a bit of an update

I've been quite busy the last few weeks as you can probably tell from the lack of posts.  We're all just plodding on and Josh is doing really well with his glasses. 

I've been going along to Pats French lessons in a place called Saige (about 20 minutes from here) every Monday and Thursday afternoon and have found them really helpful. I have phoned my teacher at the Red Cross to let her know that I can't go anymore and she was very kind.

Ben's parents were here for the weekend and we had a great time with them and we now have a pile of Christmas presents hidden in Ben's office! Very exciting!

The Daveys have all been poorly, poor things so we haven't seen much of them the last two weeks.

Josh's Glasses

Ivory Coast

We had a phone call from Peter Milsom on Friday (Peter is the director of our mission).  He was phoning to say that despite the elections in Ivory Coast being put off (again) they are still keen for us to go out th the Ivory Coast in the automn of next year! Hurrah! This is mainly because we will be in the south of the country in Sassandra and away from any trouble. This is great news and we now have lots to think and pray about and lots of practical issues to decide on like what to do with our furniture and stuff.  The plan so far is to go back to the UK when the children finish school for the summer (beginning of July) and spend a few months there before heading out to Ivory Coast some time in the automn! We are all very excited!

He survived!

Ben managed to preach in French on Sunday morning, he sounded fine to me but I'm not French! (You'll have to get a Frenchmans opinion if you want one! but everyone was very kind!) I got quite emotional when he came and sat down next to me at the end, I guess it made me feel that we are even closer to our goal of going to Ivory Coast!

Today I phoned Pat and asked if I could go along to her French lessons with her this afternoon (another friend of ours from church goes along too!). I think I will try again on Thursday afternoon. Thanks for taking me Pat!

Ben had a meeting with the JW's again this morning after three weeks break, it seems to have become a regular Monday morning meeting!

Oh Yes, we ended up with 20ish people here for the Ireland - France match on Saturday night!  It was good fun.

More glasses.

Just been to the eye doctors with Josh, he does need glasses. He is short sighted and will need glasses for reading and probably more.  We have an appointment Tuesday evening when the doctor will give us a prescription and we have to buy eyedrops  to put in his eyes half an hour before the appointment.

I have been sorting lots of things out this week and posted off lots of officail letters, Ben is very pleased as I was waiting for him to do it but gave up!

Tonight we have lots of people coming around to watch the Ireland France match on tele!

I am still looking for a French tutor especially as my lesson at the Red Cross this week was too basic and the lady I was doing an exchange with has found a job and can't meet with me anymore.

Next Sunday

For those of you who are not in the habit of reading Alan's blog I have some news about next Sunday mornings service.  Ben is preaching!  In French!  Dik has been asking various groups in the church to be involved in the church services on a Sunday morning and it's FAC's turn this Sunday so Patrick took Ben to one side last Sunday morning and asked him to preach.  Please pray for Ben as he prepares and as he preaches on Sunday.

Not another thing!

Yesterday lunch time Josh came home from school saying he was due to see the school doctor that afternoon and that I needed to fill in a form that he had brought home a few weeks ago. The school doctor was seeing everyone in Josh's class. After eating a quick lunch it then took me the rest of lunch time to fill in the form with all the medical info I could remember about Josh.  Aparently she had a long chat with Josh's teacher and sent Josh home with a letter saying that we needed to make an appointment with the eye doctor as she thinks he might need reading glasses!  Sigh!