Back to school!

This is the most green you will ever see in Senegal!

It’s hard to believe the summer is already over, it went so quickly.  Will left in early June to spend the summer in the States, and he had a wonderful time.  Thank you to my family and to so many friends who took such good care of him.  He ate more fast food hamburgers and drank more rootbeer than any person should consume in a two month period!  And he enjoyed being back in America and seeing family and friends so much.

For the rest of us, the summer was pretty low-key.  There weren’t many missionary families around, and our ministries, while continuing, slowed down a bit.  Both the center where I work and the university where Bill works run on a school year schedule, with boys and students often returning to their home villages during the summer months.  But we found the slower pace to have its positive side – it was a nice opportunity to spend time with a smaller group of people.  At the center, I could really focus on getting to know some of the boys better – instead of having 50 or 60 kids, we had 30 to 40.

We went away for two nights in June for a mini-vacation on the beach.  We stayed at a lovely villa, and enjoyed swimming in the pool for hours.  Once back in Dakar, we decided to join the pool at the Atlantic Club, which is connected to the international school here.  That really saved our summer, as we could escape from the worst heat of the day on many afternoons during the month of July.

And before we knew it, it was time to pick Will up at the airport just in time for school to start the next day!  His trip back went smoothly – all three flights – and he seems to be readjusting well to Dakar, although he couldn’t seem to stop saying, “It’s so hot!” about once an hour for the first few days.  The first day of school went without a hitch – unless you count the incredibly huge storm that hit during the night before school began, which resulted in lots of flooding all over town and even in some classrooms at DA.  I believe that storm is about to hit the east coast in the next few days – look out!

So, we’re back to something of a routine again, although we use that word very loosely here!  We’ve been experiencing worse-than-usual power cuts that have been lasting all night or all day, so sometimes plans change accordingly.  Last night there was no way Sam could do his homework, since it involved research on the computer, and the power had been out since mid-morning.  (It finally came on around 10 PM.)  I guess the teachers here must come to expect “We had no power” as an excuse, instead of “The dog ate my homework.” 

I apologize for not writing more blog entries in the past few months; I hope that with school in session, I will be back to a more regular schedule.  We think of you, our friends and family, often, and thank God for you.  We are only able to be here because of your prayers and support.  Thank you!