Thanksgiving 2012

     Thanksgiving Day was spent in Dakar with around 80 other missionaries from around Senegal.  Turkeys and hams were brought over to us by members of teams who had come earlier in the month.  There was an abundance of food provided by all the families who attended the meal.  Kaitlin, Amy, and Jourdan were bringing six cans of cranberry sauce as their contribution to the meal.  Since we have to travel, that is much easier.  The only problem is, we forgot to bring the cranberry sauce.  Fortunately, we were able to buy some more at the store in Dakar.  (Anyone need some cranberry sauce?  We have plenty!)  

     Following the big feast, we had a time of worship.  There was wonderful singing and then a message about gratitude.  There was a little time of sadness, however, as we had to say goodbye to two families.  One family is transferring to Kenya and the other family is completing their term of service and returning to the USA.  Of course, nothing lifts the spirits like desserts!  We were able to enjoy a wide variety of sweets following the worship time.  I was excited that there was pumpkin pie because no Thanksgiving feast is complete without pumpkin pie.
     We left for Fatick on Friday morning.  The rest of the day was spent unpacking and resting from our travels.  Jourdan and I decided to put up our Christmas decorations on Saturday morning.  I didn't have many decorations so it didn't take us very long.  The only problem we had was not being able to find the lights for our tree.  They were here last year but I cannot find them anywhere.  Oh well, our tree is still pretty.

     I had bought a stocking for myself last year.  Now that Jourdan has arrived, she needed a stocking.  We were able to go to the store in Dakar and find her a stocking.  It turned out that the stocking she picked out was almost exactly like mine!  Now all we need is to get a bunch of Christmas cards to finish decorating the wall between the stockings.

Jewelry Making Parties

A team of four ladies from Illinois came to spend a week in Fatick.  Their way to minister and build relationships was to have different women in the area host a jewelry making party in their.  The ladies would invite their friends and neighbors to attend.  At each party one of the visiting ladies would share their testimony so the women heard how God loves them.  After the testimony the fun began.  Plates of various colored and style beads were placed on the mat.  Eat lady could pick 10 to 15 beads and make a bracelet.

It was a lot of fun helping the ladies pick their beads, string a bead, tie a knot, and then add another bead until they had enough for their bracelet.  Here are some of the finished products.

At one house a few ladies had to bring their little children with them.  They tried to get in on the fun by playing with the plates of beads (and trying to put a few in their mouths).

One mother even made a bracelet for her little girl.  She managed to keep it on her arm long enough for me to take her picture.

After making a bracelet the ladies were then able to select a few more beads to make a pair of earrings.  Here are some of the ladies with their earrings.

After each party we would take a group picture with all the ladies on the team and all the ladies who made jewelry.  Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun and were very proud of the the jewelry they had made.

Halloween Party

    When you live in another country it is important to not forget our home country.  We try to help the M's children stay connected to the US by celebrating some of our special days.  Though Halloween may not be a true holiday we decided to make it a special time of fun.   A family who was passing through on their way to Dakar spent the night with us.   Their three children as well as Ethan and Melody dressed up in their costumes and did some "trick or treating" at my house.  My friend had brought some candy and special treats with her when she came to visit.  All of us adults stationed ourselves in a room so the children could knock on our door and receive their treats.  Now it is the parent's problem to keep each of the children from having a sugar high by eating too much candy.

     They also got the chance to "bob" for apples as another fun activity.  Even some of the adults got in on the fun!

Friend's Visit

     During my years at Mobile College (now the University of Mobile), I was blessed with friends.  Many of those friends are still a part of my life even though we are separated by many miles.  One of those dear friends actually took the time and expense to fly all the way across the ocean to spend a week with me in Senegal.  I had so much fun showing her around Dakar the weekend she arrived as well as letting her experience my life in Fatick.

     One of our friends from college happened to be in Senegal on a mission trip the week before Chris' arrival.  He and his team were returning to Dakar to spend the night the day of Chris' arrival.  We were able to get together with John and his team for dinner on that Saturday night.  This was the first time for Chris to see John since our days at Mobile College.  How amazing for God to orchestrate the timing of both Chris' and John's visits so we could have a chance to get totether in Senegal!

   
     Of course, I had to let Chris experience a ride on the horse cart while I showed her around my town.    Kim also treated her to a real Senegalese meal.  Even though we didn't sit on the floor to eat, at least she got to experience "eating around the bowl."

     I made her "earn" her room and board by doing art projects with the kids.  Since Kim and I are both "art challenged" and Chris majored in art at college, I figured we could take advantage of a wonderful opportunity.  Chris did several fun art projects with the kids each afternoon when we finished our lessons.

Decorated clip boards

Painting rocks

Ethan's rocks

Melody's rocks

Funny portraits

  Since Chris had to leave on Friday afternoon to head back to Dakar, we had our Friday pizza night on Thursday.  Since it was cooler on the roof, it turned out to be a roof-top pizza picnic.

       

     What a blessing it was to have Chris come to visit; not just for my sake but also for the kids that I teach.  They will remember the fun they had that week for a long time.   Sometimes, living overseas you feel like you have been forgotten by friends back home.   Chris' visit was a huge encouragement and morale boost.