Non, Merci

I am looking forward to many aspects of another culture, landscape, country. And some aspects, not so much. Here are some things I am not so excited about...

Snakes. There will be snakes in the bush that we are working/sleeping in. The only time I will be okay with getting close to one of these guys is if they're on the end of my fork...

Western Bush Viper

Seriously, we may grill up snake for dinner while we're in the bush. : )
Black Mamba

Speaking of eating...there are lots of BATS! Our American friend in West Africa sent these first two pictures...

She teased, "grilled or roasted?"

Little did she know that this next picture of the bat on a plate is from my sister's fiance. He is Congolese and ate bat on his last trip to Congo...

He also ate these bugs! I would MUCH rather have grilled bat!

Funny, though, I will GLADLY put a snail in my mouth. Escargot, S'il vous plait.

Péripétie

Next month my husband, myself, and two of our very dear friends (a husband/wife) will embark on the most risky, wild, surrendered adventure of our lives (besides marriage and parenting!) We will board a plane and travel 27 hours to the "other" side of the world. We will cross multiple time zones, the equator, a couple of continents, and step into a culture that we do not yet know but have a hunger to not only understand but love quickly and deeply.

We are heading to West Africa to meet a lady and help her on her dairy farm.

Here is the dairy farmer and some helpers in a field they will clear for us to create a hay storage corral and shed:

Getting prepared for our project...

They made these poles for the corral from the trees in the bush on the dairy farm

As we make lists of supplies to pick up, correspond with many questions for the American couple that invited us to come to West Africa , where they now live, and finalize our plans, it dawns on me that we really cannot prepare ourselves for many aspects of this trip.

I do not know what I will see. I expect my eyes to weep at some of the sights I will witness.

I do not know how much my heart will break. I expect it to be broken.

I do not know how tired, sore, homesick, vulnerable I will feel. I expect to long and ache for what is familiar and comfortable.

I do know that this is a trip designed by a Great Designer. A trip that ties with the Providence that only a Master Trip Planner can put together. It is a privilege and an honor to be able to partner with the One and Only, who does not need a partner but chooses to partner with those that He had to redeem with a great sacrifice.

I do know that if I spend sweet time with my Bridegroom then I will be prepared for this trip.

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:4

Oh, and péripétie means "adventure" in French. : )

What About A Snout?

The Prairie Kid brings home his work from the school week on Fridays. This week they were working on short i sounds. He wrote a story and drew a picture. I thought it was worth sharing : )

Addition ToThe Yard

We recently were given a hand-me-down play set. The Prairie Kid thinks he has died and gone to heaven! He plays on it so much...sometimes even before we leave for school in the mornings.
He already broke in both hands for the monkey bars...big blisters that are now turning into callouses.

A couple of weekends ago The Prairie Daddy was making a roof for the top with some old feed bags. There was enough left over for a flag. The Prairie Kid told me what to paint and away we went.

Today the flag got hung up.


As it was being put up with a piece of wire, The Prairie Daddy said, "We might need to get a dowel."

The Prairie Kid asked, "A towel?"

"No, a D-owel."

Smile.

About-Face

Funny, but not-so-funny story...

As previously posted, The Prairie Kid is in soccer. I started playing soccer when I was in 2nd grade and played through the beginning of high school. Soccer in our family became an obsession growing up; we were on the field year-round (yep, indoor in the winter) and played competetive soccer for many years. No doubt, my dad would have loved to see us head to college on a soccer scholarship.

I stood on the sidelines Monday evening hollering for my son to get after the ball. He had shared with me before the game that he was afraid to get kicked. He stayed back and watched the mobs of little feet desperately trying to make contact with the ball. I coached from the sidelines.

After the game we hung out for awhile and then, (sigh), we got in the car. I think the first words out of my mouth were "You've got to get brave and go after the ball! You need to get that ball away from the other team!"

"But I'm scared!"

"You've got to get over that!"

And then, I remembered. That horrible feeling of getting "the lecture" in the car after the game. And I stopped. I turned around and said, "I'm sorry. Sometimes moms and dads get too excited about their kid's sports and I just want you to have fun. You did a great job and you scored a goal! Way to go! I love you, Buddy."

Whew...that was close.

And later, I called up my sister and laughed, "I've turned into our father!" I am thankful for the support and time my dad ALWAYS gave to our sports. However, sometimes as parents we all-too-quickly have unreasonable expectations or goals for our kids and don't always think about the purpose and affect. I am thankful that God reminded me how that felt and that He allowed me to change course and head on a different path with my son.

I still hollered from the sidelines at the next game...but this time it was more like "WAY TO GO! GREAT JOB!" And we laughed and enjoyed our little ones as they buzzed around the field like a herd of bumble bees.

Eeeewwww!

There are Cat Face Spiders on our deck. Thank God I've been told they're not poisonous or I wouldn't be so okay with them hanging around our house, literally. They are a strange and creepy creature.

Here is the back...


And here is the belly. This one was actually working on eating a fly when we took this picture...

Strikers

The Prairie Kid is playing soccer! We're excited...this is his first organized sport (other than summer units at the rec). He is playing on a K-2nd grade team. They have games twice a week for about 5 weeks. He's played the same team both games so far and I think they lost the first and they tied the 2nd game 8 to 8. He scored a goal in each game.

The Prairie Daddy's aunt and cousins were in town and they joined his mom at the first game

I was proud of my little striker