Peace amongst turmoil

Hey everyone!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. I'm sure without them we would just be overwhelmed right now. U.S. Embassy officials have pulled out, Peace Corps workers have left and it seems like a lot of missionaries have also fled the country. Meanwhile we just keep on living as usual.

The stuff that happens in the cities doesn't seem to have much impact on the lives of villagers. The demonstrations in Faranah have quieted since the curfew was imposed and Benjamin has been able to go in a few times to pick up some supplies. We're not planning on moving back to Bilingkoro until everything has been settled, but we feel very safe here and still visit our village whenever our schedule allows. Everyone here at TMICA is healthy, strong, and not feeling the effects of the turmoil very much.

Yesterday the president and the union officials were set to have a negotiation meeting in the morning. However, the union leaders refused to come until the president lifts the nationwide curfew. Please pray that both the president and union leaders would both have wisdom and humility to bring peace back to the land. Thank you for your prayers and we'll continue to keep you updated as much as we can.

To answer a question completely unrelated to the strikes that came from my brother, "Why aren't you guys tan?", we don't like to stay in the African sun. I wear sunblock, we both wear hats whenever we're outside, and we stay in the shade whenever possible if we're outside. Although I know people love to have a nice tan, it's not worth it when it's 90 degrees and you can feel the sun scorching you whenever you're outside.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We are so thankful for you and miss you all!

Love,
Shannon and Carol