christmas - round 2

We celebrated Christmas this year with Grandy & Grusan in Niamey. Isabelle is still a little too young to fully understand what Christmas is or what she gets for that matter and we are a little thankful for the latter. The tradition we started last year was to take our time getting up in the morning, read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke and then open presents followed by a yummy, Southern style breakfast.

We did the exact same this year but added a little something extra - per Izzy's request: music! She is in love with her Daddy playing his guitar right now while she dances. So after Mark read from his Bible, he busted out the guitar & played a few Christmas hymns while Izzy danced along. If you notice, she has a big ole sucker in her mouth. Unfortunately, she found her stocking before we were ready for her to open it!

She likes to "help" Daddy play his guitar.

And now time for Christmas dancing. See how good she is at taking the sucker out while she dances?

Time for presents! She made a big deal out of all her presents, even though she really had no idea what they were. It was fun for us, at least!

Grandy & Grusan gave Izzy a picture of themselves for her to take to America. She kissed it as soon as she finished opening it! Isn't she sweet?

Thank you hugs for Grandy!

And thank you hugs for Grusan!

We got a video of Izzy dancing to Christmas songs on Christmas morning but this video is so much cuter. This is her dancing to her favorite Songhai song. Listen for her little exclamation at the end. Classic!

We can't wait to celebrate Christmas one more time in America with our families!! Will anyone leave their tree up for us? : )

little sis

So you've already met Isabelle's big brother, Yacouba. Now it's time to introduce you to her little sister, Hannatou (Hannah). This little baby was born in August & Mark & I had the privilege of naming her. We have loved this child from the moment she was born and we would seriously adopt her if we could. Isabelle also loves Hannah & gives her kisses like it's nobody's business. This was one of our last times with Hannah before we left & Isabelle was extra sweet with her.

Maybe, just maybe, one day Izzy will get to have a little sister to love on like she loves Hannah.

ready or not, here we come!!

As we told you in our last newsletter, we are gearing up to come to the States for 7 months. While in the States, we will be busy visiting family & friends, taking some time to visit our partnering churches (those that have partnered with us through prayer & coming to the field over the last 3 years) and, of course, taking a little time to bring Luke into this world! We will also use these 7 months to relax & get refreshed before coming back to the field for another 3 years.

If you would like, we would love to share with you or your church or any group about the Songhai people, the power of prayer (that has been so evident over the last 3 years in Ayorou), what God is doing in the lives of the Songhai people & especially those in Ayorou, and what you can do to be a part of it all! If you would like to contact us, please email us at: thephillips@pobox.com.

Below is our current schedule. Please be aware that our first priority is to our family (especially Luke & Isabelle), to our own health & well being (meaning we won't schedule back to back to back to back speaking engagements in order to preserve our sanity!), to those churches that are already partnering with us & then to those that are interested in partnering with us in the future. If we cannot commit to the date you'd like, it is simply because we have these priorities in place & are committed to those first. So, if you contact us about speaking, please give us the following:

(1) at least 3 dates to choose from,
(2) what you'd like us to share about,
(3) what you'd like us to bring (powerpoints, videos, items from Niger),
(4) length of time,
(5) type of audience (children, adults, mixed, etc) and
(6) anything else that would be important to know!


SCHEDULE

January ---(Traveling)---
8-16     Richmond, Virginia (STAS Conference)
16-23   Visiting with Hill Family
24-31   Visiting with Phillips Family
27         Children's Mission Groups (FBC Franklin)
31         FBC Franklin (10:45 service)


February ---Bowling Green, Ky (LHBC Missions House)---
25         ***Luke's DUE DATE***
12-28    NOT AVAILABLE


March   ---Bowling Green, Ky (LHBC Missions House)---
1-11      NOT AVAILABLE
14         Living Hope Baptist Church
21         FBC Dandridge, TN
28         Salem Baptist Church
29         Women's Prayer Tea at LHBC (Bowling Green, Ky)


April     ---Bowling Green, Ky (LHBC Missions House)---    
4            Easter Sunday
11          Living Hope Baptist Church (4/5 grade)
17-21     OMC - Lexington, Ky
24-28     GIC - Gray, Tn


May       ---Wolsey, SD---
1-7         Traveling to SD & visiting family


June      ---Wolsey, SD---     
14-20     Visiting with Phillips family
21-30     Visiting with Hill family


July       ---Wolsey, SD---


August  ---Wolsey, SD---
13          Projected date to leave for Niger

a new place to play

Before you look at the first picture and call me an unfit mother, let me explain. We have these ginormous windows in Ayorou. They are ginormous in that the space between the glass & the screen is between 12-18 inches. They are a pain & a half to clean, especially after a dust storm.

One day, when Mark was outside, I set Izzy in the windowsill to let her say "Hey!" Well, she loved it. And ever since, she wants to go "Up! Up!" in the windows. Our windows also have a tinting on them where you can't see inside during the day. So when she's inside the windowsill, she thinks she is playing all by herself, even though Mark & I are just on the other side watching her. It's too funny sometimes. She also likes to play "Peek-a-boo" by opening & shutting the window. I tell you, it's hours of fun for her! (Okay, not hours but it kills time somedays)

Izzy can't see us taking pictures of her. She thinks she's all alone.

She's about to get a big surprise when she opens this window & sees Mommy & Daddy on the other side.

Peek-a-boo!

Cutie pie!

my big brother

Ever since we came home to Ayorou with Isabelle when she was one month old, Hamsatou has "claimed" Izzy as her child. In doing so, that makes all of Hamsatou's children Isabelle's siblings. This is no problem for us because it means that Yacouba is Izzy's older brother. And let me tell you ... he is a GREAT older brother. He was gone for almost a year from Ayorou but as soon as he came back, he slipped right back into his role of being a great big bro for Izzy. And she loves him too!

Doing the typical brother thing ... making Isabelle do something she doesn't want to do!

But being a great big bro by consoling her when she got scared! Can you see how tight she is gripping his neck?

I am so going to miss this!

Isn't that just the cutest thing ever? Isabelle & Yacouba just taking a stroll as the sun sets. Where else do you trust someone to do this with your child? We have been beyond fortunate that the Lord has allowed us to raise Isabelle in a place like Ayorou.

Sweet kisses for her big bro!

One lesson learned

I’m not hip. I’ve never tweeted. I have facebook (but so does my dad). I have a blog but that’s so…2006. I’ve tried to keep up but it’s just hard when you live in a place that looks the same as it did in 1409.

When we come to Niamey I always try to catch up on what’s happening in the world. I feel sort of up-to-date on news. I feel semi-informed on pop-culture (at least as much as I want to be). But the area I feel the most clueless about comes from an unexpected place: the culture of the church.

Reading blogs and listening to sermon podcasts I see lots of division, inter-fighting, and anonymous comments using biting language. All this is fascinating to observe from the outside because for the most part it seems that it’s only us (and some others who used to be “us”) who are listening.

Now I’m not hip and I’m also not physically present so I remain mostly an observer. But every once in a while something comes up that I feel like I do indeed understand. It seems that many who enjoy criticizing the church will often point to what the church is NOT doing well. And then they often throw some tag line about clean water and poverty in places like Africa. This rings with a familiar tone and is taken as serious as a mother reminding her children there are starving kids in China.

This tag line often comes as a critique of those who are so backwards to still think we should be evangelizing the nations. Instead, what people REALLY need is clean water and some spending cash. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll see how kind we are in giving them these things and they’ll come to know God.

There are so many errors in this line of thinking not the least of which comes from a very rich Western mindset that sees heaven as a step-down from our current level of living. They think the goal of this life is comfort and health because that’s become the goal of their life.

However, I will refrain from delving too deep into my own issues with people who’ve never stepped foot over here telling the people here what they REALLY need. Instead, I’ll let an Ayorou native talk:

I was farming with Ibrahim one day and I told him how there were many people in America who would like to come to places like Ayorou and build wells and help the people out with money and health issues. He said that sounded good and we went on with our farming. A little later, however, Ibrahim had processed the thought and said, “Those people you were talking about, they’re not Christians are they?” I answered, “Yes, in fact, they are Christians."

He looked puzzled so I asked him what was wrong. He said, “We don’t need more wells, we need the Gospel. We don’t need money, we need people to hear about Jesus.” He then said something I’ll never forget. He said, “Why would someone who knows Jesus come to a place where people don’t know Jesus and not tell them the good news?” I couldn’t respond.

He then explained that his people have suffered greatly for their entire existence. They suffer now and will continue to suffer. Yes, more wells would be a good thing. Yes, more money would help some things out but they wouldn’t help people with the ultimate thing: their eternity. Ibrahim said that suffering so much here has made thinking and longing for heaven even sweeter for him.

Ibrahim gets it. He gets something I and many others quickly forget. Something I’ve forgotten because of how easy and comfortable my life was in the States and really continues to be even in Niger. He gets that comfort is not the goal. He gets that it’s not about his best life now. He gets that Christ is everything and everything else is rubbish. Ibrahim understands the Gospel deeper than this seminary grad.

saying goodbye

In October of 2006 we left everything we knew behind and entered a world of unknowns. We went to a village almost no one had heard of in a small African country most people couldn't find on a map to a people who spoke no English. There were dangers and discomforts we could only anticipate but not really prepare for. There were so many questions. But that was three years ago.

Every time we've been able to come to the States in the past three years, I've been so amazed/inspired by hearing so many of you talk about Ayorou and the Songhai people with such passion. This tiny village is beginning to be transformed because so many of you were faithful to pray daily for them.

Last Sunday we said our goodbyes to Ayorou. It was hard. This was the only home Izzy knew. We joke that she is more African than American but in so many ways, it's true. We had to come in to Niamey a few weeks earlier than expected because of the unstable nature of our country right now.

The past few weeks were a whirlwind of emotions and activity. Final studies with our church leaders, final meeting with our believers, and a final party, Ayorou style. To show my buds how serious I was about having a big Christmas/goodbye party, I told them, "I'm gonna kill something for this." That meant one thing in their ears...MEAT! And lots of it.

Just wanted to post a few pics from the party on here. We'll be reflecting back on our past three years in the upcoming weeks but for now, here's how we do it in Ayorou.



Izzy made a new friend before our party started. Here's Izzy feeding her new friend.


And here's Izzy's new friend about to feed her!


Lots of work goes into preparing a party in Ayorou.


Hamsatou and Houray revealing the secrets to their sauce...pumpkin!


They were out of the big pots so we had to settle for two of these.


These are a few of my favorite things.


Things got a little out of hand at the party. I saw Parker with that "oh my" look on her face and I knew it was time to put the sheep's head down.


Kadija and Nadia about to make their grand entrance!

As you can see, we had a blast. I got to own a sheep (for about 4 hours). Izzy made a new friend (for about 4 hours). All our friends ate so much, many of them had stomach aches the next day. We had an amazing time celebrating Christmas with our new believers and our first Christmas as a church. What an awesome three years God has blessed us with!

nadia + nafissa = BFF

For any of you who read Izzy's blog often, you know that Nafissa is her best friend in the whole world. No other kid makes Izzy jump for joy like Nafissa. Really, when she sees her, it's the same reaction that Mark has when he sees his Oakland Raiders win!

Nadia & Nafissa are beyond cute together & we have been so sad to see them say goodbye to each other. I know Isabelle doesn't understand yet what is happening but hopefully, through pictures & documenting her life on this blog, she'll never forget her first best friend.

And this is "little Nafissa." Isabelle sleeps with her every night and during every nap. She loves her little Nafissa doll! Thanks Richard & Sandy for buying it for her. You had no idea at the time how much she'd love it or play with it, but she does. It's her only link right now to her best friend & she is very possessive of it!

barney, barney, BARNEY!!

When we were in America in October, Isabelle had a wee bit harder of a time adjusting than she did when we were there in April. Just a few months older made a huge difference in her ability to comprehend where she was (or was not, for that matter) and who she was with. "Luckily" her Gaga was quick on her feet the morning we had to leave to renew our licenses and brought up Barney on youtube to distract Izzy. I say "luckily" because Isabelle has been in love with the big purple dinosaur ever since ... "lucky" for her, not so much for us!

Isabelle is totally oblivious to anything else when Barney is on

You can see in this picture how much Mark loves Barney!

I decided to break down & buy her a DVD of Barney Songs while we were home. As much as we joke about disliking Barney, it has really come in handy on days that we need to "distract" the Belle ... as in when we are putting our entire house into boxes!

And then came the topper ... a Christmas gift from her Gaga. What could it be I wonder?

Barney! And guess what? He sings "I love you, you love me" over & over & over & over again!

But all that matter is that Izzy likes him ... right?

for your enjoyment

Here are some cutie-pa-tootie pictures of the Belle from recent times. Enjoy!

All dressed up for Thanksgiving. Thanks for the dress cousin JJ!!

Playing with the water barrels. What else is a kid to do?

This is the result of one too many M&M's!

Isn't she a doll? Okay, so I'm just very biased but her cuteness just does me in sometimes!

See what I mean?

What a ham!! Striking a pose in front of Grandy's Christmas tree. Thanks Aunt BJ for the dress & sweater!