Package

We love getting mail and today we had another fun mail day! May 26 we received 3 packages. We were so excited- can you tell? They were mailed at different times: January 14, February 6, and March 17. It's funny that they all came on the same day.
We got stickers, candy, books, stamps and more. Some of it was geared for Valentine's Day and Easter, but we enjoyed it just the same. :)
Thanks to Cut Bank Community Bible Church (especially Lowell and Bonnie), Paul & Doris, and Sarah for the mail.
After receiving those packages, we didn't get anymore mail until yesterday. On Thursday Stephen received a slip saying that we had a package at the post office. The kids and I went to pick it up today. They had mail for some of the other missionaries as well, so we got to deliver it. It's fun to see the excitement on everyone's faces when they find out they have mail.
We received a card my mom mailed in December, and a package she mailed July 3. It's crazy the way different things take different amounts of time. Sometimes the same person can mail things weeks apart, and we will get the second thing first. It's just another way that life here stays interesting.
Ian also got a small package from the Orts, and all the kids had a card from their cousins Jack and Joy Beth.
Thanks so much everyone for helping to make our day special!

Animals in the Road

When we moved from Balitmore to Montana, we invented a game to keep Ian occupied during the long days of driving. We called it "Animals in the Road." We would pretend there was and animal in our way, and describe it to him. He would try to guess what type of animal.

I was reminded of that today while we were out biking. We've seen a variety of animals in the road. There are always various insects, lizards, and a few snakes. There are usually a variety of goats, sheep, ducks, chicken, and dogs. Occasionally, we will see some cows in the road. Today was the first time we saw pigs in the road. I wish I had the camera with me!

Between the trucks, cars, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, wheelbarrows, pushcarts, pedestrians, and animals driving or bicycling here is like an obstacle course.

We finished our last day of school yesterday. (Yay!) We should have more of a chance to be out and about now.

Today we rode bikes down to the mission to pick up the newest addition to our household- a white male kitten. The kids have named him "Blizzard." I'll put picture of him up when I have a chance.

Math Time

These pictures are from a couple of months ago. The kids are all working on their math. Caleb doesn't have any math yet, but he likes to draw in one of Isabelle's kindergarten math books or play with pattern blocks during math time.

Midhuna

Caleb and Friend

This little girl was with a patient in the hospital. She noticed our kids playing in the yard, and came to play with Isabelle.
On one particular day, Isabelle wasn't feeling well, and needed to stay in bed. The little girl couldn't understand why she couldn't stay with Isabelle.
Caleb was happy to fill in the gap and play with her. In spite of their difficulty in communicating, they had a lot of fun together.

One Day

Since moving here, we have discovered that no two days are really the same. We never have to worry about getting bored! Tuesday, May 25 was an especially interesting day.
Knowing that the day would be busy because of the arrival of the team from Liberty, I decided to start school a little early. We had a couple of hours of uninterrupted school time before things got busy.
Danielle came with the news that we needed to make a curtain for the bathroom in the guest quarters, which were in the process of being remodeled. Of course, sewing is much more fun than school, so I didn't mind taking on that project.
The kids were outside when they discovered some excitement at the Pharmacy Depot. (It's one of the sheds next to our house.) There had been some evidence of rats and Sarah and Suzy decided to try to find their nest. Fortunately or unfortunately, they were successful.
Sarah gave the kids the job of killing the baby rats with sticks as they ran away. There was much shouting and flailing with sticks, but the rats all ran to safety.
While the sewing machine was out, I made some adjustments to a bag that I had made for Danielle to carry on the plane.
Ciska came with the news that she purchased a big fish, but she couldn't bring it here on her bicycle. Suzy was able to help her out. She took Gloire (Ciska's assistant) in the truck to pick up the fish while Ciska finished lunch.

There are always lots of interesting things to see outside our door, but sometimes I am hesitant to take a picture. Ciska saw me call Isabelle over to see this particular lady, and asked if I wanted a photo. She called the lady and man over, and they were willing to pose for me. It always amazes me when I see what the women can carry on their heads!
After lunch, Ciska had a letter she needed delivered to the other side of the hospital compound. She was busy cutting up a giant fish, so Isabelle, Caleb and I set off to act as post man. While we were coming back it started raining, and we all got soaked! I changed into a dry outfit, but Isabelle and Caleb thought it would be a good time to use their swimming cover-ups.
I had a few minutes to spare, so I finished a apron that I was sewing for someone.
Finally, the group from Liberty arrived, and we had a chance to meet them. They had treats for us. :) The kids are holding some Nintendo and computer games. A few they bought with their Christmas money, and the rest were gifts from Stephen's parents.

As we were about to sit down for supper, we heard another truck pull up to the house. Ginny and Joan had just returned from speaking to women in a village about HIV. The women loaded them with gifts before they left- sugar cane, pineapple, plantains, bananas, and chickens. I had to get a picture of the chickens in the back of the truck. They shared the food with everyone at the mission compound and hospital compound. Ginny was happy to add the chickens to her flock. :)

After that, we had supper and got ready to go to bed. We needed to get some rest to face whatever the next day would hold!

Coyote- the mighty hunter

These pictures are from about 2 months ago. It was one of the first times that he killed a lizard. Since then he has grown, had several near death experiences, and killed many more lizards. He's usually thoughtful enough to leave us the tail, sometimes with part of a leg still attached.

Family Photos

I realized it's been a long time since I posted. We're all alive and well, just busy with this and that. Sometimes real life doesn't leave much time for the computer. :)
I hope to post some more over the next week and let everyone know what we have been doing.