Kabiye Team News
June 11, 2000

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello! We pray that each of you is resting in God's love for you today. We miss you and pray for you often. We are beginning to wind up our time here in Albertville. We are counting down to only 10 weeks until we will set foot in Togo! This may seem like we still have a little bit of time left, but after waiting for three years, we are feeling the nearness of Africa!!! We are very excited and are placing our anxieties upon God as He has promised to lift them from us. We are trying to think of the last minute things, such as travel mosquito nets, the last of Hannah's immunizations, any helpful gadgets (such as a pill splitter) that we will need in Togo. (To measure out Hannah's malaria medication) etc. Please pray for us as we finish up here, especially in language learning. Dave has really enjoyed his tutoring sessions with Madame Mayhew and is learning a lot from her. We both feel a whole lot more confidant in our French ability than we ever thought we would a month ago. We can't understand everything, but we understand the ideas of almost everything we hear and are beginning to be able to respond like we want in French. Please keep this in your prayers, though, as we have such little time left in school.

We have also begun to feel much more "French" as we have received many French Kisses over the last month or so. (That got your attention, didn't it?) No, not the American definition of French kissing, but the original French custom of kissing those you know well on both cheeks when you greet them. Now, not everyone we know offers these kisses to us, but the more friendly and accepting people do, and I personally think it's lots of fun! Dave still feels a bit weird at the men that offer him kisses, but he's decided it's good practice for Africa since it is very common for Togolese men who are friends, to walk about holding hands. This practice brings new life to the biblical verse, "Greet one another with a holy kiss"!

Thank you for all of you who have been praying for Gypsy, my language partner. I met with her this last Tuesday and we had a very good conversation. She had many questions about the structure of the church and Catholicism and the Bible. I know that God is seeking her out and that her heart is searching. Please keep praying for her, that she will find Him and know true life.

Well, we've saved the best news for last. We are happy to announce that we are 2 months pregnant! This was not of our planning, but God's. We had prayed fervently about this, and were pretty sure that in a year or so would be when He would choose to bless us with another baby, but He has proven His timing nearer than we had thought. We are excited and can see many advantages to having our first trimester out of the way when we arrive in Africa. At the same time we found out we were pregnant, Don and Jane Neal also found out that they, too, were expecting. (Only two days after us!) Their daughter, Mary Claire, and Hannah were born only 6 days apart, so these next two could be even closer!!! What a blessing it is to have teammates with children so close to the same age, that will be close friends and playmates for each other during our time in Africa. Please pray for the health of this baby and all of the other expected babies, and that we will be able to deliver in Africa. Our due date is January 14th.

Hannah is doing wonderful! She is such an incredible joy as she grows! Her latest developments are her debut into jogging, her imitation of a bear, cow, and sheep, and her clear pronunciation of "Cookie". She also answers "God" when we ask her who made the world and who made Hannah. She is so full of life and loves to laugh. We can't get enough of her!

We pray that each of you is having a blessed day. May you know God's peace in your inner man as you abide in Christ today.

In His Love,

David, Becky, and Hannah

"For Christ's love compels us!" 2 Corinthians 5:14