I Bara Tunun!

Dear Friends and Family,

Hello! I bara tunun! (As they say here when you haven’t seen/talked to someone in a while.) It has been far too long since we wrote our last update to you in Conakry back in January. Our internet access this year stunk, but we’re glad we’re able to get this last update out to you before we head back home in a month.

We know it’s been awhile, but thank you for all the comments on our blog about the little one growing inside of me. My mom was able to read the blog comments to us on the phone and we’re very excited about the baby. I’m just about to begin my second trimester, which is partially a relief because I’ve spent too much time standing over a toilet and being tired. The good thing is that the nausea is finally starting to go away and I’m able to keep more food down now. Also, I’ve still been able to teach, although Shannon now teaches science for both our classes in the afternoon. He’s been super husband, having to clean, cook, and teach, which can make his days tiring, especially since he’s doing all these things here in Guinea. Please pray for him that he would have strength and that he would be able to find rest during his day, especially in the Lord. Also, please pray for continued health for me and the baby.

It’s hard to believe that we have less than a month left. The year has gone by quickly. The students are doing great and the kindergarteners are still cute as ever. It’s been fun to watch the kindergarteners go from struggling to learn their ABC’s to being able to read. Some of them have really amazed me this year by how quickly they learn. The fourth graders have improved a lot over the past two years as well, and they are such voracious readers and can’t seem to get enough of our new library. Thank you again to so many of you that donated books and supplies. We are trying to make the most out of all the things we’ve gotten. It’s still so fun to be able to teach our kids silly things that we would teach in the States, like what the word “farted” means, because how else will they learn what it is in English? We also enjoy arguing with our kids that pizza is far better than nyere (a chalky yellow fruit with seeds). They claim that nyere tastes better, although they’ve never had pizza before. Believe me, there is no comparison.

We’ve enjoyed living in the village Sambouya this year. The people are very friendly and we like sitting around helping to shell peanuts or sift cassava flour while listening to their conversations. We’ve seen so much more bush meat this year than last year. It’s funny because whenever we ask what an animal is, almost everything, regardless of what it is, is always called “subo”(meat). The different types of meat we’ve seen being sold, sliced, or eaten has ranged from monkey, wild cat, a diker (kind of looks like a tiny deer), rat, snake, to animals that we still have yet to identify. So, it’s been fun living in a larger village where you seem to see more unusual things. The villagers are also excited that I’m pregnant. They all say, “Akaning!”(good!) and one villager is convinced that I’m going to have a boy, because she says my frequent vomiting is a sure sign of it. She also wants me to name my baby after her (her name is Fatumata, which is a very common name around here) if we have a girl and after her husband (Kairfa) if we have a boy. We’ll see. :P

Most of our friends in Sambouya say that the village church is good, and that they’ll go on Sundays, but they don’t actually come. They love to sing the songs that we sing at church and will talk about Jesus with me in the village at their homes, but coming to church is a different matter. I just pray and hope that they’ll come to know the love and joy that we have in Jesus Christ. On the other hand, since we started Sunday school with the children in January, they have been coming every week. We had about thirty kids last week that were mostly boys. It can get a little rowdy at times since hitting among kids is perfectly allowed here, but still we get encouraged by the one kid who sits and pays attention even though our Maninka is still so poor. It’s funny, because we don’t give the kids candy, and we’re not really interesting people, but they still come to hear Bible stories and learn about Jesus. Please pray for the village of Sambouya as we have come to love the people very much.

As usual, please pray for continued peace here in Guinea. Things are always a little uncertain politically. The news about the president is the same as usual. He’s old, the people are tired of him, and they want things to change. That means that strikes can happen at anytime, which can make traveling, besides other things, difficult.

We’ve made the decision to stay at home for the next school year, mainly due to the fact that I won’t even be due until next school year is already in session. We’re looking forward to spending a year at home, although we’re still not yet sure what our plans for the future will be. You can pray for us in regard to these things as well. We would like to be wherever God wants us to be, because we know that His ways are the best.

That’s pretty much all the news from Guinea. We are looking forward to seeing and hearing from you soon! God bless and we miss you!