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Friday, September 30, 2011

Yesterday I had a great day with my friends in Lompoc. First a beautiful breakfast, followed by some office work. After 11 am my friend Penny came to pick me up to run errands with me; her sweet grand-daughter was with her as well. We got a lot accomplished, as I ticked off item after item on my list.

I returned to the house in time for my skype appointment with Paul. It was so great to catch up with him again, and we talked for quite a while.

The afternoon went by so fast, but I did fit in coloring my hair. It's a messy thing, and it turned out more red than planned, but it's okay.

In the evening we went to someone's house for a "Pampered Chef" party. Few people were there at first, but it filled up later. It was like a Tupperware party. This lady gave a cooking demonstration, and showed off all the kitchen utensils the company sells that you could of course purchase right away. She was really sweet, and the food was really good. It was an interesting experience!

We didn't go straight home but stopped at the dollar store first - as well as getting dessert. Back home, we just talked and talked, until it was midnight.

My second and last night in Lompoc over, I had good breakfast in my friend's house. Our plan was to leave the house at 11:30 am. When my friend Penny showed up before that, I was ready to go - including all my purchases. We loaded up the car, and off we went. We drove about 90 minutes to Ventura; along the coast, I just loved looking at the beautiful sea, with the sunshine reflecting off the water.

We went to Walmart first, so I could get the cheap bag I needed for my third suitcase, as well as some other stuff. Then we went to a restaurant together, but we didn't have time to actually sit down and eat, and so we took the food with us. Penny and I ate in the car, while Cindy ate later.

At 2:30 pm we showed up at my friend's office building to be "handed over". We waited for a while until she was done with her client, and then I got to introduce my two friends to each other. Together we went to a coffee shop to talk and connect; it was short but good. Back at the office, I had to say good-bye to my friends from Lompoc.

My friend had a few more hours of work ahead, so I sat down in one of the empty offices and turned my computer on. Good thing there is always stuff to do, even without the internet. After about 90 minutes, my friend's friend showed up to spend some time with me. By then I was pretty frozen through from the air conditioning, and so we went to a coffee shop where I was glad to get a cup of hot tea.

I enjoyed making a new friend, and after some talking, she put me in her car, saying she had to show me something, and drove me to the top of a hill overlooking the town and the beach. The view was so beautiful! The sun was just setting. I loved it!

Back at the office, I had another 40 minutes to wait for my friend to be done with her clients. My stuff was locked away, and so I sat down comfortably on the couch waiting. And then I discovered that my phone has games, playing them for the first time ever, until my friend came out.

It was nearly 8 pm when we started on our 45 minute drive to my friend's house in Valencia. I enjoyed catching up with her, tired or not. At her house, I found all the boxes of online orders waiting for me, and started unpacking. Then I got online for the first time since the morning, and so time went by quickly.

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Coming soon.

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Coming soon.

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

What a blessing to be able to sleep in! I woke up at 9 am to a quiet house, made myself some tea, packed up and got everything ready to leave. My friend got up at 10 am, and we had breakfast. I thought it would be smart to leave earlier than necessary, around 11 am. My friend was so kind to help me out - having a lot of luggage, that's a huge help.

So I left first, since it would take me time to return the rental car and take the shuttle to the terminal. I was listening to great teaching on my way, until it was done. When I got to Washington, DC, my GPS took me straight through town, and it was quite a challenge to actually take the correct exits and roads, but I got them all. At 12:20 pm I returned my faithful rental car after nearly two weeks of driving it. And it was really nice to only have my purse, getting onto the shuttle, rather than two suitcases and two carry-ons.

A few minutes later I was standing on the curb, waiting for my friend. After half an hour she arrived, and we unloaded my luggage. Then she drove off to park the car and return to help me with the luggage. That meant another half hour of waiting. When she returned, we took all the luggage and made our way to check-in. It was already relatively late. The check-in also took quite some time. And then we had to take the checked-in bags to screening, where I finally got rid of them.

We walked towards security and sat down in the restaurant next to it. We only had about 20 minutes, and shared an appetizer. Time went by way too fast. It was time to say good-bye, as I had to make my way to my gate, and so I said my good-byes to my faithful friend.

I went through security quite quickly, and got to my gate in time. In fact, boarding started later than predicted, so I even waited there for a few minutes. It was a bigger plane, not a small connection plane. I settled into my seat, with my Kindle, catching up on reading my magazines.

Way too little time later it was announced that we were starting our descent - to Atlanta! I was confused - about the destination, and the time. I put 2 and 2 together, realizing we were landing in Atlanta first, before continuing on to Kansas City. However, I had not seen that announced anywhere. I thought I was going straight to Kansas City, and wondered why the flight was so long.

After landing, everyone got off the plane, which was puzzling, but the flight attendant told me I could stay in my seat. We were only 2 passengers to go on to Kansas City. So I settled back in with my Kindle. Soon the plane was full again, and we took off again.

I got pretty tired, and closed my eyes for a while. We arrived in KC pretty soon anyway. It was 7 pm when we arrived. And it was nice to actually have someone waiting for me, rather than making my way to the rental car agency.

It was good to see my friends again. It's been a year since I was in KC, and this year I'm only here for VERY few days, so that my schedule is pretty full. My friends and I stopped at a restaurant on the way, which was nice since it gave me more time to talk with them. We then continued on our one-hour trip from the airport to their house.

I've never been to their house, but loved it right away. As soon as I walked in, I could feel the presence of God. There was this beautiful little living room, and just looking at it, I could tell God's presence lived there. When I actually stepped into that room to walk through it, the presence of God hit me so hard, I moved quickly in fear I'd drop on the ground under the glory! Wow, what a place!

My friends had already offered that I could stay with them, but obviously it was too late for tonight - but not for two more nights when I return from KS; so I'll be going to their house on Monday.

My friend then showed me what I needed to know about their car that they were lending me. It was a really nice car, and I felt humbled that they would actually let me use it. I was also very thankful. I said my good-byes, and left there around 9:30 pm to drive the half hour to my hotel.

It looked like my GPS didn't get any juice from the car, which was worrisome, but it had enough battery life to take me to my hotel. I've actually noticed this hotel before, from my favorite chain, and just opposite my favorite gym, and was excited to stay there for the first time, though it's also said that I have to stay at a hotel for the first time now, 8 years after leaving Kansas City.

The parking lot was pretty full, but the lobby empty as I checked in. I was told that I had received a free upgrade to a small suite, which meant I had a fridge and microwave. Praise God! That was great news.

I got all my stuff together and took it to my nice, little room. I unpacked a little, and then went to the indoor swimming pool room. It was late, but I had been doing a lot of sitting, and felt like working out a little. However, the pool's water was way too cold for me. So I went into the whirlpool which was really nice and relaxing.

Back in my room, I settled in, enjoying all the wonderful aspects of a hotel room, and started blogging. It's going to be late before I go to bed.

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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

When I got up, my friend and host was already off to work - I said my good-byes last night. I finished packing, and loaded up the car. Just before 10 am I left my beloved Harrisburg to drive 90 minutes south to Maryland. I had a good time listening to teaching CDs and arrived there in no time at all.

It was good to see my friend Dottie again, and get to see her house and meet some of her family members. I got my stuff out of the car, and we sat down to talk for a while. She knew that I had wanted to get my hair cut, and told me about her hairdresser not far away, and that she was able to get me an appointment at 1 pm. I was excited to finally get my hair cut to be the "right" length again.

We first went to a little coffee shop to have some lunch. We had delicious sandwiches but time was short, so we had to take half our sandwiches with us for later.

The nearby hair salon was called MIRACLES which I thought was a funny name, especially since it wasn't Christian. It was my turn right away, and this young lady went to work. This was my very first time getting a haircut in the US, and I was a little bit nervous, but she did it just the way I told her to, so thank God. I was happy.

Back in the car, we headed towards Washington, DC, which was a drive of about an hour. I was excited to finally get to see another American landmark (after New York in January). We had a good time talking in the car, and my friend found her way without a GPS.

And the first sight I saw was this little church near the White House where the president goes the day he's sworn into office.

We kept driving, looking for a place to park and go to the bathroom. After some circling we found a parking spot in front of a bakery not far from the White House. Dottie fed the meter with enough coins for us to make it to bathroom and White House.

After our visit to the cute bakery, we started walking towards the white house. As you can tell from the street sign, we were at the right address!

As we approached it, there was a monument, and then this number "1" written with flowers. It was obviously meant to be seen from the sky. I wonder if it's visible on Google Earth.

And then, there it was finally - the White House. As could have been expected, it wasn't as impressive in real life as I had thought. It was actually quite a long distance from the fence (I used my zoom). It's too bad there was no way to get inside; I would have had to contact my embassy to try to get a tour - and weeks in advance.

We walked back to the car. There were policemen and cars everywhere; actually throughout town all day. I don't think I've seen such a police presence anywhere else in the world in a town before. We talked to two Secret Service guys, but they wouldn't allow us to take picture.

The one sight I saw more times than any other throught my time in Washington, was the Washington Monument. It towers high above, in the middle of many of the other sights, and we just kept coming back to it, it seemed. And so I got it from many different angles.

Back in the car, we drove (or tried to) towards the Capitol. My friend thought we could go inside it. However, parking in Washington is extremely difficult; all the parking spots were marked for permit holders, and so we just drove by. The building next to it in the picture is part of the botanical garden.

And back we came, to the Washington Monument, and we headed towards the Lincoln Memorial. My friend knew where we could park for free, and we found it, and found a parking spot. It was a beautiful little park, and two long row boats with young guys training happened to row by on the Potomac river. Unfortunately, we did not see that we parked in a handicapped spot - and got a ticket. My poor friend! :-(

We walked over to the Lincoln memorial, and sat down for some refreshments first. What amazed me more than anything today was probably that there is a big airport right downtown, and even so close to the White House, planes fly extremely low as they land or take off. Every time a plane flew by I as amazed again. If those people had not made that plane crash in PA ten years ago, nobody would have thought anything about that plane heading towards the White House. It just amazes me that they did not close that airport. In fact, it's the airport I'm flying out of tomorrow.

We then walked over to the Memorial; it has the names of all the US States engraved on it, as Lincoln unified this country. I walked up the steps - but did not get that beautiful view we expected. The Reflecting Pool is now a construction site as they're renovating it.

I turned around to the statue of the sitting Abraham Lincoln; it's pretty big. My friend then gave me a little history lesson, and pointed the speeches out that were written out on each side wall.

We then walked back down and towards the car. It was getting late, and we decided it was too late to do the tour with the double decker bus. I was tired, and it seemed smarter to return home, especially since it was a one-hour ride. Actually, it took us longer as we got a little lost, trying to get out of town. But we weren't in a hurry.

We had a good time talking in the car, while I had my eyes half-closed. Once at home, my friend ordered some food, and we had really good Italian food, at a pretty late time. I got online with my computer, enjoying the fast and free internet (neither one was the case during my previous week), and went to bed not long after midnight.

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Monday, September 19, 2011

What a precious last day in Pennsylvania!

Having gone to bed late, I woke up late this morning, and woke up pretty tired. My friend Carol called me, and we agreed to meet at church at 10 am to go shopping together one more time. She told me about this coat shop, and I've been wanting/needing to get a new winter coat for a while. So why not give it a shot.

At church I got into the car with Carol, and off we went. Arriving at the store, we walked through the rows of coats, but nothing looked like what I had in mind. And then we got to the clearance racks, and this one coat got my attention. I liked it - except for the pink inside - and tried it on. It looked good - and seeing the price, I never questioned whether to get it. I got a nice winter coat for $10. Wow! I also got a really nice dress. I'm sure equipped with beautiful dresses now!

It was 11:30 am, and we still had a little time, so we went to Wendy's, where I enjoyed my baked potato with Chili on top. It was my last few minutes with my precious friend, and we made the most of it. At 12:30 she dropped me off at church, and we had to say our final good-byes - until next year. As has become tradition, she gave me Hershey kisses for our kids.

I had a 1 pm appointment at a church 20 minutes away, so I headed straight there. I had never been to the church, and was impressed with its sice. I had met the missions pastor a year ago, and reconnected with him. We had a great time talking, and I hope to see him in Mali one day. We prayed together before I left.

I then headed to Kohl's so they'd take the electronic tag off the jeans I bought there the other day, since they forgot to do so. Now I can wear my new pants!

At 3 pm I finally returned home. I was pretty tired. At 4 pm my friend Terri returned home. I then had to run to the bank. When I returned, it was definitely time for a nap. I lay down for 30 minutes which really helped.

Just after 6 pm I left to drive back to church for my 6:30 appointment. The pastor was so kind to connect me with a couple who agreed to pray for me and bless me. Yeah! Especially with the conference basically not taking place, it was good to have a chance to get prayer. And I've been pouring out so much, that it was nice to get poured in for a change.

Well, I had an amazing 90 minutes in God's manifest presence being blessed. They were sure being led by God as they prayed, and I'm curious to see the fruit from their prayers. I so enjoyed them; it was so refreshing listening to them and interacting with them. What amazing people. I hope to stay in touch with them.

I felt like I glowed with God's presence and glory as I left and drove home, and I just kept basking in Him. Back home, I talked with Terri for a few more minutes, before she needed to head to bed. It was time to say good-bye to her already. As for me, it was time to do some serious packing - two suitcases, and lots of books, plus the purchases made. I was also happy that some of my favorite shows were on TV for me to watch while doing so. I also still had dinner (a salad) to eat, plus my blog to write.

It's 1 am now, most is packed, the blog written, and it's time for bed! At 9:30 am I'm headed out to Maryland.

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Sunday, September 18, 2011

The alarm clock woke me at 7 am today, which is pretty early for me. I had some tea and food, and left the house at 7:45 to make it to church by 8 am. I'm definitely not a morning person.

Once at church, I set up my table for the book signing. It was around the corner from the lobby, and it seemed a little hidden for people coming in and leaving to see. I set up my computer with the pictures, as well as all the other stuff.

The first service started at 8:30 am. I knew that the pastor would tell people about the book signing, but I was caught off guard when he actually called me forward. I quickly grabbed a book and went forward, giving a short book presentation.

Leif Hetland was the speaker at both services. I enjoyed his seminar yesterday, and enjoyed listening to him today. He's quite something; very encouraging and inspiring.

As the service was closing, I went to my book table, ready for the crowd of people - but they never came. It wasn't like in GA when I had a long line of people wanting to get a book, and hardly keeping up with it all. Few people stopped, and few bought a book or signed up to get the email newsletters. The total number of books sold after both services is in the one digit range.

My friends Carol and Terri were helping me out - except that there wasn't much to do.

The second service was at 10:45 am, and again I presented the book and who I am. Again, I went to the book table at the end of the service, but even fewer people passed by.

After a while we decided to pack up and get going. It was late, and we were tired and hungry. I loaded my box into my car, and then got into the car with my friend to go to the restaurant together.

Since we had already been to Applebee's, we went to Olive Garden this time. And, another couple joined us, friends I hadn't seen in a while. They had a little baby - Joy - who made it into the pictures.

We had a great time eating and talking and just hanging out together. Time went by fast, and soon it was time to leave. Carol and I got these pictures taken, because more than one person today had asked us whether we were sisters.

We were stuffed, as we were heading home. I was really tired and aiming for a nap, but it didn't happen. I still wanted to go to the gym, but didn't think I could without a nap first. Finally, I thought it was too late for the nap, and so I just got ready to go to the gym anyway.

It was 7:30 pm when I got there, and they told me the gym closed at 8 pm. I was disappointed, and made the most of the 30 minutes I did have. It was sure good to work out after all the food I'd had for lunch.

Back home, I got on my computer to catch up on things, and finally start writing my blogs. I'm glad I don't have to get up early tomorrow, but plan to go to bed at a decent time anyway.

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Saturday, September 17, 2011

I set my alarm, as I had to leave for church by 8:30 am. I had some food, and took some with me for lunch, before leaving the house.

Once at church, I was thankful for my reserved seat, even though there weren't too many people there. They did 30 minutes of worship before Leif came up.

I had heard him speak at Life Center before, but this time it seemed different. It was more teaching than preaching, but it was really good. I could tell he has a heart for Muslims and unreached people groups, which was great. I felt very much on the same wave length with him.

We had a one-hour lunch break, and I sat down with my lunch and computer in the lobby, taking advantage of the free internet. I didn't know any people around anyway.

Then there were two more hours of teaching. During one of the breaks I had introduced myself to Leif, and asked him for a book swap - mine for his.

When he was done teaching, he prayed from the front for all of us. There was such a sweet spirit in the room. He quietly prayed for one couple, and then he walked over and prayed for me quietly. God deeply touched my heart, reigniting my passion to just go preach the gospel to the unreached people. It was a precious time with God.

The meetings were over at 3 pm. I drove home, ready for a quiet afternoon. My host and friend Terri was so smart to lie down for a long nap, but I didn't. I took a beautiful bath later in the day, which gave me a short boost, so that I was ready to go to the store with Terri.

We went to Kohl's first, where we spent a lot of time, and then to Walmart. By then, I was so exhausted I could barely function. All I wanted was to go home and to bed. So as soon as we got home, that's what I did.

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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Finally a quiet day without commitments! What a blessing!

There was a lot of activity this morning, with Terri having to go to work early, and Carol moving around a lot, but I got up at a decent time. I had breakfast, and got ready for the day. Just before 10 am Carol and I left to drive to my new favorite dress store Dressbarn.

We tried on some dresses and tops - and found clothes to buy. We both got the same top, and I got a beautiful, fancy, purple dress. I need to take a picture!

We stopped at the grocery store and then returned home. Unfortunately Carol had little time left before having to go to work, and just grabbed some quick food for lunch before leaving.

And then my quiet afternoon started! And I sure enjoyed it! After lunch, I headed to the bathtub that I had been eyeing for quite some time. Finally my chance! HOT water - yeah! - plus a cup of tea, and my Kindle. I settled into the water and couldn't have been happier, sipping my tea and reading while enjoying the hot water. I have no clue how long I stayed in there.

Settling into the living room, it was time for some overdue office work. The only downside is, that I'm using an internet stick for use abroad (i.e outside Austria) and it's very slow, and very costly, but it's the only internet available to me here. I can only do basic stuff, and pay for every single MB I use.

I had an enjoyable afternoon of office work. Later in the day I turned on the TV, and enjoyed American televison. My friend and host Terri came home from work really tired, and just relaxed until going to bed early since she needs to get up early again tomorrow. I stayed in the living room for a few more hours working, and hope to make it to bed by midnight. I got pretty tired during the afternoon myself, but never lay down for a nap. I still have some catching up to do sleep-wise, but am glad that tomorrow is another quiet day; AND I'm looking forward to the service tomorrow night!

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Harrisburg, PA

I had stayed up late, and had a hard time getting up. I had a cup of tea, and spent a few minutes talking with my hosts, before packing up and saying my good-byes. At 9:30 am I left Chambersburg to drive to Harrisburg.

An hour later I pulled up at my friend's house. Nobody was there, but I knew where the key was, and unloaded my car. 45 minutes later my friend showed up, and together we went to the grocery store - paradise! Then we met with my other friend and host at my favorite restaurant for lunch - Applebee's! We had a good time.

Back home, we all needed a nap; I was really exhausted. I set my alarm, and slept much-needed 2.5 hours. After we got up, there wasn't much time left before it was time to go to church. The three of us went together in one car; I was so excited to go to one of my favorite churches in the world!

We got to Life Center just before it started raining really hard; last week they had severe floods in this region. It was so great to be at my beloved church, and we got good seats.

We went to the bookstore, where I saw my book near the cash register - great!

At 7 pm the service started, and I was so excited to get to worship God in this environment for the next hour. It was just glorious to worship freely und uninhibited! Awesome God!

Then Che Ahn came up to preach; thanks to the nap I was awake and could get the most of the meeting. At the end, there was a specific altar call, and so my friends and I left to drive home.

Back home, we had some food and talked for a while. Then we went to bed, and I got to do so earlier than the last few nights. It's good to be in Harrisburg!

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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

From VA To PA

So much for sleeping in. After 5 hours of sleep I woke up, got up, packed up, and then went outside where my kind host cooked breakfast for me. It was delicious! I was already tired before I ever left, and wondered how I'd make it through the 5 hours of driving.

At 9:30 am I said good-bye, got settled into the car, turned my GPS on, and went on my way. Again I was driving north, all the way to Shippensburg, PA. At first I was doing fine, but 2 hours into my drive I got extremely tired. I realized I needed to stop for some rest before driving on. I parked at a gas station, lowered the back of my seat, and lay down for a nap. For about 25 minutes I lay there resting, and it sure helped! After I got up, I got myself a cup of tea, and went on my way again. I was much better. But an hour before arriving I got very tired again and struggled with keeping my eyes open. The last 45 minutes just dragged on as I did my best to not let my eyes close. Those minutes seemed to never end. I was so glad when I pulled up at my friends' house in Chambersburg!

It was great to see them again, and I was glad for their understanding. I got some water, went to the bathroom, and then to my room to lie down straight away. I set my alarm for 2 hours and slept the whole 2 hours. In fact, I didn't like the alarm waking me up and could have continued sleeping. But I forced myself up. Time wasn't very long. At 5:30 pm we left to drive to church.

Shippensburg, PA

Arriving at church, I set up my stuff on a table once again. But this time there was also a beautiful picture album the pastor's wife had made. Our American family comes from this church, so I was among their friends and supporters.

At 6 pm we started eating - people had been bringing food with them. I enjoyed the American food - and cheesecake for dessert - as well as talking with those around me.

Then we moved over to the sanctuary where the meeting was going to be. At 7 pm we got started. One of the elders introduced me, and it was a beautiful introduction. Then I came up and shared some of my story and what's going on in Mali.

Then I showed my video presentation. After the video, I shared a few more things and opened it up for questions. I enjoyed answering those questions, and giving them an idea of what their friends' lives in Mali looked like, and would look like once school starts.

After I was done, the pastor came up, and endorsed my book, then closing in prayer.

I went to the book table in the back, and people came to look at the pictures and talk and to get a signed copy of my book. I enjoyed the fellowship, though I only knew few people. In the end I talked with the elder who had introduced me the longest. He's such a gentle guy, and I can't wait for him and for the pastor to come visit us in Mali.

People were leaving, and it was time to get packed up and go home as well. I said my good-byes, and got into the pastor's car. Back home, I had a cup of tea and enjoyed more time to talk and fellowship with the pastor and his wife. Finally I went to my room to catch up on writing blogs and do some office work. I've got to take advantage of the free internet connection, as I won't have any where I go next. And so it's pretty late again that I go to bed - though I can (theoretically) sleep in.

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Monday, September 12, 2011

From SC To VA

I didn't really have to get up early, but woke up early anyway and got up and got everything ready to leave. I had breakfast with my friend, loaded up my car and said my good-byes. I had 4.5 hours of driving ahead of me, and plugged in my phone headset as well as my Kindle headset to listen to my magazines.

It didn't take long before the tiredness got pretty bad again. I struggled keeping my eyes open and wondered whether I should stop for a nap. But I pushed through instead. I just wanted to get to my destination, and lie down for nap before doing the evening meeting.

About 2:30 pm I arrived downtown Lynchburg, at the church address I had been given. I couldn't see the church, and there was nowhere to park. The pastor drove up in his car, and I simply followed him to the appartment complex where they live. He told me that the guest room for me wasn't ready yet, and so I had a cup of tea while talking to his wife and kids. I enjoyed talking to them, but was glad when we left to drive to my host's house.

It took us a long half-hour to drive to the countryside where the house was. By the time we arrived I was barely good for anything. I was shown my room, put my stuff in, and went straight to bed - setting my alarm first, so I wouldn't sleep for more than an hour and still have time to spend time with God before the meeting. It was pretty hard obeying my alarm clock after that hour!

But I did and turned on the worship music on my computer, enjoying precious moments with Him. At 6 pm it was time to leave and drive the half hour back to church.

Lynchburg House Of Prayer

I parked the car in the garage there, and then saw the church on the opposite side of the street. It was a nice little place, with the worship band in the shop window. When I got there, they were actually practicing. I set up my stuff on a table by the door, and just enjoyed the sweet atmosphere in the place.

I was still tired, but functioning, and I was sure looking forward to the time of worship. The meeting started at 7 pm - with only a handful of people, but broadcast online. I enjoyed the contemporary worship, though I hardly knew any songs. When the right kind of song came, I knelt down on the floor, just basking in God's presence. How glorious He is! I just loved it on the floor and wanted to stay there. I was glad the worship time lasted longer than they had planned. I heard the pastor taking the mic, introducing me, and he put his hand on my back and prayed for me.

Worship time was over, and it was time to get up. I was glad my video came first, which gave me time to get up slowly. After the video it was my turn to speak. I shared a little bit, showed my materials, including my book, and then prayed before starting to share. Since it was my first time in this place, I was going to share my story. And I ended up doing more sharing and less preaching than I had actually intended. But by the feedback afterwards, it seems that this is what people needed to hear. I just talked away, telling my story, and people listened intently. The girl I had asked to take pictures told me she was so captivated that she actually forgot to take them.

I needed to end at 9:30 pm, and closed with a prayer. A few people came forward to talk to me and get a signed book. Most people had left when the pastor asked me to pray for him, and I did so with joy, blessing him and prophesying over him. What a precious moment! What a great church, and a great pastor! I'm proud to say he's actually one of our board members.

We left there, and I followed him back to my host's house. Two young ladies were actually coming as well, and I met my host for the first time as she'd had to work late. And she was so kind to cook dinner for us. So we sat down for dinner and talked. The tiredness was catching up with me again, but I enjoyed our time of fellowship. And they even had my favorite dessert, home-made - cheesecake!

It was getting late, and the pastor was leaving first, then I retreated as well, but I wanted to catch up on blog-writing. And so I went to bed way later than I had planned, but at least I got things done. I was telling myself I could sleep in anyway.

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Sunday, September 11, 2011

The Sanctuary

I had finally gone to bed earlier, but I had to get up VERY early again, and that wasn't easy. I knew it would be a long day, and from time to time the tiredness got pretty bad, making it hard to function. It will be Wed before I (hope to) get some rest.

I left the house at 7:30 to be at church by 8 am. Some people were already at the chuch preparing for the first service at 8:30 am. I set up my own stuff on the table in the back, next to the Africa display where they were raising money for the beginning of the school year. I also set up my computer, where pictures were showing. I was ready! I talked to a few people before the service. At 8:30 I went into the cold sanctuary. After 3 songs the pastor came up, introduced me, and I went up for my 10 minutes. I had my video presentation run silently behind me while I talked, sharing my story quickly and presenting the book.

I sat back down to listen to the pastor's sermon. Just before the one-hour service was over, I slipped out to get ready for the crowd. I was thankful that they had put a helper on my side, which made a big difference. That way I was able to concentrate on signing books. And as people walked outside, I was pretty busy. Once the stream of people let up, the pastor also came by (picture). I had a great time back there.

The second service started at 11 am. The order was the same, but this time I had 15 minutes. I had a good time sharing; it was also nice to have some friends in the service that had come because I was sharing. Right after I was done, I had to leave to go to children's church. I was glad that the pastor was joking around and clarifying why I was walking out.

I walked over to the children's church building; they have a great room that is decorated really nicely. I love talking to the kids, so I was pretty excited. I had a few minutes to tell them about children in Mali, and they listened really carefully. It was great.

I had a good time talking with one of the leaders afterwards. Time was going by fast. I didn't actually make it back into the service; I just grabbed my stuff and went back to my table where I set up my computer to show my pictures, and got ready to sign books again.

Again, a lot of people lined up which was great. I enjoyed talking to people a little bit here and there, and the folders and DVDs were flying out. As 1 pm neared it was getting more quiet, and I started to pack up. I thanked my helper who left. I also said good-bye to the pastor who had a plane to catch, as well as to my friends. It had been a good morning, but I was sure tired. I got another box of books to take with me, and said my final good-byes. I texted my friend that I was coming home, as we were planning having lunch at home together.

I got home first and started to pack, tired or not. A few minutes later my friend arrived, and she started cooking. We then had a good time of fellowship together, eating one last time together. My time in Augusta had been short, but precious.

From GA To SC

I finished packing and loading up my car and said my good-byes. My friend said I looked like a pilot after I had put my phone headset in, and then put my Kindle headset on top of it. I had nearly 2 hours of driving ahead of me, and needed to get settled in. I drove off, but soon stopped again as there were more things to get arranged for my long drive.

After I was done and ready to take off, I was totally startled as I saw a sheriff's car with the lights on the roof on right next to me. What was going on? I lowered my window, and a very nice police officer asked me whether I was lost and needed help. He said he saw my PA license plates and was wondering. I told him I had my GPS and was simply settling in for my trip. He was satisfied and drove off, and so did I.

Half-way through my drive I got very tired, but there was nothing I could do about it. I kept driving on. Finally I pulled up at my friends' house outside of Columbia, SC. It was my first time visiting them, and it was great seeing my (Austrian) friend again. I sat down to a cup of tea with them, but then excused myself to lie down for a few minutes. Even those few minutes really made a difference. We then had dinner, and then the Mom, her daughter and I left to go to a candy store for a ladies' get-together from their church. What a unique place to meet! The owner is part of the church, and my friend actually works there.

They had all kinds of fruits and other stuff set up, as well as bowls with liquid chocolate to dip things in. That was different! I took a few strawberries and dipped them; for me fruit and chocolate don't go together. Plus, I didn't really want to eat much chocolate to not gain weight again, but I feel like I still had too much.

I was also so very tired and had a hard time functioning. One lady started talking with me, and we had a good conversation. After that conversation we thankfully left to go home. I was ready!

But we still had work to do back home, as my friend's husband is a web designer, and I've been unhappy with trying to get a new website up and running. And so it was 10:30 pm before I went to my room - and went straight to bed to be reasonable for once.

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Saturday, September 10, 2011

First Ever Book Signing

Having gone to bed late, and waking up early because of jetlag, I was exhausted when it was time to get up. I had breakfast, got things ready, and left to go to my first-ever book signing at The Sanctuary church. I was curious, and I was ready. I met the ladies that were there - someone from the book store and from the coffee shop - and I set up my stuff; my computer to have pictures run through, the toy car my kids had made, my brochures and DVDs.

After about 20 minutes the first person (picture) arrived, and right after her a few more. Each person sat down with me to talk a little, and I enjoyed our conversations. The fourth person purchased three books. So within 15 minutes I'd had 4 people and sold 6 books - and that remained the outcome for today. For the next 2+ hours no more people showed up.

I took advantage of having an internet connection, and even lay down at one point because I was so tired. I enjoyed it all regardless! I got to know the ladies from the church a little, and our treasurer and secretary also came by, as well as the pastor.

Then they showed me what the church has done to help raise money for the beginning of the school year expenses. I was very much impressed. They put a child representing each one of our children on an Africa map, and split the expenses into school books, supplies and uniforms, so that people could give different amounts according to their abilities, and whenever something gets purchased, they put books, clothes or supplies on the children on the map. Awesome idea!

Friends

The book signing ended at 2 pm, and I packed up and left my stuff there for the morning. My great friend Christy came to pick me up so we could spend some time together. It was good to see her again.

We went to Panera's to have lunch together and catch up. Then we went to a nail salon - one that she recommended. I needed a manicure/pedicure to look nice again ;-). First we were able to talk, but Christy was done quickly.

Tiredness was overwhelming me, and I closed my eyes as the lady worked away, first on my toes and then on my finger nails. In total it took 90 minutes. I was surprised how relatively cheap it was compared to my first two times in MO and CO.

Christy took me back to church where my car was sitting; those were our last moments to share until my next visit, and the good-bye came quickly.

It was already 5 pm as I left to drive home. When I arrived, my friend told me how visibly tired I was. And I did feel like I couldn't function and excused myself to go lie down for a few minutes. I only had about 30 minutes to do so. I was exhausted, and sure needed those minutes of rest. I also knew that I shouldn't actually fall asleep if I wanted to get up again tonight.

After my rest, I got changed and ready to go down to our guests. I felt SO MUCH better, ready to face the world again. It was so great to see my friends Roger & LaReese and their girls again. I usually preach at their church when I'm town, but this time that wasn't possible. I was glad I at least got to see them and spend some time with them.

We had some great dinner together. Then we sat down to watch my video presentation, which was great. And then they prayed for me, which I really appreciated. And once again, time to say good-bye to friends - until next time.

They left, but we weren't done yet. It was time to go out on the lake with their boat. Yeah! It was full moon, and a beautiful night. I was excited.

We drove into the middle of the lake, where Judd turned off the engine. The silence was so beautiful, as was the whole atmosphere. And then we just talked and talked, and it was such a precious time of exchanging and fellowshipping. I felt so blessed. How rare these occasions are when you're so far geographically from your friends.

The night couldn't last forever, and we had to turn around and go back home. Once back, I had a cup of tea and we talked some more, until I just had to draw myself away to go to my room and get this blog finished before going to bed. I intended to go to bed earlier - especially as I have to leave the house at 7:30 am. At this point it looks like another short night ahead - and a busy morning at church.

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Friday, September 9, 2011

New US Office & First Day In Augusta

It was hard when the alarm clock woke me up this morning - I had definitely not had enough sleep to overcome the sleepless night and jetlag. But, I had work to do. This is a work trip after all!

My friend and host made me a wonderful breakfast, and off I went to THE SANCTUARY to meet my new secretary and treasurer. They were so kind to come in on their day off, so I could show them how to do things.

Both of them work in the church office there, and you can tell by their skill level thanks to their experience. Sylvia (to the left) is the church secretary (and ours), and Anne is the church's financial secretary and our treasurer. They are wonderful ladies, and it took no time at all to show them how things work.

Unfortunately they had other plans, so the lunch with them and the pastor didn't work out. But I have two more days where I'll see them.

So I left there earlier than I thought I would and went to a store to buy some needed stuff. It was great to be in a store again for the first time - where EVERYthing is available!

The tiredness really hit me again, and I was glad to be driving home. Back home I had some food for lunch and enjoyed my friend's company, but then I just had to go to my room to lie down. I didn't really want to as I wanted to do some computer work, but I really had to. So I fell asleep, and woke up less than 90 minutes later - feeling like I had been run over by a truck. It took me a long time before I was able to get up and moving again and start getting some things done.

Time wasn't very long anyway, as I was meeting with friends for dinner. I met with them right there at Carrabas, and we had a wonderful 2 hours together.

Again, I was extremely tired, but managed to stop at a store on the way home to buy a much-needed item. Once home, I got some hot tea and spent some time talking with both my hosts, with the husband having come home from work. After a while I had to excuse myself; what I really wanted was to sleep, but instead I went back to work - and got much done. I ended up going to bed much later than planned - and will undoubtedly pay for that tomorrow, as I have a long day ahead.

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

From Paris To Augusta

The lights were turned back on just before they handed out tea and coffee and an old croissant for breakfast - at 3:30 am local Malian time! We had only had dinner between midnight and 1 am or so.

We were delayed by more than half an hour because of our late departure, but I had plenty of time. I know how tricky the airport in Paris is. Especially when they use the bus to take you to the terminal, you need a lot more time than if you walk straight into the terminal. And it's about a 50-50 chance arriving from Mali. Today, it was the bus.

It was pretty chilly in Paris at 6:40 in the morning (in Mali it was two hours earlier). And as expected the bus took forever to take us to the terminal; I kept my eyes closed because I was so tired. Once in the terminal, I pretty much know my routine by now as I always leave from the same terminal as I arrive when going from Mali to the US. Since that terminal is split into two, I just need to find out which half my gate is in. It was in the closer half today.

So I went through security again, and then to the frequent flyer lounge where I had about an hour - for food, drinks and internet. I usually talk to my mother and my brother when I travel through Paris, but my Mom's on vacation in Egypt right now. I got to talk to my brother, though, which was nice, as well as to a friend.

My gate was the furthest away, but boarding was delayed. While waiting in line, I had to close my eyes again because i was so tired. Finally they started boarding over 20 minutes late. As is their custom in Paris for flights to the US, they ask you lots of questions. However, today they asked more questions than ever before! One by one Americans were passing by me as the agent had another and another question. So much for being at the front of the line. At least he was really nice.

Again I was glad when I got to my seat. I could already tell that there weren't many people on this flight, and everyone has 2 or 3 seats to themselves. I've got two. I was disappointed that it was a Delta operated flight, because of the not so good food, and especially the missing individual movie screens. This is a 9.5 hour flight after all!! Well, on the upside, it would give me more time to catch up on reading my Kindle, as well as sleeping.

I ended up watching the first big screen movie - it was decent but not great - and had the lunch we were served (at least it wasn't pizza - which doesn't mean that won't be served just before we land). After the movie was over, it was time to get some sleep. I tried to get comfortable lying down on my two seats, which wasn't that easy, but I did get some sleep. Getting up again. I spent my time reading my Kindle, and writing this blog. Now I still have 3 hours of flight ahead of me, and my computer batteries won't last much longer. I definitely need to get another nap in - and should be able to get more reading done.

By the way, I was cold on that first flight, and it's even colder on this flight. I'm glad I have my jacket and two blankets! And, I was smart and put a pair of socks into my pocket; I'm sure glad I did. I know it's going to be hot in Georgia, thank God (at least outside).

Hours Later - Well, I can tell my flights between France and the US are more and more often operated by Delta. I was spot on - pizza and icecream served as lunch before landing in Atlanta. What a great, healthy lunch! (ironic) The remaining time passed by quickly; no more chance for a nap, just a little reading, and lots of freezing.

Though we had left France a little late, we arrived in Atlanta half an hour early, at 1 pm. Thankfully I didn't have a connection to catch - which is the case most of the time.

One of the advantages of being a frequent flyer is getting seats towards the front of the plane. So I got off quickly, as we were all heading to immigration. With Atlanta being a huge airport, the immigration area is huge as well, with at least 100 counters - half of them used for US citizens/residents, and the other half for visitors. When I looked back after a while of waiting in line, I could see how long the line had gotten, and was glad I was pretty far in the front, as those people would have to wait a long time.

I waited for a while as well, and noticed that quite a few people were pulled aside for questioning. That, plus the unusual questions I had been asked before boarding... I wondered whether this was nervousness just before the 9/11 anniversary. When it was my turn at immigration, he didn't ask more than usual, and I was through.

Next came the luggage challenge. I picked up my bag that was already going in circles, and then - "by chance" - saw the box sitting at the place where the oversized luggage comes out. It definitely was oversized! Had I not seen it, I would probably have though it hadn't made it. Thank God. So I loaded my cart, and next came the challenge of customs.

These past few trips, I've been pulled aside by customs quite a bit, simply because I was coming from Africa. It's just a hassle - and time loss when you have a connection. With the big box, I was convinced it would happen again. However, it seemed that the immigration officer had not written on the paper to pull me aside. The young African-American officer talking with other officers simply waved me through. Another praise God!

On the whole, as usual, I was just amazed at the southern friendliness everywhere I turned. I like flying into Atlanta!

Next, I had to "recheck" the luggage even though this was my final destination. I gave them my bag, but they sent me to the opposite end of the building for the oversized box.

Then I went through security, and took the train to the baggage claim area. Once there, I bought a cart for the luggage and went to my carroussel. It wasn't moving yet. And then everyone moved to the neighboring carroussel as our bags were coming out there. I soon saw mine. I assumed that the box would be at the oversized luggage place again - of course at the opposite end of the building.

I headed there and didn't see the box. Then the lady told me that oversized luggage from international flights often taken one hour before they come out. Are you kidding me? One hour??? I sat down on my cart, getting ready for the long wait. I was pretty tired, and an additional hour wasn't part of the plan. I still had 2.5 hours of driving ahead of me.

And once again God's grace and blessing came through - the box came after 10 minutes. Hallelujah!

I got my cart loaded and headed towards the train that would take me to the rental agency. I got to the escalator, and there was an elevator - and I could take the cart inside. So I went up on the elevator. Then the train came - and nothing said I could not take the cart inside the train, so I did. Smile. After a while we arrived at the rental agency complex, and I got off the train. There was an elevator - and I got on with my cart. I got off at my platform - and nothing said I could not take the cart to the counter and to the car. Actually, I only needed to look on the board to find out where my car was parked - that was it. I found the number and followed directions to that parking spot. Once again I was thanking God for my Gold status with Air France and with Hertz. Gold status with Air France had automatically given me Gold status with Hertz, which meant I could always go straight to my car.

I rolled up to my nice, waiting car, and for the first time I had a real challenge. The box would not fit into the trunk of my compact car; impossible. So the only other option was the back seat. I tried to get the box through the back door; again, a challenge. I thought I might succeed if I moved the front seat forward, so I did. With lots of trying and pushing I finally got the box in, thank God. I then settled in, setting everything up (like GPS) that I needed for my trip. It all took a while, but at 3 pm I was finally ready to roll, after sending a text message to my friend that I was on my way.

The weather was good, not as hot as I thought, as I started driving east towards Augusta. The first hour I was okay, but then the tiredness hit, so I decided to call up a few friends and talk with them the rest of the time, which was a good decision.

After about 25 hours of traveling I pulled up at my friends' house outside of Augusta. I was tired and glad to be "home". It was great to see my friend again!

We unloaded and went inside the beautiful house, right by the quiet lake. I got all my stuff into my room, and then went down to talk with my friend. Some time later she started cooking, while I started writing my blog and checking emails. Then we had a great dinner together.

I intend to go to bed at a normal time locally tonight to get over jetlag, and be ready for work in the morning.

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Last Day In Mali

I was glad I had already accomplished a lot. Still, I was still adding things to my to-do-list while ticking them off at the same time. And I was extremely tired all day, since the last few nights have been shorter, and kept drinking lots of tea, hoping it would help.

This summer I've been working hard on losing weight, and ironicly, it was this morning that I had my lowest weight ever as an adult - on my last day before leaving and gaining weight again.

Busy or not, I could not refuse to let my little ones come in and play their educational Nintendo games. I enjoyed every minute of having them around, especially knowing it would be weeks before I'd see them again.

My cat Sweety is very attached to me, and knew I was leaving. She avoided me all day and slept in a high up place, keeping me from even touching her.

So I was not too stressed out during the day, only towards the end I was speeding up things to get everything done, and got a lot accomplished. It worked out just perfectly. I gave my last few instructions to team members, and received the box I'm taking with me for our Americans. I was a little concerned about its size since I have a lot of walking, customs, a train, more walking to accomplish with this box before I get to the rental car. We'll see how it goes.

At 8 pm we did our daily family meeting, but tonight, the kids all prayed for me after I had prayed for them which was precious. Paul ended with a beautiful prayer. Then it was time for good-bye hugs, which wasn't easy. Sarata had already announced to me earlier that Sweety wouldn't be the only one crying because I was gone, but that she would cry as well as she'll miss me. Oh my. I told her I'd be back! I keep thinking of the dream I had of her joining me on a trip to the US; I found out that legally it's actually possible (if she's accorded a visa). Until now I had always thought that the kids would have to be 18 first.

By the way, I updated our resident and non-resident kid pictures with new pictures as well as some faces gone and new ones added.

Yakou was driving, and Paul was coming along too. Those are always my last precious moments to talk to Paul, think of whatever I had not told him yet and say our good-byes basically. I hate that drive from the base to the airport the most; as well as the drive from the airport to the base when I return. It's the transition that is really hard, and I'm thankful it only lasts a few hours. At that moment, all your mind and energy has been focused on getting everything done for your absence, meaning you hardly have time to think of what lies ahead on the trip, and now suddenly you need to shift your mind to the trip, and you're painfully aware that you're not going to see anyone and be a part of everything for a few weeks, and will have to rely on email and skype to find out how things are going. It's just a horrible feeling.

Starting A Long Journey

They dropped me off, put the big box and bags on a cart, said good-bye, and in I went, into the terminal. At the check-in I was asked whether I could take tomorrow's flight as there were too many passengers, and I explained that that wasn't possible. I got upgraded into the new high-end economy class that I'm particularly fond of when it comes to sleeping as you can't tilt your seats back.

After immigration and security, I went to the frequent flyer lounge where I had about an hour. I enjoyed having my Kindle to read my weekly magazines - especially having to catch up on reading anyway.

Boarding started nearly 90 minutes before scheduled departure, and that's because it always takes a long time in Mali. More checks and security, as they go through all your carry-on stuff. Then we stood in the full bus forever; I think the plane wasn't ready for us yet. It was pretty hot in the bus - but I didn't mind; I'd be cold soon enough.

We were finally dropped off at the plane. I could see on the way that all the construction work at the airport has progressed nicely, and already there are more planes than ever. Several companies have started regular flights to Mali from Europe recently. At the plane, they made us wait for a long time again, standing at the bottom of the staircase leading into the plane.

I was glad when I finally got to my seat and got to sit down; I'm not used to these shoes, and standing in them for so long. I got my Kindle out again and did more reading as it still took a long time for everyone to board and for us to be ready for departure.

I was actually pretty tired and closed my eyes for take-off, when they shut off the lights inside the plane. Once the entertainment system was turned on, I was looking forward to watching some good movie. There wasn't one I absolutely wanted to see, but a few that sounded decent. I picked one, and it was okay.

I'm always looking forward to my first Air France meal, and enjoyed it - especially after having been pretty restrictive with my diet these past three months. With much effort I finished my movie, and then turned the screen off to try to sleep. I didn't get my window seat because of the upgrade (nothing to lean against), and as I said, the seat can't be tilted, so I wasn't very successful. I don't think I slept much at all.

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Preparations

Last Sunday I worked really hard to make progress with the preparations for my trip, and I got much done, but was also exhausted Monday morning. I've continued to make good progress yesterday and today, and have profited from the hard work on Sunday.

I enjoyed time with my little ones again, and considered joining them all for their time at the swimming pool; but I just didn't have that much time. It was Matthias's good-bye present, and since school starts soon, and we just finished our summer class, this was the perfect time for it.

It was definitely nice to have a quiet base in the afternoon, and with Mimi also being home, we took advantage of this time so I could show her everything she needed to take over from me during my absence. I also continued ticking off things of my to-do-list. By 7 pm I was extremely tired. These past few nights have been shorter than usual, with me working later than usual, so I could tell. I would have fallen asleep right away, had I lied down. But I knew I had a few more hours ahead of me.

I didn't expect to have to deal with two situations, though. First, we had our street kid Bible story, and it was the second time I had Jérémie do it, i.e reading the children's Bible in French, with Paul translating into Bambara. He did a good job. Then we had our nightly family meeting. After that, we had a team meeting (three times a week). After that team meeting, I had to deal with the two situations; one had been brewing for a week, the other all day. So we sat down first with the one person, and then with the other, and were able to resolve both situations so very beautifully. I just loved it! The love and presence of God that was there in the end! Praise God! It was 10 pm before we got done with everything. And then it was time to return to the office for a little more work. In 24 hours I'll be sitting on a plane!

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Monday, September 5, 2011

Two Plus Months Of Silence

Well, after the longest season of NOT blogging - since end of June - since I started to do so in 2005, I hope I'm back for good now. A series of things led to this, and it was in no way planned.

One was our website being redesigned, which I thought would be done quickly, and so I didn't want to invest any more time into the old website (the one you see now). As you can tell, things are being delayed further and there is no telling when the site will be finished (sigh).

Another reason was me being VERY busy all summer. Every morning I would take 60 to 90 minutes to teach our children - the first few weeks it was English, and the last few French. Also, our little ones were doing exercises to improve their writing skills. In the afternoon, Julie and Matthias would oversee them for an hour of homework writing.

As for me, I would translate more of Bible Pathway into Bambara and record it with Paul. We did so even more when Paul showed up less and less for marriage preparation class until it stopped all the way. Also, Karim would come every afternoon to read the Old Testament in Bambara to record it with our voice recorder. We finished Genesis and Exodus this summer.

But that was not all; most afternoons we did one hour of Bambara - our three Americans, Matthias and Eva (until she left) allowed me to teach them every afternoon, and it was great to see their skills improve, as well as polish my own language skills.

Besides all this, I did just the regular stuff of preaching, leading worship & prayer, disciplining kids, answering questions and being available, leading family meetings and having team meetings, doing accounting and office work, and whatever else I didn't list.

In the beginning of July, Matthias - a young Austrian student - came to spend the summer with us; he took over Eva's jobs, and is staying until the end of September. Towards the end of July, Eva had to leave us early unexpectedly to get ready to start school in September. Once Matthias leaves, Mimi is taking over Matthias's jobs.

As for the children, Daouda (11) ran away a third time (for hardly a reason at all) and has not been heard of since. Recently we haven taken in Youssouf (11 - picture), and so far it's going really great with him. He'll be starting 1st grade now, as he's never been to school before. We've also added Sama's sister Nyeba (picture) to our sponsored children, as she's also living with Paul's step-mother Elisabeth right now. In a few months, Elisabeth and the 6 children living with her will move in with us - whenever the third house is built.

And now - after three uninterrupted months in Mali - I'm getting ready for my 5-week trip to the US. I'm excited, while at the same time already missing my little ones.

Worship Night

For weeks I felt every week at our prayer meeting that we should do a worship night. So I finally set a date for tonight. I had high expectations, thinking of some amazing times of praise & worship we've had in the past.

We got set up early, setting up the projector and video screen and putting in African, French, worship music. However, the DVDs have been played so much, they're really scratched, and so we couldn't get far. However, the kids had been dancing quite a bit to it. That changed when I put in the American, English, worship DVDs. Now it was Paul and me and a few others still worshiping with all our might. It was sad to see most kids just sitting along the wall, even though there were songs that they're used to singing in French.

I talked to Paul a few times, who was also disappointed; we agreed it was an issue of the heart, and there was nothing we could do about it. All we can do is to be a fiery example of a worshiper and lover of God; they have to fall in love with God themselves. So I just know that Paul and I had a good time. The meeting lasted 90 minutes.

It was dinner time, and then time for our nightly Bible story time with the street children. With me leaving, I asked Jérémie to take over reading in my place, and he reluctantly did it. It's a French children's Bible, and Paul does the Bambara translation. He did a decent job, though it's not easy to read the French language. Of our kids who go to school during the day, Jérémie is in the highest grade.

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Sunday, September 4, 2011

Construction Update

We stopped construction in June, but I didn't take any pictures back then, so here you have current pictures of what house #3 looks like. We still have no funds to continue building; we're trying to get one room and bathroom ready for our guest pastor and speaker at our November conference, and we need to get the whole house fininshed for me to move in by the time Paul & Rokia get married January 7th.

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Saturday, September 3, 2011

Service & New Girl

This summer I've been preaching most services, and I've been using the La Red material which instills basic principles of integrity, and it's really great. What I do is add Bible stories and whatever the Lord wants me to say. Today I did lesson 11, on ambition, and it went great. I just love it when Holy Spirit takes over and preaches through me. Praise God!

Our praise & worship times have been rather pitiful, though. First Saloum stopped playing the drums, because he was never practicing and not showing up for his lessons with the music teacher. So our only other drum player - Jérémie - played, but he refused to practice for the service, and only practiced half-heartedly during the week. He didn't want to put the work in, so he stopped too. So we had two weeks now without the drum set, and only pitiful Djembe playing. Hopeful all that will change again.

Today we took Nyeba's picture to add her to our non-resident sponsored kids. She's been coming to our services regularly for weeks now, but I only found out recently that she also lives with Elisabeth now. Her older sister Sama has been living with Elisabeth for years. Their parents are not doing well physically and can't take care of them. That means when Elisabeth moves in with us, she'll come with her 5 own children plus Sama (9) and Nyeba (7). She's a cute little girl for sure! And now that she's sponsored, she can finally start school!

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Friday, September 2, 2011

School Preparations

These past few weeks we've been buying school books, notebooks, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, rulers, and more school supplies, spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars. This year we have 27 kids in school. We've also spent hundreds of dollars paying the first installment of tuition for them.

Now what we've left to pay is the fabric for the school uniforms, and then to have them sown.

I made a bag with each kid's name and grade, and started putting into those bags the supplies for that specific grade and kid. Needless to say, that's lots of work! Today, Bakary and Sarata were helping me, and they did a great job!

Recently the two of them have spent a little time with me every day, as they come over to play a Nintendo DS game that actually improves their concentration skills. It's good training for the. Especially Bakary who seems to have ADD. He barely made it through first grade, and I have no idea what we could do to help him learn better and concentrate better. Any ideas out there?

Sarata spent quite a bit of time with me this summer, as she was sick twice and spent quite a few days in my living room each time, watching movies non-stop while being on mandatory bed-rest. It was the only way to get her to stay down, but in the end I think she enjoyed it (except for being sick). She actually sleeps in my living room now every time Seybou (Fanta's husband) is here for a night (once a week). I'm gonna miss them when I leave on my trip!

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