Mud: a boys best friend.
In Senegal we have SAND. Sand is fun. But when you are a little boy… nothing beats MUD! The boys have taken over a small part of my dads back yard as there mud place. Its so cute. Today I told them they had to strip down… I have a PILE of muddy clothes to wash. I loved watching the kids play together today and just HAD to snap some shots. Enjoy!
Ladies Bible Study
On Wednesday I had the chance to share with my Grandma’s ladies bible study. Norm and I shared with them a few years ago, and I was excited to be able to see them again. I kept it low key and had 250 photos printed. I filled 10 albums with photos, labeled each photo and put a bible verse with each album. It was a lot of fun. I really do NOT like speaking… but this was fun. It just felt like a time to share how we have been with friends. We had about 12 ladies. Afterwards 4 of them took me out to lunch. It was a great time to just spend time with some wonderful prayer warriors!
All of my supplies.
Heading out!
Checking out the photos!
Out to lunch!
Mr. and Mrs. Ken Copeland
What a blessing it was to be able to go to Canada and take part in Ken and Jannah’s wedding. It is so hard being so far from family all of the time and it felt so good to be there for them and help out as much as we possibly could. All of our travels went perfectly (except for one of the suitcases being missing … STILL… please pray for that! Norm has lost almost all of his clothes and his fave pillow and so much more.) The kids traveled so well. It was wonderful to have some practice runs of traveling with just me and the kids. Great practice for our 35 hour trip heading back to Senegal at the end of the month.
We are so very proud of Ken and Jannah. And we are 100% confident that they will have a wonderful marriage and that one day they will make perfect parents. We are so so thrilled for them as they start on this new adventure together. Here are some pics from their beautiful day. Canaan and his cousin Noah were ring bearers. They were SO cute. We had such an amazing time!!! It was horrible saying goodbye!
Like always the rest of the photos are available here.
Happy Birthday from Afar
Today is the 27th birthday of my beautiful wife, Debra Lynn! This year, however, her birthday is unique though not necessarily in a good way. That is because for the first time since our wedding we are not together to celebrate her birthday! Nevertheless, I am thankful that she is with her family in California as well as with the boys who I am sure will make her feel loved!
Debra Lynn, I love you so much and wish you an incredible birthday! I hope that you can feel my love from across the ocean! I am so blessed to have you as my wife and best friend, I can’t stop thinking about having you back here with me. I am definitely only half a person here without you (the half that can’t cook!), looking forward to celebrating a belated birthday with you when you get back home.
I love you!
Joyous Reunion
After being apart from Norm for what seems like forever, we are finally back together! It feel so good to be the four of us again. We were all functioning like 1/2 a person.
On Thursday we went to the airport and anxiously awaited Norm! As soon as he walked out… there was much excitement. We all hugged and the kids pretty much superglued themselves to their daddy. It was so cute to see their excitement. Here are a couple of pictures taken moments after Norm arrived.
We are a very happy bunch.
Poor Norm spent his first day home with food poisoning. He seems to be getting a little better. He has not thrown up for a few hours! Poor thing has not had it easy with health lately. Pray for good health for the rest of the trip.
Now we are pretty excited about all the wedding festivities. On Sunday, Deb will be staying over night in Toronto with a bunch of ladies celebrating the upcoming wedding. Norm will be spending a day with his dad on the road in his dads big truck on Monday. Wednesday the tent comes for the reception so we will busily start decorating, the reception will be in the Copeland’s back yard. There are a lot of things coming up and we are getting pretty excited. And we are definitely loving our time with family… the last time we were in Canada it was Christmas of ’09!
Canada Bound with Stones
While it may seem to some that I just got back to Senegal, for me it seems like it has been FOREVER since I left California and more importantly since I left Deb and the boys. Thankfully, I will be seeing them next week! I leave for my short Canadian trip next Wednesday. Not only will I be reunited with my family, but I get to see the marriage of my little brother Kenny.
I have been busy since I have been back home in Senegal, I am learning the ropes at the NTM Office and also dealing with some more health issues. Once again, I am dealing with STONES! Last Saturday I had another piece of kidney stone pass and then another this past Tuesday. If you are asking yourself ‘didn’t he just get those stones blasted?’, the answer is yes! Well, actually no. I had the procedure but it turns out the a lot of it was missed. The stone is smaller but still there. On Wednesday I had an ultrasound and discovered that even after these two attacks this week there is still a 4mm piece. I was dissapointed when I found out, but God brought a great verse to mind:
O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
Psalm 139:1-6
I had been worrying about travelling with this time bomb (my body doesn’t seem to like to keep these things in) but I love the way the NLT puts verse 3: “You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.” The Lord worked out everything so perfectly for my procedure in the states, even so I don’t think that He is surprised by this development! I remember just before having the procedure done in California, having the chance to share with a nurse what we are doing in Senegal. It wasn’t much in my eyes but perhaps that was one of the reasons God had me go in there! Who knows! It’s so good to keep in mind that we just can’t see the full scope of what God is doing in any situation, but we can know that He is in control and thank Him for whatever is going on.
Thank you for your prayers and support! I look forward to seeing all of my Canadian friends and family and DEBRA very soon!
Grocery shopping!
Today I went grocery shopping for the first time since coming back to the States. I had avoided it thus far. I was sure that I would be so overwhelmed. So many choices… so many wonderful foods that we miss.
Today I wanted to get some sweet potatoes for dinner. So I decided to run out to the post office, the grocery store and while I was out… I totally needed some Starbucks! =)
I forgot how fun grocery shopping is. Its so relaxing, so fun, so creative, so rejuvenating. I felt like I was on vacation. I was lost in wonder. A whole row of cereal. Two rows of drinks and juices. More meat than anyone could ever use. I had so much fun looking at EVERYTHING.
In Senegal, grocery shopping is a constant frustration. I have never once returned to the house with everything that was on my list. I almost alway come home from “food searching” with a headache.
I think I might now be addicted! =)
On a side note… we are truly loving the sun and weather! =)
Light and Dark
We have been enjoying some serious light here in California! Its been nice and sunny and we have been taking advantage of it! In Dakar they have been seeing some seriously dark days. The riots are continuing and they are happening all over the city.
Our life here in California is totally opposite of life in Dakar!
We have beautiful weather, dry and warm. In Dakar its super hot and nearly 100% humidity.
There is plentiful food here for us. In Dakar its not really very safe to go out to get food.
There is 24 hour power here. In Dakar they are almost completely in the dark with only a few hours of power a day.
There is no political strife that can actually endanger our lives, totally stable. In Dakar its totally the opposite.
Here is a link to some photos of Dakar from the recent riots.
And here are some photos from our time here in California. We went the the local airport the other day and the kids just LOVED seeing all the airplanes. =)
Whats up in Cali?
Norm is in Senegal. I am in California with the Canaan and Emmaus. So you all get to read blogs from both countries! =)
Norm is safe and sound back at home in Senegal. There are some pretty bad riots in Dakar right now. Please pray for safety. Norm is safe and staying cautious. Please pray for peace in Senegal. There are elections coming up and there is a lot of political stuff going on. Not everyone is pleased!
So… while Norm is working away in Senegal, what are we doing in Cali?
Well this week Canaan has been enjoying his very first VBS! He is LOVING it. It was quite frightened at first. He is not used to American culture and he has never really done much in the way of stuff at church in America. He has fit in really well. I think its a lot easier when you speak the same language and you don’t stick out like a sore thumb! I am so glad he has this opportunity to get to know American culture and some other kids his age from his home culture.
Emmaus has been hanging out with mommy and grandma! He has been pretty clingy since daddy left. But he is doing really well. He is talking so so so much more. Being immersed in only one language is helping him so much to finally vocalize a lot and communicate with actual words.
I have been busy watching the kids and trying to keep the house in order. We have been keeping busy with lots of little tasks. I have a whole bunch of projects piling up that I want/need to get done. But I am truly enjoying the much needed rest and rejuvenation. My health has been great since being in Cali, other than a cough. NO ALLERGIES! Its feels so wonderful. I have been enjoying the coolness and dryness in the air… (Norm has just the opposite in Senegal right now.) I have been truly enjoying just being a mommy. Going to the park. Going for walks. Taking the kids shopping. Doing fun crafts. Watching cartoons together. And so much more! Things I have really missed.
Today my mom, sisters, brother in law, Emmaus and I went down to LA. We went to the jewelry district and the fashion district. We needed to get some things fixed on my sisters jewlery and I wanted to get my wedding ring turned into something appropriate to wear in Africa. I have not worn my wedding ring since living in Africa and I have truly missed it. So I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I will post before and after pictures when I get it back next week.
We then walked to the fashion district and looked at all sorts of fabrics. My older sister is looking for fabrics for her nursery for her baby boy due in November. We had great fun and it really made be feel like we were in Senegal for a few short moments. We even found an African fabrics store! =)
Thats it for now! Hope you are all doing well. Thanks for your faithful love and support!
(Heading) Back Home
It won’t be long before I’m back at home in Senegal. I’m in the middle of my first flight, it’s a short one to the East coast thankfully. Debra wasn’t even out the front doors of the airport before I was realizing how much I will miss her and the boys, but I know that the time will go quickly.
My time in California was quick, but I had a great time with family. Despite the kidney stone business it really was a relaxing time with not a lot of pressing responsibilities. We of course went geocaching a few times, it is something we really enjoying doing with Charlie, Debra’s dad. We fit in a lot of fun day trips to places like the beach and just spent time together at the house.
The Lord really took care of the kidney stones, despite the short time frame we were able to get a doctor appointment and have the procedure. Most doctors I spoke to at the beginning had wait times in to August and September but the last one on our list was able to squeeze me in.
It’s hard to leave my family, especially on fathers day, but it is beyond comforting knowing that God is in control, guiding our lives and is the one taking care of my family, whether I am with them or not. We have seen God lovingly and carefully laying out the details of this trip and we are excited to see what He does with it.
Like I said, I will miss my family but I am also looking forward to seeing friends in Senegal and getting back into the work that God has blessed me with. So, to our friends in Senegal, a bientôt!
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