Another Visit

Aunt Erin and Karis

My friend Viviane and her youngest son.

Erin and I with my friend Adiara

Ben and his new balaphone

Sylvi and her baby Ivan

We were very blessed to have another visit from family this month.  My younger sister, Erin, came to spend a couple of weeks with us.  My sister went out with me everywhere to meet my friends, learn about my city and see what I do.  Now when I talk about Vridi, Abobo, Viviane, Sylvi, Marie and storying groups, she'll know who, what and where I am talking about!

It has been a good start to the new year.  Some of you that have followed for a while will remember Christine that died last June.  Her daughter Sylvi had a baby boy a couple of weeks ago.  We are thankful for God's protection through what was a very high risk delivery.  Mom and baby are doing fine.  Sylvi's life as a single mom who is caring for not only her infant son, but another sibling still in high school and a niece still in elementary school in one of the poorest sections of town will be difficult.  Above all, I pray that she turns whole heartedly towards Jesus.

As you crazy Americans are anxiously awaiting your big football event, our city is going crazy with another kind of football fever.  The Africa Cup (soccer for those non sports people like me) is going strong.  Several of our neighboring countries and our own Cote d'Ivoire Elephants are in the semi finals.  It is hilarious to hear the entire city erupt over a goal and then the whole nation go nuts when they win.  Children and adults of all ages and colors run through the streets dancing and wearing flags and crazy wigs when they win.  Horns blare from all directions.  Noise makers and voices yelling go on for hours after the event.  Last year, a national holiday was called after a heart breaking loss in the championship, for the nation to mourn and figure out how to carry on with life. ;)

I know that some of you may be considering what mission trips you would like to do in 2013.  We would love to have you come our way.  If we can help you plan such a trip, just let us know.

With love,
Heather

Finishing 2012 with a Bang!

Look, No Hands!

Pastors' Wives

Jim and Roger leading the pastors' conference.

Those that cooked our lunch enjoying a moment of rest

Ben and Grandaddy

The kids wanted to show Gramma and Nana their favorite monkey.

Everyone wanted to pose with the parents!

Full bellies meant it was time for play!

Special Friends helping with cleanup

Everybody also wanted to hug the parents!

December was quite a month for us.  It was action packed from start to finish.  I meant to do this update before it became 2014, but I didn't make it.  The highlight of the month was having my parents and my in-laws come to visit for Christmas.  They worked hard the whole two weeks they were here putting on conferences and evangelistic Christmas parties, visiting Vridi and checking out our neighborhood, putting up a swingset, fixing things around the house, but most of all meeting and greeting as many of our friends as could get here.

It's really funny when I think about it.  If someone told me their parents were coming, I would say, "Oh that's nice."  I would be happy for them, but all in all, it wouldn't matter one way or another to me personally.  Once again, not so here.  The whole city, it seems, was excited about the arrival of our families.  Many of them visited and everyone wanted a photo and a hug.  Parents are a big deal here and our parents were very well received.  We were so glad to have them here.  It had been nearly two years since we had seen them last and could be a year and a half before we see them again.  It was definitely hard to see them go.

We are looking forward to one more family visit in a couple of weeks when my sister arrives.  I'm sure that will come and go all to fast.  Let us know if you'd like to come see us too.

With love,
Heather

Wedding

Some of my Buddies

Couple of my Friends

This is the pastor and his wife from the part of town I go to once a week.

WAITING! :)

Dancing, Twirling Fun!  That's my friend Naomi right up front!

This are some pictures of our "royal" wedding.  The president of the Baptist Union for our country got married last week and we spent the day celebrating with him.  It was a hot, sweaty day, but at least it didn't rain.  Much fun was had by all and we had the great joy of introducing a few friends to their first African wedding!  It was definitely one of the big parties of the year.

Heather

Trimming the Tree

Decorating the Christmas tree is always a fun event at our house.  We pop in Muppet Christmas Carol and go to work.  Since our tree here is a little on the short and scrappy side, we can usually finish all of the work before the movie is over!  This year, Ben was looking through our photos on the computer, always a favorite pastime, and found last year's Christmas picture.  He's been asking every day at least 5 times a day to put up the tree since September!  He was overjoyed to get down the boxes and put up the decorations.  Now his only hourly request is to go to the circus!!!  I think that one will be a LITTLE harder to knock out!

With a little Christmas love,
Heather

Thanksgiving 2012

Bamba and the boys before lunch

Everybody Tasting New and Old Favorites

The Feast Table

Big Mike and Little Mike

Waiting for Everyone to Show Up

We shared our tradition of everyone giving thanks for something that God has done throughout the last year.

Karis and Baby Mike

Having a house full has become a Thanksgiving tradition here.  I think we had less than 30 this year, but continued the tradition of having more African friends than American.  We are learning to grow and live and thrive in their culture, but sometimes it is fun to let them share a little in ours.  We all pitched in together to have some TURKEY!!  It was great!  We missed getting to be with our family back home, and hope you all had a great day!  We are thankful to God for our African friends and for all of our other friends around the globe.  May God bless each and everyone of you! 

With love,
Heather

Heather's Trip

Pyramids at Giza

I didn't get to ride a camel this time, but thought they were neat looking.

Sphinx at Giza

This lady showed us how to use papyrus to make paper.

We got to eat lunch on the Nile River.

This is a church that was blown out of the rocky mountainside.  This structure is not where the church is, but a pretty sculpture in front of the man made cave where the meet.

Pretty carvings were all around in the rock face.  I liked this one of the women at the empty tomb.

Here's where they meet.

This was another neat one of Jesus coming on the clouds.

This the citadel of Alexandria on the Mediterranean Sea.  We also went to the catacombs and the library at Alexandria.

In November, I went to a language conference and got to do a little sight seeing during the middle weekend.  I needed the training to be able to help those that we have coming here to learn French.  I even got to have a few tastes of home, while I was there.  My flight left a day later than the conference went, so I was able to eat in the food court a few times.  Let me just say that french fries and a fountain drink have never tasted so good, but Egyptian Subway, not so good.  I managed to snag a couple of bags of chocolate chips from a grocery store and 2 cans of cranberry sauce for our Thanksgiving celebration.  I was so sad to have to leave behind beautiful flats of strawberries!  I wanted to try to smuggle them in, but that would have meant packing my pillow instead of carrying it in my carry on and since I had to spend the night in an airport, I knew I'd need it.  Besides, if my strawberries had been confiscated on the way in, that would have been a worse trauma than never having had them!!!

I missed the family so much while I was gone.  I'm not used to being the one off at a conference while they are at home.  They had some hard times while I was gone with household things breaking and a string of armed robberies in our neighborhood.  Apparently word is out that this house has nothing worth stealing as they hit the neighbors house, but left Mike and the kids alone.  Of course with you all praying for the gang here, the protection could have easily been an army, of the Father's making, standing watch outside our gate.

I am very glad to be home. 

With love,
Heather