The long hot summer is over!  The long sultry rainy season is here!  Since it seems to be a growing kind of time, I planted some seeds: watermelon, cucumber, squash and zucchini.  I hope to use the produce to build bridges of goodwill and friendship in the neighborhood.  So much is growing in my yard I have enlisted the endless energy of little ones to come pull weeds for me!  Wheaton and three friends cleaned the back area one afternoon in exchange for snacks, gallons of water, balloons and money to buy enough candy to spoil their dinner for several days.  A neighbor boy, Maam Cheikh helps control the growth in the yard.

I located and bought a motor to run the exhaust fan on the roof!  However, there are some adjustments that need to be made to it, so I still do not have it.  My dog, Major, disappeared and is presumed dead.  Corey and Katie sent their dog, Sergeant, to me for security since I live alone.  When they were gone for a week recently, someone attempted to break into their home.  The intruder wasn’t able to get in but they are looking for a new dog.

Emma has just gone to BCS, the residential school three hours away, which she has been longing for all summer.  There are multiple sms messages flying between BCS and Kaffrine these days!  Before leaving she came and helped me by printing worksheets for the year, sorting and organizing materials and generally adding to the festive air of the beginning of the school year.  Katie and Corey made a weeklong trip combining well deserved time with friends (Emma got to babysit while they went out!), delivering Emma to school, ministry meetings and shopping for groceries and necessities not available in Kaffrine.  Molly and Wheaton stayed with me and we had a lovely time, too!

School is settling down to a regular schedule.  It is a joy to have enough time (almost!) with each girl every day to do more than just the barest essentials!  Wheaton is blossoming in her ability and confidence to do fourth grade work!  She enjoys studying the USA from the Civil war to the present and is eager to learn.  We are reading John and discussing stories and teachings of Jesus in a way that I didn’t have time to do in previous years.  It is exciting to see Molly grow in her enthusiasm for sixth grade.  I enjoy the animated discussions we have over evolution (in science) and big picture ideas she is learning in her one-year world history course.  It is fun to see the mind-boggling array of information she is learning fall into order and unity in her multi-track time line which brings together Bible and world history.  We also have lively discussions over Bible passages and explore how these ancient words impact us and our world today.

We have other grand Adventures approaching.  Corey goes in October to the USA for a month-long training in computerized type-setting to learn how to lay out the new Wolofal Bible for printing.  It will be a great boost to both Corey’s work and the work of other ministries because there currently is not a trained Bible typesetter in West Africa.  Toward the end of Corey’s course, Molly and Wheaton will visit friends and Katie and I will attend the annual Ladies’ Retreat near Dakar.  We return to Kaffrine together.

With this school year my last with Corey and Katie, my thoughts turned toward what is NEXT.  I was amazed and instantly interested when I saw a listing for the 2015-2016 school year for a Bible Teacher at Dakar Academy, a private Christian school in Dakar.  I spoke with team mates, Dakar Academy assistant headmaster and the Bible Department head to see if this would be a good fit for the school and for me.  Everyone encouraged me, so I submitted my application in the middle of August.  Additionally, the SIM USA office contacted me this summer to see if I might be interested in possibilities of service in the office there.  I am overwhelmed with this multiplicity of opportunities!  Please pray with me for God’s plan to be clearly revealed for my next stage in life.

Be sure to look at the pictures of garden, children and school!

Prayers:

*        Emma to settle well at BCS and do well in her studies

*        Molly, Wheaton and I to continue to work harmoniously and grow in every way throughout the year

*        Corey’s trip to be smooth, that he will learn quickly and well and return safely; for our safety and no emergencies while he is gone

*        Just the right dog for Corey and Katie’s and that their house would not be burglarized again

*        Ebola to be contained and affordable treatment to soon be available to all.  Pray for patients, doctors and support personnel

*        For the adjustments to the fan motor to go smoothly and be completed soon