October

Genesis 1:31      God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

This is just one of the verses that Mikaylah has learned this year in her kindergarten class. What a simple reminder that we often lose sight of when we are in the middle of a very hot, humid place in which we find ourselves. It is very good.

Hello again from Niamey where we actually had 3 inches of rain in October!

This week we find ourselves with our fall break that has been wonderful. We have had a great chance to relax, read, swim, and just hang out with friends.  We were even able to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with some turkey breast Janice found in the grocery store!!

However, we began the week with much to do, as we got ready to play in yet another NUTS softball tourney here in Niamey. Now, from those who follow us closely, what does NUTS stand for? This year, there were three teams from Sahel Academy, just like last year. All three teams did really well. Our youngest team played so well together as a unit. Although they bowed out of the tournament in the semi finals, they made the school very proud in how they played.  The competitive team had last year’s title to defend. With two more teams in the tournament and all of the competitive teams with the ability to win, we really had some work to do. I will post the longer version on our blog, but to make a long story really short… we were successful in defending our title with a dramatic 8-7 win in the finals.

The school year seems to be going quite well so far. The kids in the dorm all seem to get along quite nicely with each other which makes our job so much nicer.  We are really enjoying watching some of them growing spiritually, mentally, and physically. Of course, those who are growing physically are eating a ton of food as well! Right now, we do have 13 in the dorm, only to add 3 more in January. That, in itself, is another story. We have room for one more girl in the dorm with two girls who really want to come. So, Janice and I found some other accommodations for the older girl here on campus only to find out that the girls hall already made plans and sacrifices to get everyone in. They are willing to squeeze three girls into a room made for two in order to make room for both girls to stay in the dorm. That is typical of the kids who live with us. This job is almost too easy at times! Praise God!

Mikaylah loves her class. She comes home everyday with stories of what they do each day. She loves reading and insists that we have to do her reading homework first. Now, she is trying to apply her reading skills to books that she had previously memorized like “The Grinch who Stole Christmas”. She is a good verse learner and seems to be getting along well with her classmates.

Jayson is still a very active little boy who loves to play hard. While he loves shoes, he rarely keeps them on his feet. He often comes crying home limping because he has one of those burrs in his foot. He tries to keep up with Mikaylah with her learning, so now he thinks he can read, too.

We would love to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who support us financially. This week, I was finally able to catch up on some paperwork and look at where our support is as of late last summer. I am happy to report that while we have lost some support due to the recession, we have gained a whole lot more. When we arrived in Africa, we were at 86% and as of now, we are at 90%. Praise God for His faithfulness to us and thank all of you who are aiding this ministry to MK’s.

For those who have good internet, please check out the blog this week to find pictures of our giraffe outing we had this past Friday. The kids thought it was quite unusual to drive around for so long to find these very tall, gentle creatures. Jayson wanted to go for a ride!

I will leave you with some prayer and praises! Thank you all for the prayers for us. We are entering into my favourite time of the year. The coolness of the dry season is such a welcome change from the high heat and humidity.

~Praise God for a good break and needed rest

~Praise God for continued good health

~Pray for the relationships we have with the kids and their parents. Pray that all will bring honour to God.

~Pray for some of the new dorm kids struggling to keep up in school

~Praise for the world’s best supporters!