I’m going to try to do a blog post even though I don’t remember how.  I added photos to my facebook account and I want to add them here too.

**The photos are of a village trip we took a couple months ago. It was awesome.  We went to Ziga (a village where we’ve helped drill a well, done pastors trainings and started children’s clubs).  We went there for an all night prayer meeting to pray for what God has in store for them in 2010.

We put the kids to bed at about 10 or so on a mattress in the back of the truck parked close enough to the prayer meeting to where I could get to them easily.  Then I (Heidi) joined them at about 1am.  Joel prayed and participated in the whole prayer/preaching evening.  He said it was awesome even though some of the speakers only spoke in Moore.

The next morning he took the opportunity to meet with the pastors and children’s pastors to encourage them to also get a vision for what God wants to do in their children’s ministry for 2010 and to make some goals.

** Another photo album I’m posting is of a women’s retreat I had the great pleasure of attending called “Women of the Harvest” retreat.  Its a American magazine for women serving in foreign missions.  They now do retreats all over the world.  American missionary women can register for it and only pay $90 + their transportation costs and they get to attend an amazing, pampering spiritual retreat at a resort in their region.  You can only go once in your life, so this was the time for me.  I had an incredible time!!!!

I have to say, I didn’t realize how refreshing it would be to just get alone with the Lord and focus on Him.  Even when I’m hiding in my bedroom trying to have quiet time after Jakob’s gone to school, I’m never really alone.  My housekeeper is in the kitchen, Joel is doing something, I just know Silas is about to wake up and cut my devotion time short…  My mind is racing all over and its hard to get quiet with the Lord.

We had an awesome speaker named Becky Harling, and she had some great encouraging messages, and then she had us find a spot in the room to pray and be quiet before the Lord, or she put us in small groups to discuss what we learned…  It was just SO good to soak up the presence of the Lord and REALLY focus on Him with no distractions.  It was also wonderful to see the ocean.  I drove about 5 other ladies down with me, and after driving for 2 days (its an 18 hour drive to the coast), when we finally saw the ocean, I got all giddy and started bouncing in my seat and actually cried!  Ha ha.  I missed it so much.

Women of the Harvest brought in ladies to do pedicures for us, massage, morning workouts by the pool, personal prayer ministry, and beautiful haircuts.  I  signed up for them all!  I had such a wonderful time.  I recommend it to any American missionary woman.  Go to this retreat!

Here is our latest newsletter.  Shelly just mailed it out for us on Monday (thanks Shelly!).  If we don’t have your address, or if you just want a sneak-peek, here it is…

Page 1:  (just click on the image)

Page 2: (Just Click on the Image)

Enjoy!

This is a HUGE month for us!  Would you pray for a couple of things that are coming up?

We have 4 missionary interns coming for a 10 week internship at the end of the month, and there are 10,000 last-minute details to take care of.  Please pray that this internship will be a powerful, life-changing experience for all of us.

We have been without power at our house (and therefore my office) for 8 days now, and there appears to be no end in sight…

Joseph and Joel have planned to have a training for Children’s Pastors here in Ouagadougou to teach on how to do Child Evangelism.  Please pray that the details will come together and that it will revolutionize many of them interact with kids.

This is a ‘big expense’ month for us: Jakob’s school, yearly health insurance, etc…  God always provides, but He does tell us to ask - would you ask with us?