Dear Lord, if I put it down, you keep it down.- Missionary Prayer
Pictures:
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| Where we had our training in Burkina Faso. |
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| Where T slept in Burkina Faso. We had two twin beds because we were staying at a Catholic Guest House. |
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| Waiting for our ride to come pick us up to take us to Nalerigu, Ghana. |
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| Our first view of Nalerigu. |
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| We went on a hike. (Yes, T feels like Indiana Jones when he wears his hat). |
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| We had the privledge to meet the King of the Mamprussi people. FYI: The people believe he turns into a lion every night from 12:00-1:00 and walks around the village. |
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| The Kings Palace |
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| The King gave us a ram and yams for our lunch. Whenever you eat you have to check to make sure you don't have fur on your piece of meat. |
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| Turkey Dinner anyone? |
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| An African Air Conditioning Unit |
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| Our first African meal during our home stay. It was as bad as it looks. |
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| I taught the kids how to do push ups. |
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| The house where we stayed for our home stay. |
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| Two of the kids we lived with. |
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| We went for a hike. |
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| African source of entertainment. |
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| Our home stay. |
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| The roach infested bathroom. |
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| Ever wonder what happens to your TOMS when they are sent overseas? They're sold in the market. |
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| On a hike one day and we picked up tour guides. |
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| Deliberating about which direction to go. |
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| The kids took us to a river to see African Crocodiles. |
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| We let them go first so they could fight the snakes. They said they had seen a cobra the day before and had killed it. |
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| The crocodiles were chomping according to the kids. |
Story:
Julia and I survived four days and three nights living with an African family. During our home stay we encountered a roach infested bathroom, sleeping arrangements in which the room was 97 degrees at night and had rats crawling above our heads, crazy-weird foods, lots of down-time sitting and not understanding a single thing which was said; however, in the midst of all the difficult times we grew closer together as a couple and were refined by God. During our home stay God taught us that He cares about us. He doesn't just care about the big things but also the little things. God provided a breeze during the hot times of the day, He allowed the electricity to go out whenever the food was too much and we could just pretend to be eating. He gave us the courage to use the bathroom while surrounded by roaches and lizards. He encouraged us as we worshiped with African brothers and sisters. God is good! During our home stay Julia and I would sing “Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true, with thanksgiving we’ll be a living, sanctuary for you.” God is refining and molding us into His image. He has brought us all the way to Africa in order to teach us to rely on Him for everything. God is good!
Prayer Requests:
1) Julia and I will be driving from Burkina Faso to Nalerigu on Saturday. Pray I am able to navigate border crossings and African roads. We are excited to arrive in Nalerigu because we will finally be able to move into our house! Please pray for us as we unpack and settle in.
2) Pray we will begin to establish a daily routine between language learning, ministry, and family time. Ask God to grant us wisdom in learning how to juggle our new responsibilities.
3) Thanksgiving will be our first holiday in Ghana as well as Julia’s birthday on December 8th. Pray for our hearts as we will be separated from friends and family during this time.
4) On Monday, I will be traveling to a Pastor’s conference. Pray I would encourage, equip, and empower the Pastors. Pray for Julia as she will be home alone unpacking and decorating.
5) We start language learning in December. Pray for humility and perseverance as we learn the language.
Thank you for your prayers and support. We love you.
Serving Him,
The Welchs
