Coup d'étât Day

Thursday February 18 was my dad's birthday. It began as a normal Thursday morning, getting the kids out the door in time for school. Mikaylah came home from Kindergarden at noon, and by 1pm we had just finished lunch when we heard machine gunfire. Then a few minutes later we heard the school siren announcing a lock down. I was just wondering if it was another drill when we got a phone call from Dave Totman telling us this was not a drill, but to stay inside the dorm. When Mikaylah and Jayson wanted to go out to play, I nonchalantly told them it was too hot, let's play a game... my children were bewildered at mom's strange response but not afraid. The lock down lasted three hours, in which we heard many military helicopters and more gun fire outside the gate. We discovered that there was a coup d'étât happening. To my recollection of a few coups happening in Côte d'Ivoire, this was the most calm, and quiet military take over I have ever experienced. At no time did we fear for our well being. God's peace passed all our understanding and we were able to be in contact with parents. The dorm kids all came home at 3pm and when we told them that school was going to be suspended on Friday, they (most of them) were happy to be able to sleep in. There were a few disappointments: The outreach planned for this weekend was postponed, Neil and Lisa Sim (parents to Beth, Josh and Hannah) were not able to cross the border from Benin to Niger, and the accreditation team scheduled to come in were all rerouted all over the world (well, at least in Africa and in the US). So while those of you have been having your snow days, we here in Africa had a "Coup d'étât" Day. Just not as fun to play in!

One of our seniors, John's parents live in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and they have been experiencing a coup of sorts as well.

Thank you to all of you who prayed for peace, please continue to pray for Mali and Côte d'Ivoire.

Une Nuit à Paris

Our Student Council recently sponsored a banquet that many of the kids claimed was a Valentine's banquet. At any rate, it was an opportunity to dress up, and our kids did a great job of that. Here are some of the photos Tim took of our kids on their way to the banquet:
Zeb and his sister Elisheva Zoolkoski are Americans whose parents are at the Sim hospital in Galmi.
Sisters, Bethany and Hannah, and brother Josh Sim are Aussies from Benin.
The two oldest of the Ottosson family, Nathanael and Mikaela, are also Aussies whose parents work in Burkina Faso.
Our own kids: Jayson and Mikaylah pose for Papa
Not only was it a night of good food and fellowship, Amanda Winsor taught our kids how to waltz Shelby Winsor and Mikaylah had a great time!
John and Bethany whirled around the dining hall, if only we had a disco ball!! HA HA

Even Tim and I dressed up and had a great time!

Girls' Hall

Our Girls' Hall has the most rooms (three) in the dorm and can comfortable fit six girls, though occasionally we will put three girls in "the big room" at the end of the hall. This year we were going to have to find a bed for one as we had eight on our list. When the girls found out, they all agreed they would rather be squished than lose one of their "sisters". This blog is in dedication to our eight girls down our girls hall. They are, Hannah, Blessing and Mikaela in the small girls' room,

Elisheva and Rebekah in the BIG girls' room, and

and Bethany, Deborah and MiYoen in the middle-sized girls' room... now I am starting to sound like Goldilocks and the three bears!!