Highlights (not the magazine)

So highlights of my time in Leo – which is still not over.  I am going to ride the bus back with everyone here on Sunday. 

So here we go:

It rained!  SO MUCH.  Like poured, so naturally at 1:00 in the morning, we went outside and danced in it.  I got goose bumps for the first time in 8 months J  Now its hot again.

Listening to these hilarious boys!  Oh my lands if you wanna laugh come here.  We have 5 teenage boys here that quote every movie, sing silly songs, tell the most ridiculous stories, and just laugh.  I love it. 

Sleeping on a waterbed.  I have never done that before – so every time I get on it I say “Whoa, WHOOOA, Whoa” I also think I may be swimming in my sleep!  It is nice though because its cooler – I have had no trouble falling asleep in a house that’s 90 degrees at night.  Apparently though most nights are hotter…haha oh boy. 

Pranks.  Hanging out in a house full of teenagers naturally evolves into toilets covered with clear wrap, alarms hidden and set for the middle of the night, glue on the bar of soap in the shower, water being thrown at you in the morning and who knows what else.  Thankfully I have claimed to be Switzerland – hopefully that will last the rest of the week BUT I have certainly been effected by the above pranks J

Listening to music – eROC24/7.  Robbie, Nathan, Jonathan, Farris, and Liesbeth make up this totally awesome band.  They have been practicing all week and although its so loud we have to wear ear plugs they are very good and I enjoy taking pictures and listening to them all day. 

Brianna.  Oh my lands the Lyon’s have an 8 year old sister that is hilarious.  A few times a day she bounces through the room wearing a cowboy hat and a scarf around her neck on a big bouncy ball rabbit thing.  Every time it happens I feel like my life is completely random. 

Well that’s enough for now and about all I can think of right now.  BUT fyi – I am currently sitting on the floor listening to all these boys sing songs from every Disney movie known.  Ridiculously awesome.  

hello from Leo (pronounced lay-O)

Well I braved the streets after staying in doors for 3 days and fled town!  Well to be a little less dramatic for you who may get freaked out: ISO is on spring break so I left Ouaga to Leo for the week.  The Lyons family lives here and invited me – so I of course jumped at the opportunity to take a break away from the city.  It will be a week of hanging out, listening to music (most of them play some sort of instrument and some of the boys are in a band and will be practicing all week), hopefully going swimming, and just catching up on things I need to do.  Leo is more in the “bush” and so it should be a fairly peaceful week. 

Things died down a bit in Ouaga but the US embassy has still suggested that no one leaves their homes.  After a rough night on Friday night and some commotion on Saturday things have seemed to calm down though.  In the lull of a Monday morning we leapt at the chance to leave. 

Driving around for the first time in a few days was almost normal.  People are out and about, going to the market, getting groceries and gas.  The gas lines were REALLY long though because they were closed for several days. 

I am now in Leo and have gotten one phone call and one email telling me to just hold tight in my house so I am glad I escaped this morning before that J Thanks for all your prayers the last few days, please keep praying!

Snow Day

So just an update on life the last few days:

Things here have been steadily getting worse as it pertains to the electricity issues.  The power has gone out several times this week.  Yesterday the power was off all day – it came on JUST in time for youth group at 7:00 and then went off again at 1:00 a.m.  It was off all day today until 3:00 this afternoon.  Not fun. 

The military is having a hay day.  Last night they did some shooting into the air and today I woke up to school canceled.  The Wolters told me to come over to their house this morning and this afternoon I have been at the Nehlsen’s.  The US embassy has put a curfew on and suggested everyone to stay in their homes.  I am going to stay the night here so that I don’t have to spend the night all by myself.  So today has been a “snow day” of sorts.  I watched some movies, played some games, and stayed inside. 

We were supposed to have a youth group event tonight – a make our own pizza and watch a movie but that had to be cancelled.  I am hoping that things settle down tomorrow so that I can do something fun like go swimming or at least leave the house. 

Confessions.

Whenever I was uneasy or unsure of something Kandice or Mandy would say "well - confess your sins!"  I say that all the time now to the youth here.  Well now its my my turn - I have a confession, well its not actually a confession of sin though.

Just now I went into the kitchen to get some water to take my malaria medicine and as soon as the light turned on (it takes it a little while) a simi-huge gecko came running at me full speed!  I wasnt sure what to do.  So I jumped in the air, screamed really loud and ran into the other room.  Yes, I know geckos will do nothing to me, but I am still slightly scared of them.  Especially when they come running at me!  The reality is though that the little guy was just trying to find something to hide under.  Ha :)

So, dad - or anyone else who needed me to be hardcore in that moment - I am so sorry!

WIRED cancelled?!

Well for the first time I had to cancel youth group!  I was so upset too – it was certainly not an easy decision to make.  The military issues here are getting worse, but maybe better…its hard to tell.  Regardless the Burkina government has put a nationwide curfew at 9:00pm every night until further noticed and the US embassy has put a dusk till dawn curfew.  The CMA follows the US embassy and so the leadership and I decided to cancel youth group. 

I can handle most things pretty well but when something interferes with my purpose and ministry it becomes very difficult for me.  I understand completely and its certainly better to err on the side of caution BUT I still get pretty annoyed. 

When I was in South Africa in 2009 (I think) we had some cultural misunderstanding and drama in the house I was living in.  It had finally built up to a point of explosion – causing me to miss my ministry in one of the townships for the entire day.  I called home so upset (I am sure my mom and dad remember – it was like a $60 phone call!).  It left me questioning my future in ministry overseas.  Of course, I didn’t affect it too terribly much because I am here now but it was still a trying time.

Anyways prayer for peace in Burkina would be much appreciated because I really don’t want to cancel youth group 2 weeks in a row!

So after an hour of trying to upload pictures this is the only one so far!  Check back in like FOREVER!  haha :) 

This is everyone watching 3 boys play musical chairs at midnight!

quote from eat pray love

Its not my favorite movie and I would not even recommend it because I am more into action movies or fairy tales but there was a quote that I am feeling.  It went something like this:
"I am not asking for easy but why does everything have to be so hard"
I think the heat and the power cuts are wearing on me - and its not even hot season.  Pray for me!  I was told that the next few months is what really makes living in Africa as a missionary a "suffering for Jesus" life style and when most people start to think about their original homes so much more.  I am not questioning me being here AT ALL but its just not as easy.

Birthday!

From the mouth of Autumn (who was with me for my whole birthday):

Well Nathan was being so loud I thought he was going to wake Hannah up.  She said to herself “its just Pierre – no one would be breaking into my house.”  We snuck around the house as quietly as possible and then we were all laughing because Liesbeth didn’t want to play the violin – she didn’t think it would wake Hannah up.  It was really funny because Liesbeth tried to play 3 times but stopped because she was laughing so hard.  We made some noise and then Hannah came to the window.  Then we came into her house and we had mango muffins (wait – were they really mango?) and coffee and orange juice.  Then they gave her a big humungo card from Kari and Robbie – which said that she would get a present from them for every day they are gone (which is until next Sunday – they went to Greece without her).  We sat around for a little bit and hung out (this was at 8:00 in the morning) and then after awhile some people had to go. 

Okay – ill pick it up from here (Hannah)

So yea!  I woke up to hearing the violin outside of my window and a whole bunch of teenagers singing happy birthday!  How precious is that?!  So great.  After most of them left, several of the girls stayed behind and we decided to watch a movie.  It should be noted that the power had been off this entire time – we crammed into my bedroom and sweated while watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith on my computer battery.  After the movie I went over to the Shafto’s for lunch and cake!  Then in the afternoon some of us went to the school for swimming!  Me and Autumn headed out to the Fields house in the evening for dinner and more cake!  I have had 3 cakes this week!  I feel so loved! J Overall it was a great day.  I was not sure it would be – I woke up in the morning with no plans.  But God is good and helped me feel so loved yesterday.  

Oh by the way - its 6:30 in the morning and I am using internet now because who knows how long the power will stay on...after the 8 hour cut yesterday it went BACK off at 7:00 pm - just in time for youth group.  I woke up at 1:00 in the morning because my light came back on.  Yesterday was rough with a 14 hour power cut.  But - youth group still went okay, even in the dark.

just another day in paradise :)

Today we had an 8 hour power cut – it was painful!  But I survived.  I have been surviving a lot lately.  We had some student demonstrations that turned pretty scary over a week ago and then yesterday I woke up to my phone ringing and gun shots.  Some of the military rebelled, broke into an armory, and went on some sort of rampage.  They did some pretty bad looting but to the best of my knowledge no one was harmed or killed.  The US embassy strongly suggested we stay in our homes yesterday.  It was pretty frustrating for me because I live alone and because meetings were canceled and my day was just – ruined.  So after just a few hours by myself I decided to brave the streets and I drove like 2 kilometers to the Shafto’s house.  Robbie had called me earlier and said he didn’t see anything wrong – he rode his bike past my house.  So I made a quick drive down the street and hung out there for the rest of the day.  Things feel pretty safe today (yesterday too except in the morning).  The international school had school this morning and I drove my moto there for a meeting.  And I just went out and got some gas in my vehicle - life feels pretty normal.  There was rumored to be some marching and demonstrations last night from the military but they didn’t happen.  All seems pretty quiet.  Hopefully it stays that way!  Prayers would certainly be appreciated though.