We buy fresh vegetables here. Really fresh. When I opened this pea pod, it seemed so perfect; I just had to take a picture. The peas were flawlessly formed and the pods were thick and waxy. I realized I had never seen a more perfect pea.

Sitting on the front step shelling peas for three hours gave me a lot of time to think. I thought about sowing and reaping; gardening and evangelism:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:7-9

I also thought about a card a friend once gave me. It had a picture of a pea pod on the front and it said, “We’re two peas in a pod. I’m the one on the left and you’re the one on the right.” I’m convinced we are “peas in a pod” because we sow love, joy, and encouragement into one another’s lives:

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:14

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:19-20

I’m learning a lot about gardening these days. Georgia and I are going to plant a garden when she arrives. I’ve been gathering information, noticing other gardens, getting our plot of land ready, ordering seeds, and planting a few fruits and flowers in advance. As I sow this garden, I am reminded to sow into the lives of my friends thousands of miles away through prayer. I’m reminded, too of how hard the soil is in the hearts and lives of our national friends. I wonder how long it will take to reap a harvest.

I also wonder how many of you labor alongside me. Faithfully praying, sowing, planting and waiting for the harvest. Surely our work together is better than my work alone:

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

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.

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.

This week in Pular language studies I learned words for members of the family. I drew ‘Binta’s’ (my language helper) family tree for practice. When I drew a fourth child for her baby due in September, she looked a little surprised.

Although Binta is a Christian, I try to take every opportunity I can to share Bible truths with her. I told her that God created her baby and that it is a real, live human being. A lengthy discussion ensued about the fate of unborn babies and children in Guinea.

Binta said she was taught that ‘Allah’ did not breathe life into an unborn child until the mother is four months pregnant. It was only when a missionary showed her pictures of gestation that she knew the truth. She was amazed at God’s handiwork; at how He forms a baby in the womb.

Sadly, abortions are all too common in young, unwed mothers in Guinea. I have also been told of babies who are used in spiritual rituals and sacrifices.

Mothers who do not want their babies will put them in a gutter for the massive rains to sweep away; or on the beach for the tide to carry out into the ocean. The more fortunate babies are bundled up and left in the grass, or by the road for someone to find. This was the case for a tiny, two week old baby boy found last week. Fortunately, two colleagues volunteered to adopt him.

And what about older children whose parent’s cannot provide for them? Just today I heard of a van full of ten naked children, ages 4-7 being smuggled across the border to be sold as slaves or prostitutes. It is possible that their parents sold them for food money.

In the U.S. we kill babies before they are born. In Guinea, mothers facing poverty and despair struggle with killing their babies well after they’ve given birth to them.

Today, while standing on the roof of our house and looking out over the ocean, I saw a man sitting on a wall by the edge of the sea. He was fishing using only a fishing line with a hook and bait. He had no pole. He would bait his hook, throw it out into the ocean as far as he could, and wait for a bite. He baited his hook and cast his line over and over again before he caught any fish.

Remembering Jesus’ phrase, “You will be fishers of men,” I began to ponder the ways of the fisherman. He can bait his hook with the tastiest worms and cast his line with great skill. He can fish in the best spots at the right time of day, but ultimately, he cannot force the fish to bite. When he goes out, he doesn’t know if he will have a great catch or not. In reality, his catch, or lack thereof, is in God’s hands.

In many ways, missions is the same way. We work to present the Gospel in the clearest way at the right time and place to the right people. We ask God to open their hearts. We pray that they will choose to put their faith in Christ. In the end, however, we cannot force anyone to believe. Regardless of the catch, be it nets full to bursting or nothing at all, we are still fishers of men, and we will cast our nets again and again and again.

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.

Do you ever feel your life is like our fridge? Upside down!

We bought a fridge this week that runs on electricity and gas. It had to sit upside down for 24 hours, then right side up for 24 hours before we could plug it in and use it. Well, when we tried to light it, it wouldn’t start.

I laughed and thought, “That about sums up my life sometimes~ upside down, right side up, slow at the start!”

This week will be busy for us as we begin team meetings, start planning for ministry and getting ready to move again. Pray with us for a good start.

We have been in the United States for over two weeks now. It is amazing how different things look here after living in Africa for over a year. The things we used to take for granted are now a luxury to us. Even something as simple as fresh water from the tap can seem like a gourmet item. Do Americans realize how good they have it? The rest of the world would be in awe to see the luxuries that Americans experience and take for granted every day. On a different note, we have been blessed to see and reconnect with many friends and family members. We will treasure these moments long after we return to Africa on May 8. In a way, this visit is giving us strength that will help carry us through the coming years.

Tomorrow, at 9:30 a.m. we are leaving Senegal. It is sad in many ways. Once more, we have to say goodbye to our friends and head to a new country to begin again. I think about my friend, ‘Boaz’, who also happens to be our landlord. He has been so helpful all along. Even yesterday, he took me all over the city to help me buy another suitcase and a bag for our video camera. There are also the two Chinese friends I made while tutoring them in English at the Chinese embassy. One Sunday they invited us to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. We had fun sampling ‘Senegalese’ Chinese food. There are also the friends I made at the university. Perhaps those I will miss the most, however, are our fellow workers here. They have been like a family to us. We spent holiday meals together, Monday night football (recorded via satellite and watched on Tuesday night), trips to the beach, and so much more. This year is filled with happy memories. Through it all, so many people have stood behind us in prayer, encouragement, and support. Thank you all for all you have done for us! May God reward you for what you have done in ways we cannot. His reward is the best of all.