I'm back

(Deicing our plane at Chicago)

I hit the Gabonese soil running and I'm finally getting to catch my breath... whew! Meetings, grocery store run (you'd be surprised how long it actually takes!), training, and then dinner parties. I got to meet the president of the National Church here, whose first name is Bernard - he picked up on our similar names! That was kind of cool! There is such formality in those meetings... I'm getting to see another side of the culture.

So how many dinner parties do you go to that turn into dance parties? What none??? You need to come to Gabon! We definitely had a great time, but I was also glad to have Mama Jeanine intiate a monthly get together with our groups to eat, pray, and love! Sorry just couldn't resist. But the Gabonese are a very loving and gracious people and whenever we are together love is definitely evident!

Come fly with me...

Yes today is the day... headed back to Gabon. With mixed feelings - it seems harder to leave this time, a lot more tears than last time. But I am excited about going at the same time. I will miss yawl (I am from the south!). But why not "come fly with me"? As Frank would say!

Please continue to pray for me! Will post something soon - hopefully! love lcb

Vermont (part deux)

In Vermont you hike a lot! Here we are hiking and it got pretty cold so we passed around Leanne's jacket.

We are also learning about hiding behind trees that are wider than you are! Had some good laughs during that lesson :)

Grilling hamburgers and having fun with friends - you can tell we're having a good time just look at Michelle (far left)!

Fall was definitely beautiful in Vermont, but the best part was the fallen leaves. We raked them into a pile almost as tall as Charlie and then they jumped! We never lost a kid in the pile, but we did lose a few shoes :)

I should say at this point that these pictures are not in order!

When Erron & Joy moved to Vermont I assured them I would visit, especially since they moved to a town 10 minutes away from a huge ski resort! Well it was getting down to the last few weeks I was going to be there and I still hadn't gone skiing - no snow!! I was so excited when I got to ski twice the week before I returned to NC! And so thankful that I got discounted tickets - a big THANK YOU to those who are responsible!

Emmy and I enjoying the sunshine and a picnic in the backyard!

Vermont (part 1)

I spent the last four months in Vermont with some friends of mine. I had so many cool and cute pictures that I just wanted to share them with you!

I am so much cooler than Fonzie!

Awesome kick Charlie! Notice Noah kicking from the sidelines!

This kid's name is Caleb and he looks like a younger Caleb that I know! Maybe it's just the blond hair and the name??

I love this picture of Joy & Emmy!

This is probably the best picture I have! Can you tell that he is winking and giving me a thumbs up while waiting in line at the fair? Hilarious!! He actually rode the Himalayan twice - way braver than I am!

Weekend

So this past weekend, I went to a town a little bit outside Atlanta to meet up with the team going to Gabon. We had a fabulous weekend!

We prayed, planned, and got to know each other. Here we are doing some team building exercises - blindfolding trying to form a square.

Julia

Have you seen the movie "Julie and Julia"? Well I will not be making every recipe in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", but I did make the Boeuf Bourguignon tonight and it was delicious!! It takes a little work and prep time, but I like cooking so it wasn't a big deal.

Back to Africa

The rumors are true... I'm heading back to Gabon in mid-January. I'm going with a team of four other people. One is my roommate from my summer in Libreville, one is a guy I don't know, and the other two is a couple that came out the summer I was there. All of us are meeting as a team in GA later this month. It sounds like it will be a prayer and planning (throwback to the old Awana days) meeting with someone from Envision (what they are now calling the Short Term Missions Office).
For now the plan is for my roommate (Hannah), the couple (Dan & Alicia), and me to start with 8 wks of an intense French course (what the Peace Corps uses). After that Dan & Alicia will be heading up the Envision center in Bongolo and Hannah and I will work at the one in Libreville. In the summer the guy who I don't know (Eric) will come out and help with teams.
I'm very excited about this opportunity, but know that I will miss you all - yawl!
Will write more after the meeting.