The past three weeks have been quite an experience. We have not had internet at home, so I have only been able to quickly check and send emails from school. Thus the silence on our blog page. Not only that but we have experienced an incredible amount of power outages. This past weekend, I think we had about 12 hours of electricity from last Thursday – Sunday. It was crazy. This week has been much better, however it is no uncommon to have 2-3, 2 hour power outages a day, or night. Unfortunately for us the generator is not working either. The temperature in the house is usually about the mid 30′s. When the fans stop, the sweat just rolls faster. As a family we have had some fun making up new works to songs…. like ”and the sweat begins to roll….right down my spine…it goes on and on….all the time…” (Thanks Garth Brooks for the inspiration!)

The past few weeks we have also experienced a few dust storms. Those are a good time when one is out on playground duty. You can see the sky turn orange. Within minutes the wind is blowing and sand is everywhere. Due to the sweat that one has accumulated, once the storm passes you are pretty much a walking piece of sandpaper!

Then there are the friendly termites that just love my kitchen so much. Last week they started coming up through the grout. God bless those creatures.

The rebuilding of the campus is moving along. There is still much to be done. The teachers are packing up their classrooms and getting ready to head back to campus. It is all so much work. We are blessed to have as many hardworkers as we do.

Our family is doing well in spite of all of this fun. We are learning to set out minds and keep them set. To see the blessings and to believe that God is more than enough, that He will and is giving us what we need. We are more than conquerors and we can do anything through Him.

We all are looking forward to a break. To some down time. There are only a few days of school left and then we begin to say many good-byes to amazing people that we met this year. Some have finished their term here and others are just leaving for a year. Either way, there are a whole lot of good-byes. There is a lot of emotion.

I am sorry I don’t have pictures for this post, but I want to get something posted while I still have internet and electricity and pictures take a LONG time to download. Hopefully next week.

Thanks for reading.

It’s Hot! by Shel Siverstein

This sums up how we feel most days, although we have gradually adjusted to the heat the sweat continues to roll. Our appreciation for electricity, fans and air conditioners deepens. The other day as the fans came back on following a power outage, I heard Brianna say, “I am so thankful for fans and electricity.” Actually it blessed my heart. She probably hadn’t ever thought of that before. When it is 37 degrees in the house we wonder if the fans do anything, then the power goes out. When the fans come back on, we realize how much they were doing and we Praise Jesus for them!

Brianna chillin under the fan.

A few updates. Rebekah’s head has healed wonderfully, thank goodness for dental floss! She doesn’t seem to be having headaches anymore either.

We continue to be grateful for this. Chaco’s leg has also healed nicely. He no longer has a cast and is out chasing lizards and barking at hedgehogs most days. Again, we praise God for this.

Our family has many other household pets, although we have not named them all because not all of them are welcome. We have what seems like an endless stream of termites in the kitchen. I wonder when the kitchen cabinet is going to crumble to the floor.

This week, I also have come face to face with a friendly little gecko. They don’t bother me so much, they eat the bugs I don’t like. However, I was greeted by one at 5 am the other morning as I was putting dishes away. Last night, he startled me again as he clung to the outside of one of the kitchen cabinets. Fortunately I won the staring contest and he took off underneath the termite infested cabinet. We might never seen him again! (Sorry I do not have a picture, my scream seems to scare him away before I am back with the camera!)

We only have a few weeks left of school, and you can tell. As the temperature remains high the kids and teachers are tired and covered in sweat, and everyone has a little less patience with each other. This past week I was doing tests with some of the Grade 1 class and we had no electricity. The poor kids worked on their test for over an hour, sweat pouring down their temples, chins, backs and necks. Their sweaty arms sticking to their test papers. They used their scrap paper and made fans to fan themselves with in between questions. They were real troopers. Only 22 days left of school.

After school, us girls were headed home in a borrowed vehicle. We made it to the little store just a few blocks from the school. After our 15 minute stop in the store we came out and the vehicle would not start. Within minutes, I had 5 Africans around my vehicle. In my limited french, I was able to communicate that it was the battery. They began to push me through the sandy roads, at temperatures well over 40 degrees. A few minutes later we were hollering our deepest thanks and appreciation out our window as we headed towards home.

Once we arrived home we exchanged our grocery bags for swim bags and headed to a friends house. The girls were having a great time in the pool. An hour into their play time and Bekah fell on the pool deck and cracked her head on the tile floor. Now for a trip to the doctor. With a wet rag on her head, and many questions later we arrived at the doctors house. A quick examination verified that there were no signs of a concussion, Praise God. However, there was an area that he felt might require a stitch. Seeing as it was only one stitch, it hardly seemed worth all the freezing etc. that was involved. Instead, he took some hair from above her wound and some below her wound and tied it in knots. We then tied her knots off with a piece of dental floss. Voila!! I laughed so hard. I loved it. What a great fix. Have I ever said, “I love Africa!” This place cracks me up.

Well, being such an eventful afternoon, it was not time for supper. We headed home and did a special dinner for the girls. “Mom and Pop’s Italian Pizzeria”. The girls enjoyed their meal and having their parents serve them. After dinner we gave them a special activity to do, on that included math, social studies, and problem solving. We gave them a stack of papers and let them see what they could figure out. After about 15 – 20 minutes of reading, discussing, and guessing, they figured out that we had given them a travel itinerary that informed them of a family trip for this summer. They were incredibly excited to learn that we will be in Canada and the United States for a few weeks this coming summer. It was a great end to our day!

And to think, I wondered what I would write about! The power of words, one must be very careful with what they say. God is listening and He responds. So as I look back on Friday and the days leading up, I realized  it was another week were we saw and experienced God’s amazing hand at work. We have seen His protection, His healing and felt His deep love. We serve an amazing God and I feel so honoured that He chose me, that He chose us, to be on His team. I have become keenly aware that He is everywhere, showing His love to me, to us… I just get so caught up in life’s circumstances that I often miss Him. I am so thankful I saw Him this week and that He keeps pursuing me. What an amazing God!

As these rains have fallen, we have all taken great delight in the cool breeze that blows and we head outside to dance and play in the rain with everyone else. It is quite a sight to be had. In Canada, when the sun shines, everyone smiles and their spirits are lifted. In Africa, this is what happens when the rains come. The girls did not want to miss out. As soon as we heard the thunder, they were outside running around. Within minutes they were soaked. It was fantastic! They also took this time to enjoy a few mangos from the trees in our yard too.

Although the rains were refreshing and cooled things off nicely, they also brought many large puddles to the yard. For an outside dog, these are hard to resist. After these lovely rains, most of what was left of Chaco’s cast was now slipping away into the puddles. With yet another wrap around, Stacy has managed to save about the bottom tenth of Chaco’s cast. One more week and he should be free.

This week also brought another eye opening experience. Friends of ours are caring for a little baby girl. She is a sweet little thing. Her mother died shortly after childbirth and the father is now uncertain with what to do with this little life. She is only 14 days old and a mere 4lbs. Her story is not unlike many other babies here, only she has someone who is caring for her right now. Today Rebekah and I had the privilege of going and loving this little girl too. We don’t know what God has planned for her, but I am believing it is something wonderful. If you think of her, pray for her.

As her visit came to an end, we had the opportunity to head out to the village once again.

These are always eye opening experiences. While in the village, we were treated to an authentic African lunch…this includes sitting on the mat, one pot, using our fingers (don’t worry, we licked them clean before we ate!) and we ate ‘pat’ (no idea how to spell this, it is kind of like a hot congealed grainy cream of wheat deal). Then she made a special leaf sauce that was poured around it. The idea is to pinch some of the pat with your fingers, dip it and scoop up some of the leaf sauce. Squeeze it into a ball in your fingers and gracefully slide it in your mouth with your thumb. No problem! Oh ya, and keep your left hand out of it. We all enjoyed this experience and the food.

The woman we went to see has won my heart. She has had many challenges and we have had the opportunity to help her. She asked us to come and visit her so that we could see the house that she is building. It is a very humbling experience and has a great way of keeping me from complaining about what I don’t have.

That night, we said good-bye to my sister and welcomed a TeachBeyond representative. It was a great 48 hours of conversation, encouragement and food! We feel so blessed to be serving here with both TeachBeyond and SIM. It truly is an incredible community.

At the same time school resumed. Although I was dreading the early starts again, they were rather refreshing, I do enjoy routine. It was a a rough week in many respects too, I experienced West Africa and spent a few days in bed/the bathroom. but am good to go again. It was crazy hot and Stacy is really starting to notice it. Working in temperatures well over 40 degrees celcius with no shade is draining. He comes home so exhausted by the end of the day, his toes are every pruned because they have been saturated with sweat all day long. The good news is, the trusses that his brothers helped make have begun to go up… this is exciting.

Other observations that we know it is hot….. in a 60 second phone call, your cell phone begins to short out from the sweat!, we find 30 degrees to be refreshing, a tray of ice cubes melts in water in less than a minute, there are numerous power outages everyday/night, at 10:00 pm when you go for your shower the water from the cold water tap doesn’t even feel cold! ( I would never have believed it!), your eyebrows don’t fully do their job by keeping sweat from dripping into your eyes.

Well, this weeks ramblings are getting a little long, so one last update and then I will be done. Our dog is recovering nicely from his current injury. Although he would heal faster if he wouldn’t keep chewing his cast off! He is all re-wrapped now. This morning I even saw him trying to walk on his bandaged leg. Only two more weeks with the cast. I wonder how many times it will be re-wrapped?

It was an amazing time. I left feeling challenged and encouraged personally, as a mom and as a teacher. There was a lot of information to take in, at times it was overwhelming. It was an incredible opportunity and I am so thankful to have had the time away. I also enjoyed the time to connect on a deeper level with some of the staff and look forward to serving with them in the year ahead.

In our time away, we had the opportunity for a few day trips as well. It was fantastic to see some of the sites. Most of us experienced the “WOW” factor as we returned to civilization.

The food,  the grocery stores,  the amount of things, the flowers….  the snow….            and Starbucks!!!

We had many laughs, it was so great for all of us.

On my return back, my sister met me in the Istanbul airport.

It was so great to see family again. We had a very excited greeting at the airport from Stacy and the girls. It has been a fun week showing Mel around and enjoying her presence with us. We only have a few more days left with her and then she will be on her way to a cooler climate, which I know she looks forward to!

This past week also brought some heartache as our puppy got out of the yard and was hit by a car. By the grace of God, he only has a broken leg. We are so thankful. It is hard watching him hobble around but he is figuring it out. We are praying for good healing and that he will be running and jumping again soon.

It started off with Bekah getting the chickenpox. Fortunately it was a mild case, but it still kept her home for the week. We are thankful that she is better now.

Then we had to say good-bye to Uncle Darin and Uncle Scott. That was hard. We are so thankful for their visit and the work they were able to complete while here. They were a blessing to us and our community. This was their last morning of work, if you think they look tired here, you are absolutely right!

We are also thankful that in spite of a few setbacks, they both made it home safely. Now we eagerly await our next guest.

The temperature continued to climb here this week, one of our friends here recorded 54 degrees in the sun one day. As a result we all have a lovely sheen to our faces most of the day; I think it is hardest on Stacy who works outside all day long. With the heat comes new experiences….. like touching walls that are ridiculously hot, hot water coming out of the cold water tap, sticking to the toilet seat, leaving sweaty marks on the couch when watching a show,….okay enough of that, now we are getting real personal. The heat also brings more power outages. We are back to stumbling around in the dark or sitting in stuffy classrooms while we wait for the power to return. As we enter these hot days, we are reminded that it is ever important to keep food in the fridge. This is what happens if you leave butter on the counter for more than 20 minutes…..

This past weekend I did experience winter as I defrosted our deep freeze. My fingers were freezing while I scraped the frost off the sides and took the large chunks of ice out from the freezer. It was a little reminder again of what cold is and that I haven’t felt cold in a long time. I have to admit, I do enjoy not being cold all the time.

Today we had an amazing privilege. We traveled out to one of the surrounding villages with our friend Lisa.

It was great to go and meet some of her local friends and see the village that has captured her heart. While at her village we had the opportunity to see goats being distributed. It was five years ago that we started raising funds for goats here in Niger. Way back then I had hoped that we might be able to be part of this distribution. Today really was like a dream come true.

The people here are so beautiful and any colour looks amazing on them! The women here continually amaze me with their physical strength. The way they walk around with babies on their back and buckets of water on their head.

Then they pound millet. The girls and I took the opportunity to give it a whirl. We discovered our rythym is not near as good as theirs and our arms tired out very quickly. We provided a really good laugh for everyone.

The children in Africa continue to win my heart. They are made so strong from the beginning. When in the village, the children love to have their picture taken. They crowd around to see their picture on the camera screen afterwards, which is followed by squeals of delight. One of the little boys took hold of Scott’s hand. I love this picture.

We were privileged to meet one of Lisa’s dear friends in the village. She is a beautiful lady. She has a gentle countenance a wonderful smile. She was eager to pose with the girls.

The girls enjoyed their day. They loved seeing the goats, especially the babies. It was a fantastic day. We felt so blessed by our day by meeting these people. We were humbled by how we have been blessed and given so much, we once again realize that we have much to be thankful for.

Thank you for your amazing support and encouragement, we are blessed!

We reached the 100th day milestone at school this week. My class had a great time celebrating. I had the opportunity to bake 100 mini cupcakes for our celebration. I managed to get a picture of the thermometer in the kitchen as it reached 100 F (it did continue to climb higher yet).

Although this was an exciting part of out week, it did not top the arrival of Uncle Darin and Uncle Scott. The girls were practically jumping out of their skin as we were waiting at the airport. One cannot explain how good it felt to see a familiar face. To see family. We have had much fun showing them around our new home. They have entered into african life quite nicely.

Saturday we made it to one of the local markets and did some fabric shopping. We also went to the pool for a nice cool play. Then they had the opportunity to meet our tailor and her Aunt. It was a beautiful time together. We so enjoyed listening to these wonderful women speak in their African dialects.  Then Saturday night before we took them for one of our favourite meals here, brochettes and frites we cleared out the kitchen to spray for cockroaches who seem to think that this is now their kitchen, true life experiences here in Africa.

Today they experienced an African church service in the morning and English service in the evening. They seems to be coping well with the heat as this week we truly have begun hot season. It has been in the 40′s most days and we are told there is more to come.

This weekend Brianna also went to a banquet at the school. God provided a beautiful dress for her. She is growing up so quickly, what a beautiful young lady.

It was an amazing week. Bekah’s highlight was definitely the arrival of her Uncles. On top of that was the many pieces of luggage that they brought. She was most excited when she saw the box of fruit loops….yummy!

It looks like it is going to be an exciting week.

This week we splurged and spent $2.00 on 100g (approx. 15 small)  strawberries, just so we could have a little treat.

They were so worth it. So sweet and juicy. They were a great addition to Sunday mornings breakfast treat of waffles. Yum!

As I was slicing up the strawberries, there was one that looked perfect, bright red, nice in size and shape, and still have the green leaf and stem. It truly was picture perfect. Mouth watering, I sliced into it only to discover it was overtaken on the inside with worms. How disappointing, that means we only have 14 strawberries to share now and the price of the 14 just went up. As I continued to slice, I couldn’t help but think how I am often like that strawberry. Doing my best to look good on the outside, appearing to have life together and hiding my flaws (or so I think). Yet I can be overtaken on the inside by worms… (not literally, although I have heard that can happen here too)…selfishness, bitterness, resentment, pride, just to name a few. Although I think I might be able to hide these worms from others, they may subtly show themselves because what is in the heart eventually comes out. Even though I think others may not see these worms, there is one who does. He sees my heart. He knows all that goes on with in and loves me just the same. He doesn’t toss me aside as a result of these worms, rather He picks me up and holds me. He forgives me. He helps me. Being here in Africa, I have come face to face with many of these worms and they are hard to get rid of. However, He is greater, He is bigger, and I want more of Him and less of me. I want more strawberry and less worms.