Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Friday, June 24th, 2011
Happy 9th Birthday
- He’s been 9 for two weeks now and he loves the fact that he’s the same as Micah for a month. He had been looking forward to his birthday for the longest time and asked several times if we would be sure to make him a cake and give him presents. Does he think we would forget?
We spent the day at the pool with a few extra friends to help make the day special. We decorated the house and to his joy there were indeed a few presents. He’s our creative and full of imagination kind of boy, so he was thrilled with a microscope, a new pocket knife and art supplies sent from Gramma and Grampa. He was even more excited when a friend gave him a baby python snake…yes, a baby python snake. I have given up trying to keep Malachi away from danger!
I’m thankful that even here in Guinea we can celebrate the milestones in the boys lives and I’m thankful for a Gramma in the States who keeps those packages coming!
Soccer uniforms are the clothing of choice over here
Celebrating with friends
A python snake makes a great present
Tags: birthdays, boys, Family, friends
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Monday, June 13th, 2011
These games are intense
Steve and I received an invitation to a soccer match in our village a couple of weeks ago. What we noticed right away on the invitation was that we were listed as the “parents”. Basically, it means that we are the sponsors. It’s little different than in the states though – there you are asked if you want to be a sponsor. Here you are given the honor of being the parent in the hopes that you will help financially with the cost of things. We went out with the kids to watch the big game. You know it’s time for the game when the loud speakers start up and they are calling for everyone in the village to come out (including the players!) Those speakers and the generator that it takes to power them are some of those expenses that the sponsors can help out with. There’s also the food for the players or snacks for the important guests. Our boys enjoyed watching the game (even though I think we lost a little of our hearing) and they are pretty impressed by the skills of the players. Kids here start playing soccer as toddlers and it’s the only sport that they play. With only a couple of balls for the whole village, if you want the chance to get in on the action you better practice A LOT.
Tags: Africa, relationships, village life
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Friday, June 10th, 2011
Python pizza
Are you getting tired of the same old thing on your pizza? Well, how about you try a little python on your pizza! We were visiting with our friends, the Bryants, when she brought out part of a snake to put on the pizza. Someone in their village had killed the snake and shared the meat with people in the village. See the snake skin the kids are holding – that’s the snake that the meat came from. Pretty impressive! Now our kids always ask if there is going to be python on the pizza. Micah and Malachi didn’t really seem fazed by it and chowed down as usual. Ephraim wasn’t quite so brave and passed on the whole thing.
Tags: Africa, friends, village life
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Friday, June 3rd, 2011
I couldn't find Ephraim one day and I finally found him sitting underneath a tree reading books like a little angel
One night as we drove home from town we stopped to take a picture of this beautiful sunset
Malachi found this chameleon and wanted to keep it as his pet. Unfortunately, it escaped after not too long. Which made any visitors to our house very happy since Guineans are VERY afraid of chameleons.
Tags: Africa, boys, village life
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Thursday, April 28th, 2011
Having an adventure at the river
With temperatures climbing up towards 115 degrees in the afternoons we look forward to any chance to cool off. If Steve is going to be able to spend some time with the boys without constant interruptions we have to leave home for a while. So, what better way to fix both of these problems than with some time at a pool! We try and go every few weeks to a town about an hour away to stock up on some groceries, eat a meal that mom didn’t cook, and spend some time splashing in the pool. Oh, how we all look forward to these days. Sweating it out every other day and just keeping an eye on the calendar for a day when we can get away! We’re so thankful for our wonderful friends, the Bryants, who are usually always up for a day at the pool too. Our kids have a blast together coming up with all kinds of death-defying tricks to do off the diving board. If there’s no chance to head to the pool we can try the river about a five minute drive from our house, but it’s just about dried up after six months with no rain. Here’s a few photos of the kids getting a chance to cool off…
Jumping contests off the diving board
Enjoying the river
Tags: boys, friends, vacations
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
Our little M. and his "big kid tutor"
There are so many moments when I think to myself “if only Americans could see this”. I had one of these moments last week when I went to pick up Mohammed from his boarding school. (There’s a lot of back story as to why we’re sending him to boarding school, but I won’t go into that now) Anyways, his mom and I went to pick him up for the Easter break. (Yes, even in this country there is a holiday around Easter) The trip is quite the off-road adventure, but again I thank the Lord for the blessing of air-conditioning which makes the trip much less painful! All the kids were just getting out of their classes and running back to the building that’s used for the dorm. This is where my “if Americans could see this” moment came in. All boys between the ages of 8 and 11 share this one room with bunk beds crammed together so tight that you have to squeeze in between them. If boys wet the bed they just take the foam mattress off and lay it in the sun to dry – no washing first. Hence, there is a lovely odor in the room. I was just amazed that this is considered one of the premier schools in the entire country and this is how the kids live. There is one lady making huge pots of rice and sauce and each kid gets a bowl and digs in with their hands – which is totally normal culturally, but for some reason you’d think it’d be different here. All the little kids have an older student who helps them with their school work, helps them wash their own clothes by hand (another one of those if American kids knew how good they had it moments), and helps keep them bathed. It’s quite the system – there is a headmaster who oversees everything – I’m amazed that one man can know so well what is happening with each student. There are just a couple of others on the staff and there are probably close to 200 students – not quite the student to staff ratio that we are used to! On the good side, Mohammed is doing really well in school – finishing 3rd out of his large class. We are so proud of how hard he is working and how much he has learned this year. We continue to pray for this sweet boy – that we can make a difference in his life and that this experience at school will be a positive one.
Crammed in pretty tight in that dorm room
Tags: friends, relationships, school
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
Afternoon pastime
I have posted before that making tea is quite the past time here. Not with ladies sipping from dainty cups – more like boys downing shots of espresso. I personally am not a fan of the whole tea making process. It’s messy, takes a long time to do the right way, and usually our boys have a stomachache afterwards. But, culturally it’s definitely something that boys do, so I need to let go once in a while and let them have at it.
Tags: boys, friends
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Friday, April 15th, 2011
Hand cutting the beams for the roof
Steve’s brother in the village has been working hard to build a new house. It’s quite the project when you make the mud bricks yourself, stack them yourself, carve out wood for the roof yourself…you get the idea. Most of the house was finished when we got back from our time in the States, but a key part was still missing. A few weeks ago, Y, came to ask if his big brother Steve would be able to give him the money to purchase tin for the roof. He already bought half and just needed to come up with the other half. It’s a huge amount of money “village speaking” so we decided to take a few days to pray about it and seek some guidance about what was the best thing to do. We had another missionary tell us that helping the family that has adopted you is a normal thing to do and helping in a big way for a project like house building is also normal. We prayed about it and decided to go ahead with the gift. Y was, of course, very happy with the answer. We wanted to be involved with the project as well, so Steve was out there with the other guys – mostly watching because how many guys can really be up on those beams? But, it takes lots of guys to make sure it’s getting done the right way 
I was able to help out with making some lunch for the work crew one day. I went with the easy choice of spaghetti, garlic bread, and cookies. We are thankful for the opportunities to be involved with what’s happening around us. Steve really enjoys his times with the guys and being able to joke together. Just keep praying for these friendships to continue to grow.
Nailing down the tin
I told you it takes a lot of guys to make sure it's done right!
Enjoying some spaghetti
Tags: Family, relationships, village life, work project
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Malachi and Micah going for the ball
I love seeing our boys forgot about the cultural and language barriers that separate them from the kids around them. There doesn’t need to be a whole lot of conversation going on for a soccer game! These photos of when Steve took the boys out to visit some friends who live in a village about an hour from us. Their boys are used to these nightly soccer games in their front yard. Our boys had a blast. Even Ephraim was staying tough and going after those big guys. Malachi, who is usually not a big fan of soccer, was out there giving it his best. And, of course, Micah was in full competitive mode. It’s always a blessing to see our kids feeling at home in Guinea. We don’t want them to feel like this is just some place that we dragged them to – instead we want them to build their own friendships and relationships with a heart to see those friends come to know Christ.
Ephraim staying in the middle of things
Pretty serious game!
Tags: boys, friends, relationships, village life
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Posted by Steve and Casey Cretsinger on Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Malachi and Ephraim with M and his fiancee.
Steve’s friend, M, has become like part of our family. He even calls us mom and dad – even though we’re just a few years older than him! He has come to appreciate American cooking – I think – he always says it’s good, no matter what it is. Our boys are in total awe of him and his motorcyle. He is a very hard worker – and if you know Steve, you know how important that is! He works everyday with Steve on various projects – right now they are off putting a new roof on a house in another village. He has been such a blessing to our family with his helpfulness and his great attitude. While we were home in the States, he called to tell us that he had found a girlfriend. Of course, we were excited for him and couldn’t wait to meet her. She seems very sweet, but very shy. We can’t get her to talk! A couple of weeks ago, M, asked if we could go and meet her family. It’s always a little awkward when we get someplace and they set out chairs, we sit down, and then everyone just stares at us! We were greeted by many in the neighborhood, met her family and gave the traditional gift of kola nut. M has now become engaged to her and we’re praying that the both of them would desire a relationship with Christ.
Our family with his fiancee's family...it is nearly impossible to get Guineans to smile for photos!
Tags: Africa, friends, relationships
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Steve and Casey Cretsinger Experiencing Tribal Missions in Guinea, W. Africa 
