gohuntago

All We Want for Christmas are some teeth!

2011-12-22T19:01:00.000-06:00

Home away from home

2011-11-08T16:17:00.001-06:00

We got to sleep in a real house with a real bathroom. R shared her room with us. The last picture was of the grasshoppers that were at the market. R bought some so I got to add eating one to my list of weird things that I have eaten. It tasted like a stick.

Shopping at the market

2011-11-08T16:09:00.000-06:00

We took a lunch break from the medical clinic to go to the market. It is hard enough for me to shop in an American grocery store. I believe I would never shop if this is where I would have to shop.

The end of September

2011-11-08T16:03:00.000-06:00

My fall has gone so quickly that I never got to blog about my trip to Niger. One day when I was there I got to go to Gumbo's house to help cook a meal for a group of L's friends who came to eat lunch with us. It was an experience I will never forget. Her life is so hard. She lives in a little round house but all of her cooking is done outside over an open fire. She has a daughter who helps her alot. The daughter was the one who taught me how to wash the pans out in the yard with the water from the container. G takes care of a precious little boy whose mom died when he was a few days old. G is one of the few women that I observed who truly loves children. I can't imagine living her life but she seems so content.

VA FUN

2011-11-08T15:50:00.002-06:00

My mini vacation to VA has been two action packed days with the girls. We have played dress up, gone to the park for a picnic and packed for an all afternoon cross country flight. It is always so much fun to visit them. The beautiful leaves and perfect weather made it a wonderful visit.

Wednesday and Thursday

2011-10-13T15:53:00.003-05:00

Wednesday was our off day so we only walked around from 8a am to 8 pm. We got to see the city. Since it was Wednesday, Westminister Abby closed at 12 so we didn't get to see in for the third yearin a row.
Today S and I walked an area where I had not been. It is a very commercialized area with lots of construction and noise. Our weather has been really nice. While we were walking we had a rain shower as we were approaching the British Museum. We went inside until the rain let up which wasn't long. We did go to see the display of the gold medals that will be given away at the London Olympics. There were lots of people around but all of them were scurrying around so as of 2:30 we had engaged no one.. We were on our way back to our hotel but decided to cut through the University of London. We came out near a beautiful church building which the group Monday had said had been turned into apartments. The door was open so S and I went in. Part of the building is being used for a chapel. We went in to look around. It was beautiful and huge. The front of the chapel has been partitioned off to make a much smaller area. It is being rented out to a group that is holding services there. While we were there two girls came in. We asked if they were part of the church. They said they were getting their master's degrees and were from Turkey. We talked to them and told them that we would get someone from KCBC to contact them. They had visited another church in the area this morning and were looking for a place to listen to music. We are so thankful for time we spent with them.
Tomorrow we meet the other team to walk in an area that I walked two years ago.

Tuesday

2011-10-11T16:44:00.002-05:00

Today we walked for six hours with a short break for lunch. Today I walked with A and K through a very diverse area where I had been on Sunday. There were so many people going quickly every where. I got to experience two inns which did not meet my American definition for inn. Thanks to k for the European definition. They both contained beautiful places of worship that are open during the day. We got yo go in. There was an actual person playing the organ in one of them. Tonight we decided to not go for fish and chips but to go back to one of the areas where we walked for the past two years. We wanted to check on the pastor status at a church that we continue to have on our p list.

Monday

2011-10-10T17:28:00.003-05:00

What a blessing it was to walk with the boyz today. We covered the area around KCBC where we were yesterday morning. We had some good conversations and the boyz will be going to some targeted areas tomorrow Then we walked to the area where the University is. We stood in the middle of students from every tribe and tongue today. After our debrief time we headed out for our city pw. We visited St Paul's and the Miillieum Bridge where v & a got their referral for J last year. Some how we lost the river so it took us forever to get to the tower bridge and across to the tube station. We were thankful for the tube to get back home.

Sunday

2011-10-09T17:44:00.002-05:00

Today was a wonderfully long day. We worshipped with some of our friends At 1 pm we broke into teams and did our first walk. We talked to several people and saw how very diverse our area is. At 6:30 we were back with our friends for Eden cafe night. I can now say that I enjoyed the Christian rapper.

Camden

2011-10-08T14:47:00.003-05:00

Our team made it to Camden. We have done our first walk through Camden Town which is always such an eye opener to all the new people. We did our first group pr*yer walk on Primrose Hill over looking the city just as it was getting dark.

Celebrating Grannie

2011-10-07T14:19:00.001-05:00

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and the Mission Center celebrated Grannie on grandparents day. She was given plaques for all of her years of ministry. Four of the eight great granddaughters got to be there. H enjoyed decorating Nana for a pagent while AC enjoyed a game of football with the boys.

Celebrating birthdays

2011-10-07T14:12:00.000-05:00

L and M had birthdays at the end of August. My first great nephew was born at the end of September. We celebrated P's birthday at the beginning of October.

First Day of School

2011-10-07T14:07:00.000-05:00

While I was in VA working, all the girls started school.

Three shakes and kindergarten

2011-08-25T18:38:00.004-05:00

I was awakened at 1:07 with a shaking bed. The first aftershock of the day was a 4. something. Being upstairs and asleep, it seemed stonger. The second ,about half that size, came while all the alarm clocks were going off so none of us felt it. It is the second day of school for m & m who are in 8th and 1st grade. My baby granddaughter, e, started kindergarten today. About 11:30 while in the dungeon, the metal shelves started rattling. Later I read that it was another minor aftershock. I will never take it lightly when I hear that a major earthquake area has aftershocks. Those people must be very frightened every time the earth starts shaking.

Aftershock

2011-08-23T19:05:00.001-05:00

This is really weird. It is 8 pm and we just felt an aftershock.

Earthquake

2011-08-23T18:55:00.002-05:00

Today as Mol and I were working in the dungeon, the building started shaking. I thought it was from a train that runs behind the parking lot. It started shaking a lot and became louder. I took Mol by the hand and started up the steps to find Mad who was on the third floor. At the top of the steps, an employee came running down the aisle yelling that it was an earthquake. That really scared Mol. By the time we found Mad it was over. It was a 5.9 earthquake whose epicenter was about 26 miles from us. It brought back memories of the morning I woke up in GA with my bed shaking from an earthquake. Glad I don't live on the west coast.

Darker than a dungeon

2011-08-15T17:08:00.002-05:00

After a gigantic storm last night in Cville, SBS was totally without power all day today. Since we are down to our crunch, the boss decided to let us work. J took a picture of me but all you could see was my head light shining. It was quite an adventure. Hopefully it will be back on tomorrow.

Meatfest plus or minus a few

2011-07-24T14:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Meatfest. What a fun day.

Family Vacation 2011

2011-07-08T19:06:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Canada

2011-07-08T18:08:00.000-05:00

Run Fun

2011-07-08T18:04:00.000-05:00

Mel's Pictures of Alaska Scenery

2011-07-08T17:55:00.002-05:00

We are family

2011-07-08T17:48:00.000-05:00

35000 feet up

2011-07-02T20:01:00.001-05:00

I can't resist a good picture from the plane window. Mt Rainier was out in Seattle so I got a couple of great views of it. As we flew away I got two other huge snow covered mountains in the distance. The VA fam stayed in Seattle a couple of extra days so maybe they can tell me what I have pictures of. As we flew over Wyoming, our pilot told us that we were flying over the Tetons and Snake River. I am glad I saw them from above but I love them best from the ground. The trip back went quickly and we were in AL by midnight. Everyone still likes each other!

More favorite things

2011-07-02T19:49:00.001-05:00

Victoria is a city that is full of flowers. For those who know me, I just have to keep taking pictures of flowers. The rest of the family spent their afternoon at Beacon Park where they went to the petting zoo. Apparently they had lots of goats. We all met back up and ended our stay in Victoria by eating ice cream which had become a favorite activity of us all. On the way back to the ship, we met a man with a dog who looked so much like our Boo. He was the best dog we ever had.

My favorite things from the castle

2011-07-02T19:39:00.002-05:00

The stained glass windows were beautiful. The lamp reminded me of my aunt who had one similar to it. The heat radiator was the fanciest I've ever seen. There was someone playing a cello as we walked around. Someone had made tatting by hand. The servant's quarters had a sewing machine. We could see the ship from one of the windows. The staircases were beautiful.

On the way to the castle

2011-07-02T19:33:00.000-05:00

On the way to the castle, we saw horse drawn buggies, fancy hotels, Lil Sweet Nancy's shop, and a beautiful mosaic. The castle was beautiful but not so impressive if you have seen Chambord in France.

Victoria, BC

2011-07-02T19:28:00.000-05:00

&nbs
We were greeted by a beautiful morning when we reached Victoria. We didn't book excursions and decided to do the city on our own. We found a park not far from the ship. After much playing, we walked along the waterfront and saw some of the older buildings. We finally had to stop so that Mad could have a hotdog for breakfast. PaPaul would be so proud of her. A & P wanted to see the castle so Mad and I decided to tag along. We left the rest of the fam who went around the city looking for parks.

Day at Sea

2011-07-02T19:01:00.002-05:00

Wednesday was a cold, raw day at sea. P posed in front of the teen club because Mad would not get her picture made there or go to any of the activities. She enjoyed just hanging out. The little girls on the other hand loved the Kid's Club. They had a talent show for us on Wed. afternoon. Since the girls would not tell us what they were doing, we had no idea until we got to the Shall We Dance lounge. There was one serious performer who did a Michael Jackson impersonation. One boy did the splits for the entire show. One boy wiggled his ears or not. AC did a wonderful gymnastics routine, M was part of the hulla hoop group, and E and L sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and an animal action song. They all did a wonderful job. Our towel animal that night was this monkey.

Formal dining and game night

2011-07-02T18:46:00.001-05:00

We were not into dressing up for dinner but one night we did go to the formal dinner. The little girls love to dress up so I got a picture of them in their formal wear. One night we had family game night. AC & L & I like to play Uno so we went to the card room to play. Some of us played Uno and some people played Dominoes. My children learned to play dominoes well because it was one of the two games that Granny Hunt had at her house. They also learned how to play checkers with her. We had a great time playing while some family members were out people watching.

Tracy's Arm Fjord

2011-07-02T18:26:00.003-05:00

I can remember reading about the fjord's of Norway in my 4th grade geography book. I was fascinated by them. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever ride a giant boat up a fjord. On Wednesday morning that is what we did. We were told the night before that we would be entering Tracy's Arm fjord at 5:30 am so I was up on deck at 5 am. It was freezing cold but I got a prime spot on the front by the plexiglass barrier so I was there to stay. I had on my cuddle duds and five layers of upper clothes. J came up about 5:30 when we began to see more chunks of the blue ice. About 7, J left but I just couldn't. It was a spectacular journey. There were several places I thought that we had reached a dead end but Capt'n Stein did an excellent job turning the corners and dodging the chunks of ice. At 7:30 we were really close to the glacier and appeared to be stopped so I started to go to breakfast at the buffet where I could still see the glacier. I tried to open hot chocolate mix with my hands and I could not get them to open it. They were so cold they weren't moving. I finally had to tear the pack with my teeth. Slowing as I held the hot cup my hands began to move. As they did, I had burning and tingling on my wrists. Mel said that I had hypothermia from being in the cold. I didn't realize how cold I had become. It didn't stop me from going back out to examine the glacier up close. During breakfast, we had drifted even closer to it. It was sad to hear the avalanches that were falling off. I would hear a thunder sound and then giant chunks would fall off into the water. The view and the fact that I now know what a fjord is was worth all the cold.

Tracy's Arm Fjord pictures

2011-07-02T18:22:00.003-05:00

Goodbye Skagway

2011-07-02T18:10:00.000-05:00

M lost her second tooth when we returned to the ship from Skagway. All the cousins were around when J pulled it out. The 7 year old was so surprised that M didn't scream and yell like she does when she loses a tooth. She said that M's were not as tight as hers are. We left Skagway as the sun was setting behind the mountains. It was a beautiful end to all the beautiful creation we had seen that afternoon.

Picture perfect

2011-07-02T18:03:00.000-05:00

These are some of the beautiful views from our drive to White Pass.

To Canada and back

2011-07-02T17:51:00.001-05:00

The ride we took to the summit was breathtaking. We got lots of family shots minus P & A but unfortunately none of them were made with my camera because I bumped it on something the first day of the cruise and it is now being held together with a ponytail holder that P had with her. It still makes good pictures if you know how to hold it. None of us have proof that we were ever in Canada because we did not go far enough to reach the Canadian Post and the US point of entry just let us through because we were on a bus.
We learned lots of info from our driver. I cannot imagine why the people went to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. They had to carry 2000 pounds of supplies with them or they were turned back. It was certainly not an easy trip. When they reached the Yukon, the gold was all gone.

Entertaining on the pier

2011-07-02T17:37:00.002-05:00

After lunch, we got to sit down for some entertainment on the pier. M and E sang the "Shark" song which seemed very appropriate for the pier. AC and L did some evangelism by singing "John 3:16". I wish I knew how to blog videos because they are so cute.
After entertaining, P and A walked around town while the rest of us boarded our bus for our ride up to White Pass and into Canada. The tour guide gave us lots of info about the area and the scenery was breath taking. The next few posts will be some of what we saw.

Skagway

2011-07-02T17:01:00.002-05:00

Since we spent the day in Skagway, we had lots of time to walk around. The building that the fam is standing in front of is supposed to be the oldest in Skagway. While we were having a morning popcorn break on the sidewalk, a lady on a three wheel bike stopped to tell up about a playground where the girls could run off some of their energy. While P & A were riding the train through White Pass, the rest of us went to the Mollie Walsh park that has restrooms and spent most of the morning there. We all met back near the ship for lunch together.

Juneau

2011-07-02T16:51:00.000-05:00

In Juneau, we all rode the tram to the top of the mountain. The view was spectacular. We saw Lady Baltimore, an injured bald eagle, who lives there. The VA fam and I went to Mendenhall Glacier and then to a salmon bake at the edge of the Tongass National Forrest. P and A flew over glaciers in a seaplane. M and R and the girls went to Mendenhall Glacier and walked around town.

Psalms of Praise

2011-07-02T16:39:00.000-05:00

P and I are early risers so some mornings we got up early and left our bunkmates sleeping and went to the Solarium for our quit times. On the morning we were sailing into Juneau, P was meditating on Psalm 19 and I on Psalm 8. Both are wonderful Psalms of praise for the beautiful earth that God created. What a wonderful place to worship.

Exercise time

2011-07-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

Mad did a really good job organizing the little girls in their afternoon exercise time. There was a quarter mile track on the deck which they ran around many times. She also had them doing push ups and jumping jacks. At the Inside Passage, we begin to see some beautiful scenery.

Saturday Sunset

2011-07-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

On Saturday night, Mad and I tried to stay out until the sunset. Being from the lower latitudes, it seemed to take the sun forever to go down. We didn't make it until it was gone, but we did get a few good pictures. On our day at sea, the little girls joined the Kids Club where they became pirates and super heroes. It was too cold for the outside pool but they enjoyed the inside one. After swimming they came to my quiet room for some cartoon time.

Sailing

2011-07-02T16:15:00.001-05:00

From the time we sailed out at 4 pm on Friday until 11 am on Sunday we were sailing.
When the sun was out, we spent alot of our time on the front of the ship. Bubbie got quite a workout lifting the girls up above the plexiglass barrier. M lost a tooth on the first day out.

Ship ahoy!

2011-07-02T16:07:00.002-05:00

Food, food and more food. The first thing we did when we got on the Rhapsody of the Seas was to eat and that continued the whole time we were there. I have no idea who the boy is who made it into our picture but I do like his shirt. Isaiah 40:31 says "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." We found out that we are not cruise people because we did not participate in all the activities aboard.Being a reading family, we found the library on the first day aboard. M and AC went to the library every day after lunch to read. This gave them a rest from the little sisters.

Why Alaska?

2011-07-02T15:54:00.002-05:00

Why would we want to go to Alaska?
Vacations have never been a part of my family's life. My parents did not go on vacation. When our kids were growing up, vacation meant going to visit grandparents or going camping. We were experts at the one day quick vacation where we crammed lots to do in one day and then go back home.
A few years ago, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go on a dream trip of hers. I said yes and enjoyed a wonderful trip to Greece and a cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea with Kay Arthur and my friend. I have never dreamed of being on a boat for more than a short trip around Weiss Lake but I survived and had a great time.
As I approached my 60th birthday and my 40th anniversary year, I decided that to celebrate, my family and I would take a vacation that would fulfill the dream of Frank, Granny and Paul. All of them wanted to go to Alaska but none of them ever made it. Paul tried to get a job in Alaska when we were newly married but thankfully it didn't work out. When Frank retired from Republic Steel, he had a van like the one in this picture that we saw on a street in Seattle and a camping trailer that they were going to take across the US to Alaska.
I wanted to make sure that all my family would see it together and not put it off until their lives were over and they did not go.
So I'm calling this the Hunt memorial trip to Alaska. We chose to go on a cruise ship because I am not a planner. I probably will never go on another cruise but I am thankful we got to go on this one. It was good to sit on the deck and have such great memories of the ones who wanted to go but didn't.

Seattle

2011-07-02T15:33:00.002-05:00

While the 4 yr old rested, all the girls went out for a walk on the beautiful campus of the college across the street from our hotel. The flowers were beautiful. The girls spent a long time playing near the fountain.

A to S

2011-07-02T15:28:00.000-05:00

We all spent the night in Atlanta in the same hotel but due to the AL family members arriving late, the cousins did not get to see each other until breakfast. While we waited for the airport shuttle, the little girls enjoyed seeing each other, getting their pictures made together and having organized play time with Mel. They had a wonderful playtime together at the airport while we waited to board. I am sure the people sitting around us were hoping they were not on the plane with us. J made it on time from Richmond so all 12 of us were on the plane. The VA family was 10 rows in front of us but they came to our seats to visit. They were all very excited to see the snow covered mountains out the window.

Grace's Kitchen Volunteers

2011-07-02T14:26:00.002-05:00

Thanks to these wonderful ladies who continue to volunteer with Grace's Kitchen. GK will continue to make sack lunches for tornado relief workers in Sheol Creek near Ragland. If you are interested in volunteering go to the website: graceskitchen.org

A to S

2011-06-23T21:32:00.003-05:00

Today has been a day of hugs and fun. We all flew from Atlanta to Seattle. Everyone had a good flight. The AL family was separated from the VA family by about 10 rows but they still got to visit some. It was so cute to see E, who is almost 5, run up and hug her cousins. Although there were clouds over the southeast, we saw a lot of the other part of the US. AC and L were amazed at the snow covered mountains. After arriving at our hotel, we needed some run around time so we walked around the beautiful campus of Seattle University. Pictures of the beautiful flowers will be posted.

Atlanta

2011-06-22T20:28:00.002-05:00

Custard and Fred (car names) with their occupants made it safely to our hotel very near the Atlanta airport. The littles and girls were already in their rooms. J is spending the night in Richmond and will hopefully meet us at the Atlanta airport tomorrow morning. The Bham girls are making up stories along the way. I got to reminece with P and A about some ways that were used to fix oil and radiator leaks when I was a child. I love EST because it is already bed time. Good night.

Hunts on the move

2011-06-22T06:52:00.002-05:00

Since our family moved so much, it was hard for our extended family to keep up with our address. As our children grew up and left home it was hard for me to keep up with every address and phone number. P started making us a Hunts on the Move list every time someone moved. Most of us haven't changed homes recently but today we are going to all move to Atlanta with suitcases in tow to begin family vacation! It has been a while since all of us did something together. There should be updates along the way. Let the fun begin!

Grace's Kitchen

2011-06-18T19:22:00.003-05:00

Since the tornados of April 27, Grace's Kitchen has been feeding people whose lives have been turned upside down. We have fed people in Pleasant Grove, Cordova, Hackleburg, Shoal Creek, and Pratt City. Since I finally got a new camera, P and J got to have their pictures made while preparing for a baby shower at Lovelady. If you would like to know more about Grace's Kitchen, visit our website at graceskitchen.org.

Cute girls!

2011-06-18T19:06:00.000-05:00

Thursday was a busy girl day. AC and L stayed with me while their mom worked. At noon, I left them and drove to mom's where I saw the VA girls. It was Mad's thirteenth birthday but I didn't get her picture. The little girls are always ready to pose. Then we drove to Kennesaw and visited with the cousins for a few minutes. Everyone is growing up so quickly.

Tied for world's best grandmother

2011-05-19T19:35:00.003-05:00

Tonight the AL grand girls and I got to hang out while the parents went to a wedding rehearsal dinner. When I arrived at their house, AC presented me with a paper that said I had made 10/7 for being the world's best grandmother. She said that I was tied with Magee her other grandmother.
A few months ago, L wanted me to take them to McDonald's because their parents never did. AC announced that this was her 3rd time in her life to go there. Since they never get to go, they told me all of their friends who have happy meal toys. We went and they each got the toy that they have always wanted and they actually ate their food. AC announced that it was our favorite place and we would always go out to eat there.

A Math Teachers Poem

2011-05-17T06:15:00.002-05:00

Got home, now gone
Trading books for cooks.

Thankfully, I got the third from the last seat assigned on the 9:30 plane from Atlanta to Bham. I hung around baggage claim thinking that surely my bag would not make it, but it did! I had a wonderful time in VA. I am already missing my early morning hugs and smiles. This is the first year that I have left the dungeon in May knowing that I actually did get all the buyback books on the shelf. That work is so good for me because it is such a workout. Thanks to J for providing the job for me and D for letting me move in. Today I cook, tomorrow I sew!

Reading with the girls

2011-05-15T20:07:00.000-05:00

Borrowed camera in VA

2011-05-15T09:34:00.004-05:00

Since I leave tommorrow, I knew I must borrow a camera today and get pictures of my girls. When I left home on May 4, I was sad that I would miss feeding tornado victims with Grace's Kitchen. As usual I haven't had much time to miss AL. On my first night here, I got to go to M's orchestra concert. She looked so grown up playing the cello. They sounded wonderful.This week I got to go to M's track meet. She likes to run short distances. She ran her first relay and didn't drop the baton! It is always fun to play with the little girls. We continued our Saturday morning Chikfila time which is always fun. They are growing up very quickly but still like to have their picture made. The last picture reminds me of how I found the dad when he was a teenager. M will be 13 in a month. I will miss them but have things to do in AL all next week. Tuesday morning I will be helping with Grace's Kitchen to prepare lunch for Cordova which was destroyed by the tornado on April 27.

The Big Game

2011-04-16T18:56:00.000-05:00

Not only have I not blogged in a long time but I haven't been able to take pictures. I broke my camera in Senegal and haven't found just what I am looking for. Thankfully Aunt P got to attend one of the BIG games and made pictures for me. AC is playing soccer this year and loves it. Since she runs up and down the field with her tongue out, my girls say she looks just like me. L is enjoying hanging out and playing on the monkey bars.

Spring Break at the Beach

2011-03-17T18:29:00.001-05:00

When I quit teaching, I thought I wouldn't be taking spring break. Since the girls are both in school, looks like we are back on the spring break schedule for the beach. Thanks to Magee and Pabo, we had a wonderful place to spend Spring Break 2010. We enjoyed the crafts that C brought. AC and I learned to knit. L made coasters that were so cute. We rode bikes to the Sugar Shack for ice cream. The weather and the water were just beautiful. Everyone had a great time. I was able to get my Paris and Senegal pictures on my computer so I will begin posting some of my most memorable ones on my blog.

Yes, I am back

2011-03-01T12:12:00.002-06:00

Since I wasn't sure if my luggage was coming or not, I decided to be at BHM early this morning to see. Of course I got there before they opened, so I had to wait. At least the man this morning could work the computer, so he was able to show me that my luggage was coming in on the 8:20 plane. I decided to just wait so I would have them in my hands at last. As I rolled out of the airport, I felt that I had finally arrived home. It was such a peaceful feeling.
Let the washing of really dirty clothes begin!
I just received word that one of the women F shared the gospel with on Tuesday died on Sunday night. She heard what F was saying so our prayer has been that God lifted the veil from her eyes.

Home

2011-02-27T19:16:00.003-06:00

When we arrived back at the airport last night two of us weren't sure we were going to make it on the plane. We were the last few people who made it. Unfortunately, our getting on the flight meant that we were late to Dulles so we missed our connection. We were on two flights getting back to Bham. Those of us on the last flight got back just before the airport was shut down because of an unattended auto. I did not get my luggage nor was I able to talk to a representative. Since I can't find a phone number, I guess I'll be there early tomorrow. I am so thankful for the prayers. I remained mostly calm inspite of the craziness around me.

Praising God in Dakar

2011-02-26T10:38:00.002-06:00

We are so thankful that they discovered the leak before we took off. We sat on the plane a couple of hours and were then taken back to the gate where we were given pastries, drinks and fruit. Since the part that was needed has to come from Atlanta or Paris they can't promise that the flight will leave until Monday. They bussed us to the Pullman Resort on the Atlantic. It has a beautiful view. They fed us a special lunch at 3:00 pm. While we were eating the lady from delta called to say that we have seats on South African Airlines tonight so we go back to the airport at 10 and should be back in Bham by noon on Sunday. We are all so glad to have our wonderful prayer partners. Please pray for the rest of the trip.

Saturday

2011-02-26T04:03:00.002-06:00

We got to the airport and on the plane very quickly. As we pushed back to take off, they discovered that the plane has a hydraulic leak. We sat on board over an hour and now we are back in the airport praying that they can fix it so we can get to NY in time to clear customs and get on our flight to Atlanta.

Friday

2011-02-25T16:31:00.002-06:00

Today was our day in the van. We left S about 7:30 and finally cleared all our border stops around 1:30. We arrived in Dakar as the sun was setting. Dinner was pizza and ice cream at Ceasers. It was delicious. We are currently at the guesthouse where we are spending the night. Our flight leaves at 7:30 tomorrow morning. After the hot, bumpy ride today, we are all looking forward to the flight home.

Thursday already

2011-02-24T14:34:00.002-06:00

We have just arrived in S from our 110 kilometer ride to MS. I'm sure we went several kms vertically due to the potholes in the road. It is extremely dry and dusty. That was really evident tonight with all the fires we saw in the bush.
The trip was well worth the ride. The good news was proclaimed and praise was offered up in prayer. We were guests of the mayor. We prayer walked and stopped in many compounds. The mayor had us to his office and then sent us to his house to eat lunch. F ,F and m did such a wonderful job of explaining the Word. Tomorrow we are off to the main city.

Wednesday

2011-02-23T13:35:00.002-06:00

Today we were back at Djt for the eye clinic. We visited in several compounds. F was able to talk to the local religious leader. Our favorite visit was to the mother of twins. We spent the afternoon with her and her friends. She is the mother of eight. The youngest are the twins, Adam and Eve, who are a month old. Her husband is in prison. It is extremely hot and dry. The boys that I enjoyed last year were not there. Many of the boys were out in the bush where they were under going their rite of passage. The kangkurao was wandering around the village as we left. It is a demon-spirit in which a mask-wearer covers his entire body with blood-read bark. All the children were running and hiding.Tomorrow we are off to another village.

Tuesday

2011-02-22T12:56:00.002-06:00

Today is our first day of the eye clinic at Djt. As we drove up, I looked for the little boys that I played with last year. I don't know why but none of them were there. There was one little girl that I thought I recognized. We left the clinic area to visit a compound where a lady was extremely ill. She is from S but her children brought her to Djt to visit the "witch doctor. F presented the gospel. The lady who took us remembered me from last year. We visited several compounds today where the gospel was spread. Please pray for strength and perseverance.

Monday

2011-02-22T12:47:00.002-06:00

What a wonderful day! We were able to visit in a compound in B where two ladies are the head of the compound because their husbands are dead. K and K started visiting in that village several years ago. One lady asked k to continue to come. We stopped first at the chiefs house for greetings and then went to the compound where many widow ladies were. F was able to present the gospel boldly to the ladies. Please pray that God will open their ears to the truth. Pray that they will have confidence in choosing J.

Sunday

2011-02-21T02:20:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful time of worship. We were so thankful to see new believers as well as meet many English speakers who live near by. Lunch was delicious. We all ate from the bowl. I had my fill of koucha! In the afternoon we went to mk. At first we sat at the compound with the children staring at us. Then one of our team started telling stories. After that one of the ladies walked us around to meet other ladies. We told stories stories at two other houses. The ladies at the second one listened for well over an hour. One of them gave baths to 6 children during the stories. At 9 we began the film. There were lots of people watching on both sides of the screen. It lasted until after 11 pm but few people left until it was over. We spent the night on the floor of the school.

Sunny S

2011-02-20T03:18:00.007-06:00

We arrived at our town in S after a long drive yesterday. I don't think that it is extremely far but we have to drive through another country to get here. We have to show our passports four times along the way > then pay how much the authorities ask for at each stop. To add to that it is a long, dusty, pothole filled road almost all the way when we leave the city. Since I was not jet lagged, I enjoyed seeing everything along the way. We ate a wonderful meal when we got here. There are no fast food places so we get to stop once at a service station for snacks. The house we are staying in is wonderful. This morning we have worship with the handful of believers who are here. Then we drive to a village where we will spend the night. We will show the J film tonight. This village has never seen it.

Retreat

2011-02-18T12:35:00.003-06:00

The days of the retreat flew by. We had a wonderful time getting to know so many workers from various teams in Paris. The four boys were so much fun. The adults so much appreciated being able to get away together to study the word and have fun with other believers. We had family worship and family fun time every night. Tuesday night we danced with the wii. There is some wonderful video. Wednesday night was family bowling. There are pictures out there of me bowling. Hope I don't have to see any of them.
Yesterday's trip from Orly to Casablanca to Dakar was uneventful. Today, G and I have gotten to know Dakar by taxi, walking and by ferry. What a wild and dark place. Hope to get a good nights sleep before we take off south when the team gets here at 6 am.

Sunday

2011-02-14T05:13:00.002-06:00

On Sunday we were able to go back to a familiar place to me. In the past I had pw in that area. This time we were able to do some distribution. There were several who came to our table. WIsh we could have stayed longer. In the afternoon , we got to see the city. As we watched the tower blink, it reminded me of the small blinks of truth in this city of lights

Beautiful day to fly

2011-02-11T09:37:00.001-06:00

Off on another great adventure. May my life be lived with eternity in mind. To God be the glory.

Snow again!

2011-02-10T08:22:00.001-06:00

I just had to post a picture in case I'm missing it next week.

Beautiful weekend

2011-01-29T19:11:00.005-06:00

Since there was no "real" work for me on Friday, I helped out with the demo at the "BIG HOUSE". They now have a blog to record all the insanity. The blog is http://www.aspanishrevival.blogspot.com. In the afternoon the girls came over while the parents helped prepare meals to feed the children of the world. We made it a spend the night. Obviously, the dolls did not want to sleep where we left them when I put the girls to bed. When we woke up this morning, the dolls had all moved so they could sleep together. I spent this morning with a group of wonderful ladies from Sunday School. This afternoon we went to the circus. After seeing the wild elephants in Uganda, it is hard to watch the ones who do tricks.

Beautiful day

2011-01-22T18:38:00.001-06:00

I got a wonderful dose of vitamin D from the beautiful sunshine as I drove down 81, 40, and 59. Ate a yummy lunch with Grannie. Made it home in time to see AC and L cheer and dance at their first basketball game. How blessed I am to have such a wonderful family and lots of cute girls!

E's song of the day.

2011-01-21T17:21:00.002-06:00

I was going to Alabama (Kentucky according to E), I was going to a fair, I met a senorita with French braids in her hair.
O shake it, shake it, shake it. Shake it all you can. Go round and round and round and round until you make a stop.
S T O P stop.

The dungeon

2011-01-21T17:16:00.000-06:00

I am finished in the dungeon until May.

Sunday in VA

2011-01-16T20:26:00.001-06:00

The little girls like to have their pictures made before we go to church. Tonight, while the parents were on a date, the 12 yr old performed two weddings. She also provided the music on the recorder. E married the polar bear and M married the penguin. I guess they are going to have to live in a very cold place!

Dressing up

2011-01-09T18:12:00.000-06:00

Yummy

2010-12-30T21:33:00.000-06:00

My dinner tonight was made by these lovely young ladies. It was delicious.

Little Aunt Ps

2010-12-28T11:51:00.000-06:00

The girls love to dress up after a spend the night. This morning when I got up they were already dressed in Aunt Ps ballet suits from many years ago.

More pictures from Grannie's

2010-12-26T17:17:00.000-06:00

Christmas at Grannie's

2010-12-26T17:05:00.000-06:00

After braving to snow to get there, we had lots of cousins, gifts and fun at Grannie's. As usual, there was way too much food. My sister gave me the best gift ever. I can now run the thermostat down to 50!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T19:17:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from Hunta and her girls!

Family Christmas

2010-12-23T20:45:00.002-06:00

Family Christmas is always so much fun. Who can buy the funniest gift? Thanks Paula for the yummy food.

Spend the night

2010-12-21T09:00:00.001-06:00

The jingle bells visited in Aunt P and Uncle A's Sunday School class at HS on Sunday. On Monday night, there was a wonderful spend the night at Hunta's. They all slept really well until about 7 am when they all got in the same bed. Breakfast was a fashion show wearing all of the dress up clothes that I kept from my children's childhood and some clothes that I've gotten in other countries. The combinations are awesome.

VA to AL

2010-12-21T08:51:00.001-06:00

The last day in VA M, age 12, built a cute minature snowman. Gingerbread houses were made with J & D, the neighbors, while I packed the car for the ride to AL. One of the diversions, while we were stopped for an hour at exit 8 on I81, was jewelry making using wax. M, age 6, made E, age 4, toe rings and anklets. The last picture is the jingle bell sisters on their way to church on Sunday.

Mad's cafe and the inverted snow cone family

2010-12-16T16:56:00.001-06:00

The 12 year old opened a cafe at lunch. She made the menu, the food and best of all, cleaned up when she was done. The little girls loved it. After lunch, we went out to make a snowman. Unfortunately the best we could do was the inverted snow cone mom and baby.

Pajama day to snow day

2010-12-16T09:07:00.000-06:00

E had pajama day at school on Wed. She picked out the matching shoes. We woke up on Thursday to a snow day. Thankfully there is not as much as the two feet + last year. It is very powdery so I couldn't even hit the 12 yr old with a snowball. Maybe when we go back out at noon, we can build a snow man.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-12T09:15:00.000-06:00

While waiting to go to church, the little girls and I were taking pictures. We wish you a Merry Christmas from VA.

Fun day in DC

2010-11-07T16:53:00.001-06:00

On Saturday, J did not have to work so we went to DC for the afternoon. We took the Metro from Falls Church to the Mall. M wanted to see the Air and Space Museum. Her favorite part was a picture gallery of the planets. Since they have been taken by exploring space craft, they are very close up. E enjoyed the escalators. M, age 6, liked the merry go round ride. I enjoyed remembering a trip made with FBC Melbourne youth when Mel was in high school.

Happy birthday with Aunt P

2010-11-07T16:43:00.000-06:00

Aunt P and I flew to VA to visit with the girls who were out of school. We were there to celebrate M's 6th birthday. P left on Tuesday but I got to stay while D was away. While the girls were at school, I worked at SBS so I wasn't bored.

Good bye

2010-11-02T20:12:00.000-05:00

It was a sad time of goodbyes to our new friends at AHI. What a wonderful trip!

Bead making

2010-11-02T20:09:00.000-05:00

On Thursday afternoon, we rode in the rain in the back of the truck to make beads with the widow's group ladies. Helen who is their leader said that about 85% of them are HIV postive. John had a new tarp for the truck so at least we were able to stay dry. We were amazed at all the ladies who walked in the rain to meet with us. Dorthy tried to teach me to roll the paper on the needle to make beads but I don't think I was very good at it. I think it would take a while to get my fingers to cooperate. It is amazing how beautiful the beads look after they are varnished. If anyone is interested in buying some, the WMU office in Bham sells them at their World Market store.

Back to the ranch

2010-11-02T19:44:00.000-05:00

On the way back we were greeted by yet more children. John, our driver, stopped at the store to get some meet for dinner. He was probably celebrating his light bulb that Wes installed for him for his house. He has never had electricity at his house. The non ranch cows were walking down the road. Such long horns they have.

L village school

2010-11-02T19:31:00.004-05:00

We drove to the L village school where activity day was held on Saturday for character development. Our fan club ran out along the way yelling Mzungu. We certainly felt like royalty. At the school, Magazi taught while I wrote on the chalk board and the other girls read the scripture. The lesson this week was on Nutrition. We talked about how every person needed to eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. Most of them have a diet of porridge for breakfast, maize corn for lunch and pocha (rice) for dinner. This school has planted a collard green patch out back to provide vitamins for their meals. When we were finished we went out back to the feeding area where all the children at the school get a balanced lunch of pocha, beans and greens. At least they get one balanced meal a day.

Time at the well

2010-11-02T18:22:00.000-05:00

On Thursday morning the girls decided to spend some time at the well. We got our last look at the freezer that our team assembled then we walked to the well. One of our team members read for us the story of the woman at the well. We spent a while just thinking about the importance of the well to these people and how important a place it was in Jesus day. One of the farm workers came to get water. He was one of the fortunate who came because he was rolling his containers in a wheelbarrow. The ladies live in the hut that is located very close to the well.

Goodbye to the ranch primary school

2010-11-02T18:09:00.001-05:00

Wednesday afternoon was our last trip to the primary school. All the children who were at school that afternoon, got to see the Jesus film. I was able to tell them why our group came to Uganda. It was such a blessing to see how they reacted to the video. The lady is the wonderful head master of the school. She was so kind to us during our many visits to her school. One of our team members enjoyed chasing children with removable teeth and a turkey call.
I will certainly miss these children with their pink uniforms.

End of fun day

2010-11-02T17:59:00.000-05:00

Our last animals to see were hungry hippos and a monkey thief. The hippos obviously don't value their personal space. We boated up the Victoria Nile where we had our picture made with the bottom of Mucherson Falls in the background. The monkey was waiting at the wharf. When he smelled the potato chips in a man's backpack, he grabbed the bag and ate them.

Obnoxious elephant and baby lions

2010-10-29T20:27:00.001-05:00

After not seeing but one elephant, we suddenly came upon this one and a friend on the road. The friend nicely moved on but this one did not want to move. We kept getting closer but it wouldn't move. Finally it turned to go down the road and then suddenly turned to face us. We were all so startled that we jumped down in the van. Only one person had the sense to make a picture of it as it started to charge at us. Mussa, our driver, stomped the accelerator and after a while, the elephant turned around and started down the road again. We were beginning to give up on seeing any lions. As we drove away from the river, Wes spotted this mother lion and three assorted sized babies. They did not seem to mind all the cars that surrounded them very quickly.