Hourey is now with Jesus. Her faith has become sight. She has seen him face to face, she knows no pain or hunger, she is truly healed.
We have been so overwhelmed by the amount of people who have prayed for Hourey over the last few days. Please do not think for one second that God did not hear or answer your prayers. He did answer ... maybe not like we would have thought but He did heal Hourey & bring her to full health. She had the most miraculous healing of all ... now being in a perfect body & standing in His presence. One could not ask for more than that.
We received the call from Ibrahim early this morning & made our way to Ayorou shortly thereafter. Isabelle & Mark's parents stayed behind in Niamey while Mark, Luke & I made the trek. In a culture without funeral homes, a person who dies is buried on that same day & as quick as possible. By the time we reached Ayorou, they had already buried Hourey & a large group of people had come to pay their respects to Hourey's mom & to Ibrahim.
We were unsure of how this situation would be handled by the believers in Ayorou as well as those from the Muslim community. Hourey is the first believer to pass away since the church was formed in Ayorou. One of the belivers' greatest fears was this very situation ... "What will happen to me after I die? Who will bury me?" Most, if not all, of their families have told them that they will not bury them when they die because they have rejected Islam. They've told them that they will just leave them to rot like a dead animal.
When it came time for Hourey to be buried, the Muslim leaders told Ibrahim that she could not be buried because she was a Christian. Ibrahim could have very easily caved in so that his wife could be buried properly but he did not. Even in his grief, he remained strong in his faith & told them that he would bury his wife by himself if he had to. But praise the Lord for the church! Ibrahim's brothers in Christ came to his side & helped to bury Hourey. Three men burying a wife and a friend but rejoicing because they knew that she was now with Jesus!
As the day progressed, the obligatory visitors slowly stopped coming by & the house was left with a handful of men. As Mark looked around, he realized that all those remaining were believers. One by one they started sharing stories about their faith in Christ, recounting times of meeting together & studying the Bible, sharing what God had done in & through them since they had accepted Jesus as their Savior & laughing as they listened to each other talk.
Mark sat back in silence & awe at what he was seeing - a small group of men in a 99% Muslim village who have been united by Christ & yet finding joy in death as they all realized that for one of them her hope was finally attained as her faith (the same one they all cling to & have left everything for) had become sight. And they know that one day it will be the same for them to!
As sad as we are to say goodbye to Hourey, we have such a great peace & joy in knowing where she is spending eternity. As sad as Ibrahim was today to say goodbye to his wife & the mother of his children, he has a calmness & peace at the same realization. And he is surrounded by a great group of brothers in Christ who are holding his hand & sharing his faith as they marvel at the great miracle that was performed today.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Mark spoke with Ibrahim this morning & he told us that Hourey is taking the medicine. That's definitely a praise since she was refusing water as of yesterday. Please continue to pray for her & that these medicines will take effect ... quickly!!
Ibrahim also told us that if Hourey regains enough strength, he is going to defy his mother-in-law & take her to the hospital in the city that's an hour away from Ayorou. Their medical care is not quite as "advanced" as the capital city but it is a few steps above the village medical care in Ayorou.
And just a thank you to everyone who has sent an email to us, posted a comment or left a message on Facebook letting us know you are praying. We are truly overwhelmed by the tremendous number of you who are praying for Hourey. I am utterly humbled & amazed! Thank you!
Ibrahim also told us that if Hourey regains enough strength, he is going to defy his mother-in-law & take her to the hospital in the city that's an hour away from Ayorou. Their medical care is not quite as "advanced" as the capital city but it is a few steps above the village medical care in Ayorou.
And just a thank you to everyone who has sent an email to us, posted a comment or left a message on Facebook letting us know you are praying. We are truly overwhelmed by the tremendous number of you who are praying for Hourey. I am utterly humbled & amazed! Thank you!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
she's still alive
Thank you all for your prayers for Hourey yesterday & today. The Lord answered them in that she is still alive. I don't know if I can quite communicate to you what I saw today but I will surely try.
When we arrived, I immediately headed for Hourey's house & her mom greeted me & showed me to where Hourey was at. I don't think I was quite prepared for what my eyes were about to behold because, when I saw her, all I could do was weep & weep. Of course, in the Songhai culture, no one cries over anything ... life, death, sickness, nothing. Hourey's mom told me to stop crying (& also proceeded to tell everyone who came in after me that I was crying). I told her I would NOT stop crying because Hourey is my friend!
Y'all, when I said goodbye to Hourey just a few weeks ago (when she was at the hospital in Niamey), she was walking & talking & even joking a little bit. Although she was skinny as a rail from being sick for 2 months, she was regaining her health & there was a light in her eyes. What I saw before me today was a woman who was ghastly thin, whose veins protruded from underneath her skin, who could not speak, who had no mind to know that I was less than a foot from her & that I was grasping her hands in mine. This was one of my dearest friends dying right before my eyes & my heart could not handle it. Even as I type this, I still ache at the possibility of never seeing her again on this side of creation.
I asked her mom why she wouldn't allow Hourey to go to Niamey to see another doctor. Again, I just don't understand their mentality because her response was, "What can they do for her now? It's in God's hands." Indeed it is but, as I continued to hold Hourey's hands, I prayed & prayed for God to heal her right then & there.
Ibrahim (her husband) asked for our help in trying one more try at getting her medicine. He went to another city about an hour away & purchased what he hopes will help her. When we spoke to him after arriving home today, he said he had also just returned home & was administering the medicine to her.
We cannot even begin to thank you for your prayers for this dear woman & her family. Her mom, who is not a believer, has even said she is thankful for all of the prayers. Please, please continue to pray for Hourey. We know and believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that God can indeed heal her (with or without medicine) and He can restore her to full health. Whether He does or not, He is still God & He has a plan for Hourey's life. We trust Him in that. But we will still pray, until God shows us otherwise, for her to be healed.
Thank you again & we will continue to update the blog with any new information.
When we arrived, I immediately headed for Hourey's house & her mom greeted me & showed me to where Hourey was at. I don't think I was quite prepared for what my eyes were about to behold because, when I saw her, all I could do was weep & weep. Of course, in the Songhai culture, no one cries over anything ... life, death, sickness, nothing. Hourey's mom told me to stop crying (& also proceeded to tell everyone who came in after me that I was crying). I told her I would NOT stop crying because Hourey is my friend!
Y'all, when I said goodbye to Hourey just a few weeks ago (when she was at the hospital in Niamey), she was walking & talking & even joking a little bit. Although she was skinny as a rail from being sick for 2 months, she was regaining her health & there was a light in her eyes. What I saw before me today was a woman who was ghastly thin, whose veins protruded from underneath her skin, who could not speak, who had no mind to know that I was less than a foot from her & that I was grasping her hands in mine. This was one of my dearest friends dying right before my eyes & my heart could not handle it. Even as I type this, I still ache at the possibility of never seeing her again on this side of creation.
I asked her mom why she wouldn't allow Hourey to go to Niamey to see another doctor. Again, I just don't understand their mentality because her response was, "What can they do for her now? It's in God's hands." Indeed it is but, as I continued to hold Hourey's hands, I prayed & prayed for God to heal her right then & there.
Ibrahim (her husband) asked for our help in trying one more try at getting her medicine. He went to another city about an hour away & purchased what he hopes will help her. When we spoke to him after arriving home today, he said he had also just returned home & was administering the medicine to her.
We cannot even begin to thank you for your prayers for this dear woman & her family. Her mom, who is not a believer, has even said she is thankful for all of the prayers. Please, please continue to pray for Hourey. We know and believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that God can indeed heal her (with or without medicine) and He can restore her to full health. Whether He does or not, He is still God & He has a plan for Hourey's life. We trust Him in that. But we will still pray, until God shows us otherwise, for her to be healed.
Thank you again & we will continue to update the blog with any new information.
Monday, December 27, 2010
PLEASE PRAY!
We have yet another URGENT prayer request for you! You may remember about a month ago when we asked you to pray for our dear friend Hourey. If you kept up with all of the updates, you would've seen that she did go home from the hospital but it was against the doctor's orders & also against our concerns. She & her mother & her little girl were ready to be out of the hospital & back to "normal" & they ignored our pleadings for them to stay. Ultimately, the decision was theirs & we could not keep them "prisoner" in a hospital. Hourey's mom promised to bring her back to full health when they returned home to Ayorou.
Fast forward a few weeks & here's the latest ... Hourey is not back to health. She is the worst she's ever been. We've been in constant contact with Ibrahim (her husband) for days & we have begged & pleaded to have them send her back here to Niamey so we can get her in a hospital. Hourey & her mom do not want to return to the hospital here & so we offered to send them to one closer to Ayorou. They refused.
We, for one, cannot even begin to understand the African mentality when it comes to health & death. Therefore, we cannot even begin to communicate it to you. Death is such a normal part of life to them. They don't try to fight it. They don't have the resources to do it. Oh, they may try & get medicine or see a doctor when they are sick but they ultimately believe "what will be, will be." As privileged Americans, if a medicine doesn't work for us or if we don't agree with a doctor's diagnosis, we fight it. We try a new medicine. We find a new doctor. We do not let death take us that easy.
It's not that way for Africans. I guess, somehow, in Hourey's mom's mind, they've tried all they could (although, we do not agree). Hourey's mom is calling the shots right now. She says that Hourey is going to die & they are just waiting. Hourey cannot talk. She cannot walk. She has not eaten in 3 days. If you saw her before she left the hospital, you would know that she could not afford to go one day without eating.
Ibrahim does not want his wife & the mother of his children to die. He wants her to see a doctor but his pleadings are falling on deaf ears. He seems to have also accepted Hourey's fate. He did say that he knows when she dies she will be with God & has a peace of her spending eternity with Jesus. He said that he knew the only way she could get better is if God performed a miracle & healed her.
We are asking & BEGGING you to pray for Hourey. Pray that God would MIRACULOUSLY heal her. Pray that her health would be transformed right before the very eyes of all those who are waiting for her to die. PRAY that she would NOT die! Please, please, please pray!
We are packing up & heading to Ayorou tomorrow. We do not know what we will find. We are praying that she'll still be alive. We do not want to say goodbye to her. Please pray that we won't have to.
Fast forward a few weeks & here's the latest ... Hourey is not back to health. She is the worst she's ever been. We've been in constant contact with Ibrahim (her husband) for days & we have begged & pleaded to have them send her back here to Niamey so we can get her in a hospital. Hourey & her mom do not want to return to the hospital here & so we offered to send them to one closer to Ayorou. They refused.
We, for one, cannot even begin to understand the African mentality when it comes to health & death. Therefore, we cannot even begin to communicate it to you. Death is such a normal part of life to them. They don't try to fight it. They don't have the resources to do it. Oh, they may try & get medicine or see a doctor when they are sick but they ultimately believe "what will be, will be." As privileged Americans, if a medicine doesn't work for us or if we don't agree with a doctor's diagnosis, we fight it. We try a new medicine. We find a new doctor. We do not let death take us that easy.
It's not that way for Africans. I guess, somehow, in Hourey's mom's mind, they've tried all they could (although, we do not agree). Hourey's mom is calling the shots right now. She says that Hourey is going to die & they are just waiting. Hourey cannot talk. She cannot walk. She has not eaten in 3 days. If you saw her before she left the hospital, you would know that she could not afford to go one day without eating.
Ibrahim does not want his wife & the mother of his children to die. He wants her to see a doctor but his pleadings are falling on deaf ears. He seems to have also accepted Hourey's fate. He did say that he knows when she dies she will be with God & has a peace of her spending eternity with Jesus. He said that he knew the only way she could get better is if God performed a miracle & healed her.
We are asking & BEGGING you to pray for Hourey. Pray that God would MIRACULOUSLY heal her. Pray that her health would be transformed right before the very eyes of all those who are waiting for her to die. PRAY that she would NOT die! Please, please, please pray!
We are packing up & heading to Ayorou tomorrow. We do not know what we will find. We are praying that she'll still be alive. We do not want to say goodbye to her. Please pray that we won't have to.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
got a minute?
Gomer emailed this morning & asked for a couple of specific prayer requests for Mark & I to pray over. I immediately asked him if I could post these on the blog because the more people praying, the better ... right? Would you please stop for a minute & lift these things up?
Barbara*
When Gomer came to visit Niger last week, he brought 2 guys with him from Accra. One of the men is Mitch*, Gomer's ministry partner. He has been a believer for about 4 years and, although he is not Songhai, has really developed a passion for the Songhai people and is even attempting to learn the language! He is a genuine man who loves the Lord, loves people & desires for ALL to know HIM!
However, his wife Barbara* is not a believer. She has been resistant to the Gospel despite numerous times of hearing it. Recently, she approached Gomer & requested a copy of the Bible. This has been a huge step for her!
Unfortunately, after Mitch* & Gomer returned from Niger, she "has been in a rage and filled with violent anger ever since we got back. Mitch* realizes it is satan trying to destroy what God is doing in her heart," says Gomer.
Please pray for Barbara*. Pray for God to soften her heart; pray for Him to speak to her LOUDLY amidst all the lies satan is telling her; pray for her to believe & know the Truth!
Wyatt*
Gomer also brought one of the albasan (onion) boys with him. Wyatt is not a believer but has not been resistant to hearing the Gospel. With this trip, he was able to spend a lot of undivided time with Gomer & Mitch*. They were both able to speak much Truth into his life. He was also able to visit a few villages in Niger & meet Songhai Christians face to face.
As Gomer said, "Wyatt* was truly taken by the fact that, to a tee, each told him they made the best decision by accepting Jesus as their Savior. One guy told him of being hated and feared in his village, but after he became a Christian how God changed his heart and now everyone is amazed at the change that has come over him. He is kind, loving and gentle, this all made a big impact on Wyatt*."
However, Gomer reports that "Wyatt* is having a tough time since we got back and it is also satan working to unravel God's work in his heart."
Please pray for Wyatt* as well. Pray that he also would be able to hear the Truth above all the lies satan is throwing his way. Pray that God would continue to speak to his heart & remind Him of all he heard & saw this past week while in Niger. Pray that Wyatt* would let go of the false religion he clings so tightly to & make the decision to follow Jesus.
************************************************************
Thank you all for your prayers for the Songhai!! They truly make a difference & that is why we are so strongly petitioning you to pray for these 2 people!
*Names changed for security reasons
Barbara*
When Gomer came to visit Niger last week, he brought 2 guys with him from Accra. One of the men is Mitch*, Gomer's ministry partner. He has been a believer for about 4 years and, although he is not Songhai, has really developed a passion for the Songhai people and is even attempting to learn the language! He is a genuine man who loves the Lord, loves people & desires for ALL to know HIM!
However, his wife Barbara* is not a believer. She has been resistant to the Gospel despite numerous times of hearing it. Recently, she approached Gomer & requested a copy of the Bible. This has been a huge step for her!
Unfortunately, after Mitch* & Gomer returned from Niger, she "has been in a rage and filled with violent anger ever since we got back. Mitch* realizes it is satan trying to destroy what God is doing in her heart," says Gomer.
Please pray for Barbara*. Pray for God to soften her heart; pray for Him to speak to her LOUDLY amidst all the lies satan is telling her; pray for her to believe & know the Truth!
Wyatt*
Gomer also brought one of the albasan (onion) boys with him. Wyatt is not a believer but has not been resistant to hearing the Gospel. With this trip, he was able to spend a lot of undivided time with Gomer & Mitch*. They were both able to speak much Truth into his life. He was also able to visit a few villages in Niger & meet Songhai Christians face to face.
As Gomer said, "Wyatt* was truly taken by the fact that, to a tee, each told him they made the best decision by accepting Jesus as their Savior. One guy told him of being hated and feared in his village, but after he became a Christian how God changed his heart and now everyone is amazed at the change that has come over him. He is kind, loving and gentle, this all made a big impact on Wyatt*."
However, Gomer reports that "Wyatt* is having a tough time since we got back and it is also satan working to unravel God's work in his heart."
Please pray for Wyatt* as well. Pray that he also would be able to hear the Truth above all the lies satan is throwing his way. Pray that God would continue to speak to his heart & remind Him of all he heard & saw this past week while in Niger. Pray that Wyatt* would let go of the false religion he clings so tightly to & make the decision to follow Jesus.
************************************************************
Thank you all for your prayers for the Songhai!! They truly make a difference & that is why we are so strongly petitioning you to pray for these 2 people!
*Names changed for security reasons
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Merry Christmas!!
Since we cannot print & mail out a mass quantity of Christmas cards from this side of the world, consider this your Christmas card from us! So without further adieu ...
Merry Christmas
from the
from the
Phillips family
And that, folks, is about as good as picturing taking gets with 2 mobile, disinterested kiddos!!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
light at the end of the tunnel
(warning: this is one very long post! read at your own risk!)
My, oh my! Lawzy Mercy! (that's a southern phrase, by the way, which can translate into "Lord Have Mercy!" The red dots under "lawzy" is telling me it's not really a word, but I dare you to ask my Mimi that!)
Anywho, these last few weeks have been nothing short of a whirlwind, crazy stressball of a time & I'm just about ready to check myself into some sort of institution! But there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! To catch you up ...
In the beginning of November, we had THREE teams here at one time. THREE volunteer teams! 2 from America, 1 from Nigeria; 2 going to one village 3 hours away, 1 going all around our area for media stuff; 2 sleeping at the guesthouse, 1 sleeping at a hotel; ALL eating at our house! It was so confusing & stressful at times to get everyone where they needed to go & then try & feed them all at the same time! Mark was able to go out everyday with one or the other of the teams while I stayed home with the kiddos & prepared meals ... for 12 people!
The last team left on a Tuesday & we headed out Wednesday morning for an 8 hour drive to Burkina Faso. We enjoyed a little down time while we waited & waited & waited for Mark to procure visas for his visits to other countries. We ate a little American food, swam a little bit, shopped a little bit & Mark enjoyed watching sports on a satellite TV at the guesthouse there.
We returned home on a Tuesday, decorated for Christmas on Wednesday (yes, it was a week before Thanksgiving!), brought in Hourey on Thursday & Mark headed out that Saturday to Burkina Faso (again!) but, this time, via a small airplane. He & our national partner, Cephas, flew to a small village that has many, many Songhai. They visited there for the weekend, met some local pastors & helped prepare things for a future volunteer team.
Mark returned home on a Monday & we caught up on lots of administrative duties (our new job entails a LOT of that!) while also taking turns to care for Hourey. We also prepared for our annual missionary Thanksgiving dinner at a local M's home. We ate way too much food, watched the Macy's parade & Mark even watched live football! Isabelle, by the way, is a girl after my own heart ... she LOVED the Thanksgiving Day parade! She was able to see a train & Elmo in about a 2 minute span & she was hooked! We were also glad to be able to Skype both sides of our family that day, too!
The week after Thanksgiving it seemed to be a blur of running here & there, checking on Hourey & sending her home, catching up on more work (seems that hosting teams, daily hospital visits & traveling out of country puts you way behind!) & having a few meetings with our supervisor. Mark headed out the first Friday in December to Ghana to visit with Gomer, a long term volunteer working with the Songhai in Accra. I need to add that the day before he left he found out he had malaria for the 3rd time since we've been back! Also the day he left Isabelle thought it'd be a good time to get sick on me (& I literally mean ON me ... 5 times)! Luke also thought it'd be a good idea to develop a cough/cold/congestion sort of thing.
Needless to say, our house was a whole lot of fun while Mark was gone! He returned on Tuesday with Gomer in tow. Two of Gomer's friends from Accra arrived Wednesday night as well. He wanted to visit families of the contacts he's made in Accra & also wanted to freshen up his Songhai with one of our translators since he's never had any official language learning. Mark, Gomer & the 2 guys went out everyday after arriving from Accra & going all over creation! Isabelle, bless her heart, had NEVER been this separated from her Daddy & she had about all she could handle! We also hosted a Songhai Team Christmas party this week with 8 Brazilians, 3 Americans, 2 Africans & 4 kids! But the Ghana crew headed out this morning, which means Mark is finally home to stay ... for awhile. I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!
Shall I even venture into life with Isabelle right now? Shoo, y'all!! I love my child with ALL my heart but the girl is ALL girl and ALL drama! And she has developed this lovely "attitude" this week (with her Daddy gone) where she refuses to stay in her bed, loves to tell me "No, Mommy!" & has done the opposite of everything I've asked her to do. I think she has even somehow rented & watched Billy Madison because, all of a sudden, she thinks it's cool to pee her pants! I know this is a phase (well, I hope this is a phase) & there is a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere ... just please don't tell me it's when she turns 18! But she's still a precious, sweet child & makes life SO much fun ... even amidst the ever increasing discipline & battle of wills!
And then there's our blessed crate! Oh that crate!! We were told at one point that it would be to "port" on Oct 2. We assumed that meant the port in Africa. Oh no! The crate is in France! France?!! Who knows how long it's been sitting there or how much longer it will be there? I surely don't. And what does this mean for our families that are visiting back-to-back for 2 months straight? Welcome to Chez Air Mattress, fam! We only pull out the best for you! But there is a light at the end of the tunnel because at least the crate is on the same time zone as we are. Right?
And speaking of family ... we are 10 days from seeing Mark's parents. And if they have their way, we won't see our children for 3 whole weeks! Yes, please!! My man & I need a date something fierce! And I think I may need a small break from my 2 year old going on 13 year old daughter or I may enroll myself into the closest looney bin! Praise the Lord for family who will pay all that money, fly all this way to see us & give us a break!! Sleep ... you are my light at the end of the tunnel! Oh how I've missed you! Oh how I cannot wait to be reacquainted with you!
Our last "light at the end of the tunnel" is the cool season! Oh praise you Jesus! And that is no exaggeration. Y'all have NO idea what Niger heat can do to a person's sanity ... and I need all the saneness I can get right now with a toddler & baby in the house! There is absolutely nothing like being able to sleep under covers with just a fan on & still being cold! Nothing like actually wanting a hot cup of tea in the morning! Nothing like only needing to take one shower a day! Nothing like the feeling of dry legs & armpits & bellies & wherever else sweat accumulates! Nothing like having a house under 90 degrees! Oh the blessing of cool season!
I think I have caught y'all up (for those 2 of you who are still reading this)!! Hopefully with everything coming to a slower pace in the next few weeks, we'll actually get caught up on the kiddos' blog & maybe even have a few more posts here, too!! I promise they won't be as "whiny" as this one was! Thanks for reading anyways!
My, oh my! Lawzy Mercy! (that's a southern phrase, by the way, which can translate into "Lord Have Mercy!" The red dots under "lawzy" is telling me it's not really a word, but I dare you to ask my Mimi that!)
Anywho, these last few weeks have been nothing short of a whirlwind, crazy stressball of a time & I'm just about ready to check myself into some sort of institution! But there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! To catch you up ...
In the beginning of November, we had THREE teams here at one time. THREE volunteer teams! 2 from America, 1 from Nigeria; 2 going to one village 3 hours away, 1 going all around our area for media stuff; 2 sleeping at the guesthouse, 1 sleeping at a hotel; ALL eating at our house! It was so confusing & stressful at times to get everyone where they needed to go & then try & feed them all at the same time! Mark was able to go out everyday with one or the other of the teams while I stayed home with the kiddos & prepared meals ... for 12 people!
The last team left on a Tuesday & we headed out Wednesday morning for an 8 hour drive to Burkina Faso. We enjoyed a little down time while we waited & waited & waited for Mark to procure visas for his visits to other countries. We ate a little American food, swam a little bit, shopped a little bit & Mark enjoyed watching sports on a satellite TV at the guesthouse there.
We returned home on a Tuesday, decorated for Christmas on Wednesday (yes, it was a week before Thanksgiving!), brought in Hourey on Thursday & Mark headed out that Saturday to Burkina Faso (again!) but, this time, via a small airplane. He & our national partner, Cephas, flew to a small village that has many, many Songhai. They visited there for the weekend, met some local pastors & helped prepare things for a future volunteer team.
Mark returned home on a Monday & we caught up on lots of administrative duties (our new job entails a LOT of that!) while also taking turns to care for Hourey. We also prepared for our annual missionary Thanksgiving dinner at a local M's home. We ate way too much food, watched the Macy's parade & Mark even watched live football! Isabelle, by the way, is a girl after my own heart ... she LOVED the Thanksgiving Day parade! She was able to see a train & Elmo in about a 2 minute span & she was hooked! We were also glad to be able to Skype both sides of our family that day, too!
The week after Thanksgiving it seemed to be a blur of running here & there, checking on Hourey & sending her home, catching up on more work (seems that hosting teams, daily hospital visits & traveling out of country puts you way behind!) & having a few meetings with our supervisor. Mark headed out the first Friday in December to Ghana to visit with Gomer, a long term volunteer working with the Songhai in Accra. I need to add that the day before he left he found out he had malaria for the 3rd time since we've been back! Also the day he left Isabelle thought it'd be a good time to get sick on me (& I literally mean ON me ... 5 times)! Luke also thought it'd be a good idea to develop a cough/cold/congestion sort of thing.
Needless to say, our house was a whole lot of fun while Mark was gone! He returned on Tuesday with Gomer in tow. Two of Gomer's friends from Accra arrived Wednesday night as well. He wanted to visit families of the contacts he's made in Accra & also wanted to freshen up his Songhai with one of our translators since he's never had any official language learning. Mark, Gomer & the 2 guys went out everyday after arriving from Accra & going all over creation! Isabelle, bless her heart, had NEVER been this separated from her Daddy & she had about all she could handle! We also hosted a Songhai Team Christmas party this week with 8 Brazilians, 3 Americans, 2 Africans & 4 kids! But the Ghana crew headed out this morning, which means Mark is finally home to stay ... for awhile. I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!
Shall I even venture into life with Isabelle right now? Shoo, y'all!! I love my child with ALL my heart but the girl is ALL girl and ALL drama! And she has developed this lovely "attitude" this week (with her Daddy gone) where she refuses to stay in her bed, loves to tell me "No, Mommy!" & has done the opposite of everything I've asked her to do. I think she has even somehow rented & watched Billy Madison because, all of a sudden, she thinks it's cool to pee her pants! I know this is a phase (well, I hope this is a phase) & there is a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere ... just please don't tell me it's when she turns 18! But she's still a precious, sweet child & makes life SO much fun ... even amidst the ever increasing discipline & battle of wills!
And then there's our blessed crate! Oh that crate!! We were told at one point that it would be to "port" on Oct 2. We assumed that meant the port in Africa. Oh no! The crate is in France! France?!! Who knows how long it's been sitting there or how much longer it will be there? I surely don't. And what does this mean for our families that are visiting back-to-back for 2 months straight? Welcome to Chez Air Mattress, fam! We only pull out the best for you! But there is a light at the end of the tunnel because at least the crate is on the same time zone as we are. Right?
And speaking of family ... we are 10 days from seeing Mark's parents. And if they have their way, we won't see our children for 3 whole weeks! Yes, please!! My man & I need a date something fierce! And I think I may need a small break from my 2 year old going on 13 year old daughter or I may enroll myself into the closest looney bin! Praise the Lord for family who will pay all that money, fly all this way to see us & give us a break!! Sleep ... you are my light at the end of the tunnel! Oh how I've missed you! Oh how I cannot wait to be reacquainted with you!
Our last "light at the end of the tunnel" is the cool season! Oh praise you Jesus! And that is no exaggeration. Y'all have NO idea what Niger heat can do to a person's sanity ... and I need all the saneness I can get right now with a toddler & baby in the house! There is absolutely nothing like being able to sleep under covers with just a fan on & still being cold! Nothing like actually wanting a hot cup of tea in the morning! Nothing like only needing to take one shower a day! Nothing like the feeling of dry legs & armpits & bellies & wherever else sweat accumulates! Nothing like having a house under 90 degrees! Oh the blessing of cool season!
I think I have caught y'all up (for those 2 of you who are still reading this)!! Hopefully with everything coming to a slower pace in the next few weeks, we'll actually get caught up on the kiddos' blog & maybe even have a few more posts here, too!! I promise they won't be as "whiny" as this one was! Thanks for reading anyways!
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
sous chef
Y'all know that Isabelle loves to help out in the kitchen. And she's actually getting pretty good at it, too. Well for a 2 year old, that is! A few weeks ago Isabelle offered to help me in the kitchen making some muffins for breakfast! Here's just a little recap of me & my little sous chef making delicious banana chocolate chip muffins (thanks Joy S!).
I gathered everything I needed ... salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, flour, eggs, very ripe bananas & one little sous chef!
Izzy loves to help put the ingredients into the bowl
And she loves to "chir tup" too! (That's "stir it up" for those of you who don't speak Izzanese)
In the oven & ready to bake! Izzy even helped fill the cups. I'm telling y'all ... she's a good little helper in the kitchen!
Izzy loved the muffins so much she decided to have another one that day for a snack. What I didn't realize were how messy they could be without a plate!
See what I mean?
Who knew chocolate chips were so messy? :)
It was everywhere I tell you!! But well worth it for a fun morning with my girl!
I gathered everything I needed ... salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, flour, eggs, very ripe bananas & one little sous chef!
Izzy loves to help put the ingredients into the bowl
And she loves to "chir tup" too! (That's "stir it up" for those of you who don't speak Izzanese)
She also likes to eat the dry ingredients when I turn my back for a second!
In the oven & ready to bake! Izzy even helped fill the cups. I'm telling y'all ... she's a good little helper in the kitchen!
Delicious!!
Izzy loved the muffins so much she decided to have another one that day for a snack. What I didn't realize were how messy they could be without a plate!
See what I mean?
Who knew chocolate chips were so messy? :)
It was everywhere I tell you!! But well worth it for a fun morning with my girl!
Feel free to stop on by Chez Phillips for any of our special creations!! You never know what the little sous chef & I may be whipping up next!
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