September

Hello everybody! I love it here! We spent the first night in Abidjan, then drove to our home base in Bouake, then spent the next week in Korhogo at the Mission Dispensary and now I’m back at the center in Bouake : ) Here’s some things I thought I’d share with you!

Example Daily Schedule

7:30 - Bible Study

9:00 - Seminar (So far we have had seminars on Journey Corps Policies, Culture Shock, Keeping Good Health in Cote d’Ivoire, and Emotional Baggage)

11:00 - French Class

12:30 - Lunch

1:00 -  One hour rest (Usually I need a nap)

2:00 - French practice or another seminar

4:00 - Free time (Usually I do my french hw then try and play a sport and sometimes I have to do some laundry)

7:00 - Dinner (Dinners often take place at other people’s homes it’s a visiting time that usually lasts until late at night)

10:00 - Hopefully Bedtime (Usually after another shower and some time in the Bible)

Some things that I’m getting used too

-          Waking up early to a cold shower

-          Eating bread almost every breakfast

-          Being polite by greeting EVERYBODY with “Bonjour! Comment tu vas?” before lunch and “Bonsoir. Comment tu vas?” after lunch.

-          Remembering that whenever I need to know something the conversation should go as follows

Me: “Hello”

Person: “Hello”

Me: “How are you”

Person: “Good, and you?”

Me: “Good, and your house?”

Person: “Good, and yours?”

Me: “Good”

Pause

Me: “So I was wondering if you knew where I could find some scissors?”

(and of course all of the above happens in french)

-          Men holding hands as an expression of friendship

-          Choosing between 5 shirts day after day

-          Never using my left hand since it’s traditionally used for personal hygiene (a.k.a it’s your poop hand)

-          Wearing a pagne as a skirt (A pagne is basically a multipurpose rectangular sheet of fabric. So far mine has served as a skirt, sheet, jacket, and towel)

-          Living with 7 other Americans (Surprisingly this is more of a transition for me than living with 4 germans)

Things I am praising God for:

-          Rain, rain, rain!

-          Getting to climb 2 mountains

-          Rooming with an awesome German named Nathalie Josephine (Najo for short literally pronounced like Nacho)

-          Getting to learn 4 languages (French, Senoufo, Djoula, and German)

-          Learning to dance in church

-          Bike rides under the beautiful Ivorian sky

-          Taking motorcycle taxis

And if that isn’t already too much info for you, we’re going through the book of Daniel in bible study on Wednesday Nights in case anyone wanted to go through it too! Some people have been asking about prayer requests, and besides simply asking God how to be praying for me, I would appreciate if you'd be praying for my team. Some of them are having a difficult time transitioning, and since were all living together we all live with each others problems. 

Love Katie 

August

This is the second stanza of a poem by Sir Francis Drake:

"Disturb us, Lord, when

With the abundance of things we possess

We have lost our thirst

For the waters of life;

Having fallen in love with life,

We have ceased to dream of eternity

And in our efforts to build a new earth,

We have allowed our vision

Of the new Heaven to dim."

This past month has been very scattered. Which is why I am currently writing this 'August' update on the 2nd of September in an airport in Denver (Sorry about that for any avid blog readers). All of my belongings have been packed and many sad goodbyes have been said. And it's been difficult. And its been scary. 

But the line in the poem above that says 'when we have ceased to dream of eternity' has been a constant reminder to me of the beauty of God's plans. On a big scale there is God's amazing plan to redeem us so that we can spend eternity with him in heaven. But on a personal scale, all the difficulties I am facing now are broadening and brightening my vision of an eternity with Christ. I have been challenged to have more hope and joy in my Savior, and the house that he prepares for me. So if any of you are feeling loss right now be it of a person, place, or thing I pray that you too may begin to dream more often, and more elaborately, of what is awaiting for us. One of my leaders here reminded me of this passage in Mathew 19:

"Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life."

Next time I write I'll be in Africa!!