It's been a while...

Sorry it's been so long since I've written - the internet has been especially lousy over the last couple of weeks.  In order to create a new post, I have to have a long stretch of time with decent internet to upload the photos, then write the post and then actually publish it.  This is no five-minute task, my friends!! But there's much to tell you, so enough excuses already.  Here's what we've been up to:

CONSTRUCTION!

The houses are coming along great.  Nate and Bruce have been working hard with the Togolese men. House #1 now has the trusses on and House #2 has walls to the roof line and window frames going in.  The crew hopes to have House #1 completed by the end of April!  That's some great timing if it all works out like that.  To think that we got here in mid-November and it was just getting started.  We had to wait for the container from the USA to arrive (which it did, just a couple of days after my birthday which meant that I had the MOST birthday presents EVER to open.  Things like cake mix and bedding and kitchen utensils -- so exciting!!) as it held a lot of the necessary construction supplies, but now that it has, things can continue to move forward.

House #1 - roof trusses on.  Just waiting for steel to arrive from the capital city.

I took some photos of Nate, Bruce and Nolan the other day while they were out working in the noon-day sun digging trenches.  Bruce and Nate have become excellent friends and co-workers.  Let me just tell you about Bruce and his wife, Mary.  They are from Michigan and are newly retired. I think they are both about 70 years old.  Mary is always busy helping at the hospital. She worked as an OR nurse for years and has jumped in to help not only in the OR, but also in the pharmacy, in wound care, and anywhere she's needed.  Bruce is out in the sun all day with Nate working on the construction site.  Then in the evenings he works on his computer, looking at plans and placing orders for material, and keeping a list of items that we need  - from tools to supplies to parts.  He intends to work on getting all the needed items shipped over once he returns to the USA at the end of April.  (We're hoping and praying that they'll extend their stay or come back to Mango very soon!!)

When Nolan isn't helping in x-ray or working on the farm,
he helps on site with Nate.

Look at the two of them working together, wearing matching outfits!!

CULTURAL EXPERIENCES!

Last Saturday, we were invited to a baby-naming ceremony for our Togolese friend and co-worker, Fousseni.  We have known Fousseni since we lived here last time.  He is one of the carpenters working on site and doing maintenance at the hospital.

Fousseni's new baby boy was born and on the eighth day, they have a party to celebrate the naming and the circumcision of their sons. We were invited to this big celebration.

They told us the party started at 8:30 am.  Knowing what time-lines are like here in Togo, we arrived at the party just after 9 am and were still there before the hosts. We entered the family compound where Fousseni and his wife and children live.  He had set up a tarp for shade for the guests so we didn't have to sit in the sun.

Mary (mentioned above), Kylie and I sitting under the tarp.  I have a little gift
in my hands of baby powder and cash.  Both appropriate.

We waited until the other guests and the family arrived and then were able to meet the mother and new baby.  I cannot actually remember the baby's name because it's super long and all I can recall is the last two syllables which are "Doo-doo".  You can imagine what Nate shortened the baby's name to.

The guests were allowed to enter their home and greet mom, her mother, the aunts and the new baby boy.

Me and Doo-doo

Fousseni's beautiful wife and her new son. She is
an extraordinarily hard-working woman.

After we greeted new mom and baby, Fousseni arrived in his celebratory clothes.

Fousseni and two of his three sons.  He also cares
for his sister's children as her husband died.  He has a lot
of people to provide for!

The women invited us over to the cooking area of their home to see what was being prepared.  All the women of the extended family pitch in to help.  The food prep is a big amount of work and it's a big deal for the family to provide food for all the guests.

The women took turns stirring this huge pot of pate.  It's like a corn-flour mash.

As we were standing and watching, Kylie spied the feet of an animal behind that big pot.  Upon closer investigation, we also spied the head of the sheep we were about to partake of.  Thankfully, I'm not too squeamish.

I felt like something was watching me - and indeed, it was my lunch!

We returned to the seating area and they started to bring out the food.  Fousseni and his family brought out a case of cold pop!  This would be very expensive for him and was such an honour that he provided it for us.  Then they brought plates of the roasted mutton, the pate and a sauce.  We ate the meat which was very good.  It was basically roasted over charcoal so it had a great flavour.  I was unable to eat the sauce - but you'll understand why in a moment.

Lunch time!

Nate was being taught the proper way to eat the pate and sauce.  You eat only with your right hand and only the thumb and first two fingers. As he reached into the pot of sauce, he pulled out the esophagus of an animal.

If you look closely, you can see it's a tube.  

 We all started laughing - until he took a bite.

Delicious. (not really - he said it was chewy)

That just about did me in.  I'm all for being culturally appropriate but after seeing him chew and swallow that - well, I was just sticking to the roasted meat for lunch.

We finished eating, visited together, and then prepared to go.  We took some photos of the family with all of us missionaries, gave our gifts to the family and then left. It was an honour to be part of this family celebration.

Fousseni, his wife and three sons and some members of our team

BITS AND BOBS:

We've really adjusted to life here, I think.  The little boys are doing so well in school.  We actually have our first parent-teacher interviews next week.  (Yikes!)

Teddy and Aunt Amy, his teacher

Jack, in his classroom at the MK school, with Aunt Amanda

I've continued to work with the neonatal follow up program.  It's so fun to go in and visit with the premie babies and then do follow-up appointments with them to see how they're growing and developing.  Not a bad job for me at all!

Loving these little ones!

Kylie and Nolan continue to do school with me every day - though we do tend to have some "interruptions" like teaching Odile, our neighbour, to make snowflakes.  She was so thrilled with how they turned out!

Craft time!

And here's Nolan going off to work. He is daily greeted by the local kids as he goes and comes home from work.  They like to help with the gate at our house.

I always feel like there's always so much MORE to say when I'm finished a blog post.  I want to tell you about the friends that we've met, the daily experiences that make us laugh and cry, the people that we hang out with, the conversations we have.  I wish you could just come out and spend some time here with us to experience it for yourselves.  

Speaking of coming here, the needs here are immense.  If you know anyone even slightly interested in coming out for a short or long period of time, please encourage them to contact us!  We need people with all sorts of skills and abilities from nurses, doctors, physical therapists, respiratory therapists and surgeons to mechanics, teachers, accountants, etc.  

Thank you for your support, for reading the blog, for praying for us.  We know for absolute certain that you have prayed us through the first couple of months here.  Please continue to pray for health and safety, for wisdom, for our French to continue to improve, for opportunities to love and serve the Togolese and for the kingdom of God to advance in this very dark corner of West Africa.