In the New KH

This has been such an exciting and busy week! Last Saturday I left for Lungi by ferry to meet Dennis at the airport. Sunday the kids hosted the last meeting in our house. Dennis and I came home Sunday afternoon. (Kadi and her daughter Jessica stayed over with the kids Saturday night). The kids said it was the longest and loudest clapping they had heard when the brother announced the thanks for using our home and that the next meetings would be in the new KH. :) This Sunday there were over 200 in attendance at the new hall, more than 20 brothers stood as there were not enough chairs. There are more chairs ordered, as the new hall will seat 300 easily.

Saturday on the ferry I started to get a migraine headache, I figured it was just from the heat and the hectic schedule with the ASL class Saturday morning and then rushing to get to the ferry. But then I got bad fever Saturday and Sunday and flu symptoms Sunday..... The symptoms were confusing all week and I never lost my appetite, so we thought I just had a bad flu... but on Friday I went to the lab for bloodtest and I "get the prize" :)
Both Malaria and Typhoid, go figure, no wonder I was so exhausted all week.... I started on the meds and am feeling much better, just really tired and some headaches.
We don't post all the sickness here to over alarm or worry anyone, it is just if we are not open about it then people might hear through the "grape vine" and then worry. Please be assured we are well cared for here, the medicines are redily available, and there is a brother in the cockerell north congregation who is a doctor. We have his number in our cell phones and have no problem contacting him 24 hours a day. He even came to the house last night to check on us and write some prescriptions. Lorelle is having a cold/sore throat and Hunter has been dealing with some skin irritation from when we had the puppies.

Dennis and Shelby are enjoying volunteering at Bethel on Mondays, and Dennis goes in on Weds. also. The ASL class has been marvelous, the whole family is really coming along well, it is a lot of fun too!

Weds. afternoons I have a study with an older woman who sells food she is cooking along the side of the road. When we have the study she calls to the neighborhood children to join, we have anywhere from 4 to 8 children join the study. It is so amazing! I hope to take a picture as it is really hard to imaging, we are sitting along a dirt road with tin/cement block housing one on top of another and so many people around, yet these ones take the time to focus on God's word.

Hunter has really been talking more and more, he still comes out with the cutest things though. Like the other day his teacher came to teach and she had on a pink and white striped shirt, he asked "is your shirt pink with white stripes or white with pink?". Then another time he asked "why do chickens have three toes"? Today he asked to come to the market because he didn't want me to forget the poptarts or mac n cheese, well there wasn't any mac n cheese or poptarts in the market again this week. We are learning that if there is something you like, buy as much as you can, cause you never know when it might come again to Africa.... he did find Soft Oatmeal cookies, ginger cookies, pringles and starbursts :)

Service continues to be very productive, almost too much if I dare say..... Thursday I went out just for an hour because of my exhaustion, yet I started one new study, re-established another and got two new rv's.

One of the studies I have with two young people, a brother and sister, ages 16 and 17 has been going very well. They have requested that I come twice a week and the last two studies there has been another young man joining in.

Dennis has been very busy revisiting his studies, they are doing well. There were a number of brothers that called on them while Dennis was away. It is so wonderful to have such a loving brotherhood.

Thankyou for the personal emails, I am not able to reply to them right now, but please know they are truly appreciated! More than words can say.... also a big thankyou to those who sent small items and card, pictures back with Dennis, what a wonderful blessing! It was a joyous time for the whole family! We may be ocean apart but our hearts are still joined.

Love, Swift Family