It's December and 90 degrees

Check it out, I have some pictures up: HERE

This week, we’ve been decorating for Christmas. The tree is up, complete with lights and ornaments. Since our campus used to be a school, they have lots of boxes full of random things, some being decorations. I must say though, it’s rather strange getting ready for Christmas in 90 degree weather.

A few days ago, I went to visit a few families in Bouake, with Anglelika, Awa, CJ, and Heidi. One of the families had a fire, and we brought them some new mattresses, since theirs had burned. As for the other family, the wife’s father has just come down with Cancer and is down in Abidjan seeking treatment, which isn’t happening very quickly, due to elections. We sat on her front porch for awhile and shared with her in the frustration and sorrow of illness.

A week ago, I ate Thanksgiving dinner with 40 others, at one long table, on a basketball court underneath the stars. Besides the 10 of us and our leadership, we shared the meal with Klana’s and Bakary’s families (our Ivorian neighbors), and all the World Venture missionaries from Cote d’Ivoire. My teammates and I spent the afternoon making green bean casserole, stuffing, creamed corn, sweet potatoes, croissants, and pasta salad, and other goodness. When you cook here, you have to make do with the simplest ingredients. This takes longer, but it also has the best outcome. There was a lot to be thankful for this year

This past weekend, I was incredibly blessed by the stories, struggles, and encouragements of people who have lived here for 30 plus years. Battles with cancer, hiding out in and evacuating from war zones, and miscarriages - all stories that touched my heart. Learning about their everyday lives - treating patients in hospitals in Ferke, translating scripture into local languages, and building an alternative learning school for young girls.

I have been spending my Sunday mornings with preschool kids at church. Last week, we were talking about how God created the moon and the stars. The kids were all given a 2” square piece of white paper and a pencil, to draw the sky. They spent so much time on their pictures. At home, kids have lots of markers, crayons, different colored paper. The difference struck me. Later on, they were given mismatched puzzle pieces, and they took incredible joy in fitting them together in any odd way possible.

We visited the orphanage in Bouake, played with the children, sang songs, held them, and carried them. Here in Cote d’Ivoire, when a parent passes away or cannot take care of a child, they are passed on to a relative that can support the child. In this light, orphanages make little sense here in this culture - something to ponder. Nonetheless, it was a blessing and joy to love on those children for awhile.

I am forming some friendships with the kids that live here on our campus. One little girl, Songemey, is a riot. When you push her on the swing, she yells and laughs and sings as loud as she can.

One Sunday night, I rode into the bush on the top of a Land Cruiser to the top of a nearby rock quarry, where we watched the sunset and then the stars. The night sky is beautiful here. It’s pretty incredible to see an entirely different part of the sky than I’ve grown up with.

Malaria is a much bigger deal here than I originally understood. In the month that I’ve been here, 3 members of our campus family have had it - all have recovered. And if you're worrying about me, stop, because I and my teammates are taking anti-malarials, which are not 100%, but do help a great deal. It's people who live here permanently that I'm most concerned for. You hear in the states that malaria is common in places such as west Africa, and now I understand. Treatments are easily attainable, but most people here do not catch it quickly enough or do not have the money to buy it. One of the missionary doctors from Ferke told me that 1/3 of the patients that come to the hospital are treated for malaria. It is best to treat it quickly, even if you aren’t positive you have it. Otherwise, the symptoms can get much worse very fast.

Right now, we are patiently waiting to hear the results of Cote d’Ivoire’s presidential election. Yesterday, the results were blocked at least 3 times from being announced. We heard rumors last night that the results were finalized, but the government has not yet allowed any final information to be shared. Pray that the results are accepted peacefully throughout Cote d’Ivoire.