Just hours after baby Casey was born

Our “son” Mohammed and his wife just had a baby girl! We praise God that everything went smoothly and that she and Mawa are healthy. This is not something to be taken lightly in this culture by any means.

We were so honored when he came to tell us that they decided to name her Casey after me. It’s a very big deal in this culture to have a baby named after you. The family is in essence saying that I get to parent her along with them. She is just as much my child as she is theirs.

The name is supposed to be a secret until the religious leader says it aloud during the naming ceremony, but Mohammed needed to practice saying Casey with us a few times beforehand! She had her naming ceremony on the 8th day, her head was shaved and prayers were said according to their religion. Then everyone practiced saying Casey over and over again

Right after her naming ceremony we headed into town to have her first vaccination done. We went to what is considered the pediatric clinic and waited in a room with a bunch of other parents for the nurses to give the shot. They just go down the row and prick them all one by one. Not quite the bedside manner that Americans are used to! They were pretty surprised to see the white lady in the crowd. Mohammed and Mawa explained that baby Casey is my namesake and everyone agreed that it was a good thing. I love getting community approval on things . As soon as the vaccination was finished, the nurse said the price and everyone looked at me to pay up. Having a namesake also means you get to pay for lots and lots of things, but I think it will be worth all the cost!

How exciting to be able to play such a role in the life of a child here. We pray that this is the opportunity God uses to see her entire family come to know Him. Thanks for standing behind us in prayer and support!

The proud parents

Steve and I at the baby naming ceremony

baby Casey getting her head shaved during the ceremony

Malachi and baby Casey

Still swollen more than a day later

We’re not big fans of bees around here.  I have shared MANY times my extreme fear of them after Malachi nearly died from an allergic reaction during our first term.  It was honestly the scariest moment of my life when I truly thought I was going to lose my child.  Thankfully one of our co-workers had an epi-pen and we were able to get him breathing again.  We never suspected that he had any type of allergy to bees.

Even Ephraim, who is not allergic to bees, had a major run in with one a few weeks ago that had his eye swollen shut for three days.  Even the bees are tougher here in Africa!  I jokingly said that to someone the other day, but I really think it’s true.

A few days ago, Malachi was climbing high up in a tree when he suddenly jumped out of the tree screaming.  We didn’t have a moment to think of it then, but later realized that he could have easily broken his arms or legs.  He was grasping at his mouth and screaming his lungs out.  By the time we got to him we could already see where he’d been stung.  He started to go into shock and crying that he was going to die.  His vividly remembers the other time that he was stung, the intense hives and his inability to breathe.  We carried him into the shower trying to clean him off and calm him down.  His face was already swelling and the hives were popping out.  We gave him a major dose of Benadryl and didn’t leave his side.  We had his epi-pen ready, but we think that the Benadryl in that large of a dose so close to the time he was stung, probably kept his breathing under control.

He’s had a few days of a very swollen neck and face.  The next day he couldn’t really open his eyes and was pretty out of it.  He loved seeing the reaction on people’s face when they looked at him.  Micah and Ephraim just stared at him.

It’s one of those really hard situations.  I’m sure that many people back in the States would say that they would never bring their child to a country with no medical care in these type of situations.  We’ve had some really scary moments with malaria as well, and I remember people telling me that they could never take their kids away from doctors and hospitals – and instead take them to a country filled with disease.  I understand all those thoughts, believe me, I’ve had the same ones.  Am I crazy to bring my boys here?

But, at the end of the day, I have to ask myself if God is truly in control.  Is He the One who numbers the days of my life – and my child’s life?  Because if He is, then no bee can take Malachi until God says it’s time.  We can keep ourselves only in our “safe places” out of fear of what might happen – and still lose our children.  Or we can put them into God’s hands and follow where He leads – knowing that His plan will happen no matter where we live.

But, we’re still not big fans of bees.

Ending the post on a happy note, swollen but smiling

Steve's brother in the village

This week has me emotionally spent!  Yesterday was kind of the breaking point when our family in the village came to tell us that Steve’s little brother had been taken to jail because he hit his pregnant wife during the night and she was at the hospital.  They wanted to know how we were going to fix it.  

It’s made more complicated by the fact that Steve is also his brother’s boss – which in this culture means they come to you to fix EVERYTHING.  We told that them that we needed time to talk and to pray about the situation.  

They sent representatives from all the surrounding families every hour to see if we were ready to go bail him out.  Here, when you are arrested the police set the price of the fine and then your family needs to pay it.  Once they have paid you are free to go.  For the most part there are no long-term punishments.

Anyways, we tried to explain several times that even though you are allowed to hit your wives in this culture, it goes against what we believe.  To just give the money to pay the fine would seem as if we are saying that we are OK with his behavior.  It’s so hard to try and find common ground when you don’t share the same faith or the same culture.

Finally, after many discussions we decided that Steve would go to the jail and the hospital and discuss the situation.  We would not be paying to get him out of jail – but we would be paying all of the wife’s medical care and wanted the police to know that.  Part of the fine was for her bills to be paid to the hospital.

Steve, along with the other brothers, went to the jail and talked things over with them.  Then he went to the hospital to visit the wife.  They are pretty sure she is fine, but are waiting until there is power in the hospital today to do an ultrasound (having one of those done is basically unheard of here and only happens in emergencies).

Then Steve went back to the jail and the negotiations for the brother’s release started – everything is a negotiation here.  They settled on the price and the brother was allowed to leave.  We didn’t help with any of those fees – we told the family that we could not financially help with getting him out.

Steve was able to have some good talks with his younger brother on the way home and after getting to their house.  The story is not quite so simple and the problems go back a long ways.  The advice he is getting is to just get another wife since this one isn’t acting like a proper wife.  

Steve talked and pointed out all the families in the village whose problems are multiplied when a second or third wife was brought into the picture.  He shared how it won’t make the problems go away.  He shared about us and our struggle to always treat each other the right way.  He shared how we desire a strong, loving family and what you forgive and change in yourself to see that happen.

It was a good opportunity to share how our God wants so much more for each of us.  We want to talk with them both in the days ahead and keep sharing our hearts for them.

When we are tired and these problems come to our doorstep – honestly, sometimes the first thought is “please just give me a break!”…but God is using these tough situations to open doors for real conversations with unbelievers.  Giving us a chance to challenge life as they’ve always known it.  

Pray for us.  Pray that we can have the patience and wisdom to pray over each situation, to give of our time and energy, and show the love that Christ has for each of them.

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

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

My mom and I with the boys in front of the castle

We have been planning a trip to Florida to visit one of our churches there for a quite a while.  But, we were not planning on our entire family being seriously sick for that trip.  It was the longest drive of my life with Ephraim crying to lay down and go to sleep and all of us running fevers and coughing uncontrollably.  There was no way we could reschedule the trip with just a few weeks left in the states, so we just had to go anyways.  After what seemed like an eternity we finally arrived in Florida and prepared to speak with the church.  We were both afraid that we wouldn’t be able to speak more than a few words without breaking into a coughing fit, but God really got us through it.  We really enjoyed meeting people down there and seeing first hand the great church that is standing behind us as we leave again for Guinea.  We were able to share about our ministry and hopefully gave people a vision for what we are wanting to see happen there.

We have a bunch of family down there as well – most of them with the church that we visited – so it was a great chance to visit with them as well.  We hadn’t seen some of them in years and it was a great time to catch up and thank them for being a part of what we’re doing.  It seemed like family time went quickly and we were on the road again.  We headed up to Orlando for a couple days of fun with the kids.  I wish they all would have been at 100% for a visit to Disney, but they were doing much better than I had anticipated.  We spent one day at Magic Kingdom and it seemed like the boys were the perfect ages for everything – they loved all the rides.  There is nothing that they are afraid of!  They didn’t care even when it started raining – they didn’t think that should stop any of the rides.  So, we got some ponchos and headed back to Thunder Mountain which was their favorite.  I loved seeing the look of awe on their faces with things.  We spent another day at Seaworld – it was a freezing day – less than 50 degrees, but we still had a good time.  The boys loved feeding the mantarays, watching the dolphins, sharks and penguins.  We went to a couple of shows – a very funny sea lion show and the Shamu show.  Malachi was chosen from the audience to be a volunteer and he loved it.  He got to go up in front of everyone and talk with the trainers – it was all on the big screens so he felt like a celebrity.  It was a busy couple of days and then it was back on the road.  We were able to stay with friends on the way back – so glad for the chance to visit before we leave for another couple of years.  I think I learned that I don’t want to drive to Florida anytime soon, but it was some great memories with the kids.

Malachi was chosen to be the volunteer for the Shamu show

Ephraim absolutely loved the Jungle Safari ride

Ephraim's facial expressions crack me up

Ephraim was just about done at this point

My parents with the boys

Unfortunately, I can’t get anymore to upload, but you can check them out on my facebook page.

Family photo after running the bases

How lucky we are that Uncle Matt can give us the VIP treatment at the Lansing Lugnut games.  The boys had been looking forward to going to the game for weeks beforehand.  The day was super hot and sticky and I’ll be the first one to say that I definitely appreciated the fact that we had great seats.  Instead of sitting out in the hot sun, we were spoiled with shaded box seats and the air-conditioned lounge to hang out in.  The boys loved the game – especially everything happening on the scoreboard.  They were excited to have Big Lug, the mascot, come to our room for pictures and autographs.  The boys roped gramma into buying them souvenirs and snacks.  What kid wouldn’t have been excited.  The best part came at the end when the boys were able to run the bases down on the field – which almost didn’t happen due to a need for an emergency bathroom stop!  Thankfully, they didn’t miss out on the fun – even Steve got in on the fun of running the bases!  It was a great day with the family.

Posing with Big Lug

Number one fan!

Flying around the bases

My boys in front of the Grand Hotel

While I was still sweating in Guinea, I was dreaming of a summer camping trip in Michigan.  I love Michigan in every season except for winter and I really wanted to do something fun for the boys before they started school.  From my tiny village in Guinea I was looking up campgrounds and making reservations for while we were at home.  Yes, I know that I am addicted to pre-planning.

We spent a couple of days camping at Onaway State Park.  I found it online and it seemed like a peaceful retreat instead of the sometimes craziness of Lake Michigan.  Our boys are pretty great in the car and they made the four hour trip with little fuss.  Those long car trips in Guinea are a lot worse, so traveling stateside seems like a breeze now!  I had rented a cute little cabin on the lake and it turned out that it was the perfect choice as the temps were low and we had a huge storm while we were there.  The campground is small, the lake is great and it seemed much more like camping in the woods than camping at a beach.  The kids fell in love with fishing those couple of days – which was good because it was too cold to go swimming.  We cooked over the grill, took walks, went out in the boat and spent hours fishing off the pier.  It was relaxing and I would definitely recommend this State park for getaways.

Then we headed to Mackinac Island for a couple more days.  We hadn’t been to Mackinac in years and the boys had never been there.  They loved the ferry ride across – it’s amazing how excited kids get about stuff!  Our hotel room was a spacious suite which gave us some room to spread out.  We even had a small porch overlooking Main Street which was great.  I enjoyed getting up in the mornings and watching the Island come to life as people started arriving.  We found some great restaurants and cafe’s, we explored the Butterfly museum and Steve and I even had a date night while my parents watched the boys.  The highlight of the trip was the horse drawn tour around the Island and the time spent at Fort Mackinac.  The boys loved having the first row seats on the tour so that they could take lots of pictures of the horses behinds.  What could be more fun?   Fort Mackinac was such a great place to take the boys.  We saw a cannon firing, weapon demonstration, tried on old uniforms and took a trip back in time.  Our boys are in love with anything having to do with men in uniform and this was a big hit with them.  I took tons of photos of our time – check out our photos page for a lot more.

Our boys fell in love with fishing while we were camping

The boys with gramma and grampa on the shore of Mackinac Island

Having lunch at Fort Mackinac overlooking the Island

Our family together on the wedding day

My baby brother was married this summer and I’m thankful that we could be home to be a part of his big day.  He and Melissa have been together for so long that it seemed like they already were married, but it’s wonderful to have it official!

The wedding was out of town, so my parents booked a line of hotel rooms and we all got to spend the weekend together.  This was one of my favorite parts of the weekend – just the time to spend together as a family.  The boys absolutely love being surrounded by their family!

The rehearsal went smoothly – somehow I got asked to be the coordinator – although I know nothing about being one!  But, things went well and we all hoped that the predicted storms would stay away for the weekend.  It was a tough weekend for Ephraim especially – being constantly surrounded by large crowds and no real way to escape.  We had to bribe him with a new Wii game if he could get the weekend calm.  We gave him some tips to staying calm and ways to tell us that he needed some space.  It seemed to work out well and I know he tried really hard!  The other two enjoyed having so much family attention and kept themselves occupied making fun of all the “girly stuff”.

Much to everyone’s amazement the storm clouds rolled away an hour before the outdoor ceremony.  It was at a beautiful spot in front of a pond at a park.  Everything went smoothly and the reception was a lot of fun too.  Our boys were so eager to get out there dancing.  They sat patiently on the side during all those slow dances in the beginning, but you should have seen them when the fast songs came on!  There was no stopping them!  We had to drag Micah off the dance floor to finally go back to the hotel and get some sleep.  It was a great weekend with family and friends and we’re so excited for Travis and Melissa.

The boys fooling around at the dress rehearsal

I was so glad to have my sister fly in for the wedding

Ephraim enjoying the wedding cupcakes