This week was one of those weeks that reminded us that we can plan a perfect week but there is not a day that goes as planned.  We managed to get one language session in.  Each day has brought it’s challenges and encouragements.    I am encouraged with all the yummy food we are able to make here.  If you know me, you know I LOVE to create delicious food!  This week I made hamburger buns for our hamburgers, I grilled eggplant for our pasta, made hummus, and baked pita bread into chips.  We found a new source for chicken and delicious homemade peanut butter, and in turn our maid cooked mafé poulet  (Chicken with tomato peanut sauce over rice). Our maid always tells us we pay too much for everything!  Hahahaha… I don’t think we are ever going to get the “right price” for our stuff.  She always points to our skin and says, “it’s because of that!” I have come to terms with it.

hamburger buns just as they were going in the oven

TJ and I got to go to the village without the kids which was nice.  We left feeling more confused than confirmed about where we might live in the village, even though things seemed muddier than ever, I think they are going to come into clear view very soon.

Our carpenter has become a good friend and also speaks the language we’re learning, which gives us an excuse to hang out with him.  His wife just came down for Ramadan and we were excited to meet her because she’s been in Dakar.  It happened to by our friend’s birthday and so I decided to make him a cake.  We told him we would pick him up at his shop and he could show us the way to his house.  So I made the cake, we picked him up and showed up at his house.  He lives with his brother who has 3 wives, there was maybe 40 people at the house.  I don’t know that I will ever get used to the multiple wives here, the brother says “this is my first wife” and of course she’s proud of that, she was a humerous character, she then says “yes, I am the FIRST wife, and this is so and so… his SECOND wife” and apparently the 3rd wife was elsewhere.  Our friend and his wife are so cute… they are obviously so in love, and he assures us he doesn’t want to have more than one wife, he fell in love with her when he was about 16.  We got the cake out and sang, and everyone got a little bit of cake.  Our friend said this is the first time he’s ever had a cake for his birthday or any kind of celebration… my head is exploding, I’m thinking what?!  I was trying to decide whether I wanted to go to the effort of making a cake or not, I felt a bit humbled.  Next time if I wonder whether or not to “make a little effort” I’m gonna do it.  All this to say, our relationships are growing and we can only learn more about life and language here.  God is good and gracious, and he walking this journey with us.

Our carpenter friend and his wife

On a difficult note my dear friend’s Father died this week, and so she made the trip down here once again.  About a month ago, another close family member died of which she came down for.  Death seems so regular here… so often!  Because they are some of our closest friends here we offered our services, whatever that meant.   I spent hours sitting with my friend, and even got to drive a bunch of women to the market to get necessary items for the funeral.  I was grateful to be able to do this, because this was only my second time driving by myself in Senegal.  The entire funeral happenings were from 9 a.m. to the evening… we didn’t leave till 6 p.m.  There were spiritual and familial complications that made the day even harder for our friends, all we could do was be there, listen, maybe drive people around.  No matter what we could do to “help” it is SO. Hard. to watch your friend loose her dad.  It was an emotional, heavy day to say the least.

Saturday is our rest day, so we rest.  It’s hard for my heart and mind to truly rest though as my friend is surely still in pain with the sudden loss of her dad.  It’s been awhile since the death of someone I don’t even know effected me so much.  We can be comforted with knowing Christ and that He has a purpose for every life and every death.  Each of our days are numbered and chosen before our life even began.