Teaching, a second Thanksgiving dinner, and some goodbyes

It is already Sunday night…how did that happen? I only have five more days here, and there are mixed emotions. I have loved my time here, and I love this country; however, I am very excited to see my family and spend Christmas with those I love most. Eight weeks seems to be a good amount of time to travel…it is long enough to get an idea of the true life somewhere, and it is enough time to miss those you love.

So now to catch up..

The rest of last week went really well in the class. I taught full time still even though Sheila was back. I was glad to have her around again! She seems to be doing well.

Thursday evening I went to youth group and met a short term college team from Las Vegas. They were really nice…and there were two really cute boys. (Single boys seem to be a little rare here)! I really enjoyed talking with the group. During the high school session there was a random discussion time, and one of the questions was, “Do you think that guys should be the ones to initiate relationships?” Wow! This was quite a heated topic. There were all different types of people represented…all with very strong opinions. It was actually pretty hilarious to listen to high schoolers’ thoughts and to think that that was me a few years ago.

Friday evening I went to the school with Sheila for Cinema Night. We showed Wall-e which I thought was really cute! Megs, I thought of you! :)

Saturday I went to the bank to exchange money for the last time. Then, I walked a few streets over to meet Tyler and Liz. Tyler is a missionary here, but I didn’t get to meet him the last time I was here. He just arrived back this past week and will be here for another year and a half. Liz is a missionary in Tanzania and here just for three weeks. After meeting Tyler, the three of us headed to the main road to catch my first Burkina taxi to Leanna’s house. All of the taxis are lime green, so they are easy to spot. We found one immediately, and it was a pretty low-key experience. Leanna started a Thanksgiving feast tradition last year where the singles come together for a giant feast after Thanksgiving. It was wonderful! Hands down, the best meal I’ve had since I’ve been here. Tyler, Ben, Leanna, Liz, and I did a little preparing and just hung out for several hours till it was time for dinner. There were twelve of us altogether. After dinner and dessert (a choice between five different pies!), we watched Fred Claus which was really funny! I ended up getting back home after midnight and felt like a 21 year old again. It was a great night, and I really enjoyed getting to spend time with these people who all were single and around my age. Oh, I almost forgot a very important detail. Another tradition to this meal is that the guys clean up! It was awesome. They took care of everything and then served us dessert. I took a picture of them washing dishes in the kitchen so that I can show the men in my family for Christmas! :)

Today was my last day at church. I was sad about this just because I love this church so much. As I experienced last time I was in Burkina, I got a true sense of what the “Body of Christ” meant. It is a beautiful thing. I will miss their worship…a lot. However, I am so excited to sing songs that I know. For those who know me well, you know that I am always singing. Well, here I have only sung a few times since I usually don’t know the song or the words in French. I have tried to compensate this by listening to my music each night as I go to sleep. I can’t wait to just sing loudly. Mom…I think Christmas cookies and Evie are calling our names! Back to church…I think that this time was easier for me to leave because I feel like it is not forever. Last time I didn’t really think that I would ever be back. But, I feel like someday, God will again bring me back (whether that is for a week or for years I don’t know). I thought that I would have to say goodbye to Elizabeth and Marie today, but they told me that they want to come and get together one more time this upcoming week. I hope that works out!

Well, there is a possibility for one more update before I return. We will see. Thank you for those of you who have emailed me and have been reading these entries. I appreciate how you are interested in my life and what God is showing me. I can’t wait to share more with you in person! :)