Last Update for 2006-07 School Year

Hello everyone!

This will be our last e-mail from Guinea this year. A big thank you to all of you who check up on us and keep us in your prayers. And a special big thanks to Charles who has operated this whole blog thing for us. God truly has watched over us here and has answered so many of our prayer requests throughout. We may post a couple of times during the summer so keep checking in every once in awhile!

Thank you for your prayers for my health. I feel 100% again. Hopefully we'll all remain that way these last couple of weeks!

This weekend we're doing selection in Boke and next weekend we'll finish up in Faranah. We'll have our students taking their final tests this week. Everyone seems anxious to get home and see family so we're all doing our best to take it one day at a time.

That early rainy season that was predicted did not happen. We've still only had 2 rains and the last one was 2 weeks ago. We have occasional lightning and distant thunder, but it never gets here somehow. No rain means fewer bugs though so theirs pros and cons to both sides.

We thought it would be nice to leave you with something humorous and very honest. So here it is...

Top 13 (We couldn't narrow it down any more) ways to tell you've been living in a West African Village too long...

13. You get cravings for Spam.
12. 2 grown men holding hands doesn't phase you anymore
11. You've survived home invasions by swarms of bees, lots of lizards, huge spiders, mice, bats, roaches, ants and other assorted bugs.
10. You try to communicate with the cows...in their language.
9. You've transported live chickens (9 actually) in your car. (And eaten them the next day)
8. You like eating usang fila (sweet potato leaves mashed like baby food).
7. You can open combination locks in the dark.
6. The thief outside your window turns out to be a cow.
5. You've seen cows in a car, chickens tied to windshield wipers, and 7 people fit inside compact vehicle (even with the center shifting console).
4. People offer you their children to take to America.
3. You appreciate road construction.
2. You blow by stop signs going 80 and don't even blink.
1. You can get dinner for a quarter but a Coke still costs 50 cents.

Also there are some pictures from our village to look at. We don't get to spend as much time there as we like, but these are our neighbors and friends. They put up with our poor and sloppy Malinke and don't laugh at us too much, so we like them!

Lots of love and see you soon!
Shannon and Carol

Ma, Luma and Ousmane - 3 brothers

Going to Muslim prayer & to get water

Everyday life

Eating dinner with Grandma

Bilingkoro boys

Bancuma, our village chief going out to work in the fields

Tene, her baby Abu, and other kids

Shy camera smiles

Our walk to school (those are mango trees on the right)

Our neighbor Sayo and her son Sinuba