Random Events and Random Thoughts

Update:
We have finished recruiting for the DRIME team and both our DRIME info meetings. The leaders have been super great in their work over the past few weeks. Although there has been so much for them to plan out and work through, they have all done things with no complaint. They are now going though the interview process to get to know the future members better and talk of the first ever DRIME Benin Bootcamp is being discussed. Everything is coming together so fast its crazy! I can’t believe I have been here for 3 whole weeks!!! As a team Jamie, Janna and I have been having devotionals together and in most of our times together we have talked a lot about the Armor of God and how every day is a spiritual battle. It has really kept us praying and trusting in God for his will to be done and for us to have protection. In seeing how things are coming together so quickly with the Base Planting, I can’t help but think that satan is not happy with the work God is doing and will begin to try and discourage our leaders as they work so hard. I ask that those of you who take the time to read this blog, will keep our leaders and the entire team to be here in Benin, in your prayers. Jamie brought out this book today called “EPIC” by John Elderidge and it talked about 3 things. One of those things is that We are at war. This war is a war that will not only bring glory to Gods name but is also a love story. This is a battle for the human heart. I think back to our last night of ministry. We were on a beach and 50 people surrendered their lives up to God. To see how God is moving here, how he is fighting so furiously and passionately for the hearts of his most prized creation. Because of this I ask for more prayers so that any attacks we get back from the evil one, will be thwarted. Thanks friends!!!! Blessings :) !

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Random event number one:
Janna and I got our hair done together.
We both went to the salon together and we both spent about 11 hours sitting on wooden chairs having our hair braided.
I have never been in such a long lasting state of pain before.
It was such an interesting time. When we arrived, the place was already full. It was 8:30 in the morning! They set us up on the side of the building because all of the inside and the front porch area were filled by customers already. Not more than one and a half braids in for the two of us, it began to rain. Heavy Rain! I don’t really know how to explain it to someone who hasn’t seen African rain, but it is what I picture the rains being when God flooded the world during Noah’s time! So as the rain started to pour, the girls working on our hair stood us up, picked up our chairs and extensions and we al rushed to a little covering on the side. This covering may have stopped the rain from pouring straight down on our heads it however did not protect us from the wind which blew the rain onto the rest of our bodies. After a few hours of rain and watching the water in front of us pool up and flow like a river, the rain stopped. It was nice at first, but all of a sudden the sun was shining bright in the sky and instead of the two of us being poured on, we were being beat by the hot rays of the sun. Although we were still under a covering, the heat from the sun scorched any part of our bodies that were exposed. As the day went on and the sun moved, the girls doing our hair would rotate the chair just to get us out of the sun. It was quite humorous. Where Janna was sitting however seemed to be impossible for keeping her out of the sun, so the girls decided to move her completely. They picked up her chair, all her extensions and they all moved across the street to a cement patch by another building much bigger and that shed a lot more shade. Nearing the end of our hair braiding experience, of course it ends the same way it began. As Janna was sitting outside in the open air, it began to rain again! So her and the girls that were doing her hair picked up everything and ran back for cover. All in all it was a pretty interesting day which ended with great pain on our heads, frowning faces but GORGEOUS hair.




Random event number two:
Did you know….Janna can’t whistle? It’s nothing to be ashamed of but I felt the need to help her learn how. This desire to make her learn slowly turned from a mission to help, to a mission to laugh. What do I mean? Well, I guess you would have to say that Jamie and I had more fun than we should have trying to teach Janna to whistle. First, I thought it would be funny to try and have Janna learn how to hold her lips properly while whistling. This soon become more entertaining than educational. I eventually told her that puckering her lips and trying to kiss my hand would be the best way to learn. So I sat there and Janna puckered away and tried to kiss my hand while I continually moved it away from her lips every time she tried. Next Jamie thought he had a better way of learning to pucker. He told Janna that it helps if she put her tongue between her top teeth and her upper lip. So Janna begins to hold her tongue there and blow but this was short lived because Jamie and I couldn’t hold in the laughter for too long. All in all, Janna still doesn’t know how to whistle, and she probably will never learn while in Benin here with us.

Random event number three:
Laundry is bitter sweet. So we all share the work in keeping things together here, and often enough we divide up the chores as best as possible. I happen to not mind (even like) washing clothes by hand so I was happily given this task. There is something peaceful about sitting on our roof as the sun is rising, washing clothes and singing to my Jesus. This is the sweet part. The bitter part I have discovered is that, the more you wash, the softer your skin gets, the easier your skin rubs off!!! I now have skin that has been rubbed and cut open on four of my five fingers on my right hand just because of washing our clothes. This my friends is the BITTER part of laundry. Random….I know.

Random event number four:
Jamie is a night owl. he like myself, doesn’t go to bed early or wake up late. The only thing about Jamie is, he can’t seem to stay awake for anyyyyy movie we watch. It’s actually quite humorous. He never objects to watching a movie but without fail Janna and I look over to always find him fast asleep. And this is not just the slight dozing off that a lot of people when they are tired and watching a movie. This is full out knocked out sleeping and even more so, the second the movie is over Jamie is awake and ready to face the day (night)! It’s just so funny because he sleeps during EVERY movie!

Random event number five:
I got a call from my dad the other day and as I was discussing with him in the kitchen while Jamie was going for a cookie. I was chuckling to myself a bit because Jamie jumped back because what Jamie calls a “Giant Ant of Doom” came out from our cookie jar. This chuckle didn’t last very long at all as a GIANT cockroach came sauntering out of our cupboard. While still on the phone and as my dad was in mid-sentence, I shout “COCKROACH, COCKROACH, JAMIE KILL IT!” On the other end of the line my dad, not impressed by my extreme lack of courage says “Why don’t YOU kill?!” and cleverly I respond by saying “Why do I have to kill it?! Jamie’s here!”.



Oh....Jamie Got his hair braided too!!! hhhahahah j/k