Movin' on Up!

Tuesday was moving day!  I had been looking forward to this day for a long time because my new cabin means air conditioning, twice the closet space, and a bathroom shared only by my roommates instead of the entire deck.  This post will probably be pretty boring for most people, so my apologies to those of you who couldn't care less what a ship bathroom looks like.  :)

 my bed (The quilt was made by Sidney, one of my sweet dance team girls from HTMS...Thanks, Sid.  It reminds me of dance team every time I look at it.  Miss you girls lots!!!)

my new double-sided closet (I only had one door in my old cabin, and my roommate had the other side.  I'm not sure how I crammed all of my stuff into one side, but my clothes will certainly be less wrinkled now.) 

A bathroom of my very own (well, with just three other people)!  No more walking down a hallway in the middle of the night.  No more toting a storage caddy of shower supplies back and forth every morning--I can actually leave my shampoo IN the shower.  Never would I have imagined that could be so exciting!  And for those of you who are wondering, it's like a bathroom in a cruise ship.  The shower and toilet are separated only by a thin metal bar and a shower curtain.  We have to be really careful to turn the water on and off...to save water and to avoid a flood!

We have a little community area in the back with a some chairs, a refrigerator, microwave, and storage space for food. 

 

And...we have a porthole!  So fun! 

    

It's also the perfect place to house a Christmas tree!

 

So, there you have it--my new home for the next two years. Isn't it great? :)

Exodus House Friends

Last Sunday we returned to Exodus House Orphanage to visit the kids.  We attended their church service and ate lunch with them afterwards.  Two girls, I would guess around 11 or 12 years old, led worship.  Several children came to the front to give a testimony or sing a song to God.  It's amazing how children who have so little can have such joy.  While my mind wrestled with why these children must live without parents and a home to call their own, they were worshiping their Father.  They understand that He has not abandoned them, even if people do.

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling."  Psalm 68:5


"He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing."  Deuteronomy 10:18

Danae and friends

Christina and friends

Hannah and friends

My favorite friend Jonathan

This little guy just broke my heart.  He let me hold him for almost the entire time we were there (several hours), but I couldn't get him to crack a smile.  A couple of other girls thought to bring stickers, and all of the kids just went crazy for them.  Towards the end, one of the children gave me a sticker, and I placed it on little Jonathan's hand.  Although he still didn't smile, he treasured that sticker.  A few minutes later, one of the older children tried to take it as he walked by.  I stopped the child, asked for the sticker, and stuck it back on Jonathan's hand.  He leaned up and kissed my cheek.  Sweet baby!

That was our last opportunity to visit the orphanage before the sail.  Goodbye, sweet friends!  I will miss you!

I'm in love.

Sorry, Mom. It's not with a boy.

It's with these little guys...

 

 

We went to the orphanage last Sunday. It was my first time to be able to go because the regularly-scheduled trips are always on the weekdays when I'm teaching. Because we are nearing the end of the outreach, a friend of mine who had been going regularly decided to lead an extra trip on the weekend. I was so thankful for the opportunity to go.

These children are so joyful. The church that runs the orphanage takes good care of them, but there are just so many children that none of them get a lot of one-on-one attention. It didn't matter that none of us could speak French. They just wanted a smile, a hug, a lap to sit on, and someone to kiss them on the forehead.

So we danced.

We played the same clapping games elementary girls play in the U.S., just with words I could not understand.

We read God's Word. Rather, Corinne taught me how to read God's Word in French.
Then it was lunch time. The older kids helped prepare the food. Here, a girl is mashing the yams.

Time to eat!

Yum!

This little guy was my one of my favorites.

So many new friends...

We had so much fun that we decided to take one more trip. I can't wait to go back next Sunday!

*Thanks so much, Deb and Sarah, for sharing your pictures with me. Miss you guys! :)

Presidential Dinner

I never thought I would be invited to eat dinner with a president.  As unreal as it sounds, last Tuesday, the president of Benin invited the entire crew of Mercy Ships to a banquet at his palace!  He wanted to honor Don Stephens, the founder of Mercy Ships, and several other leaders within the organization by knighting them into the National Order of Benin.  Amazingly enough, he graciously extended the dinner invitation to all 400 crew members! 

Here we are all dressed up in our African best.  I was so upset with myself for not having an African dress made yet, but by the end of the night, I had forgotten about what I was wearing.

Kelly, me, and Jamie

the banquet hall

Don Stephens (founder of Mercy Ships) with President Yayi Boni

President Yayi Boni and his wife

the newly knighted Mercy Ship staff

Don Stephens presented the president with a gift from us as well: a picture of the ship, created with tiny pictures of people from Benin.

After dinner, we were entertained by traditional African dancers.

I guess that's a story for the grandchildren, huh!  :)