baby, it's cold outside

Just a note to let you know that we made it back safely! It has been snowing off and on for 3 days and I love it! I've had to trade in my flip flops for some real shoes!

.

Well, we're heading off to Sunday school soon so I better get going. Have a great Sunday!

flying home

Just wanted to let you all know that were are flying home today! Pray that we'll have some good tail winds, especially across the Atlantic. Neither one of us are strong swimmers.

.

See you soon!

church buddies

This past Sunday we attended the Adeta church. Knowing this was our last last Sunday service before leaving Togo we brought our cameras along in case there was another chicken in the offering or something exciting like that. The church was pretty full so we sat on the very back row in the corner by the brooms.

.

About 10 minutes into the service a little boy wandered in and immediately spotted the white people (I guess we stand out a little bit here). He saw that Kevin had his video camera running and was fascinated with it. So we scooted down to try and make room for him on our already overcrowded (and very narrow, I might add) bench.

.

The little boy was so happy to be sitting next to Kevin and was pulling the hair on his arm, staring at him about 8 inches from his face and pushing buttons on the video camera. At some point he must have decided that Kevin needed a manicure because he started picking at Kevin's nails. I was laughing but trying not to make any noise and Kevin kept a straight face but I'm not sure how.

.

Giving Kevin the manicure must have worn the poor chap out because all of the sudden he fell straight forward, sound asleep. At this point I thought I was going to have to get up and leave because I could not stop laughing. Yes, I had tears streaming down my face, still trying not to make any noise and trying to take pictures on top of that! I was laughing hysterically watching Kevin more than anything. He was watching this kid lean forward more and more and wondering how long it was going to take this guy to fall right off the bench onto the floor!

.

He finally woke up, turned a little and then laid out flat across Kevin's lap and went back to sleep. I have no pictures at this point because I was laughing hysterically and wasn't sure I could control myself much longer.

.

Finally we had to stand up to sing and then it was time to go home. Being that this was our last Sunday, we were trying to take pictures with different friends and well, this little boy is in every one of those pictures. Too funny.

on our way

We have arrived in the land of Diet Cokes and wireless internet! No, we are not back in the US yet but we're headed that way! We are in Accra, Ghana for the next 2 days and just returned from the food court at the Accra mall. I'd like to say thanks to whoever the genius is that built that place!

pass the python, please

One of the highlights of Kevin's time here in Togo was the snake cook-out last night here on the compound. I was so very happy to have a good excuse for not eating snake.....I was just discharged from the hospital around 4:30 in the afternoon and we attended this cook-out about 4 hours later and my doctor advised against eating snake as my first meal in two days. That was advice that I gladly followed!

.

I did enjoy watching the others eat it and make comments about what they were consuming. Kevin reports that while the puff adder had more bones, it was definitely more tender than the python. Just thought you'd like to know that useful piece of information for the next time you order a heapin' plate of snake.

a few more mango photos

Just thought I would share a few more pictures from our trip to Mango. This is where we are planning to live for a few years after we raise our support. We will be involved with the construction of the new hospital there. Should prove to be an interesting experience!

one more visit to the hospital

Well, after we returned from Mango on Thursday night I was feeling fine.....I woke up Friday morning feeling horrible but hoped it would pass soon. By about 3pm I decided it was not going to just go away and that I should get checked out especially because we are traveling soon.

.

I went to the hospital and they did some lab work and then decided to treat me with IV antibiotics for everything possible in light of the fact that we leave soon and I need to be well to travel. I was in the hospital Friday and Saturday and am feeling well now. I still have some medicine to continue for the next few days but it seems that the worst is over! They treated me for malaria, typhoid, amoeba, giardia and dehydration. Whatever I had......it's gone now!

.

I just thought I would visit the hospital one more time before we left, you know, for old time's sake....

trip to mango

Well, we just returned from Mango this past Thursday night after 5 days there. Here are a few pictures of some things we saw in our travels. Mango is about a 10 hour drive north from here in Tsiko. On our way up we saw thousands of bats flying around in Atakpame. We sat there and took pictures of them for a while and then I realized that one or more of them could poop on me from up there so I decided I had taken enough bat pictures.

.

We went to Mango so that Kevin could survey a piece of land that they are looking at for the new hospital. It was very, very hot and dusty as the sands from the Sahara Desert are moving in on Mango.

.

Anyway, we had a good week and now we are back in Tsiko packing up and getting ready to leave Togo on Monday morning. We'll head to Ghana and fly back to the States on Wednesday evening, arriving in Washington D.C. on Thursday afternoon! Hard to believe our year in Togo is already gone!

he went up with his boots on...

As promised, here are the pictures of Kevin's flight! He took one of our cameras along with him while I took pictures from the top of the mountain.

.

What an incredible day!

up, up and away

I returned from Lome at about 10:30 this morning and as I was in the driveway unloading the car Kevin called on the cell phone and said, the wind is good! If we go to the top of the mountain right now we can fly today! So I hurried in the house changed my clothes (this is one time I was NOT going to wear a skirt....) and then hurried to pick him up and drive to the "take off point" on the mountain top.

.

All I can say is that it was amazing! We (me and the professional para glider) flew around up in the mountains for a little bit, looped back around by the take off point to wave at Kevin and then over the hospital compound finally landing on the airstrip at the back of the compound.

.

The people on the compound were shouting and waving as we flew over and some were running to meet us at the airstrip. I didn't wake up this morning planning to run off the top of a mountain but I guess you never know what a day holds! It was a blast and I would certainly do it again!

.

If the wind is good, it will be Kevin's turn to fly this afternoon around 3:30pm or 4pm! I'll let you know how it goes!!!