Room to Breathe

P.S. (Pre-script): There's something worth seeing at the end of this blog, so if you're not one who's all about the reading, at least scroll down to the bottom and see what's waiting for you. If you like the suspense, read what I have to say first...

S. (Script):

Well we made it. The school year is over. The year-end festivities past, the seniors have graduated and just about everyone has flown the coop for the summer. A mere remnant of DA staff remain here for summers while most head home for a brief hiatus in the land of plenty. For the past several weeks we've heard talk from those anticipating McDonalds, Starbucks, or, best yet, Walmart to meet their every need.

I, Mike, have been patient with them, allowing them to yearn, all the while grumbling to myself about how I will NOT have those experiences this summer. In some ways it's kind of mean of them to rub this in my face, but it's not too bad for two major reasons: 1) it was my CHOICE not to go home for the summer, and 2) I really don't miss it as much as I used to. (Now ask me if I miss it at the END of the summer when everyone comes back refreshed and well fed while I've been here wallowing in the heat and I might have a different answer, but for now, that's my line and I'm sticking to it!)

Actually, this summer should be fun. Any day now the pace is going to slow way down and we'll be able to catch our breaths. Since grad, we've been helping a lot of people move, plus the school container came in and dropped off hundreds of new library books so Mindee is virtually buried in work right now, but she's having fun. (Dream vacation, right Rachel?)

We've got some good co-worker friends staying this summer and some others who come back from a year-long furlough in two weeks. I have a lot of projects planned for the summer that I haven't had time to get to during the school year. Lot's of woodworking, home improvement, manual labor type stuff.

Plus, the World Cup starts today. (It's kind of a big deal out here). Senegal didn't make it, but we're really rooting for Cote d'Ivoire and excited to follow the action over the next month.

Mindee WILL get to go back to the east coast (Florida and Georgia) for about 3 weeks in July to visit her sisters, best friend, and baby niece, as well as make a few of those oh-so-essential Walmart runs. I'll hold the fort here and whittle things.

As for our electricity project, we ordered the inverter shortly after that last blog I sent and it made it to the port in time, so theoretically it is on a boat somewhere on the Atlantic right now, or maybe sitting in a port waiting to head out. At any rate, we won't see it until July or August, but at least we're pretty sure it's coming. Our project is now essentially FULLY FUNDED thanks to many of you.

THANK YOU so much for your dedicated (and prompt) giving to this project. We'll be sure and send pictures of what you helped supply once it's here and all set up. You will have made our lives MUCH more comfortable which will translate to less crankiness and a better ability to put up with people rubbing their Starbucks experiences in my face! So thanks for that.

And now the grand finale (the thing that some of you skipped all that to get to). I finally had a chance to put together the outreach video from our outreach last February. I think it does a good job at summarizing what we do on these weekends and helps remind you, our supporters, of a major reason we are out here and why we feel it's important for us to stay. (I'd also like to mention that I made this video on the computer you all helped us get last summer, so hopefully it helps encourage you that it was money well spent).

Thanks for your continued prayer and support. We'll miss you this summer but look forward to the next time we meet.

Enjoy!
Mike and Mindee