Benedict's Birthday Party

We were invited to celebrate the birthday of one of Mark's day crew, Benedict.  We gathered at Benedict's brothers house and were able to fellowship with day crew and dental team members. Matthew enthralled Eber with a reading of Calvin and Hobbs.  Matthew read the entire 60 page collection to Eber.

We hung out on the front porch and enjoyed sandwiches and snacks.  I enjoyed getting to know Mark's team better.

Magalie made friends with Caleb. Caleb enjoyed eating more than his fair share of pretzel sticks.  All the boys were sweet and practiced their French with the day crew.

The candle was amazing!  The boys thought it was the highlight of the day.

And we had cake. It was a lovely Saturday and I hope that we can gather together with the dental team again soon.

Camping in Congo...Family Church Beach Style

 We embarked on our grand adventure around 10am Saturday morning.  Yes, we needed that much stuff for a one nigh camping trip (7 adults and 10 children).  The boys were super excited about sleeping in tents with their friends.

Two Land Rovers packed and ready to head out.

Congo is a beautiful country!

Swim suits and bare feet...a boys paradise.

Our awesome fire pit.

We had some amazing kabobs for dinner.  They were even better the next day with eggs wrapped in pita bread.

Sticks were played with in abundance.

Our sleeping quarters for the night.

The next morning friends and family from the ship joined us on the beach for Family Church.  We had a time of worship led by Nick and Roses followed by a good word from Gabe.  It was wonderful to begin our day of fun by praising God!

Chuch in Congo

Uncle Dean's day crew Bob invited him to attend church with him. Mark drove a group of us to the church.  We were welcomed warmly and give the opportunity to speak.  We were also asked to lead the church in singing.  We sang, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "Lord I Lift Your Name on High".

Mark speaking a word of encouragement to the congregation.

The church filled up quickly.  Children sat in the back, women in the middle and men on the left.  We were given seats of honor in the front of the room.

After the service the pastor and his wife hosted us with snacks and cold sodas.  The pastor shared with us his testimony and how the church was started.  We prayed for the church and then they presented us with gifts to show us that we were welcome (a Congolese tradition).  We were given pineapples, mangoes, plantains, and carrots.  In all it must have filled 8 or 9 bags.  We felt very welcomed!

The front of the church.

Simply Christmas...Academy Christmas Musical

Matthew has been playing hand chimes this year and he preformed during the pre-show segment of the Christmas musical.  We are so proud of Matthew!

Caleb chose to play recorders this last semester.  He struggled but persevered and did and excellent job playing Jingle Bells.  Way to go Caleb!

Caleb singing and dancing in the opening number.

Jacob played Joseph and did an amazing job memorizing a five minute monologue.  There is a video on my face book page if you would like to see his hard work.

Matthew in a song about the sheep's perspective on the birth of Jesus.

We are so proud of all our boys.  We have seen them grow so much this year. 

 It is such a joy to be their parents!

Let the Christmas Season Begin...Holiday Ballet

This year we had Christmas decorations (some of you might remember that last year our tree was made from toilet paper rolls).  My mom bought decorations during after Christmas sales last year and we put them on a container in July.  This year I broke my December first rule and I put up decorations before Thanksgiving. 

This is our living room/bedroom window.  The Story of Christmas is a family tradition.  Every Christmas morning it is the first thing that we read.  We didn't bring it with us and last year one of our supporters was able to send us a copy.  It has been such a blessing to be able to carry on important family traditions.

Christmas Cards! (Most from previous years because they don't seem to arrive before Christmas.)

Stockings made from Guinea fabric.

This year we put on a Holiday Ballet with dancing, poetry, and stories.  It was great fun and helped start the Holiday season!

Silent Night

Waltz of the Flowers

Sleigh Ride

Ms. Sarah reading scripture announcing the birth of Jesus.

Finale: Come and Worship

Baptisim

Friday, 15th November 2013 was a beautiful day to celebrate God's creation and glorify Him with the baptism of our oldest son Jacob.

Three weeks earlier Jacob came home from school and asked me if he could talk with me for a minute.  That doesn't happen very often, so I was ready to listen.  Jacob told me that during morning worship at school he felt that God told him it was time to be baptized and to let everyone know that he had committed his life to Jesus.  We had previously had many conversations about following Jesus and the need for a savior and several years ago Jacob prayed to be saved, but when we asked him about baptism he said he wasn't ready.  We had told him that he would know when he was ready and that God would speak to him.  It was such a blessing to hear my son say he heard from God and to hear from his mouth that he knew that God was speaking to him.  Over the next two weeks God provided opportunities for Mark and I to have one-on-one time with Jacob and we were able to talk more with him about salvation.  What a blessing it is to watch your children grow in the Lord!

At 9am on Friday morning three land rovers were filled with friends and we headed to a quiet spot on a beach about an hours drive from Pointe-Noire.  We had a sweet service and those in attendance read scripture over Jacob and we prayed together.

Mark and Jacob walked out into the water.

and Jacob was baptized as a visible sign of his transformation into a new man in Christ.

Mr. Nick led us in a time of worship.  We sang two of Jacobs favorite songs; Mighty to Save & I'll Fly Away.

Fun on the Other Side of Deck 7

I was able to accompany the 2nd grade Academy students on a field trip to deck 7 to visit with patients.  Several of the patients we visited are also my English students.  It was fun introducing them to the 2nd graders.  We are playing a game of letter sound bingo.  I was amazed how easily the Academy 2nd graders jumped in and interacted with the patients.

Matthew is playing war with his new friend.  I think they would have continued playing for hours!

So much fun!

I got to have my picture taken with several of my sweet students.  The highlight of my day is the hour I spend with these lovely young ladies.  I don't know how much English I am really teaching, but I do know that we laugh a lot!