Thinking of You

If you are not aware, it is a very hard to think of new titles every week for this blog. Reguardless, I look forward to writing in it. I am going to try to write in it more than just once a week.

Things in Kara are going better. I have now made it to the point of not crying everytime I talk to mom and dad on the phone. Some days are better than others. I usually don't know that I've had a good day until I have a bad day. Weird how that works. Although, everytime I talk to someone new I cry. For those of you who don't know...Skype is the best thing that was ever invented. It is a program that you can download for free, and you can actually talk to someone over the internet FOR FREE! I was able to talk to Cheri Smith the other day, which was great. She has way of calming me down and making me feel confident again. She also got me to smile quite a bit...which was a new thing for me. After talking with her I think to myself, I'm so glad one of us has confidence in me. Culture shock is truely an eye opening experience that I never want to go through again. I do think everyone should go through it in some form or fassion. It has a way of humbling you by helping you see how big the world truely is. The team here has been amazing. God has blessed me with these people more than I can explain. They have taken such good care of me and have been so supportive and patient with me. I pray I can be a blessing for them through my teaching of their children and also in life. My morning walks with Becky are extremely encouraging. She is so understanding and such a sensitve person. She also seems to know what to say, when to say it, and how to say just the thing you need to hear. I miss everyone back home so much! I think of you often, and I pray that you are doing well.

School is going well. We have now completed our first full week of school. It was good to start getting into more of a routine. My kids, Isaac and Hannah, are teaching me a lot about myself. They are wonderful to be around and keep things interesting. I love being able to teach with a religious emphasis. Tracey has been a great source of encourgament in teaching. I am starting to build a closer relationship with the families here and it has made the adjustment better each day. I am thinking of getting a puppy. I'm not sure what kind yet, but I will be sure to take tons of pictures and post them. It will probably be a few weeks before I get it because we will have to go to the capital, Lome' (about 5 hours or so from here), to get it. I guess that is all for now. I will work on getting more pictures on here. The internet is really slow here so it takes an ridiculous amount of time to download pictures. If you have some time, send me a quick e-mail to tell me how you are! I would love to hear from you anytime. ~Love - Rachel

P.S. The first picture is of the paved road in Kara. I took it while I was walking to Brett and April's house. The second picture is of the place we worshiped last Sunday in one of the villages.