Lizzie and a Smile Update

Naomi's new pet is Lizzie, the lizard. Trust me on this: Lizzie is FAST, curious, and likes to escape at least once a day. Never a boring afternoon around here. She eats cockroaches. Naomi loves having any type of pet. Africa has proven to be a great provider of pets.


On Friday, Lauren and Naomi made their monthly trip to Abuja for their orthodontist appointments. It was Naomi's LAST one because she got her braces off! She only has 8 permanent teeth, so we will have to wait until she looses her baby teeth to see if she will need more work. Right now, they look great. She has an entirely differently look from 18 months ago...when her bottom teeth could not fit under her top ones. Now, a perfect bite! To make this possible, an orthodontist from Rwanda who lives in Lagos flies into Abuja once a month....we drive down (4 hours) to meet her at a borrowed dental clinic where she works her magic.

Lauren is not as joyful as Naomi. She had bands (three) put on causing MUCH pain. More than when she first got her braces on, I think. Today she ate mashed potatoes. I think she 'needs' ice cream! I keep reminding her that she will be happy one day with the results. Patience, my dear...patience.

Share It!

Kitchen Rules

If you empty it-
Fill it
If you dirty it-
Clean it
If you open it-
Close it
If you spill it-
Whipe it up
If you cook it-
SHARE IT!

This quote is on a plaque a few of my (former) students brought me today. I love it! Immediately found a place to hang it in the kitchen. When they came, we were cooking fish pepper soup. They weren't too keen on asking me to share that! However, there were some fresh chocolate chip cookies that were DEFINITELY shared! :) We had the best time talking while eating cookies, drinking cokes and laughing. I learned so very much....as we discussed politics, personal hygiene, various dating customs, travel ideas, etc. FUN Saturday afternoon. YUMMY chocolate chip cookies. Shared.

Thank you...

...for your many prayers and emails. Naomi is feeling better and even made some jollof rice today for lunch. She got a new pet (photos coming), a lizard so she has been building a home (or 'habitat' as she says) for it and preparing food ('bug catching' I would say). We are SO thankful that she is up and around now...almost feeling better for the first day of school on Wednesday.

Active and Inactive

Naomi was part of the elementary school's Christmas concert/play. She had a blast...a true actress. She played the "drums" (bottom of trashbins) and sang her heart out. I love watching her in her element.

However, last night she came down with a high fever. She has been sleeping on and off for the last 24 hours. As much as I love watching her have fun, I hate seeing her sick even more. Please pray for her as we wait to see the best way to treat beyond ibuprophen.

Happy Birthday, Mattie

We've got another teenager in the house. Mattie turned 13 on 30 December. Seems like not long ago when we delivered a black haired little baby just before New Year's Day. (Loved that tax deduction!) Mattie spends lots of her time practicing her flute and drawing. She loves babies and works well with little kids. We look forward to seeing how God will use her over the years of her life.

Prosperity Theology

If you have a strong enough faith, you can get that big house you always dreamed of...ask and it will be given to you....think positively...believe and nothing will go wrong.....

I thought it was a heresy-this prosperity theology. Turns out it has been a heresy of my own soul. This is probably the greatest lesson I learned this past week at our mission's Spiritual Life Conference. At times I have thought that if I obeyed the Lord and served well (sometimes even dangerously), all would be ok. Things would turn out for my good. Nothing could really hurt me or those I love. Not the prosperity theology I had so often criticized in my heart...or is it? No where in scripture am I assured that all would go as I think it should. In fact, I find the opposite. I am called to be a living sacrifice. When the Lord uses me for His ultimate purposes and perfect will, I cannot understand what I must go through. May I grow to find joy in my trials...because then I am becoming more like Christ.


When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Road Scenes

While driving down the road the other day, I snapped a few photos of scenes we see every day.


A truckload of yams.


A que for petrol. This is usually quite long.


Women carrying firewood, water and more.


Veggies being sold on the side of the road. Roasted corn in the middle! YUM


Fresh, very fresh meat market.

in Memory of Daniel Yakubu

The day after Christmas we were driving near the zoo...little did we know that in a few hours it would be the scene of a brutal murder. Daniel, a man from the church we attend, was walking home from helping at a concert when his throat was slashed by a guy on a motorbike. Please pray for his family (he has three children) as they grieve their loss. At church today the pastor reminded us all that vengence is the Lord's.

Merry Christmas

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. "
~Dr. Seuss




"...and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

A Christmas Tradition

Often times it is hard to make (or keep) traditions when you move...and even more so when you move without many of your belongings to a place far, far from where you have called home. For the last two years, we have shared Christmas meal with the Andrews family. Today we had pounded yam, red stew, beans (black-eyed peas), rice, and chin chin. YUM. This family has gone through so many hard times this year (emergency c-section-the little girl Lauren is holding, loss of a baby, kidnapping of little boy, and more) and yet they continually praise the Lord for his goodness. We enjoy being with them so very much and we call them family!


Pray for Sarah (pictured with Naomi) as she prepares for her upcoming wedding. Sarah is like a sister to me. Together we shop, cook, pray and continually talk. Sarah has taught me so much about cheerfulness and fulfillment. She has such a servant's heart. Truly a joy to be around!