“These thousand hills roll ever on
Footprints of a mighty God
They bring me to my knees in praise
Amazing love, amazing grace”
~ Third Day

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

Isaiah 40:12-14

This Thanksgiving there are many things we are thankful for.  We want to take a moment to thank all those who have prayed for us, encouraged us, and supported us over the past few years.  We are so blessed to have people who love us and love the Lord; people who want to see the people of Guinea come to Jesus Christ.  The car in the picture above will be a valuable tool to help us in our ministry in Guinea.  May God bless you and give you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

David has gone to the market, Phoebe (our new kitten) is running all over, and I am once again unpacking our things into a new home. We finally moved to Labe two days ago. David is happy as a clam; on cloud nine. In fact, he doesn’t mind not having any electricity, the leaky toilets, no hot water, the bucket baths, or the mice that get into the food. For him, this is the place on which his heart has been set for the past thirteen years. He has finally arrived in his target city for ministry.

I’m excited too. I’m excited to finally have a place to call home. Somewhere I can paint the walls and buy furnishings. Plant a garden and have fruit trees. I’m excited that we can settle down and not have to pack up and move in six months or a year. I’m excited that little by little, I’ll learn the language around me and I’ll understand what people are saying.

We’re both excited that as we learn Pular we can share the life, ministry, and purpose of Christ. It will be great to host visitors from the U.S. who want to be empowered to pray for missions more effectively, and get a closer look at God’s heart for the nations.

The cooler weather here is wonderful! Even now I am wearing a cardigan and the quilts on the bed are piled high.

The other missionaries in our area have given us a warm welcome. One couple had us over for dinner the night we arrived and sent us on our way with a loaf of orange and cranberry breakfast bread. The couple from an hour away came by yesterday and gave us a welcome bag full of plates, tools, books and food. The mission community in Guinea is very close, and we are grateful for all they have done to take us in and show us the ropes.

We have a long way to go, and our house needs a little work here and there; but if the coming months are anything like the past two days, God is going to lavish on us blessing upon blessing. I pray that we will be faithful to pour out Christ’s love to those around us, and be vessels God can use to bring Guineans to Himself. And I hope you catch a bit of the excitement we have for Guinea, for the Fulbe people, and for our purpose here.

A while ago you prayed for “Binta,” my Pular teacher to carry to full term and have a healthy baby. “Adama” is a sweet answer to your prayers.

The excitement of my week came yesterday when I had four moles removed from my back, side and stomach. A doctor flew in from the U.S. to work in a mission hospital down in the forest. He agreed to remove the moles before he left for his post. So off I went to a colleague’s home where the doctor removed the moles.

Really, it was quite a sight. I laid on a plastic table in the dining room, David sat on a sofa beside me reading a magazine and drinking a coke, a maid was cleaning, the washer was running, the doctor’s wife was preparing dinner, another person was on the computer checking email, and a friend was handing the doctor the instruments from the dining room table… all in just two rooms of the house!

At some point I asked David if he would have had four moles removed on a dining room table in Guinea. He said probably not, but we both agreed that it was far more sterile than any local hospital, and despite the untraditional location and atmosphere for this minor surgery, the doctor was extremely professional.

Pray for favorable lab results, against infection and for quick healing. The stitches come out in a week.

We moved into our house in Conakry on March 22.  Now we are moving again to a different house in the same city.  The owner of our current house is returning this month, so we had to find a new place.  We are thankful for God’s provision of alternate housing.  The new house is not too far from our current house.  It is actually in a better location for us in some respects.  God has never left us homeless yet!  On another note, please pray for me as I leave for Labe this Friday to help a missionary close down his home there.  Pray also for Billie who will be remaining in Conakry alone.  Please continue to pray for God’s provision of a vehicle for us as well.

We are learning to be thankful each day for the little things. For example, this past week, our power came back on. And this past weekend, the power was even on for several hours during the daytime and not just at night like usual. On top of that, we have actually had enough water lately to drink, cook, bathe, and clean. Thanks to all those who prayed for those requests.  We better be careful or we will get spoiled. Actually, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Life is interesting and we have to deal with inconveniences, but we also get to have so many unique experiences here. There is the sweet taste of freshly picked mangoes; the cool after a rain storm; times of fellowship shared with other missionaries. This past week, we were even able to begin a Bible study with our security guard and his wife. It is amazing how a simple life can really make a person more thankful for the little things.

We’re here! Last Thursday, we flew from Dakar to Conakry. God answered many prayers along the way. For example, at the airport we were limited to about 75 pounds of checked baggage, each. Well, we showed up with more like 200 pounds each of checked luggage and probably another 60 pounds each of carry-ons (including a guitar). Thankfully, we were traveling with a group of boarding school students who were returning to Guinea from Dakar to be with their families during spring break. We checked all our baggage in together as a group. Some of the students had less than the limit, and it must have balanced out in the end. We transported everything we own in Africa to Guinea with no baggage fees and no delays. All our luggage arrived on time and in one piece (with only a few minor items stolen in transit)! We also made it through customs with no problems. We are especially thankful for the missionaries who met us at the airport and helped us get all our stuff to our temporary home. We are renting the house of a missionary who is on home assignment. One missionary in particular has helped us go shopping and made sure we had dinner four nights in a row. God is so good! We feel his support on all sides. I know we are right where he wants us.