January and February whizzed by and March, with all the events scheduled, feels like it is gone already!

Katie and I managed through the two weeks with Corey gone.  His time at Covenant was well spent and he made significant progress toward his goal of finishing his Master’s Degree in Theological Studies.  The girls and I were able to squeeze in one last visit to McDonald’s big indoor playground – Emma is now too tall to enter the playground, Molly just squeaked under the line and Wheaton has decided she doesn’t want to go without her sisters.  And no wonder, Emma turned 11 at Christmas and Molly moved into double digits this week with her 10^th birthday!

Our trip to Florida started off with 32 inches of snow in our front yard and a travel ban which delayed our departure 10 hours.  However, we were able to arrive in Florida almost on schedule.  Corey, Katie and the girls went on to enjoy 3 days at Disney and a few days with Katie’s family.  I stayed with my brother, enjoyed Florida weather and helped my sister organize and pack a bit for her anticipated move to North Carolina to be near her son’s family in May.  All the young cousins on my side of the family were able to connect and have a time to get to know one another before our 3-day trip back to the snow – which is still on the ground!  We had a near collision on our trip home.  Corey’s careful driving, and the Lord’s protection kept us safe as a vehicle ran a red light, passed directly in front of us and hit the car on our right as it entered the intersection.  We called 911 and Corey was able to tell the trooper his ‘front-row seat’ witness of the incident.  Thankfully, all the occupants of the vehicles were able to walk out of their vehicles and we were very conscious of the many prayers on our behalf for this trip.

Even though I had a new lens made in December, my glasses continued to be a problem.  When I went in January for my final cataract checkup, the doctor found clouding in my right eye.  Apparently cataracts are caused by hardening of the lens, which is encased in a capsule.  The lens is removed from the capsule and replaced by an artificial one.  My problem was that the capsule in my right eye was also clouded.  Upon returning from Florida, I had laser surgery to remove the clouded capsule.  I am recovering from that now, but can already see significantly more clearly.

My dental saga continues.  The new crown is in place, but I am now experiencing tooth pain and need to go back again to discover why my teeth hurt.

In the midst of all this craziness there have still been ample opportunities for ministry.  Our committee for community (named GLUE for God’s Love Unites Everyone) here at the church is growing.  We have several events that have been planned and several more on the calendar for the upcoming months.  We still need to have wider representation from the congregation, but the committee is confident that as we have more things going on, more people will join GLUE.

I also have the opportunity to present lessons in the Large Group sessions of the Truth and Training group at our AWANA club, and listen to verses in 2 clubs on a regular basis.

Our whole family was hosted by a supporting church in Boston one weekend in January.  We were able to connect with many folks at the lunch following worship.  Corey presented the message, and we were so blessed to hear that there was at least one life that was transformed by our visit.

Our church is working to provide opportunities for action from sermon topics.  On March 10 the sermon will be The Consequences of Unforgiveness and I have the opportunity to lead a workshop the following Wednesday, March 13, on the aspects and steps of forgiveness.

I also have been visiting Molly’s class to help them understand how we live in Senegal, what homeschooling is like and how folks live in the village.

One of the largest churches in our area is hosting a week-long Missions emphasis.  Katie is speaking at a morning meeting, and I will be Missionary Representative at a table for the Women’s Dinner.  We are excited to have a voice in sharing in this World Outreach Week.

I am encouraged regarding my funding.  Last time I reported that I NEEDED 55% of my funding.  Today I am reporting that I HAVE almost 55% of my funding!  I still need that remaining 46% or $1208 (2155Dh) per month.  SIM’s policy is to not allow a missionary to go on the field until they are 100% supported with gifts or promises.  I need to have promises for the rest of my support to come in before I can leave in June.  Please prayerfully lift this need to the Father.  For further information or to donate click here.

To view more pictures click here.

Prayers

• Praise for the many opportunities we are having to connect with friends and family in the USA.
• Praise that our trip to Florida was so refreshing and we were kept safe.
• Please pray for GLUE and the activities and events planned.
• Pray that our opportunities for service and speaking will be blessed to spread God’s word effectively.
• Pray my tooth ache will be resolved.
• Pray for workers to come join the Kaffrine team.
• Please continue to pray for Steve Smith, our Kaffrine teammate suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
• Pray for continued additions to my support to bring it up to 100%.