Salut du Côte D’Ivoire!

We left the United States of America on January 1, 2020, flying out of O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, IL. After a very tearful round of goodbye hugs, my little family left my parents and younger siblings and headed through security and to find our gate. Our flight took nineteen hours, including a brief layover in Brussels, Belgium. We landed in Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire, West Africa, on January 2. My husband’s father was there to pick us— and all seventeen pieces of luggage— up. Our luggage didn’t make it, but it arrived the following day. After unexpectedly spending an extra day in Abidjan, we began our roughly nine-hour drive to the city of San-Pédro, where my in-laws are missionaries. We arrived on the evening of January 4. 

Well, we’ve been here for nearly three weeks! So much has happened, and there have certainly been some adjustments to be made. For the first few days, I had to keep myself busy or I would think about my parents and sibling in the States and want to cry. I had to choke down the lump in my throat several times as it was; I told myself I got out all my tears on the airplane and didn’t need to indulge in anymore!

We have had some very fun times since we’ve been here! It definitely is not all work and no play. My in-laws go to the beach every Monday afternoon when it is mostly deserted and the sun isn’t as intense. Since we’re staying with them, we join them on their beach outings, and it has been so much fun. Eden and Zion are learning to love the water; Eden’s excitement, whenever we tell her we’re going to the beach, is so sweet and contagious! I went kayaking on the ocean with my brothers-in-law once, too, which was a blast! I was modestly proud of myself for being able to keep up with two teenaged boys. I told Seth I was terrified to try to cross the breakers, but once I got out there I felt like Moana! 😀

A few days ago, on my private Instagram page, I asked people to ask me some questions that I could answer in this update. I didn’t get a lot of responses, which is actually sort of a blessing– I can answer those questions in greater detail now! Hopefully, this will give you some insight into what my transition into another continent/country/culture has been like so far.

I was asked a similar question by a couple of ladies: What do I enjoy the most about Côte D’Ivoire so far, and what are your least favorite things about living here?
I have an affinity for negativity (although I prefer to think of it as realism), so I’ll start with my least favorite thing about my new home. Three words: heat and humidity! While neither of these is very awful on their own, let me tell you– they are absolutely catastrophic when combined! To answer someone else’s question, this has probably been my biggest adjustment so far. It sounds silly, I know. But I have never enjoyed sweating, and feeling the beads of sweat rolling down my face and back, and wearing sweat-dampened shirts in uncomfortable to me, to put it mildly. Sometimes it feels like I live for the evenings when we can finally turn on the air conditioner at my in-laws’ house! All that to say, the tropical climate, as exotic as it sounds, is something that will take a while for me to get used to.

I was asked if we are near Seth’s family. Yes, we are! We’re actually living with them currently. We found a house in the town in which we will be ministering (Sassandra), but we still have to purchase it, get all the necessary permits to work on it, and then begin the remodeling process, so we will be living with Seth’s family for the next several months. When we finally move to Sassandra, we will be roughly sixty miles away from my in-laws– which translates to roughly two hours of driving, what with the deplorable condition of the “roads” here.

Another friend asked what my favorite verse is right now and why.

And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand?

Exodus 4:2a

In Moses’s first encounter with God, he expresses so much doubt in God’s plan. He doubts his own competence, the validity of God’s message, the power behind the task, his speaking skills, etc. And God asks him an odd question: “What do you have in your hand?” Moses responds “A rod.” If you know the story of Moses, you will see that same rod again many times. It features in several miracles throughout the story of Moses— the serpents in Pharaoh’s court, the plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, the battle with Amalek.
The application has been so sweet to me in recent days. God had a job for Moses to do, and He used what Moses already had available. He gave Moses exactly what He needed to do His work— nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t a splendid or majestic instrument— just a sturdy stick, really. But Moses was familiar with it, like a constant companion; and God used it in Moses’ hand to do wonders!
What’s in my hand? Like Moses, I often find myself afraid to speak or to act, especially in this new world in which I’m living; I doubt my strength and my ability; I question whether I’m truly right for the job. But God can and will use what is already in my hand to accomplish His purposes and perform His wonders here in Côte D’Ivoire. The only caveat is not my skill set or my shabby list of qualifications, but an honest and sincere “Yes, Lord.” (And yes, I copied this from my Instagram post… ;P)

In answer to another question… OF COURSE I MISS MY FAVORITE SISTER! I’m just now sure which one out of the three that is… 🙂 Seriously, though, I miss my best friend. Come visit me, Ty!

The last question I was asked was about any specific prayer request I might have. And I do have a few!
One request I have is that you would please pray for my language acquisition. It is so important that I learn French quickly! I have spent an hour or two nearly every day working on it, and I feel like I’m making some decent progress. But French can be so confusing to me sometimes, and I know there is no way I can learn it efficiently without God’s grace.
Another prayer request I have is for Seth’s safety as he travels back and forth between San-Pedro and Sassandra to work on our house. We are planning to purchase it very soon, and want to begin working on it quickly, so Seth will be traveling back and forth a lot over the next several months. Please pray for safety as he works and travels. And that we can still find time to be together as a family.
My last prayer request is for Eden. She is still struggling a little with this transition… she gets emotional; she can be excessively disobedient and defiant– which is how I’ve seen her manage every big change she’s had to go through; she likes to be very clingy with me, which, while I love it, makes it very hard to do other things that are also important, like studying or helping her little sister. Little by little, she seems to be getting accustomed to life here, but I know she could use prayer; and so could we, as we need wisdom as to when to discipline and when to be lenient, etc.

I apologize if anything here has a complaining tone– that is certainly not the intention. I meant to just be open and honest, not to complain. Hopefully that is obvious, but I apologize if it is not.