Snippets....



It's been a whole month since we left for Togo!  So hard to believe that we've survived an entire month in Africa!!

This post is just pictures and snippets of life here:
Saying goodbye stinks!  Here are four of the five Penny girls.  We missed
having Christine 'cause she was working.



Friends and family gathering at my parents to say goodbye and see us off.



Goodbye to cousins!



All the cousins together one last time!!





This is our luggage on my parents driveway the morning we left.  Seven people's
stuff for two whole years  fitting into 10 rubbermaid containers
and several bags & backpacks.






This is Teddy wanting to eat the M&M's that Mr. Prevett gave us!





Nate walking the airport with the kids -- Teddy loved his little carry on luggage
that he could ride when he got tired!









They are preparing our flight!!  The kids watched from the windows.




Jack fast asleep on our flight from Brussels to Lome.


This was our first view of Africa in the daylight.  This is looking outside our
"hotel" window to the street below!





We spent a couple of days in Lome (the capital of Togo) buying groceries
and small appliances.  We laughed when we saw this restaurant!  We didn't
bother to try it but were informed that they made a pretty good burger!



Super cute baby boy that lives around our corner.


These are fresh veggies I bought at market.  You have to soak them in bleach and
water for 20 minutes first, then rinse them in clean, filtered water for another twenty
minutes before you can eat 'em!

My neighbours.  The big guy starts crowing about 5 am every morning.  

Nolan and his buddy, Emmanuel.  He also happens to be the one who helps
us with French.  Such a fun kid!










Comments

  1. WendySeptember 14, 2012 at 7:24 PM

    so good to see your pictures and your words, e.
    miss you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Wedding

Image
Yesterday we were able to attend a traditional wedding for one of Nate's guys, Omar.  Unlike weddings at home, yesterday was only day one of the four days of celebration.  We're supposed to be returning this afternoon for more festivities, then on Saturday for more, and finally on Sunday afternoon when the groom participates in his traditional tribal dancing.  One of the fun parts of a Togo wedding is that the guests all wear the same pattern of fabric.  The groom selects the wedding fabric, orders loads of it and then sells it to the guests to wear for the events. Nate, the boys and I purchased the fabric and here we are - in all our orange and yellow and green and black glory: The wedding began at Omar's home at 7 am.  Yes, in the morning.  We gathered with him and his family as guests arrived to greet him. The groom and the boys The family brought in some rice and beef sauce, candy and dates for us to eat.  Around 8:30 am, it was time to start moving.  The bride was stil
Read more

Fufu Friday!

Image
Last Friday, we had a fufu party at our house with the construction team that came from Michigan.  Fufu is a major staple here for the locals.   It all begins with manioc, a long tuber type vegetable that is black on the outside and kinda hairy, but it's white one the inside.   It's kinda like a huge yam.   So first,  you peel 'em and boil them.  And then the fun begins. Here is Joseph, Marie, and Adzo, putting the boiled manioc into the fufu pounder thing. Joseph and Marie sorta beat the manioc up a bit for us first. And then the rhythmic pounding begins.  This is me and Jennifer working together pounding it. And here is Nolan and Zack, pounding it too.  It takes a LOT of pounding! And here is Nate and our guard, Ibraim, taking their turn.  Still pounding. And here's the fufu, the first batch is ready.  Think of it as really gluey mashed potatoes. And here is Teddy at the table ready to dive in.  He got a tiny portion becau
Read more

More Proof that God Sees

Image
Miracles happen, friend.  We have just been witness to a big one. I told you all about Little Leah.  Her abandonment.  Her smallness.  Her medical needs.  Her lack of family. But what joy I have to tell you that God saw all that.  And He took what was hard and unfair and wrong and He made it right. On October 12, Leah was discharged from the hospital.  Since she had no home or family, we decided to foster her until a forever family could be found. We knew we would be tired  exhausted from caring for a newborn with some very specific needs.  We knew we would be overwhelmed and under-qualified.  What we didn't expect was how easily/quickly the four of us would come to love this precious little girl. Nate, the boys and I just fell in love with this baby.  But before I go any further, the answer is no, we are not the ones adopting her.  We were the ones praying and praying for a Christian, Togolese family for her.  And God did just that. But before I get to that part of the story, you
Read more