Weekly Update

Here is a weekly update for those of you out there still hanging with us! We hit our half-way point this week which means we get to break into the next block of cheddar cheese. Ha! In all reality, we are very much enjoying ourselves and the ways we see God in each and every day here. We have been stretched and our faith has grown deeper as a result. It is really unmatched by any other experience I have ever had. We have learned to pray about even the smallest needs and seen how deep the Father's love is for us and those around us.

We received a package from Nana and Papa D last week. The kids LOVE when they see Marc walk through the door with these USPS boxes. They can hardly let him put his backpack down before they are ready to see what is inside. The box always provides a few moments of entertainment as well.

Some friends here on the compound recently brought us some unexpected goodies from Niamey! This is the first time I have seen fresh green beans since leaving the states. It is possible I might just have a panic attack the first time I step back into a real grocery store. :) I'm sure the "variety" will likely be overwhelming for a little while after seeing things on a much smaller scale. These were delicious! We shared them with Marc's hospital translator and his fiancee when they joined us for dinner last week. Mammane said he hadn't seen green beans since he went to bible school in Nigeria so hopefully they were a treat for our guests as well.

It has been SOOOO windy and dusty here for the past week. The good news is that the dust has kept the temperatures unusually low for this time of the year (some of the hospital nurses have told Marc that the weather feels more like December right now), but it has certainly hampered some of our outdoor fun (and ruined a few pairs of contacts as well!). There were several days where the SIM plane was unable to land in Galmi because of poor visibility. However, the plane did land yesterday and brought the Kubaczs home to us from their recent trip to Chad where they were looking into a potential missions opportunity for their family in the future. We are glad to have them back after their week away, and Eli was SO excited to have Gracie, his partner in crime, back by his side. 

Even with the windy days, we have managed to get outside enough to let the Eli and Hailey burn off their energy. The kids love playing on the tennis/basketball courts. Marc and I love taking them there to play because it is one of the few fenced in areas where we can let them run freely yet also keep them contained.

Hailey's locks are getting more blond each day!

There is a tortoise (someone's pet) named Thorn who lives near the courts. We always have to visit him before we head home. There is a hole inside the fence around Thorn's cage so Eli likes to crawl in and look at him up close. He always says, "I won't touch him mommy, I just want to wook at him. :)

And... I attempted to cut Eli's hair this past weekend. Some of our close family might remember this blog post from awhile back that was the first (and last) time I tried to cut Eli's hair. I quickly remembered why I hadn't tried cutting it since then. Eli screamed his head off the entire time and fought me every step of the way (which is why the next picture reveals a few slightly bald and uneven spots!). One of the older missionary kids was riding his bike by our house during the haircut and asked us later on that day what we were doing to Eli to make him scream so loud. Ha!

This was supposed to be my practice run before cutting Marc's hair, but Marc said I am not allowed to touch his head yet. He obviously thinks I need a little more practice (and I can agree with him). He has decided he is going to wait until we get home to cut it, but we'll see about that. :)