First Days in West Africa

For the skimmers:

(since our last update in November...)

• We have finished the two-month orientation with our sending agency.
• We were commissioned on December 9th.
• We were able return to Tobaccoville to spend the last 4 days with family.
• We have arrived in Africa!!!
• We are doing very well and God is blessing our time here.
• We are currently in language learning and starting our first two-week stent in the village to be surrounded by native speakers of the Usus*
• We will spend the majority of the next six months in the village.
• Yesterday, we had to leave the village our second night there and drive to the capitol because Rach’s tooth’s crown she had put on in the States popped off. (FYI: The Peruvian gold crown is holding strong!)
• Our son is doing great, the people here cannot get enough of little “Abu” (his Usus* name).
• Oh yes, we all have received new Usus names!

For the more detail oriented:

• Racheal got to send sometime with her brother Ryan and dad in October but said goodbye to ma in September :( She’s such a strong lady.
• Our two-month orientation was such an awesome time for our own personal growth and the growth of our family. We made lifelong friendships with fellow m’s and are encouraged that we work with a great organization that truly cares for us and what the Father is doing among the nations. We, with many other families were commissioned and sent out December 9th of last year. We returned back to Tobaccoville and spent four short but sweet days with the kori’s family. We had ONE BIG family Christmas (which in our opinion was one of the best Christmases we’ve had so far because we we able to spend quality time with our family, sit and listen to Grandpa Alvin and Uncle Lorne play on the guitar and just enjoy one another. Praise the Lord for our family.
• We flew to West Africa on the 14th of December. By the time we landed we had spent over 20 hours flying, the straps on two carry-ons tore, we lost all of our son’s disposable diapers, kori got cut or scraped by the bags four times, and the airline lost a checked bag. Do you think the Enemy saw us coming? When we stepped off the plane onto African the runway we were met by a fellow m of a separate organization. He was literally a God-send and helped us get through customs and the difficult baggage claim system in the airport. I am amazed at the unity there is between the different sending agencies (families within those agencies). It is encouraging to know that there is a vast group of people all over the country focused on the same goal.
• We stayed in our supervisors home for our first two and a half weeks in country and we praise God for their servant hearts! They cooked for us three meals a day and helped take care of our son, it was so neat to experience our team the way we did because there is no better way to get to know someone then to live with them.
• On the first of the year we moved into our home and have been getting things situated. It was great to spend time with our colleagues and new family, but it is nice to be able to set up our own little place.
• This past Wednesday we left to start our first two weeks of language in the village. We got there and spent one night and a full day of language and culture immersion when Rach’s porcelain crown on her tooth popped off. In order to save the intact crown we had to drive four hours on pot holes to the capitol, then sit in the dentist office, get the tooth fixed and drive back to our home for the night before dark. You see, driving here in the dark is very dangerous because some of the cars here do not have functioning headlights, so it is not wise to drive after dark. We got home last night and stayed up really late talking about the Father with one of the national teachers of the Word who stayed with us last night in our home. It was such a sweet time. Now it is early in the morning and we are preparing to return to the village today to continue our language learning!

Praises:

• Praise the Father that we were able to get Rach’s tooth fixed in one day!!!! You don’t know how much of a miracle that is for this part of the world.
• Praise the Father for the great work He is about to do among the Usus* people and in our own personal lives and family.
• Praise for our sending agency and team members who have been there for us, encouraging us all the way.
• Praise God that the people here are so genuine and have not yet tried to rip us off even though they have had ample opportunity. It is so refreshing!

Prayer ReQuests:

• Pray for our team to continue in unity and to pursue righteous living and Christ-like love for one another and the peoples of this nation.
• Pray for a great movement among the nationals and wisdom in how to reach them.
• Pray for wisdom in giving and not creating dependency!
• Pray for our families as we and the grand-baby are far away from them.
• Pray that the Father would open our ears and loose our lips so that we may learn the language and share the Good News with the people around us.