Sometimes. Just sometimes.

I forget I’m in Guinea.

Because it almost feels like paradise.

The beginning of the month we escaped to Kassa, an island off the coast of Conakry for a prayer retreat.

Rumor has it that Kassa Island used to be a hideout for pirates.

Three days of fun in the sun and time to meditate on God’s Word with co-workers.

The girls overcame their fears of jumping in the pool and swimming in the Atlantic.

They made new friends.

We discovered weaver bird nests.

They didn’t want to leave. Neither did I.

It was wonderful.

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By God’s grace, we made it to Conakry and back without any problems.  Thank you all for your prayers.  Sadly, the roads in other parts of Guinea were not as safe.  In the southeastern part of Guinea, a truck drove off a road into a ravine, killing fifty or more people:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17248741

Please pray for those impacted by this deadly accident.

As you read this, we are making our way to the capital, a 9+ hour drive south for a conference. The roads are a combination of dirt and pavement; pot holes, pedestrians, and livestock slow our progress considerably.

The 2012 OSAC Crime and Safety Reports were recently published. Here is what they have to say about road safety in Guinea:

Guinea’s road networks, both paved and unpaved, are underdeveloped and unsafe. Roads and vehicles are poorly maintained and there are few traffic signs. Livestock and pedestrians create constant road hazards.

Drivers are poorly trained and road safety rules are routinely ignored. Nighttime travel is not advisable because of the large number of animals and people on the roads. Further, most roadways have no street lights, and vehicles frequently operate without headlights.

Defensive driving is crucial, as drivers commonly pull in front of other vehicles or stop abruptly without warning. Equipment on many local vehicles and taxis do not function, such as turn signals, mirrors, headlights, tail lights. Be alert to motorcycles when changing lanes or when you are stopped in traffic. Drivers should pay attention to side streets, and honk the horn when approaching intersections during the day to avoid being hit from the side. When making cross-lane turns, always check rearview mirrors. It is not uncommon for traffic to pass on the side you are turning, even when you are using turn signals.

Public transportation vehicles are both unsafe and overcrowded. The embassy strongly discourages Americans from using public transportation. There are reports of passengers being attacked and robbed. Beware of taxis and mini-buses pulled over to the side of a road. Drivers often re-enter the roadway without looking.

We are particularly aware of the need to be defensive drivers. As the report states, a large number of animals and people are always on the roads, even the main thoroughfare that runs from our town to Conakry. David and I call it the “village mentality.” People and animals don’t look before running out into the road. In a small village with no vehicles present, why would they?

Just last month as we returned home from team meetings, we were driving through a village situated on the main road. The road was nicely paved at that point, so we were moving quickly {about 60 mph} and as we crested a hill, a young boy ran out in front of us without looking. It was the grace of God he didn’t die. Although it all happened so fast, I saw life in slow motion. The boy ran out, and then I looked at his father who threw his hands in the air with clenched fists before bringing them to his mouth. He stood there biting his knuckles while I looked back at the boy and said, “We’re gonna hit him.” David simultaneously slammed on the brakes and laid on the horn.  We missed him by an inch. God spared his life at the last minute by making him take a single step toward the shoulder of the road. It is the grace of God’s that he is still alive.

It seems as though we have countless stories about tractor trailers missing us by mere centimeters and the lives of people and livestock miraculously spared. I believe it is because of faithful supporters who cover us in prayer. Thank you for keeping us safe.

A runaway truck crashed into a home in Conakry.
There were no reported injuries.

Our December 2011 newsletter is now available to read online. Click the image below to access it. The newsletter is password protected. If you do not know the password and would like to read the newsletter, please click on the Contact page and request a password using the contact form.

Of course it started raining. What I didn’t expect was for people to start arriving ten minutes early. That is not typical African behavior. One by one they entered the gate, wiped their feet on the towel by the door and chose a seat in the circle while liberally spreading warm greetings.

The small room in the annex of our courtyard wasn’t anything special. A bare light bulb hung from the ceiling, and the paint on the walls was beginning to show its age. Still, everything was clean. And there was a tray with water, cups, and cookies. It seemed as though the environment was a total understatement. It didn’t come close to conveying the magnitude … the eternal significance … of the meeting that followed.

The girls and I walked over in the rain to introduce ourselves. We met some of the Christians in our town before, but not everyone. After a few minutes, I took the girls home and careened my neck out the window every few minutes to try to catch a glimpse of the deliberations. After about two hours, we heard familiar Fulbe praise and worship being sung to the Only True God.

It was amazing. In a tiny room in the middle of a random neighborhood, in a Muslim city, thousands of miles into the interior of Africa were a group of indigenous Christians singing to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Most beginnings are humble. We pray God will meet with our small group of believers and use them to plant a church that will reach the Fulbe of Guinea, West Africa with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Our June 2011 newsletter is now available to read online. Click the image below to access it. The newsletter is password protected. If you do not know the password and would like to read the newsletter, please click on the Contact page and request a password using the contact form.

Two weeks ago, Billie and the girls went to a village to stay with colleagues while David took Lisa back to Conakry to fly home. Lisa’s three weeks with us flew by. “I had a great time hanging out and seeing how international workers live,” she said. We are so very thankful that God provided a way for her to help us with the transition. We think a highlight of her stay was visiting an orphanage housing HIV/AIDS babies and infants.

While out in the village, Billie was able to brush up on burn care. She was also able to witness to two young men. While they did not make a decision for Christ, they did hear the Good News.

The girls are still sick, but we altered their diets, are taking greater care with food preparation, are keeping them inside a little more, and they seem to be doing better.  Please continue to pray for good health as they make the transition to life in West Africa. ” and Amelie is already spouting off her first words in Pular, “Okay,” “Goodbye,” and “Mom.”

In addition to sharing the gospel, we have hit the ground running with other projects.  We are trying to get our home in order before the Vice President of our mission agency visits in two short weeks. We also tried to fix the road in our neighborhood that had become a small lake. We say “tried” because the way to fill a pond is not, apparently, by filling it with four truckloads of dirt. That creates mud. Hindsight is 20/20, though, and next time we will order four truckloads of rock. Please pray the situation will give us opportunities to share about our hearts to help the Fulbe people.

David took our guard, Mr. Bah to visit Sight Savers.  He has cataracts and will have surgery in September, after Ramadan is over, to restore his vision. (More on Ramadan in a future post). Please pray that his surgery goes well and that his sight will be perfectly restored.

In related news, Mr. Bah’s family moved back to our hometown. We are excited for the girls to have playmates who can teach them Pular. (Billie hopes they can teach her Pular too!)

We spent the week in a village teaching English at an  English camp. Seeds were sown as David shared the gospel with each student in English and French.

While out in the village, the Guinean president survived an assassination attempt. Everything is calm in country, and we don’t expect any unrest. You can read more about this here and here.

Thank you for your prayers for us as we continue to make the transition to life in Africa with two toddlers, and for the Fulbe people who have yet to hear the Good News.

In less than two weeks, we will be landing in Guinea, Africa.  Our time in the U.S. is drawing to a close, and it is time to return to work in Guinea.  We are so excited to be going back to the land where God has called us to serve.  At the same time, it is sad to think that we will be saying goodbye to our beloved family and friends here.  Please keep us in prayer in the coming days as we finish storing, shipping, and packing in preparation for our departure.  Pray for safety on June 20 in particular as we fly to Guinea with our twin daughters, Amelie and Annika on our laps.  It will be a long journey for such little ones.  We will be in the air for a total of about sixteen hours with another twelve or so spent in airports or traveling to or from airports.

The past few weeks have been a flurry of activity.  One praise is that we were able to get a fantastic price on our plane tickets.  Another, is that we were able to ship more items to Guinea.  We will be especially thankful for a solar fridge and freezer that we were able to ship over.  Here are some other things we took for shipment recently.

Another big praise is that we will not be traveling alone.  Billie’s great friend and college roommate, Lisa, will be accompanying us.  Here presence will be a great help as we attempt to navigate airports and endure long hours in the airplane with two little ones.  She will also have the opportunity to get an idea of what we do in Guinea as we settle back into life there.  She will be with us about two weeks.  Please keep her in prayer as well.  Here is a picture of her.

Our latest newsletter is now available to read online.  Click the image below to access it.  The newsletter is password protected.  If you do not know the password and would like to read the newsletter, please click on the Contact page and request a password using the contact form.

Thank you for praying for Guinea today as Conde was sworn in as the first democratically elected president since the West African nation’s independence from France in 1958.  According to a France24.com press release, Conde has promised to reform the military, review mining contracts, and develop the nations infrastructure to bring running water and electricity to more homes.

Please pray for Conde and Guinean nationals during this time of transition.

New Era for Guinea