Saturday – Sunday, November 13-14, 2010

Bonjour,

On Saturday morning, we got some things done around the house. Joe got the washing machine hooked up and running.

The karate teacher came. Justin had given Gilbert one of his old uniforms. Gilbert was so pround of his uniform. As soon as the karate teacher came in the gate, Danny ran up to him and asked, “Do you have my uniform yet?” We ordered one for him, but it hasn’t come in yet.

After naps, we headed to Anyama. We got there about 17:00. We ate supper. Then, several others came over for Samantha’s birthday party – Bob and Margie Engelhart, Lenell Smith, Sara Bascue, and Michelle Geiger. We had a good time of fellowship with everyone. Samantha really enjoyed her cake; she had it everywhere.

After everyone left, we got the kids bathed and in bed. We had a good time visiting with Matt and Sarah. We don’t get to see them as often now since we don’t live across the street any more.

Everyone was up early this morning to get ready for church. Today was the 4th anniversary for the church which Matt Litson started, the Fundamental Baptist Church in Belleville. That is the church where we worked before our furlough. After the Litsons returned from their furlough, the church bought some property and has built a new building. Today was our first time to see all of that. The people were so excited to see us.

The services went very well. Several different groups in the church had prepared a song for the special day. They did a really good job. Joe preached. Several came forward for salvation. There were 160 in attendance – 80 adults and 80 children.

Everyone kept flicking Bonnie’s cheek. She told me, “I don’t like that.” The kids were so excited to see Gilbert and Danny that the boys were a bit overwhelmed. Danny brought me his water canteen and said, “Those kids are trying to take my water, Mom.” The little kids were pulling Danny’s hair to see if it was attached. Danny just took it in stride. Danny was going up and hugging the adults. They thought that Danny remembered them, but I think he was just being friendly. He has learned to say, “I am fine” in French. So, he was telling everyone, “I am fine,” even if they hadn’t asked him how he was doing. It was cute. He was determined to hold a little boy who wasn’t much smaller than he was; he finally got him trapped. I got the camera out. The little boy decided that he would stay in Danny’s lap if I was going to take a picture. Gilbert had his fists balled up and his foot ready to kick if any of the kids tried to mess with him. Wow! It is a big adjustment for the kids; they went from being just one of the kids to being the center of attention. The kids did enjoy being with the Litson girls, and they enjoyed the junior church as well. After church, one of the boys was walking to a little store in the neighborhood to get some drinks for us. Gilbert wanted to go with him. He held Clement’s hand, and they were off.

They had dinner on the grounds after church. The teens had prepared the rice. The mothers had prepared different sauces to go over the rice. The only problem was that Romeo didn’t bring the silverware. It wasn’t a problem for most; they are accustomed to eating with their fingers. Bonnie thought it was great. They did have a few spoons but no way to wash them after they had been used. They offered me a spoon that had already been used; I opted for my fingers. Those baby wipes come in handy!

There was a lot of traffic on the way back to Grand Bassam. Monday and Tuesday are both holidays. Monday is called The Day of Peace to remember the people who were killed several years ago in November. Then, Tuesday is a Muslim holiday; in African countries, it is called Tabaski (in Arabic – Eid al-Adha), meaning the Day of Sacrifice. They believe that Allah kept Abraham from killing Ishmael by providing a ram in the thicket. So, all of the Muslims were at the slaughterhouse to purchase their rams for sacrifice. There were at least fifteen semis parked along side the road full of two layers of rams. People were walking across the main road to buy the rams and then dragging their rams back across the road. The three-lane road had become a six-lane road which all had to go back into a two-lane road. We moved inch by inch for about thirty minutes. We finally got past the slaughterhouse, and it was smooth sailing from there on out, almost. A lady was pulling out on the highway from a dirt road. The front of her vehicle was in our lane with a bus coming in the oncoming lane. She backed up just in time. We are so thankful for the faithful prayers of so many people.

A demain,

Joe, Laura, Gilbert, Danny, and Bonnie