The holidays are over and it's back to life as usual … except that we haven't found out what that is yet! The month of January is actually going to be a month of preparation for our move to the Monkolé village of Pèdè. It has been good to live in the large town of Parakou as we adjust to life in Benin, and it has given us the chance to get to know the other missionaries here. We have also very much enjoyed the house we have had in Parakou, as it is big, light and airy. It was a blessing to be able to start to learn the Monkolé language during our time here, but even that will be easier once we're living in the community where it's spoken.
The missionary currently living in the big house in Pèdè is going to retire back to Canada in June, and she kindly said that she would move into the small house for a few months so that we could move straight into the big house. There is some work to be done where the concrete is crumbling around windowframes, and the whole house needs to be re-painted, so Marc is going to go up to Pèdè next week with a mason and a painter. They will help Grace to move out, and then get the work done.
We will then need to leave the paint some time to dry and lose the worst of its new-paint smell, but during that time Marc will probably go up to Pèdè again with another colleague who will make a few alterations to the electrical system to make it more efficient. The system is solar-powered, but we are likely to use a generator to pump well-water and a kerosene-powered fridge to make sure that we have enough electricity for all five of us (our family and the other missionary).
We have bought curtain material, and need to get curtains and new sofa cushions made up. It is a novel experience to realise that we are moving into what will – God willing – be our family home for years to come!
I stayed with Grace in the big house in 2003. When I left, the translation team told me they were hoping I'd come back to take over from Grace when she retired. At the time I thought that God might possibly be leading me to do that … but I never dreamt that I would actually be back with a husband and two small boys!
The missionary currently living in the big house in Pèdè is going to retire back to Canada in June, and she kindly said that she would move into the small house for a few months so that we could move straight into the big house. There is some work to be done where the concrete is crumbling around windowframes, and the whole house needs to be re-painted, so Marc is going to go up to Pèdè next week with a mason and a painter. They will help Grace to move out, and then get the work done.
We will then need to leave the paint some time to dry and lose the worst of its new-paint smell, but during that time Marc will probably go up to Pèdè again with another colleague who will make a few alterations to the electrical system to make it more efficient. The system is solar-powered, but we are likely to use a generator to pump well-water and a kerosene-powered fridge to make sure that we have enough electricity for all five of us (our family and the other missionary).
We have bought curtain material, and need to get curtains and new sofa cushions made up. It is a novel experience to realise that we are moving into what will – God willing – be our family home for years to come!
I stayed with Grace in the big house in 2003. When I left, the translation team told me they were hoping I'd come back to take over from Grace when she retired. At the time I thought that God might possibly be leading me to do that … but I never dreamt that I would actually be back with a husband and two small boys!
2 comments:
Please will you let me know what mission job your family do?
Nous on en a eu plein, de la neige ! Tu as pu le voir sur mon blog d'ailleurs !! J'espère que les garçons vont bien, et que Benjy continue ses progrès dans l'apprentissage de la marche ! Gros bisous un peu froids ^^
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