Ron recently turned 40 and I threw him a surprise party - boy was he surprised! I didn't realize how much time we spent together until I had to manage all of the details for the party. I did manage to sneak away and organize it, but it was hard. It was a fun evening and it was more fun to be able to pull a fast one on him!

Things are progressing smoothly for us in the dorm. The guys are settling in nicely and we are adjusting to life with these guys. It is a different than last year, so we are trying to figure out food, routines, etc. We are slowly getting back into the swing of things. We had a rough start with our cook breaking her ankle and was not able to start back to work. So we were trying to manage cooking ourselves - what a nightmare. We hired a temporary cook - not good. She was trained in a french school and couldn't get the flow. We then hired a cook that worked here 8 years ago and it has been great. She picked up right where she left off and it has been a huge relief for us!

We are in the middle of hot season, so it has been crazy hot and humid. It is also rainy season, so that adds to the chaotic atmosphere too! The electricity has not been too bad this past week due to Ramadan. Once Ramadan is over - we are all a little worried about how much the electricity will be cut!

Zach continues to adjust to life in the dorm. We didn't realize how much we were going to miss him even though he is just right down the hall. He is enjoying his roommate and loving the bonding of being a dorm guy. It is definitely giving us a taste of when he is going to be in college!

Pray for protection of illness - there are lots of infections, boils, colds, etc. Thanks for your support of our family!

Life's Lessons

As a puppy!


We have had the unique and fun opportunity to rescue a puppy that we found on the street. We were walking along the road and saw 4 puppies in the bushes and were told by the guard for that house, that the mother abandoned them. The kids jumping up and down exuberantly asked if we could take one home! My answer was no, we are not allowed to have pets. But we took one home with the hopes of allowing her to be a guard dog on campus. But alas we brought her home and the current guard dog was none too happy. Our puppy who we named Bella was very fond of Addy and so badly wanted to play. But Addy who is very old, didn't not return the sentiment. She growled and snapped and was generally cranky when she saw Bella. So we had her in our apartment which we were informed that she couldn't stay there. Sad thing was that she would have been an excellent guard dog - all of the kids loved her! Well today we gave her away. It was very sad but upon reflecting our kids shared even though it was sad, it was still good that we saved her and got her healthy. We asked them if we had to do it over - either leave her or love her and let her go - they all picked love her and let her go. Still stinks, but she will be loved by her new family!!

We have started school and are in the swing of things. We have 13 guys in the dorm, 7 which are new! We are busy showing them the ropes and learning how we live as a family. We will be busy but will continue to post the happenings of our family! We love you guys and miss you!

Pictures

Birthday in the Village

Sunday we were invited to attend a birthday celebration at the house where I have been teaching English. Birthdays are not usually celebrated since a lot of those days are not even recorded. We went as a family and it was a fun day albeit a long one! We went for lunch around 2, but when we arrived they were still in the throes of cooking. So Faith and I jumped in and went to help chopping, peeling, pounding and stirring. It was fun for Faith although she tired quickly. Finally around 4:30 we ate lunch. We ate separately - a big clash against our cultural mindset! After lunch we hung around for a bit and then we started our goodbyes. The lady whose birthday it was said that she didn't want us to leave and that we had to stay for dinner. Ugh. We said no and then she proceeded to beg and say - do it for my birthday. How do you say no to that? We finally relented and went to sitting while they cooked again. Finally around 8:30 dinner was ready and again we ate alone. The birthday girl did sit with us and eat a few bites, but then left. We asked her what the dish was and she replied, "It is from the sea." It was sea snails, with peas and onions. Interesting. We all ate some, except for Faith for when she tried she started gagging. We allowed her to pass.

Even though it was a very long day for us, it was an honor and a blessing for her for our family to come to her celebration. One that she won't ever forget, nor will we!