Happy Birthday, Bryan!

Bryan turned 34 today!

This photo was taken yesterday after worship services at a place named Soumdina Powayi. Bryan has been working with this group of believers for a few years. Yesterday, they dedicated their church building and thanked everyone who helped make the project possible. (It’s common around here for a group to purchase fabric and then have matching outfits made from it to mark a special occasion.) They wanted to make Bryan his very own shirt in the “church fabric”. Believe it or not, this is his FIRST African print shirt that he has ever worn as a missionary!

We celebrated his birthday as a family with a yummy chocolate cake and hugs from the family. Nothing too big this year as we are in middle of packing up our home (and lives!)

Once again, Happy Birthday!

Disco Fever!

The excitement has been building for weeks. Last night, Kara Christian Academy, celebrated the end of the school year with a dance party and ice cream sundaes! Parents and students alike got out on the dance floor and moved to classic disco hits like Dancing Queen and YMCA. Now, don’t start thinking that there was any inappropriate dancing going on…it was more like a 1 hour aerobics session! The kids were great entertainment to watch. They were doing jumping jacks, kart wheels, break dancing and random cheer moves. It was wild! There were some tender moments too when the daughters danced with their dads and the sons danced with their moms.

I was even asked to dance the final “slow dance” with Asher Miller, age 4. He came up to me and said very sweetly, “Mrs. Tracey, would you dance with me?” Then he proceed to kiss me on the chest! A little bit forward, but considering that I was sitting down and that was at his level, I forgave the bold move. He’s a great dancer by the way.

If you haven’t let loose with your kids and funky music in awhile, I advise doing so…it’s a great stress reliever and a fun memory-making activity!

The Long Good-bye, Part 18

Girls’ Weekend!!!!

There’s nothing quite like a day at the beach (with no kids!) to celebrate friendship.

Andrea, Nicole, Becky and I had a great time shopping at the grand marche, eating out, and relaxing on the sand. The weekend would’ve been better only with the additional company of Jane and April. (We missed you!!!!)

It’s hard to express in words how much I am going to miss these godly women who have journeyed with me on a challenging yet joyful path for many years. We have seen each other through mountain top experiences and heart wrenching valleys of depression and sadness.

But, mostly we have lived daily life with each other. (Can I borrow a block of butter? What school curriculum do you think we should purchase for next year? I need help with gas money. Oh, I thought I already paid you that. Would you like to come over for dinner Friday? And on and on….) Anyone who has been in a long-term relationship knows that the daily stuff can be difficult at times. Relationships grow stale. Irritations build up. Feelings get hurt. We have honored each other to the best of our abilities and even then failure has come. Of course, that’s when God is glorified most evidently through humility, forgiveness and reconciliation. God has been good to knit us together as sisters in Christ. Over the past 10 years these women have become my heroes of faith. They shine brightly for the Lord.

World Malaria Awareness Day

Malaria kills 3,000 children every day.

Malaria is easily preventable and treatable.

During our time in Togo, I have known many families who have lost their children to this disease. My own children have suffered from malaria, but I had the resources to treat them effectively.

Lots of organizations, scientists, and churches are working hard to help those effected by this killer disease.

They need our prayers and support.

If you want to learn more about malaria (what is it exactly anyway?). Check out this website: Malaria No More

Reflections on Togo, Part 6

2003- The most life changing thing that happened to our family during 2003 didn’t happen in Togo, but in America. My parents and Bryan’s parents divorced after many married years. (It was odd that these divorces happened back to back. Satan was a work on many levels!) It was difficult, to say the least, to figure out how to relate to our parents after these events. It was also heart wrenching to be away from our siblings and mothers during this time. Our phone bills were off the charts expensive!

We went on furlough in the Spring. It was your typical furlough…travel, snippets of time with friends and family that you really want to be with longer, lots of restaurant food, travel, shopping, reporting on work in Togo and then some more traveling.

We returned to Togo just three days before the Harding interns arrived for the summer! While we were on furlough our teammates (bless their souls) moved our stuff over to a new house! So, I had only a few days to arrange the new place before guests arrived. Oh, and I was pregnant with my third child! I had no energy. So, my mood wasn’t the most pleasant that summer.

In the fall, the family and I drove to Lome (about 5 hours South) for a prenatal appointment every month. I could go into great detail about my experience with maternity care in Togo, but that’s for another time. Let’s just say for this post that I was way out of my comfort zone. (I have teammates and colleagues that have given birth here and all I can say is, “Wow! You are amazing!!!) The decision was made to return to the States for the birth of our sweet little girl. Yep, you read that correctly. We were told that we were having a girl!

2003/2004 -We lived with my grandmother in San Diego awaiting the arrival of baby for two months. Our little girl turned out to be a sweet little boy…James Owen, born January 12! We stayed in SD another month and then returned to Togo as a family of five plus one servant-hearted mother-in-law.  She stayed for two weeks to help us adjust.

To be continued….

One Word

Just for fun I thought I’d take Patty and Sandi up on their offer to fill this out for myself.  My answers are reflective of what’s going on with the move…don’t you think?  Try it yourself..it’s fun and challenging to think of only ONE word!!!

1. Where is your cell phone? Nowhere
2. Your significant other? Integrity
3. Your hair? Sweaty
4. Your mother? Heaven
5. Your father? Preacher
6. Your favorite thing? People
7. Your dream last night? Stress-filled
8. Your favorite drink? Milkshake
9. Your goal or dream? Artist
10. The room you’re in? Living
11. Your kids? Energetic
12. Your fear? Crazy
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Sane
14. Where were you last night? Home
15. What you’re not? Mild
16. Muffins? Fresh
17. One of your wish list items? Peace
18. Where you grew up? California
19. The last thing you did ? Chocolate Cake
20. What are you wearing? Clothes
21. Your TV? Off
22. Your pets? Gone
23. Your computer? Slow
24. Your life? Up-in-the-air
25. Your mood? Tense
26. Missing someone? Always
27. Your car? Sold
28. Something you’re not wearing? Jewelry
29. Favorite Store? Drugstore
30. Your summer? Traveling
31. Like someone? Yes
32. Your favorite color? Blue
33. When is the last time you laughed? 5 minutes ago
34. Last time you cried? Can’t remember
35. The person who sent this to you? Patty/Sandi
36. Who will/would resend this? ????
37. A good book? Perfect
38. A good movie? Challenging
39. A good song? Dance
40. One word to share? Love

The Long-Goodbye, Part 17

“Goodbye Charger!!! We love you!” We said our final goodbye to our family pet, Charger. It was difficult to watch Bryan drive off with him today. However, I take comfort in the fact that he’s going to live with a really great dog-friendly family- the Koonces in Tabligo. They have a female Rhodesian Ridgeback named Penny so I think Charger will be very happy.

KCA Open House

Our community school, Kara Christian Academy, had our first ever open house this month! The students and teachers worked hard to prepare for the big event. My 4th grade class sang four American themed songs and did a drawing demonstration. The 2nd grade class sang a few scripture songs and performed an adorable poem about a dog disco. The preschoolers sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider in that precious way that only 3 and 4 years old can.  The parents did their part by oohing and aahing over the children’s work.  Of course, the night was completed with a refreshment table!

My class with their lovely pastel chalk drawings. They really enjoyed improving their art skills this year.

Mrs. Nicole and the 2nd grade class.

Mrs. Becky and the preschoolers.

The Long-Goodbye, Part 16

Whew!  We had our BIG yard sale today and I am so glad that it’s over!  Our goal was never to make money, but to simply get rid of stuff.  So we sold our items for very cheap prices.  However, there were a few frustrating moments especially when our neighbors discovered the “free” toy box.  There was a massive dog pile for the stuff.  It was embarrassing and a little bit scary to witness.  Other than that the sale was orderly, thankfully!

Our house is becoming bare: pieces of furniture are missing, pictures are gone from the walls, closets are cleared out and the fridge and pantry are holding less and less food.  Strangely, I am not really even sad to see these pieces of “home” depart.  I’m ready for a fresh start.

I will continue my Reflection on Togo series soon.  Stay tuned!

Well, well, well…

Here are the pictures I promised of our field trip to the well drilling site. It was a great learning experience for the kids (and me!) to see what it takes to drill a well. As it turns out, it’s a lot of trial and error! There is no sure fire way of knowing if there is water under the ground where you are drilling. So, with the low-tech equipment that is being used sometimes it takes a few failed attempts until gold..I mean…water is struck! At this site they were on hole number four due to the rocky soil. Please pray for perseverance for all involved.

David Reeves and several team kids (mine included) checking out a hand dug well that had been abandoned….too rocky to dig through by hand.

Late and Jean-Marie discussing exactly how to use the metal rod. See that little hole? That’s how a well begins.

Matt Waller, the intern from Water for All International, who is teaching us how to drill with this low-tech (and cheap!) method.

Matt is showing the kids how a pump works…sorta like a straw.