Here a sheep, there a sheep, everywhere a sheep sheep!

The Feast of Sacrifice is upon us again. This year we closed The Family Place for 4 days in celebration of this "big feast" as it's referred to. I must say I was dreaming of this little vacation and had dozens of plans of how I would spend it. Leading up to this holiday, you can find sheep parked on every corner waiting to be bought for the sacrifice. The streets are strewn with straw for the sheep to eat. Children especially love this holiday as they are allowed to parade their sheep around and play with them until the day they are killed. The day after the feast, we will see piles of rotting sheep skins, heads and yucky intestines on every garbage pile and the smell is horrible. Fortunately the weather is turning cooler so it may be better this year? At any rate, we did not stay around to celebrate the feast but went south with some Tunisian friends to celebrate at a 5-star hotel:) We mostly sat around the luxurious lounge and talked and ordered coffee and tea. It was a wonderful break from the ordinary. Our little vacation is almost finished and my "to do" list is still very long! Still, it has been good to have this break and I feel refreshed.

A relaxing pause from our busy lives

We decided to go on a picnic with our team for our "team meeting" which usually occurs the 3rd Saturday of every month. I envisioned going far out in the countryside and letting the kids run and play in the wild. We ended up just outside of the city in a park that had lots of stuff for kids to do and beautiful pine trees, picnic tables and lots of room to roam freely. It turned out to be a lovely day, the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves and we were able to unwind and refuel a bit. Here are a bunch of pictures of the day.

Betrayed

Perhaps one of the worst things in life - being betrayed by someone you trust and love. Seven months ago, a young girl came to work for us at the Family Place. I loved her like my daughter and poured hours into her, teaching & training her. She had become my right-hand helper and I couldn't manage without her. I taught her how to make our homemade bread; she made the best chili in town and had a pleasant and bubbly personality that all the customers came to love. Most important of all, she prayed to give her heart to Christ and seemed to be growing ever so slowly in her faith. Her prayers were beautiful, calling God "Baba" or "Daddy". The Family Place was closed for most of the month of Ramadan and re-opened the last week. Because there was very little work to do, I decided to send her and her friend (our cleaning person) to our new families' houses to clean for them. It was soon discovered that the girls had been stealing from the families (one of them, a large amount of cash and jewels). We actually had been missing small amounts of money here and there and even a few times confronted my helper but she vehemently denied it and I believed her. Now we were more than sure of their guilt and decided we had to report them to the police. I spent hours at the police station and later at the court. We eventually forgave them for our part and after spending 6 days in jail, they were released to go home but are still awaiting their final sentence. Although we forgave them (they would have gone to jail for 2-5 years), the state will not forgive them and they will probably get a large fine and 2 years probation. It breaks my heart that this beautiful young girl threw her life away like this. She had gorgeous, long hair which her mother had to cut immediately when she returned home from 6 days in jail. It was matted with dead cockroaches and nasty stuff from the floor where she slept! She was engaged to be married but of course she will never get married now. She has brought such shame to her entire family and her father now forbids her to even leave her house to buy bread. I have visited her twice in her home and it is extremely sad. She is very remorseful and sorry for what she did. I don't believe the end of this story has been written yet. I believe God wants to teach this young girl about forgiveness and redemption. I plan to continue to visit her and show her Christ's love but it's not easy having been betrayed like this. To realize that all the months that we were laughing together and praying together and enjoying working together, she was stealing behind my back and many other peoples' backs as well. It really is very hard to have been betrayed like this.

We are learning to do life here on the beach with 21 of us instead of just 2! I liken it to going from steering a little canoe on the water to steering a huge ocean liner. Whereas previously a decision could be made in seconds, it now takes calling 5 other people to make sure we're all on the same page. It is a sight to see us trying to fit everyone into our 9-passenger van + one other small rented car. The poor kids get squished in the trunk but they're such great sports. They sang all the way to the beach and back.

We are thrilled to finally have our team here on the ground with us and look forward to many wonderful years of doing ministry together here on the Beach!

my least favorite month of the year!

I have no idea why the people in this country claim to love Ramadan more than any other month of the year. i absolutely despise it. There, I said it. The entire country is turned upside down and nothing works as it should. It's a guessing game to figure out what time things open and what time they close. One thing's for sure, get out early and return to your house before 2PM. By then, everyone is getting out of work and the traffic is horrific and everyone's on nerve's edge because it's 100 degrees+ and no one can drink. I tried to go to the electric company today and there were 100 numbers ahead of me and the place was so packed you couldn't move. I decided to try another day. Today we needed to deliver 4 refrigerators, 3 stoves and an air conditioner to our team members homes. While we were waiting for the truck to arrive, Darrell walked to a nearby shop and bought ice cream cones. He discreetly brought them home and we sat on the bed eating them with sweat pouring down our faces. We were quite a sight:) Also during this month, you cannot find a coffee shop or restaurant open during the day. Those that do open down in the tourist area, have a sheet up in the window so no one can see in. Whereas our friends say during this month all the good spirits are released on earth, I rather think by the rotten attitudes and flaring tempers all around that it is the evil spirits that are running around rampant. Most foreigners get out of the country during this month. We have closed down the Family Place for 3 weeks and people basically hunker down in their houses and sleep or just sit still so they don't get hot and thirsty since they aren't allowed to drink all day. Ironically, it's the poor woman of the house who is shopping for the evening feast in the morning and then cooking it all afternoon. But if you try to commiserate with anyone about how difficult it is, they will swear that it is the most wonderful month of the year. Granted, the night life is supposedly electrifying and magical but nothing even begins until 10PM and by then, I am headed to my comfortable bed. I promise myself that I will go out for at least one evening of Ramadan fun before it's all over. All I can say is I can't wait until life gets back to normal, if there is such a thing in this part of the world!

The month in Switzerland is a distant memory. I'm so happy to have my master's behind me and not have that hanging over my head morning, noon and night. I definitely felt the Lord's help in a big way throughout the whole time of studying. I was way out of my comfort zone, studying education and administration! But I made it through and learned a lot and actually did very well. 3/4 of the way through my time in Switzerland, I received the devastating news that my nephew, Josiah Pierce Bubna, had died suddenly, just 5 weeks before he was to be married. I was paralyzed with grief and knew that I could not stay there while everyone else was in Chicago for the funeral. I desperately wanted to go and be with my sister and her family. I checked on tickets and decided no matter what, I was going, even if it meant throwing the whole master's out the window. I talked to my professors and they were full of compassion and told me to go. (and I was still able to finish all my work and graduate on time) I have experienced some deep grief in my life but nothing comes close to this. Not only my own grief but most of all the thought of the grief beyond description that my sister and brother-in-law are going through. I wish so badly that I could bear some of it for them but as my sister says, they have to walk this road alone and it is desperately lonely and painful. It's a comfort to know that even though no human can help to ease the pain, Jesus is walking the road with them and they will make it through this dark tunnel somehow with his help. Thank you to many of you who have prayed and continue to do so. It's the only thing anyone can do. Words are hollow and meaningless. May God give me grace to live each day as if it were my last. He is worthy and nothing else is.

This blogging thing is not going well with me. My life has had so little margin for the last year that there is barely time to brush my teeth or change my sheets! Life was not meant to be lived this way but it has seemed necessary for this season in order to accomplish what we were sent here to do, namely find a way for us and our team to be able to stay in North Africa long term. We accomplished that, by God's grace and are looking forward to a less-hectic life sometime soon in the future. As I write this post, I am sitting in my room in Switzerland, looking out the window at snow-covered mountains and listening to the distant jingle of cowbells as they roam across the hillside below. It is a scene so far from what I left yesterday; 100 degrees, garbage piled everywhere in the streets, stress and more stress, horrific traffic and so on. There will be stress of a different kind as I start my master's studies tomorrow. One course every week for 4 weeks! I will graduate on July 20th and I know it'll be worth it but it's a LOT of work until then. At least here, I'm able to concentrate on ONE thing and do it well, not 10 things like I do everyday back home. Before I left, I took our 2 interns and did a huge shopping for the Family Place. Here's a picture of the back of our van after shopping! I hope it will last for most of the time I'm gone.

a time to breathe deeply

The past 4 months since we've started our business have been stretching in ways I never knew possible. The learning curve has been incredibly steep. We settled into some kind of a new normal and were getting used to our life somewhat. Besides running this business, I was also taking two online courses which further added to the daily stress. I knew that May 8th was in sight and I'd be getting a break so I pushed through. I cannot tell you what a relief it was to get on the plane Tuesday morning and fly away from everything for a 3-week pause. During that last week, besides keeping up with the daily grind at the Family Place, I had 2 huge final papers to write and we moved houses! By the time we left Tuesday, everything was unpacked and in its' place. The Lord provided us with a beautiful large house up on a hill overlooking the city that will allow us to host our large team that will be arriving in August. We'll give one of them our old house as it was also a very nice house. A wonderful young couple agreed to move into our center and take over running the business for these 3 weeks while we're gone. Hopefully they, along with Liz (our 3-month intern)will be able to keep all the balls in the air while we're gone. It's a LOT of work! For now, I'm trying to forget about all that and enjoy every minute here in the US with my kids and next week, our new teammates. It has been pure bliss spending hours with my daughter, shopping, pedicures, Chipotle, Olive Garden, etc. etc. Tomorrow she will graduate with a Master's in Clinical Counseling and I am so proud of her accomplishment! Today we will be joining the Phenicie family and scattering Mom's ashes in the park where she loved to go as a child. I'm sure it will be very emotional as we haven't had time to grieve her passing. Darrell will be giving an overview of her life and a challenge to the rest of the family, most of whom are not saved. In the evening, we'll be staying at a Bed & Breakfast run by our dear friends Bruce & Eva and spending a wonderful time with them, I'm sure! Next week we spend in Wheaton, getting to know our new teammates and spending time together. The final week will be vacation time and we look forward to just hanging out with our boys for a few days! God was very kind to give us this break and I know after 3 weeks, we'll be ready to dive back in! At least I won't have online courses to deal with on top of everything else. ***We have one really important need at the FP next year. We need someone to raise their own funds and come teach at the preschool for at least 6 months but preferably a year. Some of our new team members will help out but we need a fulltime person who will be the main teacher. The preschool is run in English and there are about 15 children, ages 3-5. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact us via email and we'll give you lots more details. Here's one of our preschool kids who should really be our poster child. Her name is Jemima and she's British. She took finger-painting to a new level:)

just another day...

I was just sitting here at my desk in the Family Place, thinking about all the different things that are going on right at this moment. It kind of makes me smile to think of the scope of activities that go on in this place on a daily basis. Our short-termer Liz is sitting across from me at my desk reading her Kindle. There are 2 lovers on the couch in the cafe having coffee and chatting. Two girls in the back room watching a soccer game, 3 young people studying at one of our tables in the cafe, Darrell is putting up shelves in the kitchen, there's a prayer meeting going on in one of the classrooms, people are working out on the machines in the fitness center and an aerobics class is about to start. A couple of workers are hanging out here with their computers and enjoying the quiet, peaceful, smoke-free atmosphere. Tomorrow 40 young people from the US Embassy ACCESS program will be meeting in our conference room to listen to a lecture. As soon as they leave, we'll set the room up for a group of 20 men and women who meet monthly to talk about ministry in this country. We also have a group of 25 worker women who meet every Thursday night for a Beth Moore Study in one of our rooms. When we began this business we had no idea how God would use it and of course it's still evolving but it's kind of cool to see how many different people pass through these doors every day. Recently we've had a group of business men rent out a room for their meetings for 3 days,the North Africa partnership people (10 of them) rented a room for 2 days, 2 groups of workers meet twice weekly to learn how to tell the Story in the local dialect, several language students meet their tutors here and study language, workers love to send their children to a safe and loving preschool where they can play and learn. Who ever dreamed what the Family Place would become? Who can imagine what God has in mind for this place? I just know that we need more help to keep all the balls in the air and cannot wait for our team to join us in a few months.

a wedding on a gloomy day

We were excited to attend our first church wedding between two local believers here. Well, to say my husband was excited would be a stretch but I was. It is always a chore to get to church on Saturday afternoons because we finish serving American breakfast at the Family Place at noon and then need to come home and take showers, dress and unwind a tiny bit before getting a metro, taxi or driving our own vehicle to go to church. It can take at least an hour to get there and after a grueling week of work, we'd rather just chill at home. Because of drenching rain and cold winds blowing yesterday, we decided to take our own car. Surprisingly, we arrived in record time and found a parking place close by. By the time the bride & groom arrived, the church was packed out. Our knees were literally digging into the pew in front of us and we could not move to the right or left. Once the couple walked down the aisle, all outside doors were locked. Christians have been on heightened alert recently as several were tricked into giving an interview for a newspaper and then written up in a very bad light. There is a lot of fear throughout the believing community right now. No one was allowed to take photos except the designated photographer so I can't show you a picture of the event. There were a lot of things that were done like any wedding we've seen: congregational singing, scripture reading, exchanging vows and rings. Other things that were done were somewhat humorous: couples got up and gave advice about marriage (some very funny), trays of food and drinks were passed during the final song while we were in our pews. There were so many people that no place would hold everyone to have refreshments so we ate right in the pews. Afterward we were all walking in sticky orange soda which was spilled all over the floor! The bride and groom BOTH had a bouquet and after the ceremony they took turns throwing them over their shoulders, she for the girls and he for the guys. They also took an offering during the service and all the money went to the bride and groom. I thought that was kind of a cool idea myself. It was a great 2-hour service! The singing was wonderful and some of the worship team got so excited that they started dancing and one guy was turning around in circles. We were glad we could be there and are excited to have another believing couple in the church.

a great celebration

eating lunch at in our old dining room

my childhood home

meeting my dear friend Nase after many years

Dad got down and kissed the ground of his beloved Santidougou

pure joy as the church celebrates the return of the Pierces!

Too much time has gone by and I have left you out of many of the important happenings in our life but alas, we are living "off the page" these days and no time to sit and write as life swirls around us at a frightening pace! I am confident that a calmer, slower pace is coming before long and so we press on and beg for strength to get through each day. God has been faithful in answering that request. In the midst of the busyness of the business, I was able to slip away for a week in Burkina Faso, the place where I grew up as a child. My siblings joined me there, along with my parents and we had a grand reunion. The entire Bobo tribe came out to welcome us back to the village where we spent our childhood and where my parents spent almost 40 years. As we arrived in town, there were hundreds to greet us and closed the main highway as they danced and sang and beat the drums to lead us into the village. It hardly seems possible that we once lived in that primitive place and saw it as heaven on earth. Those were some of the happiest days of my life, sitting by the fire telling stories and cooking with my friends. Those friends were there to meet me and their aged faces tell me of the hard life they have had; of children dying and famine and disease. Yet the joy displayed in their worship would never give hint to the pain they've endured. It was surreal as we sat around a table eating in our old dining room. The house that once seemed like a mansion to me, now looked so small and dirty and crumbling. The memories flooded my mind as I walked around that house. Christmas with a fire in the fireplace (it got down to 80 degrees at Christmastime!), lying in bed telling stories with my sisters, sitting in the kitchen talking to our cook by the hour (that's where I learned to cook), people lined up on our back porch waiting for medical care from my dad, sitting on our front porch in the evenings, being greeted by everyone that walked by, sometimes enjoying popcorn for a treat.
The service in the new church building was incredible as pastors from every church were there for the celebration. I'm not sure how many were there but there were dozens and some had come many hours on their bicycles to join the celebration. My parents put the Bobo language into writing and translated the entire Bible in their 40 years there. The atmosphere was electrifying as the people sang and danced and gave testimony to the fact that their lives were forever changed because of the work my parents did there. It was all too short and over before we knew it but the memories will linger for a long time. Here are some photos to give you a taste of what that day was like.

3 weeks already-can it be?

I was so anxious to have the first week over and feel like we were in some kind of groove and now it's been 3 weeks and we've survived! After 2 weeks I had to fire the kitchen helper because he was stressing me out to the max. I was proud of how I was able to handle it very calmly and not get emotional at all. We had a huge show-down the day before and I knew he was furious at me. I became very bold and would not let him intimidate me:) He left and a huge burden was lifted. A few days later I got a wonderful young girl that I just love. We've already had some great conversations in the kitchen and I look forward to the day she will accept our message. Over all, I would have to declare that it's been a good 3 weeks. We spend an average of 69 hours a week at The Family Place. That's 13 hours Monday-Friday and 4 hours on Saturday. That's the minimum that we spend; usually a bit more than that! It is demanding to be sure but not overwhelming. There are hours during the day when we have no one and I can work on the jigsaw puzzle or write papers for my online courses or sit and read. Saturday mornings are proving to be very popular with our American breakfasts served from 8-11AM. You should have seen three of us flying around the kitchen this week, doing an amazing job of multitasking. At one time I had all five burners goings with pancakes, french toast and 2 omelets. Quite a few local friends came this week and that makes it a lot more fun. Our short-term couple is really a huge help and we couldn't do this without them. Sure wish someone else would step up to the plate and come help us out through July until our team arrives here. We have one single gal coming but she will not be able to handle everything. We're just taking a day at a time and know that God will provide in the nick of time. The preschool is going so well and I hope to train my kitchen help well enough that she can keep things going in the cafe during the morning hours and I can help up there with the kids. I'll attach a couple of pictures of the preschool. I wanted to take some on Saturday when the place was packed for breakfast but I couldn't leave the stove for a minute. The Fitness Center is hopping and that is our weakest link as far as people to sit up there and keep track of who comes and goes. We're getting a hidden camera added up there this week which will help a little. It's a lot for just a few of us to handle but we do what we can and have to leave the rest. We know this is just for a season so we press on, looking forward to the day when we're not so tied down! An older couple with prophetic gifts came by The Family Place this week and were very encouraging about what they believe God is going to do through this place. Just after they told me that the name God gave them for our place was "the Shalom Zone", a neighbor lady came by to use the internet and have a cup of coffee. As she was leaving, 3 other women came in and she said "you've never been in such a peaceful place; you're going to love it." Bring it on!!

adding things, one by one

We decided to stagger some of the activities so that we weren't totally overwhelmed all at once. Yesterday we began our preschool program and the first 2 days have been awesome! Our short-term gal has done a wonderful job heading it up. Not sure what we'll do once she leaves but I know God will provide! Here are some pics of the kids...

The Day is HERE!

Yup, the day we looked forward to and dreaded at the same time, has come! Our doors are open for business and we're scared to death that no one will come and at the same time, scared that too many will come and we won't be able to handle them. These have been stressful days, if you haven't heard me say that yet:) One morning, after I'd been awake most of the night thinking about the enormity of this project and wondering why we got ourselves into it, I was overcome with panic and wanted to run away from it all. I didn't like the thought that we are slaves now to The Family Place and can't ever leave (until we get some more help). But then I began thinking about all of you, our partners. YOU go to jobs every day and are "slaves" to them, in that you can't just stay home or go on a trip whenever you want. Why do I think that my time should be totally mine and that I should be able to sleep in or stay in my nice, warm house whenever I feel like it? Well, let's just say that I began to get perspective on things and it didn't seem so desperate anymore. God has very clearly been leading us through this process of registering, renovating and opening the Family Place and we have to believe that he has big plans for us. He knows what we can handle and he has entrusted us with this huge business so I'm going to just relax and rest in Him. I'm sure glad you all are with us in this!! Couldn't do it without you. Here are some new pics that were taken with my son's wide angle lens.