Look who's king of the mountain!

We bought some more fertile soil (not just sand) to try and get some grass growing in our yard once again.  It was delivered last Friday and Eyram the gardener put in a pile in a corner until he can spread it around.  Mickey-the-dirt-lovin'-dog, who happened to be in the garage until all soil was put in the pile, came out and was instantly in love with her new playground.  Sydney wanted to play on it as well and Mickey chased her away.  I had to retrieve a piece of tubing from it the other day and she thought I had come to play and we ended up in a game of tug-of-war before she finally gave up.

Then, this Friday, we got these big sacks of manure delivered so we can hopefully have GOOD grass, gotta do something for it!  They arrived too late to be spread around so they are now stacked just behind the pile.  Mickey isn't sure of them.  At first she just stood in front of them and barked, letting them know she's in charge.  Silly little dog.

Great Big God

Since Elena is in high school, she has to collect community service points.  She and some others do this by going to an orphanage once a week.  The other day, she taught a lesson to the kids there.  This is particularly impressive for two main reasons.  The first is that if you know Elena, you’ll know she’s not really a little kid person.  I guess they just aren’t her “thing”.  (However, we’ve been impressed by the photos we see posted by her sponsor on facebook.)

The second reason it’s so remarkable is that it’s the fulfillment of a vision that God had given us before we even came to Togo.  In 2006, we were praying with our colleagues at Radio Worldwide and one of them, Chris Singh, was given a picture/vision from the Lord.  He saw Elena under a large tree, teaching African children.  Get a load of the picture we saw on facebook last week!  We had never told Elena of this so that she couldn’t “make it happen” on her own.  It’s just totally a God thing!!

Choosing to send them to boarding school was about the hardest thing we’ve had to do as parents.  Seeing this “fulfillment of a vision” has confirmed to us that they are exactly where they belong as part of God’s plan.  We truly serve a GREAT BIG GOD!!

Solar Eclipse

Sunday, we got to experience a solar eclipse.  Apparently, it was visible in many places, even the US, but was most visible in Africa.  Togo wasn't in the area of total eclipse but what we saw was pretty cool.

We didn't even know about it until we called a friend just after lunch about something and he said they were on their flat roof looking at the eclipse.  We then rushed around looking for ways to observe it.  I made a box with a hole in it and Roger got his camera and the ladder so we could go on our flat roof.

When we went outside, we saw the shadows from our trees.  To me, that was the coolest part.  Enjoy the photos.  (By the way, we don't have a photo, but after about an hour, the shadows coming thru the trees were back to normal.) Isn't God creative!!

Mickey

We had 2 dogs when we were here last time, Pip and April.  We "inherited" them from people who were leaving and couldn't take them along.  They were mother and daughter German Shepherds.  Pip died in 2009 (I think) of what we are pretty sure was cancer.  April was staying with friends of ours while we were gone, and she seems to have died of the same thing or at least something similar, as the symptoms were almost identical.

Sydney, in particular, was very upset by this and since she needed a friend and we needed a watchdog, we decided we should to find one as soon as possible.  We figured it was best to get a puppy so that we could start from the beginning.  Just after we moved into our house, Sydney and I went looking.  It was a cultural experience for me.  I asked the Vet and had looked at the supermarket for signs of puppies for sale.  I found one advertising a half German Shepherd/half Rottweiler, which I decided to have a look at.  My friend Shanon drove the car and we headed out.  That particular dog just wasn't what we were looking for.  Shanon had been in touch with a lady who sells imported (read expensive) dog food and supplies.  We decided to ask her if she knew of anyone selling puppies.  I told her we were looking for a Shepherd of some kind, preferably.  She gave us some numbers and we took off. What started out as an hours' job ended up taking the entire afternoon.  We saw at least two more puppies before we met Mickey.  

She was with her brother and had been brought to the office of the owner so we could meet her.  The two of them played and were quite comfortable with the owner/breeder.  Mickey and her brother are Belgium Shepherds, or Malinois.  They were 3 months old that day.  Mickey's brother had slightly longer hair--not what we were looking for--and was VERY playful.  Mickey was a bit more shy and reserved (a deception) and seemed quite intelligent.  She sat erect with her ears already straight up like an adult Shepherd.  We decided on Mickey.  She sat in the box we had brought along as if she were a statue.  She just looked around, taking everything in.

She liked Sydney right from the beginning, with me she took a bit of time.  I found that if I sat on the floor, she was less apt to be afraid.  We are now super friends.  For the first week or so, Mickey was rather calm and didn't bark a lot.  If someone came to our house, she just sort of stood back and watched.  NOW, however, she's all puppy.  She obviously feels completely at home.  She loves chewing on just about anything--even us--playing with us and going on walks outside the gate. (Tho she still hasn't figured out that in order to go on a walk, she has to wear that "annoying" harness.  It's a job to get it on her!)  Our yard looks is full of shredded toilet paper cylinders, plastic bottles and various other things she's found to play with.   When she's bored--which is basically anytime we aren't playing with her--she finds something to amuse herself with.  Lately, it has been the pineapple plants that had been planted in the flowerbed, or any plant in general, really.

Despite her "eccentricities", we love her.  She's amusing and cute and fun.  We can see how she's grown and will be a good-sized dog.

I said finding her was a cultural experience.  I think I had expected all puppies to be the cute, roly-poly things you see in photos in the States.  None of these were anywhere near roly-poly.  Since most of them were 3 or almost 3 months old, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.  However, their living conditions, etc. were quite different.  Most were in cages and had sores or fleas, they were afraid of their owners and afraid of most anything.  One was really friendly and fun but he had sores and I didn't want to pay good money for a dog I had to take straight to the vet, tho, just to get him out of those conditions was almost reason enough!  Anyway, Mickey and her brother seemed to be very happy with their owner and they, neither one, had sores, etc.

It was just nothing at all like what I expected.  Also, an African pure-bred is really not like a European or American pure-bred, tho they are pretty much "full-blood".  They just have not had the rigorous breeding and all that other pure-breds have.  That's ok by me.

Sydney and a calm Mickey on her 2nd day with us

Mickey and I, also in her calmer days when she first arrived

3 Countries

Well, the Stoll family is officially divided between 3 different countries, on 2 different continents.  Sydney and I left Elena and Fiona in Niger just over a week ago and are now in Togo.  Roger is still in the US waiting on his citizenship stuff. 

I had dreaded leaving the girls at boarding school more than I have ever dreaded anything else.  I must say, however, that it has been easier than I thought it would be.  I think some of it has to do with the fact that I was there, met people, saw the place and got the girls settled in.  The fear of the unknown is always difficult. 

The other reason (and I believe the largest part) has been the prayers of so many people.  I know there are a lot of people who actually witnessed my dread and total lack of desire to send my kids to boarding school, and I believe many of them began praying for us like never before.  That, I think is the true reason I am handling this whole thing better than I expected.  Thank you to everyone who has prayed.  Please don't quit!  It isn't easy and I know the first time one of them gets malaria or has a really bad day and is terribly upset about something, my equilibrium will be upset.  Already I have my worries that, each morning, I give to the Lord--and then again just after breakfast, and again before lunch, and then again at lunchtime, and...  Well, you get the idea. 

Today, Sydney and I went with friends and cleaned our house so we can move stuff in on Monday.  Jonathan and Rose have been incredibly helpful.  (I think Jonathan is just so happy to have Roger return--or at least the promise of his return--and no longer is responsible for EVERYTHING at Mediafrique, that he'll do about anything to help.)  That and the fact that they are just plain, great people and are nice that way.  I'm looking forward to moving into our house and getting settled--finally--but also kinda not ready for all the work it'll be and having that musty smell everywhere for weeks to come.  The end result is what I keep looking toward. 

~Kathy

Elena on her bed in the room she shares with 3 other Freshmen

Fiona next to the bed in the room she shares with an 8th grader.

Fiona and Elena in the bathroom (don't really know why the bathroom), excited to be there--well, not exactly excited to be in the bathroom--but at boarding school in general.

Good-bye, Again

Well, it's that time again.  Today is Sunday--the last full day in Kansas/the US for the girls and I (Kathy).  It has been a wonderful time and we've thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  The girls have made good friends and had a great school year.  Now we are heading for change.

Roger will be staying here for some time (not sure exactly how long) while he waits for his citizenship papers to come thru.  We aren't sure how long this will take, but are praying it'll only be until the end of Aug or so.

Elena and Fiona will be going to boarding school in Niger this year.  Since the school year starts in Aug, I'll go there with them and help get set up.  However, first of all, we'll spend a few weeks with Oma and Opa in Germany.

After leaving E and Fi in Niger, Sydney and I will head to Togo and begin getting our stuff out of all the storage places, cleaning it and setting up our house.  We get to live in the same house we were in before so that should be helpful.  I hope the lady, "Maman Gentil", who sells eggs on the corner is still there!

One would think the fact that we are constantly saying good-bye would make it easier and easier to do.  However, the opposite is true.  I, personally, am finding it particularly hard this time.  We really enjoyed life here.  It was so much more relaxing (even tho my father nearly died 3 times and my mother had knee surgery--tho she's doing exceptionally well--and we've been waiting for this citizenship stuff to go thru).  The changes that are coming up on our lives don't actually help in this good-bye process.

I would really appreciate your prayers:

for the Stoll "Girls" as we travel
for Elena and Fiona to settle well into boarding school
for Mama and Sydney not to be too sad when we have to say good-bye to them
for Roger's papers to go thru in record time and for him to get to Togo sooner than we expected
for all the work of cleaning our things and setting up our house again
for the ability to see God thru all of our busyness, upheaval and change
and lastly, for me to find JOY in all of this

To Braces and Back Again

Being here in the USA this year has held many firsts for all of us, but particularly for Elena and Fiona.  They played volleyball and basketball for the first time.  They ran track for the first time and they got braces.  Both of them had been seen by the orthodontist when we were here in 2010 and he said he thought he could help them in a school year.   When we arrived in Aug, they had an appointment with him and a week later, the day after school began, they got their braces put on.  They went often to have them tightened and I think they were in pain a lot of the time, but...  Well, let the photos speak for themselves.




We are amazed at the transformation.  I think they agree that it was definitely worth the pain.

Sorry that the "After" photo isn't the best.  It's all we've gotten them to sit for so far!