand and her mom stopped her. She told her to use the spoon I had laid out for her. She looked at it and then looked at her mom with this look that said, "What in the world am I supposed to do with that!!" I quickly reassured her it was okay to use her hand, which she did without any problems!! It was nice to be able to have some locals in our home and be able to somewhat have a conversation with them! Praise the Lord!

Friday, our house helper cooked us chicken-n-dumplings. It was like we were back home at our grandparent's house eating some good ol' southern cooking!! We Praise God for these simple things that bring us so much joy!! Another note: Another thing everyone here has is a house helper. Even some of the locals have one. It is impossible to get everything done here without someone to help you out. The dust is so bad here that you literally have to sweep and mop EVERYDAY!!! We Praise God for our house helper, Mariam. She's not only a HUGE help around the house but also with learning Bambara!! Our prayer is that we will be able to share God's love and truth with her.

Saturday, the ladies on our team threw us a baby shower! We had a great time, ate good food, and played some fun games!! We are very thankful that God has blessed us with a new family away from our family back home.

Shirley tying string around my belly to see if she guessed the right length it would take. She was the winner!!

 

Susan and I with the delicious cake she made!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening presents. Butterbean will love this ride on toy when he/she's older!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praise this week:

1. Language continues to get easier each day!
2. We were able to get out and have small conversations with people.
3. Being able to have Malians in our home for supper.
4. A family away from family.

Prayer Requests:

Of course, language.

This Friday, I will leave to go to Dakar, Senegal to get ready for Butterbean's arrival. Due to airline restrictions I have to leave before I hit 36 weeks (which is this coming Monday). Arnett will not be joining me until about 5-7 days before Butterbean is due. So, we have several prayer requests:

1. Safe travels and smooth navigating through the airports I will be in.
2. That we will both have a peace about being separated for a few weeks.
3. That the timing of Arnett's arrival would work out with the timing of Butterbean's arrival. He only gets 1 month of paternity leave and I will be in Dakar for approximately 9-10 weeks. I want him to be there for the delivery (he wants to be there too) but don't want him getting there too early and wasting his paternity leave. So, we ask that you pray that it would all just fall into place.

Thank you so much for your prayers! Until next time...

Around Town

We filmed this while we were out and about the other day. We hope you enjoy it!!

Ultrasounds, Pedicures, an American Breakfast, and Easter in Africa...

Well, we had an amazing week!!!

Tuesday, we had another ultrasound to check on Butterbean! Praise the Lord, he/she is healthy as can be. The tech told us that he/she already weighs 5 pounds!! Which is good and bad. Good because it means he/she's healthy. Bad because I still have 6 weeks to go and they say babies gain about 1/2 a pound per week at the end. Meaning, if Butterbean goes full term, the birth weight will be around 8-9 pounds!! We are very blessed and thankful though for a good report!!

Here's a shot of Butterbean and I. We are really growing!!

Wednesday, I was able to treat myself to a pedicure!! Yes, they have those here!! In fact, the lady comes to your house to do it. She'll also do a manicure and a massage! You can get a pedicure, manicure, and a 30 minute massage for $30!!! I Praise God for this, there's nothing like getting pampered!!

Thursday and Friday, we mainly worked on language. We went to class, studied at home, and then went to the market chatting with people. Praise God our Bambara gets a little better each day!

Saturday, we slept in (Praise God for rest!!). We got up and cooked an American breakfast!! We had received Bisquick biscuit mix, grits, and microwaveable bacon in a care package. So, we had grits, eggs, biscuits, and bacon. It made us both feel like we were right at home! Praise God for care packages!!

Here's a random driving shot I took the other day. The moto in front of us has three riders: 2 Africans and a live sheep!!! You can see the tail and horns in between the two guys!! A typical site here.

Easter Sunday was pretty uneventful here. Some on our team went to a sunrise service that some other expatriates were having. Some went out to different villages and worshipped with the believers there. Then, the rest of us had church at home. Our team did get together that night for supper and for a time of worship. It was a great day and we really enjoyed it. I have to say it was nice not having to stress over what I was going to wear and going out and getting that perfect Easter dress!! Made me stop and think, "why did I waste so much time and energy on that back home???" "God doesn't care what I wear, He just wants me there worshipping Him with all my heart!!"

Praises this week:

1. The cross!! Without it we are nothing!!
2. Butterbean is healthy!!
3. Language gets better everyday!
4. The small pleasures, like pedicures and breakfast's that make us feel like we're home again!
5. Care Packages!

Prayer Requests:

1. Language, of course!!
2. The upcoming farm project. We have two guys coming but still need more workers!
3. A teacher is desperately needed for our supervisor's son's 3rd grade class next year! Pray that God would send them a teacher!!

Thank you for your faithful prayers!! Until next time...

Hunting in Africa...

Well, last week I got to go on my 2nd hunting trip while here in Africa. Steve, Mitch, and I left Thursday morning and did not come home until Monday afternoon. We went down into southern Mali about 6 hours away from Bamako. At one point during our hunt we left Mali and entered into Ivory Coast (which is a neighboring country). Hunting here is way different than hunting in the states. Everyone hunts together in a line kind of like a drive. It was a very traditional African hunt. The African tradition is for the visitors (us) to supply shotgun shells to the hunters. In turn when the hunt is over whoever supplied the shells keeps all the meat. I was very surprised at this, especially since the Africans killed all the Warthogs, rabbits, ground squirrels and whatever else. They did take the head, intestines and the skin (yes, they eat all of this!). They were so happy we gave that to them because they weren't supposed to get any. All we ended up keeping was this hog. They said his teeth were pretty small can't wait to see some big cutters.

Here's a picture of one of the warthogs that was killed.

 

 

 

We also had some fine African hounds on the hunt to. They are little, skinny and very ugly but very, very ferocious.                                                                                                                                        

I also got to try out some local cuisine while we were away. One night while eating dinner, I asked our host what kind of meat it was that we were eating, he replied "misi sogo", which is literally "cow meat". I thought, "okay?!?" But it was good so I kept on eating it. Well a few bites later I bit into a shotgun pellet and knew I was not eating beef!! So, I asked again, "What is this I'm eating?" Our host turned on his flashlight and looked into the bowl. He then replied "toto". Steve busted out laughing. I knew that that was not a good sign!! He then told me, "That's bush rat!!" Well, I must say, even if it was bush rat, it was still good!! So, I kept on eating!!

One of the highlights of the trip was our host's pet baboon, Caesar. Here are a few pics of him.

 

Here is Caesar sitting in a chair. Mitch and I really enjoyed trying to teach him new tricks.

 

 

You can't really see it. But in Caesar's hand (the one you can see) is some gum. It looks like a yellow string. We gave him the gum and he would play with it and chew it for hours!!

 

We really enjoyed the hunt very much. I got to spend some time with some believers and non believers and really build some good relationships. Since I am starting to get used to the culture, making friends is become more natural and easier. It especially helps, that the Africans are so friendly.

Please pray for the hunters that we were with. That they will continue to grow in their faith and share the good news. There are few believers and they live in remote villages. Currently they are unengaged and the fields are ready for workers to come and work. Also, pray that churches from the states will come to adopt villages to spread God's true word!!! Until next time...

A great but sad week in Mali...

Well, this past week was a great week but at the same time it was a sad one. First the sad part... When we arrived to the field there was a volunteer here working with our team. Her name is Sara, she was helping handle logistics for our partnership churches as they prepare to send teams to Mali. Well, her four months of service here came to an end on Wednesday and she headed back to America. It was very sad for all of us but we know that she will be back!!

Here's Sara in one of the villages.

Monday, after language, Sara and Mitch were headed to "M-Village" so Sara could tell the villagers "good-bye". I haven't been out to many villages because as Butterbean and I grow lager we just can't handle the bumpy, bush roads!! Arnett and I decided "M-Village" wasn't too far and the road wasn't too bad, so we loaded up our stuff and headed out of Bamako. Well, most of you know I'm not much of a bush girl!! But I truly enjoyed my time in "M-Village". When we arrived all the villagers came out to greet us, they were so excited we were there. One of the ladies in the village was also expecting. Even though we could barely communicate, we had this instant bond. Here's a picture of us together.  Please pray for Ava* as she prepares to deliver this child. I can only imagine the conditions this little person will be born in. I also got to hold a precious 1 month old. So, here's a picture of that. After we spent some time greeting and chatting, it was time to take our bucket baths!! The villagers even warmed up the water for us, which was great!! After bath time it was dinner time. We had brought along some rice and gave it to the villagers, so they cooked that for supper. It was delicious. We all ate with our hands out of a common bowl. It wasn't bad at all, well except for the fact the rice was smokin' hot and burnt our fingers when we dipped it out of the bowl!! Mitch then told a Bible story to the villagers. Then it was off to bed. Mosquitos aren't bad right now but I didn't want to take any chances of getting malaria, so Arnett set up my mosquito tent and I climbed in. The worst part about sleeping in the bush is the animals! Not wild ones but donkeys, goats, sheep, chickens, and roosters!! I don't think they ever sleep!!! And roosters do not crow at dawn, more like 2 or 3 in the morning!!! But I did manage to get some zzzz's. Praise God!

Thursday, Arnett and I celebrated 4 wonderful years of marriage!! It's hard to believe it's been 4 years already. We both agree, if someone would have told us 4 years ago we'd be where we are today we would have laughed in their faces! We know though, that these past 4 years would not have been possible without God. He truly is our rock and the foundation on which we stand!! We Praise God for all His many blessings!!

Arnett also went on a hunting trip this week. He, Steve, and Mitch left Thursday (yes, that was our anniversary but I told him to go ahead and go, he needed a break from Bamako!) and were gone until this past Monday. He'll post all about his trip in the next day or so...

Sunday, Susan gave me some driving lessons on the PAVED ROAD!!! I finally graduated from the dirt road to the paved road!! I drove to Susan's house by myself, which I had to get on the paved road to do!! Then we drove in circles in her neighborhood to get me used to the traffic (as if that's even possible here!!). Then we went to get ice cream!! Yes, they have ice cream here. It's soft serve too, not as a good as Dairy Queen but close enough!! Praise God that I drove without hurting or killing anything or anyone!!!

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. I went to language class, did some studying, and relaxed. Praise God for a good weekend!!

Praises this week:

1. Language is still getting a little better each day!
2. I survived my 2nd trip to the bush.
3. 4 wonderful years of marriage.
4. All that God has done for us over the past 4 years.
5. I successfully drove on the paved road without accident or injury!!

Prayer Requests:

1. Sara, as she adjusts to being back in America and dealing with culture shock.
2. Language!
3. The people of "M-Village", within in the next couple of weeks they will run out of food. Harvest time isn't until September. Pray God would provide food.

Thank you for your prayers!!! Until next time...

*Name has been changed

What a Tuesday!!

So, last Tuesday was an incredibly awesome and bizarre day!!!

Arnett and Steve spent the day in one of the villages checking on the people there. That morning I had a doctor's appointment. So, Diane went with me, so she could translate for me. Praise the Lord, Butterbean continues to be developing normally and is a healthy baby!!! I did gain 6 pounds last month. Which is almost as much as I've gained the entire time!! I figure that makes my total gain at about 17 pounds and that's not too bad!!! The doctor did guesstimate Butterbean's birth weight to be somewhere around 8 pounds!! Boy, am I going to be in trouble if that prediction comes true!!

Here we are!! As you can see, Butterbean is really growing!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, on to the bizarre part of Tuesday!!! First, the weather here is getting hotter each day!!! We are now starting to get into the HOT season where the temperature will only get higher each day. Lately, the high has been around 100-105 each day!! Tuesday afternoon, it got really windy and cloudy. It looked like a thunderstorm was quickly approaching. Which is bizarre because we are no where near the rainy season!! However, this bizarre weather made it pleasantly cool outside!! I was sitting at the house studying and told myself, "at 4:00 you're going to go talk to the ladies you met down the street." No big deal, right? WRONG!! Ever since we moved here, I have become a huge introvert, which is so not like me!! I am scared to death to get outside of our courtyard and talk to the people around me!! Well, at 4:00, I stayed put!! As I was sitting here, I heard God saying, "I didn't make this bizarre, pleasantly cool weather for nothing!! Get out there!!" So, I got up, got dressed, and out the door I went. I went to the ladies house and they were not home!! Then I was faced with, do I run back home or go on to the market?? Well, since I had never been to the market without Arnett, I was petrified!! However, God stepped in, and off to the market I went!! Well, I greeted many ladies along the way and was able to have small conversations with several of them. Then, I saw, April*, a lady I had met the last time I was at the market. So, I greeted and chatted with her a little! I told her I needed to go greet Joan*, so I went to do that only to get stopped by Sally*. Who then invited me to sit. So, I was obliged to sit, as that is the culture here! Praise God, I was able to have a small conversation with her. It was then starting to sprinkle a little, so I told her I needed to go home. On my way home, April stopped me again and invited me to sit! So, of course, I did!! Praise the Lord, again, I was able to have a small conversation with her as well. Then it started sprinkling more and she told me to go home!! On my way home, a lady who was near April tells me, "You talked with her a long time, next time you have to talk to me!!" It was like they were fighting over me!! PRAISE GOD!!! I am starting to make friends here and am starting to get the language!! One thing, God really taught me that day, was that I have to trust Him. He'll work out all the details!! I mean, if I would have sat home, I wouldn't have gotten over my fear of going to the market alone!! I wouldn't have built a relationship with those women!!

Here's a recent picture of us. It's not that great. Guess that's because we took it ourselves with the camera timer!!

 

 

The rest of our week, was pretty uneventful. Of course, we had language class, which Praise God is going well!!

Praises:

1. Language is progressing!!
2. Butterbean is healthy!!
3. New friends at the market!!
4. Getting over my fears!!

Prayer Requests:

1. Of course, language!
2. The ladies in Susan and Diane's Bible Storing Group - they understand what it takes to be a Christian but say their husbands won't let them become believers.
3. That the local believers would be encouraged in their faith, despite any persecution they may face.

We truly thank you for your prayers!!! They are definitely being felt on this side of the ocean!! Until next time...

*Names have been changed