March 25: Joey

Tracy posted this picture on her blog. It's fun for us in Senegal to see a picture of Joey taken in Minnesota on Saturday! He had a good spring break and is now back at school, ready for the beginning of classes tomorrow.

March 20: Cold

It's been cold for us here, in the low 60's, which is amazing. (Dave loves it, but he does wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants!) Even the dog is freezing, and it's kind of sweet to see how he curls himself tightly up on his towel and rug to keep as much warmth as he can!

Happy Birthday, Mom/Grandma Jane!

Happy Birthday to my Mom, also known as Grandma Jane, the game-playing, go-karting, youngest 70-year-old we know! We are all thankful for her many ways of loving us, and we look forward to more good times ahead. We're hoping to have a big celebration this summer while we're on home assignment, but we're glad to know she's had lots of fun celebrations this week as well!

downward facing dog

downward facing dog, originally uploaded by MaryD in Senegal.

This pose shows off Kito's ridge. He is a Ridgeback, and you can see what looks like a stripe on his back-- it's a ridge where the fur is growing in the opposite direction as the fur around it. This is his best yoga move, otherwise his favorite sports are running and jumping.

Jacob March 14

Jacob has been experimenting with the camera. When the lights go out, with nothing else to do, he has begun trying different shots with flashlight and lantern light, reflections and whatever else... To see more of Jake's experiments, click here!

March 12: keeping up with the guys new looks...

Joey:
somehow rugby related... he wears it well!





























and Jacob's teeth on March 9, the day his braces came off!!

Decker Update

Dear friends,

Thanks so much for your continuing prayers and your encouragement of our family!

Dave took off today for a short trip (6 days) to Cote d'Ivoire. Please pray that he accomplishes all that he needs to in that time, and that he will be a blessing to the colleagues he is going to be with over there.

March 11: On the road again...

Dave took off today for a short trip to Cote d'Ivoire. He'll visit some of the ministries there, and work on an audit of the finances. Pray for him, and for me and Jacob at home! It's going to be a busy week. Jacob is going to be part of an outreach trip with the school, leaving 5 am Friday, and has practices and other responsibilities to take care of in the mean time! And of course I have a pile of work to finish for my class and for my job as well...

March 7: Sunset at the beach

Dave and I got to enjoy two days together at the beach, to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets both nights, each different from one another. To see more pictures from our time at the beach, click here!

March 1,2,3: SIPS

SIPS, originally uploaded by MaryD in Senegal.

Dave and Jacob attended most of the three days of SIPS, an invitational event with other private schools in Senegal. One full day at the stadium track, and two days of volleyball and soccer at the American school, with events for the youngest children to the oldest! Fans and friends cheering and parents taking pictures... It was a special time of sportsmanship and friendship, and they enjoyed it! (Mary had to stay home and try to get caught up on her work!)

To see a few more SIPS pictures, click here.

Decker Update

Hello to you all from Dakar! We are so thankful to have had a very quiet week here! From the results coming in, it seems that most people are accepting the election here as free and fair, and we have not heard of any major disturbances, and we are so glad.

As many of you know, our son Joey is a freshman at John Brown University this year. One of the highlights of the year so far for him has been being a part of the rugby team. The team is gearing up for a two week missions trip to Northern Ireland, and Joey is hoping to be a part of that. Here is his letter, for your information and for your prayers!