So I am convinced that Dakar has forgotten to pay its electric bill. :) Last night the power went out for about an hour or so (scroll down!) and today it was out for about 7 hours! To make matters worse, it was during the school hours...and whereas these kids are used to the power going out, it is also getting hot again...so it was just sort of a nasty day! :( But good day for naps and reading.

By the way, if you haven't read the book of Revelation anytime recently...may I strongly suggest it to you? It's just a fascinating book and there are so many little treasures in there!

Anyhow, everyone here is busy trying to get finals written, grades figured, houses cleaned, and getting packed! Cori and I are going to have some fun tonight...haha, but I'll have to let you in on that tomorrow if indeed we get to do what we have planned. :)

Pita Bread Chips...or as they may be known in the States...tortilla chips! Well, or at least what you see there will be soon! I love these things, so when Cori and I were at Le Caddie yesterday, we bought some pita bread and before I went to school this morning, I made some. First, you cut up the pita. :)

Then you put the cut up pita in hot oil for about 3 seconds...its definitely not a relaxing cooking experience! :)

Yum, the finished product. Ok, so not the most healthy...but definitely tasty! (And yes, some got a little dark...hey, its been awhile since I've made these!)

Last night was Monday night...otherwise known in these parts (at least to Barb, Cori, and myself) as "Alias Night". However, also last night the power went off for about an hour...things got real interesting as you can see...

It was a rough night for Alias....but made sweeter with treats from the States...

So after my Barb's computer stopped working and mine also ran out of juice...we finally gave in to this TINY machine to finish watching Alias on...yes, that is Cori's foot...about a size 9...not huge...just the screen is VERY tiny. :)

This is how much we love Alias...enough to watch it on such a tiny screen! We really only had about 15 minutes left...and it just didn't seem right to postpone it. :)

Notice how they are leaning so far forward...it was quite the night!!

I was sitting here a bit ago pondering what to post for today when my friend Rick walks in and hands me the above book and says, "Here, if you are really bored, this is a good read!" And then walks away. So I started to look at it and about fell off my chair with laughter. This book covers every North American male from "alienated film boy" to "charming and useful dermatologist" to "aggro investment banker" to "gangly foxy basketball player" to "nonverbal skater boy" to "Hey, its a Canadian guy".

Here is the review by Amazon.com: "This side-splitting book contains everything you need to know about the most common sorts of male humans in North America. Women! Learn to spot each type by simple and reliable indicators such as diet, nest type, foraging technique (how males approach females), plumage, habitat, courtship behavior, and mating calls. Men! There's a 99% chance that you match one of the "species" (remarkably well encapsulated by Ingall's writing) more closely than you'd like to imagine."

So this is the hilarious happening of the day...if you need a good laugh, I'd suggest checking it out.

Yep, that's right...no poulet here in Senegal. For those of you who don't speak French (like me) poulet is "chicken". When I first got here on Thursday, they informed me almost immediately that there would be no poulet yassa (my favorite Senegalese dish...made of rice, chicken, and an onion sauce) due to the bird flu...that chicken is hard to come by and when you can come by it...it is really expensive. So now ask me what I had for lunch after church today at Caesars...yep, chicken. I felt a little scandalous eating it, but it sure did taste good. :)

Anyhow, today is Sunday...and a lovely, lazy Sunday it is. :)

Ok, this really isn't Senegal...but it is related to Africa! The night before I left for here, I was in Chicago where I got see these three friends...we were all on the team that went to Uganda in 2002...the one that made me want to come back to Africa...so meet Elly, Jenni, me, and Eli. :)

Ok, so this isn't the best pic, but again, I was trying to be discrete...this is from inside the taxi...lots of little trinkets...but my favorite has to be the Pooh bear hanging up with the prayer beads. :)

This is one of the mosques close to downtown...I was trying to be discrete with my camera...but you get the idea. :)

Taken from the taxi on the way home...just to give you a feel of what Dakar is like. :)

Kendall and Deb...Kendall is the one we were having the party for...I think that dot on the top of the pic is actually a raindrop! See...it really did rain! We were all very shocked! :)

Cori's cat, Oliver, has always loved my computer case...so when I left last year, I sent a bed back for him since I "took" his with me. However, as you can clearly see...he took full advantage of my being back. :)

What an interesting couple days it has been! Here is what I mean...last night we were having a surprise party for one of the ladies here on the roof of one of the buildings. Now, remember, this is Senegal and it pretty much does not rain from October until July-ish, except for the "mango rains" that come in about April usually. So last night we were sitting there when all of a sudden we felt huge raindrops coming down!! It was raining in May of all times!! Not a down pour or anything like that, but enough that it brought the party to an end as we tried to get everything out of the rain...this was only magnified by the fact that about 10 minutes before it started raining we had lost electricity in our part of town for about 20 minutes!! An interesting evening to be sure!

Today Cori and I ventured downtown so I could get some cloth to get some skirts made...Cori hates going downtown...which makes it all the more hilarious when you see her in action. If you've never been to Senegal, many of the men try to "help" you find what you want but then you always must go to their store with them. Today Cori and I were after some henna and found these two guys who first took us to their store and then took us to get the henna. While Cori was bargainning with them, the guy told her that we were clearly Senegalese because we have Senegalese noses and we eat maffe (a peanut sauce over rice...YUM!)...and he still gave us a really horrible deal...but it was at least very humorous. :)

Then we got a taxi to go see Yero, who makes my clothes. He's wonderful. However, as we were getting a taxi back to DA, again, Cori was told she was Senegalese because she was arguing with the taxi driver over 100cfa (about $.20)...and he told her she was clearly not French because they would not argue over that! :) But he gave us the price she was asking, so its good to be a white Senegalese! :)

Anyhow, those are the adventures of the day thus far...we are going to a soccer game that our kids are playing in later this afternoon and then the fine arts extravaganza here on campus after that. I just wanted to share the adventures...and maybe I'll work on getting some pics up as well. :)

Greetings from Senegal. God is good...and I made it safely here...a relatively smooth journey has at last ended and it feels strangely normal to be back here. Cori and I are sitting on the couch in the lounge...her grading papers and me emailing...just like the old days. :) Anyhow, I'll get some pics going when I get some batteries for my camera! Go figure, I get here and they are dead. :(

Anyhow, just thought I'd let you all know that I'm here...and its so nice...feels like I'm just back home. :)

Well, here I am...at JFK airport. My day started at 5:30am (Central time) and won't end until at least 3pm tomorrow (Senegal time). When I got to O'Hare, I found out that I was to land in LaGuardia and then take off out of JFK...so that was an adventure. I've pretty much decided that if the Lord wants to bring a husband into my life, that would be ok with me...because I am rather weary of traveling by myself everywhere. It's far more fun to have someone to travel with...and who better than a permanent someone!? :) So other than figuring out how to get from LaGuardia to JFK, it has been a rather uneventful day...and even that wasn' t an overly big deal. I have found that I like to play a little game as I walk through the various airports...its called "See how many people I can get to smile." Its a fun game. I think people here aren't used to seeing a peculiar girl walking alone through the terminals with a big smile on her face for no reason at all...so its quite fun, really. And the funny thing is, I think I've caught a few others playing the same game. :)

Anyhow...well, I better sign off here...I guess the next time I write will be from the Dark Continent! Grace....:)

Today was a crazy day of random errands and seeing various people and whatnot. I can't believe I am going to be on the road again already tomorrow...but alas, it is true! So I finally got to see my friend, Lucas today...he was in a pretty serious car accident about a month ago that gave us all a good scare...I am so thankful for him...and had such a lovely afternoon...including the best pizza in town at Pizza Haus...yum!! :)

My brother and his family got a new puppy...her name is Lexi. She is a bull dog...and when I saw her I just laughed. She has far too much skin for her body and she hasn't learned the thing called "balance" just yet (she's only 8 weeks old)...but she is pretty adorable...and pretty fiesty. ;)

Today I took my mom and dad to the airport for them to start their jouney to Alaska...to go on a cruise!! :) The roles were reversed as it was my turn to ask all the "Do you have your passport...tickets...etc." questions. :)

The remnant of the House 17 girls. :) Meet Steph, myself, and Amy...I think we had the best house...and housemates! :)

My last night in Columbia...we went to play mini golf...I think I didn't do very well...haha, I could blame it on a serious lack of sleep...but I think we all know I'm just not very good at golf of any sort...be it minature or life-size!

So today I got to hang out with my whole family (minus one nephew) when we met my brother and his for dinner. As weird as it feels to be back in Iowa and as much as I miss my friends in Columbia...I do love to be with my family. My niece and I decided to get milk shakes with our meals. These are some of the best ones I have come across in this neck of the woods. :)

Did I mention that I love hugs? Particularly from people I haven't seen for several months...particularly from my niece. :)

This is my brother and his family...they met Mom and Dad and I in Williamsburg for dinner. Fun times. :) Meet Brenna (niece), Lara (sis-in-law), Cody (1 of 2 nephews), and Aaron (my brother). :)

Today at 3pm, I finished my work and promptly went to turn it in. It has been quite the week...full of 2 and 3am bedtimes followed by 5:30 and 6:30am wake up times...full of talking on my "banana phone" with my friend Laurie...and full of laughing hysterically because I am exhausted and it seems better to laugh than to be in a bad mood. In short, some memories have been made this week. Yesterday a friend of mine came up to me and I responded to him in a fiesty way and his jaw completely dropped and he was speechless...which is rather unheard of for him. It was rather hilarious. But I guess it all comes with being so tired that you no longer know which way is up. I wouldn't change it for the world, though. Memories are too priceless.

So if you would like, you can check out the website/blog that Bekah and I put together for our Systematic Theology II creative project. Its now a link to the right ("Creative Project") or you can just click HERE. :)

Tonight will be filled with the last of hermeneutics and ice cream and packing for my check out time at 9:30am tomorrow...though I am not leaving until Saturday at 6am. A lot of goodbyes will happen tonight and that makes me sad...but God is good and I know He had planned for all of us to meet like we have...and for some to move on and some to stay. I am so thankful for each one and the way they have impacted me this year. I feel blessed beyond measure...praise God for His goodness.

So this should be the last of the late nights here in the library...at least until next semester. :) I'm thankful for that. I'm looking to Friday morning and not having to wake up early at all.

Today was my last day at Chic-fil-A. Take into consideration that I have gotten about 10 hours of sleep in the last 72 hours as you read this entry. I will not lie to you, more than one tear slid down my cheeks as I drove home today after work. I didn't realize just how much I would miss those that I work with and have enjoyed so much. It was a very odd day overall...I got my break about an hour and a half later than I should have, goofy things were happening right and left, and it was just interesting. But today as I clocked out and started saying my goodbyes...I found myself with a lump in my throat and realized just how much I hate saying goodbye. It's not like I won't be back here in August...but it is going to be different. It has just hit me in the last few weeks how much I appreciate the friendships I have built here...deep relationships don't necessarily come easy for me...and when I have them with people, I cherish them...and hate saying goodbye. So, whereas I felt silly crying on my way home, I guess I can't be too hard on myself...I just don't like saying goodbye.

Maybe some good rest tomorrow or the next day will put some things into a better perspective. :)

I have found that when I stay home and study, I'm more likely to fall asleep. I have a fear of falling asleep in libraries because I have heard rumor that I grind my teeth and the last thing in the world I want is for all my peers to have to hear that wretched noise. I guess I also have a slight fear that I might talk in my sleep and say things that I don't want anyone to hear. :) (We all have our little secrets!)

So...I feel like I am in undergrad again just barely surviving through finals week...only now, my body is about 6 years older and not taking it so well. I heard an interesting analogy today though that this is good practice for someday if I ever have children...I know there are a few of you out there who have new little ones...would you agree that these sleepless nights (averaging 3 hours/night) are good practice for having little ones of my own some day??

Tomorrow is my last day at the infamous Chic-fil-A...and much to my surprise...I'm a little sad. Not sad about not having to get up at 5:30am or be on my feet all day or deal with customers who won't smile...but I will very much miss the people. And it looks like I will be back in my sweet Iowa on either late Saturday night or early Sunday...a little later than planned...but God is doing some amazing things here and it requires that I stay an extra day. :)

So tonight was an interesting night. I got nothing done that I should have, but did everything that I needed to. Funny how that works out. Basically, what it comes down to was I got to spend quality time with my housemates and that to me is worth a sleepless night. Ha, guess its obvious what my "love language" is! :)

Anyhow, tonight I was thinking about a dog that I played frisbee with last year (I know, I really will play frisbee with ANYONE!)...anyhow, this dog would catch the frisbee, but then either not bring it back...or she would bring it to me, but then not let go. And whereas it is dangerous to compare myself to a dog, I'm going to venture out and do just that.

I fear I am not so unlike her. God gives me a perfectly beautiful gift and then I run off with it and refuse to give it back to Him...or even if I do get it to His loving hands, I won't let go, I'll still wrestle Him for it. I feel, for some reason, like God is about to turn my world upsidedown...and I can't put my finger on why I feel this way or what it is necessarily about. But I do know that about a month ago, someone close to me challenged me in a significant area of my life...and ever since then, questions have been running around like mad in my mind, refusing to stop and rest. Which of course, drives me to my knees before my Abba. But as is normal with our relationship, He doesn't tell me what He is doing, but only assures me that He loves me and is worthy of my trust...so I can follow Him. And I will...but I can't help be a little curious as to what He is up to...and a little concerned that it may require giving up something that I have held tightly to for at least 4 years now. But I guess I can rest assured that if He calls me to it, it is worth the pain of letting go.

I guess some days I feel like I am still learning the trust game with Him (I suppose I always will be). And I am ever so thankful He is such a patient teacher...because I am often a very slow learner!

This is my friend Manrique and myself cooking up some tastey talapia (fish, for those of you who have no idea what I am referring to!). Tonight was a fun time of cooking, eating, and watching "the best movie ever!" with good friends. :) What was the name of the movie, you ask? Well, you can ask me personally about that...but Manrique has determined that the guy in the movie MUST be Costa Rican since he is such a romantic. :)

We even broke one of the standards by buying a beer...hehe, don't tell anyone!! :) We're such rebels!! I have to confess though, I was a bit offended that they didn't even card us at the gas station where we got it!! Makes me wonder when people tell me how young I look if they are lying. ;)

Don't they look pretty?

Adding the finishing touch...:) Buen provecho!

Perhaps I have been thinking hermeneutically too much today. We had to do an assignment on a prophetic passage and had to determine its fulfillment(s)...it was a bit of a rough assignment. But as always, I love a good challenge and found it to be rather interesting at the same time.

After I got done with my run/walk tonight, I went and sat down by the prayer towers to just have a few minutes away from the chaos of the day when I just burst out into a huge smile, my heart overflowing with joy, and I could hardly contain it. It's not the first time in these last several weeks this has happened. However, tonight I put it in context of a prophecy...a prophecy fulfilled. (At least in the sense of a split or multi-reference fulfillment.) :)

When I got here to CIU, I was still pretty broken about all the "stuff" that happened in Senegal last year. My heart was still heavy and full of pain. However, before I came here, God gave me a verse...tonight I will refer to it as God's prophetic verse to me (ha, I hope that's not heretical or anything!)...It comes from Jeremiah 31:3-4 where God declares His everlasting love for Israel and His drawing her with loving kindness...that He will build her back up (which implies that there was a time of tearing down)...and that again she would take up her tambourine and dance with the joyful. God gave me this verse when my heart had been shattered...when my life was pretty much in ruins and I couldn't believe for the life of me that smiles would ever come easy again or that joy would ever befriend me. So when I got here to CIU, I wrote that verse on my whiteboard that sits on my desk to remind me daily of what I believe He had promised me.

Tonight as I sat there bursting with joy, I realized...the prophecy has been fulfilled. Now, this by no means implies that I have got it all figured out and that another hard day will never come. On the contrary, joy proves its presence in the difficult times...it is not a fairweather friend! In fact, today was an incredibly stressful day, but underneath all that stress was joy. And it has hit me that though I know God is still building me up and making me the way He wants me to be...that He has drawn me with His loving-kindness...He has placed me in this environment that is safe and full of people who simply love me the way I am. That is His love shining through them. He has allowed me, through many outlets to be built back up to a place where I don't have to struggle everyday when I wake up to make it through the day or just to smile. When I thought about it, I realized that there was about a 6 month period last year when I didn't smile...at all. But He is the God of healing. He has indeed given me the ability to take up my tambourine and dance with the joyful. I have longed for this...for over a year now. And just tonight I realized that He has been so faithful. Always so faithful. Working quietly behind the scenes to heal me with His love.

So as things are winding down here for my first year, I am thankful. Thankful for the friends that God has so richly blessed me with here. Thankful that though I am still rather clueless about what is next in my life, that He has it under control and will work things out. Thankful that I have had the time with these that I love and in 9 days get to go be with others that I love for a short time before heading out to yet another "home" in Senegal. He is so good...I cannot imagine this life without Him...the hope that He instills in me is lifegiving...it keesp me going when nothing makes sense. He is just so faithful...regardless of the situation.

Happy 28th Birthday to my buddy Lucas!!! Lucas, I am so thankful for your friendship and your life! See you soon! :)

Tonight after my run, I went to just "be still" by the prayer towers here on campus. These last few weeks have been and will be chaotic, to put it nicely...and I find myself craving stillness and time to connect with my Saviour.

As I sat there just listening and pouring out my hear to Him I heard a rhythm that sounded like some sort of percussion instrument playing a beat. I finally realized that it was (most likely) the frogs on the pond behind the towers who were creating this rhythm of nature. And I smiled as there was somehow a connection made in my mind between that and a memory of just standing in awe watching some Senegalese men build a house. They had about 5 men on each level of the house throwing sand up to the next level with their shovels...perfectly in rhythm with one another. It was the most beautiful thing. Those of you who have seen it know exactly what I am talking about...those of you who haven't, sorry, I don't know how to explain it really.

Well, I had to share...now back to ecclesiology. :)

Do you see the look of shock!? It was utterly priceless. Tonight Amy's sister, Hope, flew in to surprise Amy for her bridal shower tomorrow. Amy was CLUELESS that she was coming...I love surprises...and the look of shock on her face is worth it all!! :)

Amy and Hope. :) Aren't they sweet!? (In other news...tonight I got to watch a soccer game. CIU had the CIU Cup tonight. It was a great game...but our boys lost in the end...on the second round of penalty kicks...yeah, you got it...we went into a 10 minute overtime...then a 5 minute sudden death...then 5 penalty shots...and finally a sudden death penalty shots round where we finally lost out. But they played their hearts out...and are my heroes!! (Cori, you would appreciate that I took my homework to the game with me...but as usual, didn't do any of it bc I got too engrossed in the game!!))

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MON AMI...enjoy! :)

Thursday evenings are one of the few times during the week that I eat in the cafeteria...because I meet with my Tanzania/Hispanic team each week for dinner. Tonight I was absolutely delighted when we started going through the line and discovered that all of the people in front of me had plums on their trays!! Next to strawberries, plums are my favorite (in America anyhow)! However, when I got to the basket of plums, I was utterly crushed to find that they were all out. But alas, as you all know, I am a firm believer in happy endings and would not tell this story if it did not have a happy ending. Part way through dinner, I asked one of my teammates if he would check for me to see if they had put more out. And much to my delight, he returned with THREE plums...just for me. To use the favorite expression of my southern friends "Bless his heart."

Why do I tell you this story of all the things I could write about? Probably because it is the little things that excite me. Probably because I would rather focus on the things that bring a smile to my face. Probably because I am just a little random and wanted to share a highlight in my day. :)

Tonight I needed a break from my work and so went out to run/walk a couple miles. At the end of it, I was gazing up at the sky and was struck by the creativity of God. I mean, really, who would have thought to hang stars there to awe us each night? It is an evening directly from our good Father...perfect stillness...one of those nights when if you just sit and listen, you can hear the creation talking...the big dipper and orion are shining brightly...and there is just a peaceful calmness that encircles the area. I heard a train go by and it brought a smile to my face. I love hearing trains in the distance...reminds me of my grandparents house when I was younger. What a perfectly still night...and what an amazing God to give such a lovely gift.