Let the Games Begin!

 

Check out our first ever school-wide Olympics! In the first grade, we have been studying the ancient Greeks. So, we decided that we’d like to have our own Olympic games with a few differences…we modified the events, we allowed a girl to participate, there was no sacrificing to Zeus, and we wore clothes.

The students had been practicing the events all week in anticipation for today. Their hard work paid off! They all had great attitudes and did very well in each event. They were reward the Greek way- with a wreath of leaves.

 

 

The Long Good-bye, Part 2

The Ries family will be reentering American life in May 2008! Making this decision official has caused another round of intense emotions for me. It’s exciting to think about the possibilities of a new ministry, new home, new fill-in-the-blank. More than anything else, I am thrilled with the idea of living on the same continent as my extended family!

After seven years, there are a multitude of things I’ll miss about Togo. (I never thought I’d be able to say that!!) As we enter into our final year, every event will be the “last” one. Last W.A.M.R., last internship, last trip to Lome, last girls’ night out, last prayer time, and the list goes on. It’s my heart’s desire to cherish every “last” one.

I blogged a few days ago about VGAP, the Vaughn’s good-bye party. It was a great time, but I kept thinking during those few days, “We’re next.” and “Can’t we just skip this part?” I know it wouldn’t be fair to us or anyone else to skip good-byes, but the idea is appealing to the part of me that wants to avoid pain. I can already see that it will be a challenge to stay engaged in Togo as we plan our move.

I’ve started to read articles and books on reentry. Major life transition just starts to explain the changes that take place. One article I read today compared returning missionaries to flood victims! Yikes! Missionaries, especially ones that have lived on the field for awhile, literally have to start all over when they move back to the US. Lots to prepare for, but even more important, lots to pray for!!!

A Walk Around the Neighborhood

Recently, I blogged on my neighborhood by describing the various sounds I hear from my home. This is sort of a companion post to that one. All of the pictures in this post we’re taken in one stroll around my neighborhood today at 4pm.

Our house is situated in a square block that is about 3 households wide and long. I started out by turning left out of my gate and snapped a photo about every 10 steps. If you click on the small thumbnails you can see a bigger photo and a description to go along with it.

Born to Run

I just have to brag on Isaac. Lately, he’s been running A LOT! Today, he ran 56 laps around the school during recess. Put another way, he ran for 15 minutes straight in 100 degree weather with only one water break! He really wants to join a track club when we move back to the States. I think he’ll do great, don’t you?

Mangoes, Chickens, and Teeth

It’s mango season!!! We have 8 mature mango trees in our yard that produce hundreds of mangoes. The ironic thing is, our family doesn’t eat mangoes. Bryan is severely allergic to them and I don’t just love them. So, we avoid bringing them into the house. Therefore, we have the pleasant problem of finding homes for our plenteous mangoes. A night ago, we had a powerful thunderstorm and the winds knocked down about a hundred mangoes from the trees. Our day guard, Joseph, whose job it is to collect the fallen mangoes is out sick. So, I recruited some of the neighborhood kids to come over and pick up the mangoes. I promised they could take home any mangoes they collected. I’m not sure I can describe their excitement! They ran through our gate and and frenetically searched for ripe mangoes. Isaac commented that it was like an egg hunt! Here are two pictures of the kids with their finds. Trust me, they were grinning ear to ear until I pulled out the camera!

On a sad note, our dog Charger, killed our lone chicken. During another storm, the flimsy cardboard box door to the coop blew away granting him access to the chicken. Bryan found a tuft of feathers and a guilty looking dog the next morning. So, now we have a very nice, but empty coop. Hopefully, we’ll get a better door and some chickens soon!

Soft taco night strikes again! Graham lost his second tooth during this meal last night. This time, he realized that he was chewing something hard before he swallowed it!

Hot Stuff

 

We are finally getting back into a consistent school routine after the crazy month of March! We are currently studying ancient Greece, insects, along with reading and math. Our art lesson today focused on painting to express the season of summer. Elijah and Graham had fun working together, then working separately, then working together again on a mural size painting. If you look closely you’ll see two suns and the pages taped together as evidence of their conflict and reconciliation. They made a giant sized pirate ship sailing through a thunder storm. I guess that can happen in the summer, right? They also asked to take off their shirts because it was so hot today. I agreed and then went to check the school’s thermometer. It was 110 degrees outside and 92 degrees inside the school! Hot stuff.

Happy Easter

He is risen!!! We had a wonderful time celebrating the Lord’s resurrection this weekend. Bryan spent Friday afternoon through Sunday after lunch in the village of Soumdina PoWayi attending the 5th Annual Kabiye All-Church Retreat. The kids and I joined him Sunday morning for a joy-filled worship service. Afterward, the ladies of Soumdina treated us to a delicious lunch of fermented kafa (corn mush) and a very spicy peanut sauce with beef and fish chunks.

While Bryan was sleeping in the village Friday night, the boys, Rachel, and I dyed Easter eggs. It was a skimpy year since we had only three dye tablets. But, the boys made the best of it and came up with some creative color combinations.

On Sunday afternoon, our team got together at the Reeves home for a retelling of the Easter story and an Easter egg hunt. (Special thanks to Rhonda & Regan Peek and Andrea Miller for sending us an Easter package with plastic eggs and candy to fill them!!!) It seems impossible to watch kids hunting Easter eggs and not giggle and smile! I love the picture of all the team kids together. They couldn’t stop eating their candy long enough to pose for the picture.

I hope Easter was a blessed day for you too! Our Lord lives!!!!

V.G.A.P. 2007

Vaughn Going Away Party 2007. We traveled along with our teammates and several others to Benin to celebrate with the Vaughn family their 8 years of missionary service to the Aja people. They have lived the majority of their time in Benin without teammates. So, we wanted to encourage and bless them as a missionary community that their work has been pleasing to the Lord. We also spent a lot of time sharing and praying with them for their future. But, most of all we had a lot of fun fellowship! As you can see from the pictures we lived it up for the two days we were at the beach. It was a welcome break from the sweltering heat in Kara! The kids loved caneoing in the mangrove swamp near the ocean. There were lots of shells, crabs, and birds along the seashore to observe. My favorite time was waking up early one morning before the rest of the family and walking along the beach. I can’t help but think of the depth, beauty, greatness, and love of God when I am at the ocean. Enjoy the pictures!