It's been a while since I've posted, not because there's nothing going on.  Ha!  I can't imagine that every being the case in this household!  In fact, there has been a lot going on both here with our family, with our friends, and in Sierra Leone, too!

Here are a few updates....

The Widhalms
We are doing well.  The biggest news in our house today is that Harrison has started pee peeing in the potty!  We (mostly I) am SO excited!!  He is such a big boy and he LOVES doing things that his big brothers do, but I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to realize that his big brothers don't wear diapers!

As of today, the puppies have all found wonderful homes.  We did have one placement that didn't work out, but I'm so happy that she is going to live with my BFF in West Plains!   I couldn't be happier.  Buster is staying here with us and the boys are loving it.  It was a little hard for them to see all the others go, but they did a great job.

Our house is on the market.  We are hoping to sell the house and possibly find something a little further out of town with a few acres for the boys to run around on.  We'll see, though, what God has in store.

I'm heading to my first appointment today with a holistic nutritionist.  I'm really excited to see what he has to say and I'll tell you all about it.   A few of my friends have been seeing him and have had great results and learned a lot about how to manage their bodies holistically.  We've been so busy, that we've been eating out WAY more than we should, which has put our traditional eating habits to the wayside.  I think today's appointment will help get us back on track.

Doug and I have decided to make a trip back to Sierra Leone in February.   By then, the kids at The Covering will be in a new building and we'll be helping to make improvements to that facility as well as helping with the construction of a new soccer field.  I will be announcing our next project soon related to the trip.....so stay tuned!  I'm really excited about it and I think you will be, too!  You won't want to miss it!


Friends
My best friend, Tracy's, son got married a couple weeks ago.  I just can't believe it!!  How did this happen?  He's not my son, but Tracy and I are like sisters.  We've been best friends since kindergarten and her family is like my own.  Seeing Brett get married was just CRAZY!  I had the strangest mix of emotions....I feel like it was a milestone in my life even though he's not mine.  I am very happy for Brett and Katie, though.  They are sweet "kids" and excited about their new life together.

Another friend of mine and her husband got back from a trip to Zambia last week.  We went to West Plains last Sunday to hear all about it.  God is SO awesome!  They had an amazing journey and were able to make a lot of progress in the acquisition of a piece of land and finding a building to be used for a Christian school and feeding program there.   They were even able to share the gospel in a village that had NEVER heard about Jesus before!  Their hearts and lives are changed forever......and that's a good thing!  It will be exciting to see how God works through them in Zambia!


Sierra Leone
A lot has happened in SL and with "our" kids at The Covering in the last few days.

A lease has been signed for a new building for the kids to move into, which is desperately needed.  Funds are being raised now to take care of the year-long commitment.  They now have about 85 kiddos there, which is a handful more than when we were there in May.  All those kids living on 2 floors with 2 bathrooms and 2 schoolrooms.  You can imagine how crowded and hard that would be!  They really NEED that new building!  If you'd like to partner with The Raining Season in being able to help, let me know or visit their website.

Gerald and Geraldine, the twins, have both been moved from the hospital back to The Covering.  They have gained weight and are doing much better.  Please continue to pray with me that their recovery continues!

Like I said above, Doug & I will be returning to SL in February to help with projects around the center and to love on some sweet kiddos!  I'm excited to them all again!   Please pray that we are able to secure babysitters, funds and supplies to take with us!