Monday, June 13, 2011

This morning after breakfast, we headed up to the Luthers' house to help them get loaded up and to see them and April off.  The small bus that they had hired was in Accra; so, Prince had to go find another one.  They were supposed to leave at 8:00 but were delayed until 9:30 because of the bus situation.  Our kids were impressed with the bus.  Bonnie thought she was going to ride in it too.  When she discovered that she wasn't, she cried and cried.  We were all sad to see them go.  Danny tried to be strong.  After they pulled away, Danny looked at me with one tear coming down his cheek and said, "Mom, I wish Aunt April didn't leave."  Then, he started crying in earnest.

There is an in-ground pool up at the Luthers' house that has been filled in with dirt.  Joe asked Charlie if it would be okay if we remove the dirt and use the pool while they are gone.  Charlie said that it would be fine.  Joe told the kids the plan.  That excited them, but then they were disappointed because they wanted to start the dirt removal process right away.  We told them we would have to wait until next week since we leave for Ivory Coast in the morning.  Gilbert was already trying to figure out where the stairs were.  He walked home in tears over the pool.

After everyone stopped crying, we had a good day.  Joe went into town to get a u-joint replaced on the vehicle.  Then, he got some snacks for our trip tomorrow.  Some of the stores here sell a brand called Magic Time.  It is from Florida.  We discovered some Magic Time cheetos the other day.  They are pretty tasty!  Joe was eating some the other day, and Bonnie asked him what they were.  He said, "Noneyas," meaning "None of your business."  The next day, Bonnie said, "Mom, can I have some of those "noneyas"?  She thinks that is what they are called now.  She and Danny have had some heated discussions over that.  

It was a nice, sunny day, quite a difference from the flooding of yesterday.  The boys rode their bikes down the hill.  I was outside taking clothes off of the line. (The dryer is down again.)  I got talked into helping bring the bikes back to the top of the hill.  Bonnie wanted to ride up the hill.  That was a mistake.  We almost didn't make it to the top.  Danny wanted me to push him.  I told him I would take the bike but not with him on it.

This evening, I have been working on getting packed up for our trip.  We are going to leave the house at 5:00 in the morning, pick up Kristine, and head to Ivory Coast.  Please pray that all goes well with crossing the border and that we are able to get a new entry visa for Ghana for Danny without a problem.  Pray that the vehicle will run well and that we will have safety throughout the trip.  We will head back home on Friday.  You probably won't hear from us again until then.

A demain,

Joe, Laura, Gilbert, Danny, and Bonnie