7 weeks to go

Today marks 33 weeks on the ole preggos calendar. 7 more weeks (maybe a little less) & Isabelle Ruth will enter this world!

to grow a garden

All of you who receive our newsletter will hear about how I am learning all about how to and how not to grow a garden. I thought I'd post some pictures of the transformation of my yard from really hard nutrient depleted soil to really hard nutrient depleted soil with dying plants in it. Amazing stuff really.

Yes, while the rest of the world blogs about engaging a postmodern culture I'm posting pictures of my garden. Enjoy.



This is what I had to work with. Don't let the picture fool you, this is actually not ideal ground for growing a garden.



First I dug up the ground mixing it with a special fertilizer sold only in Ayorou. In Ayorou when you need fertilizer you don't run out to Wal-Mart or Lowes. No, you give a couple kids 100 francs for every wheelbarrow full of Ayorou's best fertilizer which can be found almost anywhere! I also buried some dead fish because a smart guy with a big garden told me to do that if the ground needed nutrients. Warning: this is apparently not a practice in Niger and your buddies will look at you like you're crazy for burying fish in your garden. I think they thought I was trying to grow "fish trees" and they didn't have the heart to tell me fish don't grow on trees!



And here's my seedbed. Those are tomatoes on the right, cabbage in the middle and weeds on the left not lettuce. Warning: if you're ever growing a garden in Ayorou make sure the lettuce you planted is actually lettuce and not just weeds before you say "man, my lettuce sure is doing good!"

Well, maybe my fish trees will do better!

thanks judy!

In the beginning of March, we had a volunteer from Cartersville, GA stay with us in Ayorou for 10 days. She spent (or I should say, was supposed to spend) her mornings teaching English at the high school and her afternoons prayerwalking the 4 Songhai areas of Ayorou. The school canceled on her a couple of times and the heat was almost unbearable to be walking around in during the afternoon. But, nonetheless, she kept a smile on her face & did everything she could to show the people of Ayorou how much Christ loves them. She even found some English speakers & was able to share her faith with them!

We just wanted to say a BIG thank you to Judy Puckett for giving of her time & her money & leaving the luxuries of A/C behind for 10 days to come to hot, dusty Ayorou sharing the hope she has in Christ. Judy, we cannot wait to see what God does through the hearfelt prayers you laid in Ayorou & through the words you shared with those God brought to you.


Judy with our Sunday morning Bible study.

Judy & Muhammedu - one of the English speakers she was able to share with.


Judy teaching English at the high school.

my wife

I'd like to tell you a little about my wife. You may not know everything about her, like that she'll be upset that I posted this while she wasn't looking, or that she cooks like (better) than Paula Dean, or that she is the best "Boggle" player this side of the Mississippi, or that one year for Valentine's Day I took her to a hockey game and Waffle House and she didn't complain!

Everyone who knows us knows that I married up. By "married up" I mean most people usually say to Parker (about 14 seconds after meeting her and then meeting me) "what happened?!? Did you lose a bet?" That's marrying up, and that's what I did.
I am so blessed to have her as a wife and as a best friend. She is an incredible wife and I can't wait to see what an incredible mother she is going to be! So seeing how her birthday was last week, I wanted to dedicate a blog to her (Casey Kasem style)!

What did you do for your birthday this past year? Let me tell you what my wife did...

First she made three delicious meals for herself, me, and a volunteer who was staying with us all while 6 1/2 months pregnant and in a kitchen that never got below 92 degrees. Parker's cooking rates somewhere between incredible and the food they serve in heaven (as many of you know firsthand).
I love the way my wife cooks!


Then she spent 4 hours in a crowded African house having dye put on her feet. This involved sitting on the floor, eating a meal with her hands and having her feet in plastic bags (again, all while 6 1/2 months pregnant in 100 degree weather). Why does she do this you ask? Because by doing things like this she has built a friendship with her ladies that has opened the door for her to share her faith.
I love the way my wife loves the Lord!


Next we opened up the gate and played with kids.
I love my wife's heart!


Finally, we put up our lovely tents and slept outside.
I love my wife's spirit of adventure!

Parker's not a "let's go hike up a mountain" type of girl. Yet day after day, night after night she faithfully and patiently endures these conditions even while 6 1/2 months pregnant. Now I'm obviously biased but I think she's the greatest wife around! I love my wife!

night o' fun

Our team has started doing monthly nights of fun this year. In January, we had a progressive Mexican dinner. This month, we went out to a restaurant called "The Table of Meat" (or that's its translation). We got to dress up super fancy & then were served 6 courses! It was a great time to get away with our team & eat way too much food. Unfortunately, we forgot to take the camera with us to the restaurant to show you the incredible food we ate but we did snap a pic after the meal. This is how happy we were that we got to eat so much food!