Thankful Thursday...posted on a Wednesday

Dear Quote, I saw you on a friend's Facebook page and you caught my eye. I liked you so much that I "stole" you for this blog post. Thanks for reminding me of something that a lot of people, including myself, struggle with. Sincerely, Me :)

On this Thursday Wednesday, I'm thankful for...

• the many good things in my life right now. Even with bad things happening, I still have so much to be thankful for. I need to remember that more often. So on that note... I'm thankful for the devotion one of my co-workers gave this morning in staff devotions.
• the family life I had while growing up. I'm so thankful for the Christian example set by my parents. I'm thankful for the values they taught me, for the love they showed me, for the advice they gave me, for the encouragement and support they gave me when I chose to follow God's call on my life to work in another country far far away from them. I keep being reminded of how blessed I really had it growing up. I am so thankful for this life God's given me! And yes, of course these things still apply, but I'm thinking more in terms of my childhood in this post.
• the email I received yesterday telling me the last steps I need to take for my grad school graduation in May. 
• School Spirit Week at my school, allowing me the chance to wear pajamas 2 days in a row to work. Ha! :) 
• Dr. Seuss Week (well, week and a half) in my class, causing my students to become even more excited about reading. Yay for finding something fun and educational that interests them! So far we've made a new Dr. Seuss character/puppet, written our own version of a Dr. Seuss story, read lots of Dr. Seuss books, done a Dr. Seuss inspired science experiment, completed Math problems involving Dr. Seuss characters, and we still have a lot to do next week! It's so much fun!
• a sweet co-worker giving me the material needed for today's Science experiment since the store ended up not having what I needed (and I'd already promised my 1st graders we'd do the experiment...).
• the website, Pinterest, giving me a lot of great ideas for our Dr. Seuss week in first grade. 
• dried strawberries. Oh my goodness...so tasty!
• today being my Friday, since this was only a 3 day work week!
• a 4 day weekend and the chance to get away for that long weekend with good friends. Yay for escaping reality for a few days :)
• the services I already have lined up for this summer. I love getting to share my heart for Senegal with people back in the States. Now to just get the rest of them scheduled...

And now for something totally materialistic/shallow/superficial in the scheme of things. I'm thankful for...

• both Duck Dynasty and Psych starting back tonight! It'll be next week before I can download and watch either of them, since I'm going on a trip without technology for a few days. But YAY for the fun shows coming back on :)
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Randomness on a Monday

This is a picture of Theodor Seuss Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss). Had he lived, he would've been 109 this coming Saturday.

• Sunday seems to be the day of the week that I get the most homesick. Sunday is the one day that my family was ALWAYS together. Due to school, work, etc., weekdays didn't always work out like that. But I knew we'd all be together on Sundays, enjoying spending time with each other at home and at church. So it's hard being so far away and being all by yourself, while you know they're all together...

• I really like my current living arrangement. I love my apartment! I love living on my own. However, there are times when it's not as fun, like when you've "hit your limit" of being alone... (BOO to the lonely times). But, then you just have to remind yourself of all the pluses to living alone and that usually helps...

Anywho... Let's move to topics that are a little more fun.

• This week is Spirit Week at our school. Today was my favorite...Pajama Day. There's nothing like getting to work in the comfiness of PJ's all day :)

• This week is also a 3 day work week. I love my job. I love my class. But I also love my time off. Yay for perks of being a teacher :)

• I've been working on scheduling services for this summer. So far, all of the services I've scheduled are out of state... It looks like I'll be making quite a few mini road trips this summer...

• I'm turning 28 this year. I'm still not sure how I feel about that age...

The 51st Dear ____ Post

Dear Services for this Summer, I'm in the middle of planning you. I've been talking with pastors, supporters, family, and friends all week, trying to plan times over my summer break to share my heart for Senegal. I still have quite a few openings. I'm hoping to have those filled soon. Wish me luck Bloggerland :)

Dear Toothpaste, You were the messy object I used in my game/object lesson for Kids Club this past Wednesday. You helped us learn an important lesson about guarding our tongues and remembering to say nice things to those we talk to.

Dear Counting by 2s to 100, My class took a test on you yesterday. It amazed me how quickly the majority caught on to you. Now they're looking for other ways during the day to use "skip counting." So far the ways they found are... counting pretzel sticks at lunch, counting the steps to the Art room, counting colored pieces of paper for a craft we did, and more. It's so fun to see them excited about learning!

Dear Watching Softball, You're what I spent last weekend doing. And I've got the peeling sunburn on my face to prove it. But I definitely enjoyed you

Dear 4 Day Weekend, You're what's going to be happening next weekend. Yay for days off from school! I may still be doing school work (as a teacher and a student) but at least I can do it in my pj's while relaxing :)

Dear Summer Plane Tickets, I bought you this week. You weren't quite as expensive as I was thinking you'd be, so that was a pleasant surprise. :)

Dear Senior Cafe, You're like a talent show at my school put on by our senior class. It involves "acts" from students, staff, and parents. It's always a lot of fun and something I look forward to each year. You're happening this weekend. I went last night and will go again tomorrow night. Fun times... :)

Dear Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, I'm planning to make you later today. I have some bananas that are just right for a yummy banana bread. And as for the chocolate chips... Well, we all know that they make everything better :)

Dear iTunes Card I received at Christmas, Imagine my surprise upon finding you while cleaning out my wallet earlier this week. Thanks to you I was able to download a new books, a few songs, and a couple tv shows. Score! :)

Dear Comps Exam, I've been studying for you a little bit every day. Even so, you're still making me incredibly nervous. Knowing that they are going to pick only 3 questions from a zillion or so topics is what unnerves me the most... Here's hoping all this studying pays off :)

Thankful Thursday

Thanks Google Images for this reminder.

This week, as usual, I have a lot to be thankful for. But I'm especially thankful for...

• that even though I foolishly didn't apply sunscreen while watching softball this past weekend, my sunburn wasn't any worse than it was. 
• that next week is a 3 day work week because let's be honest... Work is fun and enjoyable and I love it but I feel the same way about time off :)
• good emergency surgery/medical care available in this country. Thankfully, I haven't needed it, but many of my co-workers or students at our school have.
• the truth of Psalm 62:1-2 - "I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken."
• people that have continually supported me through prayers, encouragement, and finances, even during these hard times that everyone is facing these days.
• finding strawberries at the grocery store yesterday since they've been so hard to find lately! P.S. Guess what I had for dessert last night and again for breakfast this morning :)
• my taxes being completed. Go Tax Man! :)
• my sweet Daddy still doing my taxes for me :)
• a Skype "date" with my mom and niece earlier this week, in which my niece (6 1/2 mths old) smiled and giggled the whole time we were talking AND she kept reaching towards the computer. I'm sure it was just the light on the computer grabbing her attention, but I'm telling myself it was because of me. Either way, it was super cute and she totally made my night :)
• being able to buy my summer plane tickets the other day. 
• cooler temp's this past week. Praise the Lord for those high 70s :)
• the site, TeachersPayTeachers.com. It's been incredibly helpful, especially living here in "incredibly limited resources land."
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Randomness on a Tuesday Night

1. I'm called by my middle name. I love my name. I love being called Elisabeth. After 27 1/2 years of being called Elisabeth, it'd be weird if everyone called me by my first name. But sometimes it creates a bit of a "problem." Examples of this are:

• 1) When you move every couple years, like I did growing up, you're constantly having to tell teachers which name you prefer to go by. And every once in a while you get the teacher that refuses to call you by anything other than your given (first) name. (Yes, this happened a few times.) 

• 2) You buy a plane ticket and register yourself in your middle name and then realize you're going to have to go back and change it to your first name since that's the name on your passport. (By the way...this causes the airline to either give you a "stern" lecture or charge you a fee to change it - both of which have happened to me.)

• 3) Someone's calling roll for something (school, missions training meeting, doctor/dentist appointments, etc.) and call out your first name, to which you mistakingly ignore, waiting to hear your middle name. (This has happened sooooo many times. And yes, I get embarrassed each and every time it happens.)

2. Earlier today I was looking at flights from Birmingham to Atlanta, for a service I'll have this summer, thinking it'd be cheaper to fly rather than drive. Ha! The cheapest I could find was $299. Are you kidding me? A 57 minute flight costs that much? That's ridiculous! So now I'll say... Bring on the mini road trip :)

3. When I went grocery shopping this afternoon, I bought 7 tubes of toothpaste for an activity we're doing in Kids Club tomorrow. The cashier looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I prayed she wouldn't ask me why I bought so many since 1) I had no idea how to explain that in French, and 2) I'm pretty sure the concept of "wasting" toothpaste isn't one that'd go over well in this culture. (That'd be what brought on my major guilty conscience shortly thereafter.)

4. There is this woman that must know the guard of a building near my building. This woman hangs out with him 'til the wee hours of the morning. Why does this matter? Well, this woman has got to be the happiest woman alive. Why do I think that? Well she laughs LOUDLY for the majority of the time she's out there. Seriously... She does. The funny thing is, though, that now, it doesn't bug me anymore. It's actually pretty funny. It makes me laugh. See... I guess laughter is contagious after all. :)

5. I bought my tickets for my trip to the U.S. this summer. That includes a 3 1/2 day stop off to stay with family friends and explore a few big cities in my own home country that I've never been to before. Can we say EXCITED? :)

The 50th Dear ___ Post

Dear Weird Dream, I had you towards the beginning of the week. I woke up laughing at the absurdity of the dream. It felt so real, even though it was totally and completely ridiculous. You were a weird one dream. That's for sure.

Dear Valentine's Day, You were this past Thursday. We had a party in first grade, complete with a cute craft made with footprints, decorating cookies, making pizza, and sharing Valentine cards with each other. My kids loved you and I enjoyed seeing them so happy all day. Then, I got invited over to a fun family's house for dinner and Survivor-watching, so I guess you weren't so bad after all Valentine's Day...

Dear Clarity and Guidance, I have been praying for you for a while in regards to a decision I needed to make before a meeting on Thursday afternoon. At the starting time of the meeting, I still didn't feel peace about it. I still had no clue what to do. But halfway through it, I felt the most amazing sense of peace and calm and knew without a shadow of a doubt that God had given me the answer. ...such an amazing feeling!

Dear Softball Tournament, You're what's happening this weekend. I can't wait! I love (watching - definitely not playing) it :)

Dear 1 Week, You're how long it's been since I've had a coke. Yep, you heard me...1 whole week. That's 7 days people! Yes, I'm bragging on myself. And no, I'm not ashamed to do so. This is a big deal for me. Ha! :)

Dear Fabric, I went shopping for you yesterday afternoon. I forgot how picky I can be when it comes to buying you. I did feel a little bad for my friends that were with me, even though they said I wasn't that bad... :)

Dear New-ish Cafe' in Town, I tried you out for the first time yesterday and I must say... You were quite impressive. I'd visit you again :)

Dear Summer Plane Tickets, I'll be buying you this coming week. It'd be nice if you'd drop your price for me. You can do it. ...pretty please??

Dear Duck Dynasty Season 3, You start up soon! I'm excited! :)

And on a more serious note...

Dear God, I see results of you working in the lives of students (from both Christian and non-Christian homes) at my school. It's so exciting to see children and teenagers on fire for you. It's so exciting to hear little kids (and big kids too) talking about you and your awesome love for us. It makes my heart happy to know that the potential future leaders of many different countries are learning more and more about you, as a result of being students at our school. God, I must say... You totally rock!

Thankful Thursday...posted on a Friday :)

• a new, delicious Cajun recipe found just in time to "celebrate" Mardi Gras this week (even if I did cook it the day after Mardi Gras).
• Kids Club going really well this week, even with less volunteers than usual. ...not to mention the AWESOME response a non-Christian kid gave when asked how he could show love to God. This gives me hope for the future of these students. Oh my word! ...so awesome! :)
• a friend giving me the idea for a cute and fun Valentine's Day craft.
• the fun time we had in 1st grade yesterday - decorating heart-shaped cookies and making pizza for our Valentine's party.
• a sweet family inviting me over for dinner last night.
• my Valentine's Day not being as bad as I was thinking, since I'm soooo not a big fan of the holiday typically.
• the financial blessing I received this week.
• not drinking any cokes since Saturday. Go me!
• a fun afternoon/evening with friends today, including fabric shopping, trying out a new cafe' in town, and meeting new friends.
• the meeting I had yesterday afternoon going really well, but more importantly, for the peace that God gave me in regards to a big decision I needed to make - FYI for anyone wondering... Yes, I'm still going to be in Dakar next year. Yes, I'm still going to be teaching at DA next year. ...no worries :)
• people praying for me in regards to the above mentioned meeting.
• God's perfect timing. 
• a weekend full of softball (watching). I love this time of year!

The 15 Days of Senegal Challenge, Days 5 - 9

Two fellow Dakarois, (Kari and Jenn) issued a challenge for the rest of us. It was a photo challenge, in which we would take at least one picture of life in Senegal every day for 15 days in February. Each day we would be given a prompt to follow in taking our pictures. 

Day 5's prompt was "Feet." One of my non-native-English speakers came in the morning of this prompt, trying his hardest to tell me something. In the midst of his excitement, he got all flustered and was using more Bambara than English, leaving me having to guess at what he was trying to say. The words I actually understood were "yellow, shoes, good, & me." :)

Day 6's prompt was "Time." Kids Club started back on this day. I took this picture right after I announced that it was time for Kids Club and all the kids came running to line up, ready to go in. I feel so blessed to be able to lead this ministry. We had a little over 50 kids this week and I am so thankful for each and every one of them.

Day 7's prompt was "Darkness." I took this picture on my way to school this morning. It's still dark out, but you can barely see the light of the moon (and a car just turning onto the road I'm on). I'm not a big fan of walking in the dark, especially by myself, but I always enjoy the view of the sky.

Day 8's prompt was "Scent." I bought a lot of veggies today, both for myself, and for a dinner I'm going to later this weekend. So as soon as I got home, I added them to my (clean) sink with filtered water and bleach. The scent of bleach is one I believe I'll NEVER get used to. In fact, I can honestly say that I absolutely hate the scent. But, this is something I have to do since I love to eat fresh fruits and veggies and I'd rather not get the critters or diseases that come from them when I eat them. So in that case, bring on the bleach! :)

Day 9's prompt was "Words." I went to the store earlier today and came home with this selection. There is creme fraiche (sour cream), whole wheat bread (actually for a cheap price...very rare!), coke, water, tea, salami, sliced gouda cheese, pringles, and a box of cake mix (...which came from a package sent to me by my mom). 

The 49th Dear _____ Post

Dear Kids Club, You started back this week. There were a little over 50 kids there this week! Awesomeness...pure awesomeness :)

Dear Package from Home, You came this week, full of delicious goodies and the University of South Alabama plates and napkins I shamelessly bought for myself, which I plan to use at the party I'll be throwing myself in May when I graduate with my Master's degree :)

Dear Frozen Tampico Drink, I love you. You're especially nice on a really hot and sunny Dakar day.  Thanks for being the refreshingly tasty treat you are. 

Dear Darkness, I walk to school in you every morning. ...not my favorite time of the day to be out walking, but I guess that's a part of life... I will say, though... I'm really enjoying getting to see the starts and moon every morning :)

Dear Scary, You're what the sight in this picture looks like. This is a little too close to my apartment building for my liking...

Dear Even More Scary, You're how the same picture looks up close. Anyone see a problem in these pictures?

Dear 1st Graders, I feel so blessed to be your teacher :)

Dear Adorable, You're the word I'd use to describe this picture. This little guy is in my class, but was placed in a different age group during Olympics as the rest of his peers, so I hadn't gotten to watch him in any of his events until this one. He was waiting his turn to jump rope and I asked him to smile and say cheese. This is the smile I got :)

Dear Tote Bag, You're my new shopping bag. Today's purchases include sour cream, chips, salami, bread, cheese, water, coke, and tea. The cake mix was a goodie sent to me in a package from home that I forgot to bring home yesterday.

Thankful Thursday

• the hope of eternity with my Savior.
• the upbeat, positive attitude held by my Papa (my grandfather) even after being diagnosed with cancer. It's the hope of a future of living in Heaven with Jesus Christ - knowing without a shadow of a doubt of where you'll be spending eternity - knowing that you are truly living right and doing what God calls you to do. 
• such an amazing example of how a Christian should act. My Papa is one of the most amazingly godly men I've ever met. I pray to God that one day I'll be blessed with a husband that's even half the man my Papa is!
• a great return of Kids Club. We had between 50 and 60 kids come this week. That's almost the entire elementary school plus a few visitors! Woohoo! :)
• everything FINALLY falling into place with my Comps exam I have to take in March.
• a friend that showed what it means to be a true friend earlier this week.
• getting to hang out a lot this week with an awesome family that makes me feel like I'm part of the family :)
• a dinner invite tonight to an amazingly delicious restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday.
• good friends. I don't use the word "friend" lightly. It means something. I don't call you my friend simply because we know each other really well. I feel so grateful for the friends God's placed in my life :)

15 Days of Senegal -- Days 3 and 4

Two fellow Dakarois, (Kari and Jenn) issued a challenge for the rest of us. It was a photo challenge, in which we would take at least one picture of life in Senegal every day for 15 days in February. Each day we would be given a prompt to follow in taking our pictures. 

Day 3's prompt was "Sweet or Savory." For today's prompt, I posted 4 pictures...

This first picture is of some tasty fruits and veggies. I took this one the day I moved to Dakar (July 30, 2009). It was so hard for me to grasp that I would have to actually soak almost all of my fruits and veggies in bleach water before eating them. But now it's second nature. I don't think twice before I do it. In fact, when I'm in the States for a visit, I often have to stop myself before doing so there :)

This next photo is of the pastry counter in the "food court" of the mall here in Dakar. It's still so odd to me think that we have a mall...in Africa :) Anywho - A friend and I went to lunch there today and ended our meal with a sweet dessert from here. My friend had the chocolate mousse and I had a tasty chocolate gelato cone. YUM!

This next photo is of probably my most favorite snack food that can be purchased here in Dakar. It's a lovely mix of sweet and salty. It's different dried red fruits (strawberries, cranberries) and nuts (pecans, and hazelnuts). It's a bit of a splurge, but oh so worth it... :)

And now, I saved the best for last. This is a photo of the ABSOLUTE BEST ICE CREAM EVER! And yes, I did type that in all caps. Why? ...because of emphasis on how awesome it is :) This is Obama flavored ice cream. It is chocolate ice cream with a hard/crunchy chocolate sauce on top and has chocolate cookie crumbles inside. Oh my goodness... It is sweet heaven. I tell ya. ...absolutely amazing! :)

Day 4's prompt was "Growth." I posted two pictures for today's prompt. The first picture is one I took today of a plant outside the office at my school. This plant doesn't always have flowers on it, so it's always a pleasant surprise when there's new, beautifully colored growth on it.

I took the next photo a few years ago while visiting Saint Louis, a city about 4 hours north of Dakar. I remember thinking how sad the future was for this little guy once he grew up...

February Photo Challenge Days 1 - 3

I'm participating in the February 2013 challenge, listed here and below. Feel free to play along :)

Day 1's prompt was "Fork." I forgot to take any photos today, so instead I found one online, courtesy of the Food Network. And since a couple friends and I were discussing how awesome chocolate covered strawberries are on our way to dinner tonight, finding this photo was even better for today :)

Source

Day 2's prompt was "Pattern." I took this photo while re-organizing my kitchen cabinets. I loved these dishes when I saw some friends that had some, so the next time I went shopping at Orca, I bought some for myself. There such fun colors. And they're plastic, so they're less likely to break. So...double points on this purchase :)

Day 3's prompt was "Something beginning with the letter, E." This semester I'm taking 3 classes, 2 of which start with the letter E :)

15 Days of Senegal -- Days 1 and 2

Two fellow Dakarois, (Kari and Jenn) issued a challenge for the rest of us. It was a photo challenge, in which we would take at least one picture of life in Senegal every day for 15 days in February. Each day we would be given a prompt to follow in taking our pictures. (To see the lists, click on either Kari's or Jenn's names.)

Day 1's prompt was "Traffic." How fitting for Dakar, the capital city, which is where I live. Dakar usually has crazy traffic, where most drivers typically do not follow normal rules of the road (if there are any rules to begin with, that is...). And honestly, that's one of the main reasons why I choose to not drive in this city. I love Dakar. I love living here. But it's pretty cheap and safe to get a ride in a taxi. So I'm good. :)

Back to the photos... I took this first photo on the way to a friend's house Friday night. The lack of traffic surprised me. And look, people seem to be driving in an orderly fashion too. It seems like they're disproving my above paragraph. Hmm... 

I took this second photo on the way home from my friend's house later that night. Due to my lack of knowledge in working some of the super basic, but I'm technologically challenged hard settings on my camera, you can't see the traffic very well, but trust me... It was there. This is entering my neighborhood of Hann Maristes. I really like how the lights of the car facing us look in this picture. 

Day 2's prompt was "Red." Senegal is full of colors. It's fun to see such bright bursts of colors in such a dry, sandy place. Since I didn't venture out of my apartment today, and instead chose to be super productive at home (go me!), I just went back through pictures I've taken over the past 3 1/2 years, and found lots with the color red in them.

These first two of are Christmas stockings made by Samba. Samba is... Well... Let's just say, he's an interesting guy who is very, very talented in the area of sewing and who definitely needs Jesus. Side note... If you're reading this now, pray for his soul. He seriously does need Jesus. 

I took this next one on the road going to my apartment. I love these "flame" trees. I'm not sure what their name is in French. Anywho - These are my favorite trees here in Senegal. When they're in bloom, they're absolutely beautiful. 

I took this next photo at a hotel in Saly, which is an approximate 2 hour drive from Dakar. It's so nice to go, especially in the dry season, because you know you'll see all the green (and red). It's proof that Senegal is not just sand.

These next two photos are of red seen in the area of food and drinks. There's nothing like an ice cold coke from a glass bottle. Pair it with ice and a slice of lime and it's perfection in a glass (minus the sugar and caffeine, of course). 

The second photo is of a Royal Burger, which comes with all the usual stuff, plus a fried egg. I love it! I love the way the color of the huge, red, chunk of tomato "pops" in this picture.

The 48th Dear ______ Post

Dear My Dad's Heart, Could you stop giving him so much trouble? Don't you think you've given him enough trouble?

Dear Monday Night, You're when my dad had his heart cath done. Monday night, you were good to my dad. :) The doctor said that when he got in, he found that the artery was only 40% blocked, so no surgery was needed, and my dad was able to go home that same night (and go back to work the next day). This is a total miracle! 

Dear Church This Past Sunday Morning, I really enjoyed you. I could definitely feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. You were just such a nice service.And I actually understood the majority of you, even though you were done in French. So yay for that! :)

Dear N'ice Cream, You have the best ice cream! I love visiting you and bringing home some of your yummy goodness :)

Dear Structure, My class really thrives on you. While last week was definitely fun and spiritually refreshing for my kids, the whole lack of structure really didn't go well for some of my kids. So, having our normal, typical daily schedule back, was a big help to my sanity this week (theirs too). :)

Dear 100th Day of School, You were Wednesday. We celebrated in style in 1st Grade. We did 100 math problems. We wrote 100 words. We read 100 words too. We measured things with 100 paper clips. We did art work with 100 pieces of construction paper. We read books about the number 100 and about the 100th Day of School. And we made our own class book about the 100th Day of School. You were such a fun day 100th Day of School. We all really enjoyed you :)

Dear Funny Conversations Between My Students, You are a highlight of my job. And sometimes it’s really hard to keep a straight face after hearing stories, like the following which occurred after I introduce the Science topic of “Solids, Liquids, and Gases”… (Conversation of the day… (Boy) I know a gas. (Me) Which one? (Boy) Well, I don’t want to say. I’m shy. (Girl) It’s ok. Don’t be shy. We’re all friends in first grade. (Boy) Well, it’s the stinky gas that comes out of my bum. (Girl) Ewww. That’s yucky. Don’t talk about that. (Boy) Everybody has gas. Even my mommy did it.

Dear New Pencil Top Erasers, You were such a treat to my first graders. It’s funny sometimes to see how excited they get over the simplest of things… :)

Dear Ladies Night, You happened last night with my fellow A/G ladies. It was a nice night. We had a delicious meal, watched a really good movie, and had a nice time chatting with each other.

Dear Study Guide for my Comps Exam, I printed out my notes for you yesterday and OH MY GOODNESS! You are looking harder and harder. Ugh... Have I mentioned lately how much I truly do not like taking tests?

Dear Ed.S. Degree, I'm considering working towards you next. But I'm just not sure. Decisions, decisions...

Dear Cancer, You're stupid and horrible and I hate you and what you do to people. ...just thought I'd let you know how much I truly detest you.

Dear Robberies and Violence, You're happening a little to much in my neighborhood here lately. I'm not a big fan. This is supposed to be a safe place. People aren't supposed to be mugged. People aren't supposed to be robbed and shot. We're not supposed to have stuff like that going on... And yes, I (along with everyone else) am taking precautions. But at the same time, I know I can't live in fear. I have to put my trust in God, the main Protector.

Speaking of which... 

Dear Bible Verses Telling Us Not to Fear, There are a lot of you. Hmm... I wonder if God's trying to tell us something.

Dear Google Images, Thanks for this picture :)

                                 

A Blog Post Guided by YOU

Source

What do YOU want to know about me, about my life and ministry in Dakar, about Senegal in general...anything? 

Just ask. You can leave a comment on this post. You can email me or you can Facebook me. 

I'll answer all of your questions (within reason) in an upcoming Q & A blog post.