You Know You're a Little More Homesick Than You Thought When...

--You willingly sit at your office for four hours on Saturday night just so you can listen to the LSU-Florida game on Internet radio.

--You realize you’re actually listening to, rather than tuning out, the radio commercials just because there’s something oddly comforting about the Southern drawls and cheesy attempts at humor.

--You watch a movie about New York and it makes you miss American cities because they’re so clean.

--You daydream about a Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich.

--You find yourself contemplating the purchase of the complete “Full House” series on DVD, just so you’ll have some American shows to watch.

--You wish the cop would stop you because of a traffic violation, not just because he wants you to give him a Coke.

But we’re discovering that life in West Africa is not without its perks. For example,

--who needs a grocery store when the fish guy comes by on his bike, the butcher brings you fresh meat in a taxi, and your guard bakes you fresh bread every week?

--who needs Wal-Mart when every time you stop at a traffic light you’re surrounded by 10 vendors selling all of life’s basic necessities: toilet paper, phone cards, watches, Kleenex, and T-shirts?

--who needs Old Navy when you can hire a tailor to sew you anything you want for $2-10 (fabric not included).

--Actually, we hear the 80's look is back in style in the U.S., so really, who needs American clothes period?

A Few Prayer Requests:

--Deron leaves tomorrow for a 10-day trip to Mali, where he'll be attending a retreat for journeyman missionaries. Pray he’ll develop good friendships with these young missionaries (most of whom we already know a little bit) and be an encouragement to them in any way they need.

--I’m not going to Mali because I have lots of projects to finish before leaving for the U.S. in two weeks. Recently I’ve felt pretty overwhelmed and stressed, so pray I’ll be calm, focused, and not put undue pressure on myself.

--Two days after Deron gets home from Mali, I leave for the U.S., so we’ll be spending a lot of time apart over the next few weeks. Right now the political situation in Cote d’Ivoire is tense so it’s hard to think of one of us being here without the other, but other missionaries will be around so we won’t be completely alone should something happen. (For a summary of what’s happening check out http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1043014.stm -- basically, the presidential elections scheduled for late Oct will NOT take place and there have already been some strikes and riots. We live in a safe neighborhood far away from the politically charged areas of town, but it's still a little nerve-wracking.)

As always, thanks for lifting us up. We appreciate you!