Girl from Sangaredi

I just thought this girl was so cute. She is from the church in Sangaredi.

I guess you could say these guys are friends....

My 3 favorite things

My 3 favorite things in the world: Micah, Elijah, and Reese's Cups!!! HA! Ok...I'm sure Daniel is in there somewhere...Reese's and other goodies were shipped over for the kids at during the conference carnival. Let's just say Micah didn't miss his Reese's because there was no trace left to remind him:) YUMMY!!! What a treat!

Elijah Playing Balafon

We've been taking balafon lessons (African wooden piano) three days a week. It's really fun! It's also a lot more complicated than I had imagined. The keys are made out of wood and they are tuned by length. There are different sized gourds underneath which determine the volume of sound each key will put out. The sticks you play with are made out of wood with rubber/tar ends. Elijah LOVES it! We can hardly practice with him around. Listen....

Monkeying Around

I LOVE MONKIES! A Guinean was trying to sell this little guy to our friends, but they didn't want to buy him. I (Stef) would in a heartbeat if we had a place to keep him. But for now...I'll just pet him at my friend's house:)

He's on my lap, just in case you can't see him:)

Elijah finds "Wow-Wow"

We've been teaching Elijah the word for "doggy" in Portuguese....well, at least the word that kids use. "Wow-Wow"...they use this word because it's easier to say than the real word, "Cachorro"...and it's also the sound the dog makes...at least in Brasil. HA!

Anyway...Micah has a stuffed dog animal...actually it's for neck support on flights..but Micah sleeps with it. Elijah loves it! I was able to film Elijah as he remembers that the dog is on Micah's bed and goes on mission to find it and kiss it all over! He's too cute!

Micah riding with Daddy on motorcycle

For all you mothers out there...feel free to freak out with me! Micah loves to ride with Daniel on the moto, but I just can't help but fret every time he gets on.

Just Some Pics of Us

Here is almost one-year old Elijah with our host family's kid, Hadja. Her real name is Rama, but they call her Hadja sometimes. Hadja is the name given to Muslim ladies who have been to Mecca. And Elij is the name given to men who have been to Mecca. So...these 2 kiddos are worldwide travelers! HA!

I look so old here! Aghhh! Gonna be 30 in January! Scary! Elijah is adorable though, isn't he? He's giving his "Hey Baby!" look. This was taken right after we attended the Ramadan group prayer on the hilltop. It was a little hike! It just reminded us of how lost these people really are. Pray for the Guineans!

Daniel's Trip to a Converted Muslim Conference in Kindia

Daniel recently attended a conference for Christians who converted from Islam. What a blessing! It was hard on me...being at home by myself with the 2 boys for almost a week, but it was worth it. Daniel got to meet a lot of neat Christians from all around Guinea. These men and women are mostly from the forest region of Guinea, down south, who are dispersing all across Guinea to spread the Gospel. Daniel had the privilege of getting to know the speaker of the conference, Pastor Belo, who used to be a muslim, but sought out believers to find the truth out about Jesus Christ. He had a very powerful testimony! Here are some pictures of a waterfall Daniel saw from a distance, and a baptism he attended.

This is a palm tree full of bird nests! Daniel thought they were coconuts at first until he remembered that coconuts don't grow on the branches!!!!

Trip to Indochine Restaurant

We're in Conakry this week taking a "mini vacation". Here is the menu from one of our now favorite restaurants in the capital city...Indochine. Instead our "Our Suggestions", the menu read "Our Subjections". This was only one of the many translation "faux pas" in their menu:)

Koundara dancing kids

These are the kids that live right around the mission house in Koundara. They love cameras!They are a mixture of Peuhl and Konyagui. They spoke very little if any French. I tried to organize a game of "Red Rover" but underestimated their competitive drive. On one run, a larger boy took out a smaller one, slammed him chest down onto the ground. I thought I was at an American football practice or something. Yeah, that kinda put a damper on things. I told the bigger kids to aim for the bigger kids. I then handed out some animal crackers (thanks Mom) and called it a day. Maybe my next attempt at playing a game will be less violent:)

Girls Husking Millet

We happen to go to Koundara right at the beginning of rainy season. Everything was green and growing. The Konyagui grow many different kinds of staple foods like: corn, rice, millet, fonio, okra, peppers and sorghum. Here in the video the 2 young girls are husking the millet. Young girls in Guinea have a hard life (compared to our standards).

Into Youkounkoun!

Now here we are in one of the many small villages in the Youkounkoun area, about 1 hour away from Koundara. This is one of the many trades the Konyagui have. Here the guy on the left is beating the metal, trying to make plow parts (we think). The kid on the right is taking his turn at working the "pumps" to blow air into the coals which heat the metal. The "pumps" are made from goat skin. This trade is very valuable since they use oxen and metal hand plows to disc up their land in preparation for planting season. It would be interesting to know how they teach this trade, from chosing the "apprentice" to the actual teaching. I have a hunch that the little "blower boy" is probably climbing his way from "padawan" to "blacksmith jedi" little by little. (written by Daniel, of course)

Ferry Crossing

On the way up to Koundara we used a hand cranked ferry to cross a small river. They can take three cars at a time. I (Daniel) thought that it was amazing how some of the smaller cars could get up and down this path. I don't know if I would try it driving any other car. Micah LOVED this experience. He even helped the guys crank a little. We told them they should give a discount since our son helped:)

Trip to Koundara!

Here is some footage of our long and bumpy trip to Koundara. This is part of the "international highway" that goes all the way to Senegal. Unfortunately we didn't see any rest stops or gas stations or McDonalds or even pavement. At least we didn't see any tolls! That's me (Dani), alwyas trying to look on the bright side! HA!
WARNING to those who get sick at shaky footage: trust me, this was as smooth as it got during the trip!

It's not Kentucky Fried Chicken...that's for sure!

Here we are eating Brasilian chicken and rice with our neighbors. Everyone gathers around a big bowl on the ground and eats with their hands. Watch how they grab the rice up and smoosh it in their hands to make a ball to pop in their mouths. Once the rice is gone, they split up the meat. The meat is really tough. Most missionaries buy small frozen hens imported from Brasil of all places. It's more expensive, but you can chew it easily! Notice you only eat with your right hand. The left hand acts as toilet paper! HA! Micah wasn't too excited about eating with his hands, so we gave him a spoon. I'm filming so that's why you don't see me until the end. I attached 2 pix at the end of me.

Enjoy!

Want to Brighten Your Day?

Guinean Subway

Less than a week left!

What a crazy weekend! We've been almost 1,000 miles this past weekend and we're very thankful to have our passports and visas in hand! We visited a lovely church this past Sunday in West Virginia and stopped at the state's capital, Charleston. It was beautiful! We had to stop on the side of the road one time so I could nurse Elijah and look at what exit we "happened" to stop at...Guinea Station! HA!

We also are very thankful to have been able to get Micah's teeth fixed before leaving! That's a big burden lifted! So now, it's back to packing. We're almost finished...just a few last minute things to pack. We're looking forward to spending these last couple of nights just hanging out with family. This is a picture of Micah at El Vaquero, celebrating Grandpa's birthday:) We leave next Monday for Atlanta where we'll fly out on Tuesday night around 9 pm. Thanks for all the prayers!

A drive through town in Boke

Sweet Home Ala-Guinea!!!

Here is a view from the courtyard.

Our New Home!

Here's our new house in Boke, the town where we'll be doing our orientation. We are renting it from a muslim family, the Diallo's (the pic with 3 kids) Pray for them, as well as our neighbor, Hadja. Notice the mangoes in our front yard...yummy! Pray for Micah...that he'll make friends fast and come to see this new house and country as his home:)

1 Month and Counting!

Well Folks...we have less than a month here in the USA! It's hard to believe...but Guinea is right around the corner! We head down to Atlanta May 12th and then fly out on the 13th, arriving in Guinea on the 14th. We will be staying in Boke (the third largest "city" in Guinea) for our orientation period. The Diallo family will be our host family and we will be renting a house from them. They have 3 kids and since we'll be sharing a yard, we'll be seeing each other everyday. They will be our lifeline during our stay in Boke. They are a Muslim family and understand that we are Christians. We're are excited to see what God is going to do in their lives this year! Here's a pic of our "supermarket"! We will be visiting this outdoor grocery store DAILY since we will not have a fridge for this first year!

Lunch anyone?! This is a typical meal...rice with some kind of sauce...palm nut, peanut, etc. They like to make it spicy too!

Talk about balance!! These ladies are good! I find myself wondering, "Will be 'hanging out' with these gals?" Pray for strength and endurance!

Brothers

It's fun to see Micah playing more with Elijah. He's always saying, "Oh look. He's smiling at me. That means he loves me." Micah doesn't like though when Elijah pulls his hair. We try to explain to him that he's a baby and can't help it. That explanation doesn't really help much when Elijah yanks hard and makes Micah cry!

More Shots :( and Chuck E. Cheese

We are finally done with our shots!!! Yeah! We went to Fayetteville yesterday to get our last set of vaccinations...meningitis. And I have to admit... did hurt a little. So imagine Micah...yeah...kicking and screaming. Daniel had to practically sit on him. Needess to say, he didn't get a sticker. But we did take advantage of being in Fayetteville and went to Chuck E. Cheese's. Micah LOVED it! He used "his" money from his piggy bank and played his brains out! The pizza was really good too. We were surprised! (No, Elijah didn't get any shots with us...this is just a shot of him in a bad mood!) HA!

Random Pictures of Quebec trip

Look at the brothers holding hands! Micah was worn out!

Elijah is trying to sit up! And he rolled over twice already...but only Daddy caught the footage:(

Over 2,500 miles in 9 days! Part 2

On Saturday morning, we woke up, had breakfast, and continued our journey to Sherbrooke, Quebec. Micah had a fever and wasn't feeling well. Daniel had ran out and got him some Tylenol, but his fever kept coming back. We arrived in Sherbrooke about 6 pm. OUR FINAL DESTINATION! We stayed with the Dallaire family. We met them at the small church we attended while learning French last year. They are sooooo sweet! They have 2 daughters: Lydia, who is almost 3 and Ann-Marie, who is in kindergarten. Micah had a BLAST needless to say, playing his brains out. We too enjoyed our "adult time". It was so nice to just be able to sit back and talk! This family loves the Lord and are missionaries in their neighborhood and city. They are truly trusting the Lord for opportunities to reach out to those around them and tell them about Christ. We were so blessed to have had this time together with them....to recharge our batteries. Jennifer was an amazing hostess. We were sad to go, but we expect to see them one day in GUINEA!! :) And who knows...one day we might all be RELATED! HA!

Over 2,500 miles in 9 days! Part 1

What a trip! First we stopped in Ohio to see Stef.'s aunt and uncle. We spent 2 nights there. The Lord opened up the opportunity to speak at a chapel service at Bethlehem Christian Academy where "Aunt June" works. It was amazing! The kids loved seeing pictures of Guinean kids and hearing about what daily life looks like over there. We thank God for the opportunity to see June and Bill one last time before heading to the field!

THEN...it was off to Sherbrooke, Quebec. But first we made a QUICK stop at Niagara Falls! It was really, really quick because we didn't want to pay $6 to park and walk all the way down to the viewing area. Plus, it was sprinkling rain....and Elijah was tired. So, we jumped out quick and had someone snap a picture. It's not the best...but it serves its purpose. You can see the falls behind us! Isn't God's creation amazing! After this, we stopped outside of Toronto for the night.

Bathtime Fun

Micah is growing up fast and making us laugh every day! He usually is serious and inquisitive, but he does have his silly moments. He loves preschool! He attends Bright Meadow Christian 3 days a week, 3 hours a day. Let's just say he takes great naps on those 3 days!

Silly Face

No...this face wasn't made on purpose. Elijah is teething! He's been complaining for about a month. So, he started when he was only 3 MONTHS!! That's seems way early to me. Poor guy...he's giving himself hickies on his arms from trying to scratch his gums. He's having a hard time napping during the day too because of his gums. Oh well...that's a baby for ya! He sure is cute though...isn't he?!

Vote for your favorite prayer card picture for 2008!

We are thinking of taking Elijah's head from the one on the right and putting it on the picture on the left. What do you think?

Roly Poly Boy!

Gotta love baby fat!

Julia and Micah

Do I hear wedding bells?

Elijah Laughs!

Carl and Julia sledding down "Grass Hill"

Sledding on Cardboard

We went to the park in Chattanooga, TN and saw this grass covered mountain covered with kids sledding down on cardboard boxes. Needless to say we all had to try it! Micah was so light that most of the time he would slide off the cardboard and roll down the hill. Daniel and Micah however would slide down perfectly! They had grass everywhere by the time they were done.