A New Fall Favorite

I love kids books! I salivate over the scholastic book club orders and all the delightful children's books. I've been missing children's books and just books in general but this past week I spent about 45 minutes in a Barnes and Noble in Buffalo. It was delightful! Where did I hang out? The children's section, of course. I discovered the most wonderful book about fall. It's called, "Fletcher and the Falling Leaves."Fletcher is a little fox who becomes concerned about his favorite tree when he sees all of its leaves falling off. His mother tells him not to worry that it's just autumn but he doesn't really understand that. He does everything that he can to help the tree keep its leaves on. The illustrations in this book are absolutely gorgeous and I have to say it's sweet to see a fox portrayed in a manner other than tricky. I think this is going to become a new fall favorite of mine.

Niger Weather

Just a week or two ago, we were talking about weather in our French class. My professor brought up sandstorms. Since he was just in Niger this summer he experienced them first hand. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to post this video because it's taken from the window of a hotel right across the river from our school and it gives a really good idea of how extensive the dust is and how quickly it moves in on you. But check out the little drops of rain on the window...this is why we get excited about storms like that because they bring cool and refreshing rain. Unfortunately, it will probably be May or April before they see another one of these storms in Niger.

A Wee Little Update

Just wanted to post a wee little update about my mom. The morning after her fall, she woke up and her wrist was feeling much better. She and Dad went home and she even wrote out Dad's testimony for him with her hand so that was a pretty good sign that there wasn't any lasting damage. I guess it was pretty much just brusises. I'm so thankful for God's protection. Thank you for praying!

Visitors From Afar

It wasn't the Magi but I did have visitors from afar this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. My Mom and Dad came from Toronto to make sure I was still alive! Saturday, we took a day trip up to Quebec City and soaked in the beauty of the last changing leaves. I think Fall is my Mom's favorite season so she just loved the drive. We ate a picnic lunch and then walked all over the city. It was a beautiful day but I think the city was even more packed than the last time. It must have been a good day for sailing because there were lots of sailboats out on the water. Mom and Dad got to see and enjoy some of the same street performers that I saw the first time including the awesome golden statue guy! We were all tired but enjoyed our day. Sunday was a lazy day but Mom and Dad went to French church with me. I had invited my neighbors and my friend Katye to come for Thanksgiving dinner since we were cooking a big turkey. About 10 am things were at a good stopping point and Mom wanted to go for a walk. So we headed up the big hill behind my house. It leads back to "West Virginia" or a farm that reminds me a lot of the area where my mom grew up. Anyway, we were on our way home and my Mom was just slightly behind my Dad and I and she took a tumble. She landed flat on her face. It really scared me because it looked and felt a lot like watching myself fall off the retaining wall back in 11th grade when I busted my teeth. She thought, at first, that it was just her nose bleeding but there was quite a bit of blood. I took off running to go get my car and left Dad to take care of her. In true African style, they used leaves to wipe the blood away because there just wasn't anything else. We got her home and after sitting awhile with ice she was able to get her nose to stop bleeding. It's really quite swollen and she has a nasty bump above one eye and on her chin. This afternoon her wrist started to hurt quite a bit...I think she may have broken her fall with her hands. Anyway, this was a not so pleasant end to the visit. Please pray for her as they head home tomorrow that she won't be too uncomfortable, that she'll have the wisdom to know if she needs to see a doctor and that her bumps and bruises will heal quickly!

What is God doing in the world right now?

Have you ever wondered what God is doing in another part of the world right now? I read this amazing story from the blog of a friend in Liberia and I thought I would share it with you. It's the story of the village of Malawo, a mecca for witchcraft, and what God has been doing there in the last several months. The story begins with a felt need in the post Malawo and the committment of Samaritan's Purse to meet that need. But it only gets better in the post There is a Celebration Going On because the door has been opened for the gospel and for these precious people to know Jesus. Check it out! You'll be encouraged!

Death is Beautiful

Death is beautiful.

Someone used this phrase recently and it caught my attention. I guess I had never thought about death in that way before. It's very easy to agree with the statement when put in terms of the death and shedding of leaves from their respective trees. Death is beautiful!