Halloween and More

Since this was the week of Halloween we had some fun activities to celebrate the fall season :)

Here are some pictures of the older students with their faces painted...

Miss Bethany was the master artiste (red nose courtesy of Elijah Reeves).

Hannah Reeves chose two candy corn pieces.

Abby Miller had some sparkling swirls.

Maddie Kennell had a sparkly pumpkin painted on her face.

Michal Kennell decided she would color instead of having her face painted.

Elijah Reeves was the funniest clown -- he even stood on his head ;)

And Aidan Miller.. well I think the paintbrush was too sharp after Bethany finished his pumpkin .. :/

Of course, I joined in saying "Ok Bethany, do whatever you want- be creative!" This is what she came up with... Spider Woman!

Dreams

This week started off with a beautiful restful weekend, but then by Tuesday afternoon I was having chills and a mild fever. I took the rest of the day off and had a malaria test done, and thankfully I was malaria free :) The next morning I was still very fatigued, so I took the day off to sleep it off. After getting rested I have been feeling much better, thank you to all who were praying for me!

We have been living here for two months now, which seems unbelievable to me. I can now distinguish one dirt rocky road from another-- the picture above for example is the street where I live :) Today walking to the Kennell's house Bethany and I had a conversation that went like this:

"Is this the right road?"

"Yes, I think so, it looks like the right orange dirt road."

"Unlike the other less orangey dirt road with potholes?"

"I believe so.. the other road was less orangey and more a pale tan..."

Codhani

Today I visited a lovely little shop called Codhani to pick up a couple orders and to look around. I went with Becky Reeves, Aimee, Hannah and Maddie, while Bethany and Jacque stayed at the apartment getting some work done. We were able to visit both the part of the store where the different fabrics are dyed and sewed and the shop where they sell premade items and you can place orders for specific designs. Codhani is a specialty store with various fabric goods that are sewn and dyed by disabled workers. Although they weren’t working today we took a brief tour to look at how they make the fabrics. First they pencil in the different ideas and sketch them on the fabrics creating unique pieces or reproducing specific ordered items. Next, they place wax on the portions that will remain the background color and then they dye the fabric the second color. After all the dying has been completed they wash out the wax and dry the fabric. Last, they sew the fabric into clothing items, tablecloths, blankets, purses and many other items. One of my favorite pieces that they make at Codhani is the Africa map that I purchased as an intern in 2007. Niki Martz and I both had these Africa maps hanging in our dorm last year, so every time I see them at the store I smile thinking back on fond memories of my dorm last year :)

My Kindergarten Class!

Here is a picture of my very energetic kindergarten class :) You can see they have a lot of spunk! Class has been lots of fun practicing handwriting, doing science experiments and working with vowel sounds and blends with reading! I love the energy and excitement these boys have for learning new things and the joy they bring to each school day :)

This weekend Jacque, Bethany and I have a planned outing to Codhani, a place that sells soft fabrics that are dyed to order. After that we're going to go on a hike up a waterfall that is out that way. I'm excited to be able to go on a hike, we haven't been able to go on one yet, and I love just getting out and exploring! I am planning on going on a shorter hike to explore our neighborhood some time tomorrow morning as well... Of course, my plans are subject to changes.. especially here.

That is something I feel God teaching me everyday is to be more flexible and more patient. So much can change at the last minute or take a lot longer than expected :)

I love living here in Togo and getting to teach all of the kids here! They are all so much fun!