e as in "take"

*We are posting the photos to facebook because I can't get them to load here.

We have internet! We now have our very own Huawei Moble Internet for our computers. YA! It is slow but we are so thankful for it. And we got our phones working. Ya again!


A few things that made us laugh today:

The first page of the Krio language learning book is noting vowel sounds and one is 'e as in take'.
OK so this could be harder than we thought.

Sign downtown that said 'frozen fish, smoked fish, and absolutely more things'.

Man wearing a brown t-shirt that said 'only if you drop a few'

Store that sells beds and mattresses called the 'international crib store'.

So, we have seen about 7 houses and found one that we really like but it needs repairs done to the tile and needs to be painted so it could be a while before we are able to move in. We have been to several car dealerships also and have found a few cars that could work but we are still holding out that the Mercy ship cars are available. Osseh is checking on that for us.
The Freetown Supermarket has Pringles, snickers, and even Capri sun, so it looks as though we are going to make it!

The kids are settling in well and we have been so humbled by how sweet the African kids have been to ours. Each week the kids get treats if they have had good behavior and had no sticks pulled from their pockets. Keeping in mind that these are kids who get very little candy or cookies otherwise I was so surprised that little Samianatu came over to share her's with Ivey.
Also, they had a birthday celebration for any kids who had birthdays in the last few months. Levi had just woken up from a nap when we walked over and Sam, noticing the dazed and tired Levi, offered him one of the coveted balloons. Each evening the kids do devotional time with the kids in their room. I had joined John's room and sat between him and Sheriff. Anyone who could get close enough would scoot over and whisper, "Auntie, where is Levi?" and I would tell them he had to go to be early because he had a cold. So, at the end of the devotional Sheriff slid his hand in mine and said, "Auntie, God bless you" which already grabbed my heart but then after a few minutes he added, "I will pray for Levi". Ah, the heart of a child is such a beautiful thing. Of course I had to squeeze him tight and tell him how kind he was but these kids can't know what lessons they teach me. And how much they make it worth the heat and dirt. By the way, if you have children and decide to move anywhere close to the Sahara Dessert it is NOT a good idea to pack any white clothing. As a matter of fact I would recommend all clay mud red or brown.

Last night the four of us went over to read a bedtime story to John, Isatu and Albert and in order to do that I had to go stealth mode and try to sneak each one outside. Otherwise I could have some mad Aunties trying to corral 94 kids. So Andrew, Levi and Ivey sat on the bench outside to wait and I tiptoed in and realized that everyone was in one room and Uncle Daniel was explaining the events of today. One of the caretakers, Auntie Jeneba, died recently and the burial is today. I heard him comforting the kids and explaining that everyone dies and that God has all things under control. I quietly tiptoed back outside so as not to disrupt this talk and sat with my family until we could hear the kids going to their rooms. I saw the older Dauda come out to hand something to the guard and as he was walking back in he saw us and we greeted him. As he got closer I realized that tears were streaming down his face and it broke my heart. Please pray for the people that Auntie Jeneba has left behind-especially her 3 kids at home and her kids at the center who loved her. But also rejoice that she made such a fine journey and that she is where we all long to be. Embracing Dauda and telling him that I was so sorry feels so insufficient. I know you can't fully parent 100 kids, but I want to do whatever little bit I can to make them feel loved and valuable. To know each of their names, feel pride at their generosity, feel humbled by their prayers, and sad at their losses is the least I can do even if it is the most I can do for now. Please pray that as Andrew and I settle in that we would learn the culture and language quickly so that we can be of the most help possible to such a beautiful group of people. And because I am sure you are wondering, 'llama llama red pajama' was a hit.