May 31: Decker Update (with note from Joey!)

Dear friends,
Greetings from Dakar! We are quickly approaching the end of this term
in Senegal! We will be leaving here in 12 days, and the time seems to
be flying! We are really looking forward to spending some time with
our family and many others in the States.

We are still hoping that someone will rent this house, but at this
point we don't have anyone. You could keep praying for that! Also we
would really appreciate prayers that we will get things here closed up
and well-organized. Seems like many decisions that have to be made!

Joey in MN

We got this picture from Tracy's blog today! She put up a fun mosaic that you will see when you click on the link!

We really enjoy being able to see current, up to the moment pictures from across the world!

We are very thankful for Tracy and her family for hosting Joey! It's a bonus that she is not only a willing hostess, but a photographer, scrapbooker and blogger!

Tuesday, May 29

Joey returned to Minnesota late last night, and we are thankful that God kept him safe through all his travels. He is becoming quite the world traveler, as he noted this is his fourth international trip in the past 6 months! (Without his parents!) Ask him for travel tips if you see him... he has some interesting experiences!

Sunday May 27

Today Joey flies from N. Ireland back to the U.S.—tomorrow evening he will fly back to Minnesota. We are looking forward to hearing more about his trip!

My Mom is traveling right now too, enjoying time in Scotland, Wales and England. They can compare notes when she gets back.

We are entering into the end-of-year round of activities at the school—Fine Arts Festival, Open Houses for graduating seniors, finals, senior reception, awards ceremony, graduation… it’s kind of a whirlwind.

As always at the end of a school year we feel a mixture of joy and sadness… celebrating with the seniors, while knowing how much we (and their families) will miss them. Some families will leave at the end of this school year, for home assignment—some planning to be gone 3 or 6 months, some a year or two years, and as always there are several who will not be returning.

May 23: more amazing pics from N. Ireland

It was really amazing to us tonight in Senegal, to be online chatting with Joey in Northern Ireland, seeing his pictures as he was uploading them! He and his team are having an amazing trip, and he is really excited about it all.

May 21: geometry project

It was so much fun to watch Jacob's work and creativity on his geometry project! He and his partner created a scale model of a theme park... I'm gonna predict an "A"!

Friday: Northern Ireland

We were quite happy to see some pictures Joey has taken in N. Ireland so far! He has often said a picture is worth a thousand words so here are several thousand to give a glimpse of what he's seeing over there!

Friday: expedition!

This was the scene after school today at Dakar Academy, as the high school youth group is off for their annual weekend retreat!

Update!

Danny called to let us know he was accepted by the college, and we are very happy for him!!

prayer notes

PLEASE PRAY:
* for a renter for our house in Dakar during our home assignment time
* for safe travel and significant ministry for Joey and teammates in Northern Ireland
*for a helpful financial aid package for Danny as he plans to return to college full-time in the fall
* for us to finish well with our responsibilities here, and to prepare well for home assignment!


also, please pray for a missionary family here who has been caring for two foster children (early elementary age) for the past several years and are facing opposition as they try to finalize the adoption. It would be heartbreaking to all if they have to give these children up...

Wednesday May 16: update

What are the Decker family members up to?

random sights from Sunday

This was ahead of us on the road on the way to the beach.























no beach day would be complete without a game of RAGE!











I thought this setting sun looked really cool in the hazy pink sky!

Mother's Day Stop

No we didn't eat here, just stopped on the way home to fill up the gas tank! But I thought my two sons who were not with me today would appreciate this photo, so this is for you, Danny and Joey! (For those of you reading this who don't know: I have this irrational thing about not wanting to eat in restaurants connected to gas stations...)

Tuesday May 8

It's been a busy few days around here. Dave returned from Liberia on Friday night. He had a good trip, and enjoyed connecting with colleagues, both Liberian and ex-patriate. He saw some beautiful sunsets, and if you'd like to see them, they're here on my flick'r account. Liberia continues to have a very special place in our hearts, and we still love and miss our friends who live there.

Saturday night we attended the play at Dakar Academy, It's "Once Upon A Mattress" -- a re-telling of the Princess and the Pea story-- and it was well done. It's so much fun to watch high school students we know transformed into singers, queens, knights, etc.

This week I'm working hard to finish the papers for my class. By Thursday it all needs to be to the professor. Pray for me to finish well, and to learn much from what I'm doing.

Please also keep praying for someone to rent our house here while we are in the States for six months. I'm really hoping someone will be able to be here, benefit from the comfortably furnished home and enjoy caring for our cats and dogs! For me, that's one of the hard parts about this life, leaving pets that need care...

Saturday May 5

Dave arrived safely from Liberia last night, with stories of friends and many pictures from his time there.

Here's just one of the beautiful sunset sky from ELWA beach!

thoughts on Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.

So begins the psalm, 24 verses long, which I won't print in its entirety today. But when I consider the love of the one who made the heavens and the earth, the sun, moon and stars, and yet remembers us... I'm overwhelmed.

And so today, my response is:

though water is exiting from the refrigerator and covering the kitchen floor,
and the bathroom sink leaks,
and some of the wires in our house are crossed
so that we sometimes get shocks when we touch things;

though our colleagues in Liberia are being plagued with "rogues"
and there is much work to be done but not enough people to do it;

though we miss living close by our older sons,
and our friends and other family members;

I will give thanks to the God of our salvation, who alone is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Happy Birthday, Leah!