Issue #47
February 21, 2000

Dear Friends and Family,
The busy weekend has come and gone. It was a great weekend all activities went well. Penny Fair on Saturday was a lot of fun. The kids spent a lot of time going down the water slide, the sky ride, the "roller coaster," and riding the barrel bull. The pre-schoolers got to enjoy their time on the slip and slide. Inside there were many other games and activities. There was a maze, hit the teacher or dorm parent with shaving cream, sumo wrestling, fishing booth, soccer kick, basketball throw, etc. I spent my time getting pelted with shaving cream. There was also the yummy food. Mrs. Ortiz, one of the mothers, came to fix Mexican food, and if the name tells you anything, it was authentic. During the day, the freshmen sold food from little booths, tacos, nachos, hot dogs, etc. Starting in the late afternoon there was a Mexican restuarant. I guess I should explain that Mexican food is a treat here. Everything, including tortillas and salsa, must be made from scratch. It was very good! The other big treat was American ice cream. They have started selling Blue Bunny ice cream in Abidjan, but it hasn't made it to Bouake yet. On Saturday some men from Abidjan brought up a whole freezer of it. It was a bit expensive, but well worth it. It is funny to think about how excited everyone gets over having something from America. I still have some stashed in my freezer for later.

Sunday was the elementary musical. We did have one little "oops" in getting ready for the musical. On Thursday afternoon when we were assigning the last of the costumes, I realize that we didn't have any costumes for the guards. The lady who was doing the costumes and I had a miscommunication. We had to rush to get costumes made for Sunday, but thanks to the help of a couple of people they were finished. The kids were all very excited. They did a wonderful job! Everyone remembered their lines, solos, and where they were supposed to be when. After it was over and the curtains closed, the kids went running everywhere. There were costumes flying every which way. When they all left I was surprised to find the stage in such order and the costume where they were supposed to be.

There are many parents here and all have made it here safely. Most of them will stay throughout the week. There are a few leaving and a few coming this week.

The weather has taken quite a change this last week. On Wednesday, we had between 0-10% humidity. On Thursday, we had 90% humidity. It has gotten hot now. Our nice cool nights are only a memory. It certainly helped the water slide get more business on Saturday.

Thanks for all your prayers and support during this week. It all worked together and was a good time.

In Christ,
Traci