Yesterday we completed week 2 of school.  I’m settling into the routine now and able to get my prep work done faster each night.  It’s fun being back in teaching, though I definitely miss having the evenings just to relax.  While Jen is a great teacher, she’s not enjoying it as much as I am.  It reminds her of why she decided not to pursue the teaching credential before we got married; it’s just not her passion.  Still, I’m hopeful it will grow on her as she gets used to the work load and starts to see the progress in her students. 

     This week Nico also asked me to coach his little soccer team from Correrah.  We had our first practice yesterday.  Half of the team doesn’t speak French which makes it hard to communicate.  Also most of them play in plastic sandals, and a couple of them didn’t have any shoes at all despite the rocky terrain.  At one point Andres delivered water and the boys stormed the cooler, all desperate for a cool drink.  We also had about ten kids not on our team suddenly appear looking for a drink of water.  I can’t imagine what this will be like when the rainy season is over and it gets even hotter. 

     I’m excited about this opportunity as I’ve been thinking about a way to share Bible stories with the soccer guys from our neighborhood.  I can easily envision bringing a pack of Capri Suns (they’re spelled Capri Sonnes here) and sitting down under the shade with one of the gospel cloths I brought.  Now I’m thinking maybe I can do this with our soccer team, or I could even do something like this as part of a game day, challenging the Baralande team to play against us.

      I’ve also been thinking and praying about asking the neighbors if they would let me teach their girls, the ones that come over and get water all the time.  Perhaps if I offer to teach them some English they would let me teach them some Bible stories too.  We’ve stopped by a couple times to talk with them.  They have a house full of women (the mom, four or five sisters, and a handful of little girls—I’m presuming illegitimate daughters because the women told me they're not married, something unusual for women their age).  The dad died, and the brothers apparently all moved to Conakry for work.  I’m not sure how they get income but it seems like the little girls work for the people we share a property with as a way for them to make money.  So I’m praying about these ideas and asking God to open up the way for us to be able to minister and share Christ with them.

     Finally, a quick story from this afternoon’s trip to the market:  the marche (mar-shay) is a hot, crowded, and smelly place, not at all like the markets in France.  Here all the little booths are packed in tight with barely enough room for one person to pass, though lines of people are pushing past each other all the time.  You can buy everything from plastic sandals to cloth for clothes, to dried peppers, dried fish, vegetables, tomato paste (out of the can), individual cubes of bouillon, soap, red palm oil, fresh made peanut butter, etc…  All the smells of the produce and body sweat blend in together and are trapped under the tin roofs and umbrellas of the stands.  And the vendors are constantly calling to get your attention or comment on the “fote” (white folk).  Abi and Nathanael especially draw a lot of attention as the women tease them about their blue eyes and blonde hair.  Nathanael has had several marriage proposals already, though he’s not been too pleased with any of them.

     So after our time at the market today, we returned to the car and Jen and the kids were sitting inside, waiting for me to complete a final purchase.  A strange man then approached the car, dressed in rags and talking kinda crazy.  He proceeded to put trash in the back window where the kids were sitting and then approached Jen’s window, talking and gesturing at her.  As he got closer and closer, putting his fingers through the open crack and his face against the glass (you can imagine how Jen was feeling), Jen had the impulse to pray in tongues.  Immediately the man put his hands up in the air and backed away.  He then left and we didn’t see him again.  It’s nice to serve a God who has authority over everything.

Please pray for God to continue to demonstrate His power and protection over us.

Pray for God to open up the opportunities for us to minister to the local kids.

Pray for wisdom and discernment in how and when we share Christ with others.

Pray for Christ to be at work within us, to shine His light through us to those around us.

Pray for continued grace and strength with each week of teaching.