Spring is finally arriving in Connecticut!  Yes, I really did say ‘finally’ since I have enjoyed the winter and snow so much!  I didn’t think I would ever be tired of the snow, but with those gusty warm breezes and crocuses in the ground the excitement about trees budding, grass appearing and discovering what is planted in the gardens around the house is contagious!

We have had several opportunities for sharing about Senegal in local churches.  Here we are sharing with some children’s classes during a week long missions emphasis in a nearby church.  Katie and I both had opportunity to share in different settings as well.

Tripping Around America

Last week was Spring Break at school.  Corey, Katie and the girls headed south to Virginia for some fun with extended family.  I headed north to Canada to connect with old friends I haven’t seen for years as well as meet some new ones!  Team mates from Senegal, Geoff and Esther in Burlington, just across the border and I had a short but very special evening catching up on one another’s lives.  I then went on to Oakville to spend the week with good friends Nirmala and Densil from Abu Dhabi.  We had lots of time to talk and remember and just have some relaxed time with the family.

On the way back I stopped to meet some new friends at Browncroft, one of the most active supporters of the Wolof in upper New York state.  I stayed with a lovely gal, Lynn, who arranged several opportunities for me to meet with folks who have heard about me, and I about them for many years.  It was a great blessing to get to connect with these lovely people who lift us up in prayer on a regular basis.

Because life doesn’t have enough excitement, I woke up on Friday morning with a red and swollen eye, apparently from a bug bite the night before when we cooked out.  I made it back home safely, but the doctor put me on antibiotics on Monday.  My eye is still quite swollen and red making reading and general seeing uncomfortable.  I am sure I will recover, but there are several times in the next week when I will be presenting in front of people, and my appearance isn’t the best, to say the least!  Please pray the swelling and inflammation will disappear quickly!

Wednesday morning, 24 April, Corey and Katie flew out to Seattle, Washington for a six day Wolof Connection conference.  They will be both attending and presenting.  The girls and I are “home alone” and hope to have some fun times without the parents!

 Barn Doings

My involvement in the Barn continues.  AWANA is planning an in-house Bible Quiz late in May and I have been asked to help with planning the questions and preparing the clubbers for it.  Many of these clubbers have never been involved in AWANA before so have not experienced Bible Quiz before.  Pray that they will enjoy it and end up learning and reinforcing verses they have been learning all year long.

There has been a request to have the workshop on Forgiveness that I led in March repeated this Sunday evening in an expanded format.  Please pray for this time to be fruitful for attendees.  Pray also that my eye will not be a distraction for me or those attending.

The GLUE committee at church is taking more responsibility for its activities, and members taking more part.  Please pray that these events will go well and be times of blessing, connection and refreshment for us all.

 Other Opportunities

I have an invitation next Thursday, May 2 to share with the Community Bible Study group I have been attending this year about being a Home School Teacher in Senegal.  Please pray that my presentation would center on God and not me!

We have several events coming up in May and June that will be our last scheduled times with churches.

Departure Plans

About returning to Senegal, the girls are thinking, “Yay, we get to go back home!” while we are thinking “Well, this is the last time I will go to this place, or the last time I will see these people.”  While I am rejoicing in the opportunities, I am also detaching and withdrawing from this bountiful setting.  We are so very conscious of the isolation we will be experiencing as the only westerners in our town since our team mates will not be there, at least for the first year we will be there.

And just because God wants to remind us that HE is in control, Corey announced on Monday he will need to have surgery that will delay our departure at least until the first of August.  (Maybe some of these ‘lasts’ aren’t really the LAST after all!)  Corey has been experiencing moderate discomfort in his right shoulder for some time.  At the youth retreat in March, he hurt it badly enough to visit a doctor about it.  Monday he was informed his rotator cuff needs surgery and the physical therapy following it will require staying in the States until August.  We are in the midst of figuring out housing, scheduling and all the other details in these changes in our calendar.  Please pray for guidance for all these details and arrangements!

Funding Findings

Please continue to pray for my funding to be complete.  There has been little movement in funding since the last update.  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 return to Senegal.  Please prayerfully lift this need to the Father.  For further information or to donate click here.

To see pictures from the last couple of months click here.

 Prayers

• Praise for the many opportunities to connect with friends and family in the USA.
• Praise that our trips to Virginia (Corey and family) and Canada (me) were refreshing and safe.
• Pray for Corey’s surgery next Friday, May 3 and all the arrangements that need to be made.
• Pray for the swift healing of my eye.
• Pray for GLUE transition and the activities and events planned.
• 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%.

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%.