i will choose joy.

It’s hard for me to believe it’s already Thursday.

The days are long here, but the weeks are flying by.

Monday and Tuesday were spent at the center with the children. Just a typical day.

((you're welcome for your Cosmo fix...!))

Tuesday evening, jon, Ashley, katinka and I left after dinner to drive 2 hours south to cotonou (the city I flew into). Jon needed to take his driver’s test for a Beninese license at 7am on Wednesday morning, so katinka and I tagged along to see the city and spend Wednesday in cotonou.

We spent the night Tuesday night at the sim house. This is a guesthouse that some missionaries told jon and Ashley about and it’s extremely cheap to stay there and they have the option of an air conditioner in each room! We paid the 2 extra American dollars and enjoyed a night of perfectly cool sleep. It was worth every penny!

Jon passed that test with flying colors and after a cup of coffee we were on our way to the market. Or as Ashley calls it, her version of wal-mart. I cannot accurately describe what cotonou is like. The driving in cotonou is enough to make a person need a xanax…I could never imagine actually driving a vehicle there! Cars everywhere. Motos everywhere. People everywhere. It’s just utter insanity!

We found our way to the material market and jon let all 3 of us girls out. We followed Ashley closely as she maneuvered her way through the crowd and motos with such ease. It was my main goal to just keep her in sight at all times! We were on a mission to get some fabrics for souvenirs that a tailor here in sakete will make. There were thousands and thousands of fabric options in hundreds of street side stores. It was impossible to choose! I picked out 4 different fabrics and am excited to have some neat things made with the material! We’ll see if it all turns out according to plan.

 ((ashley & i at one of the fabric stores))

We ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

A Chinese restaurant in the middle of cotonou. It was crazy! But it was actually delicious and we gorged ourselves. After lunch we drove over to a family’s home that arbre de vie sponsors. There is a mother, and she has 5 children. Her husband just literally vanished one day and she is now the sole provider for all 5 of her children. She cannot work to provide enough money for barely herself to eat, let alone all of her kids. Arbre de vie sponsors one of her children and we went by their home to check on her and see how they were all doing. This family basically “Squats” in a courtyard that is located between 2 nice apartment complexes. They live in a tiny, tin roofed shack. The child arbre de vie sponsors is extremely thin and frail. Jon provided a large jar of children’s vitamins for her to take each day. And we took some pictures. Ashley tried her best to coax a smile out of this child, but no smile would come. I stood back, taking it all in, thinking to myself…I’m not sure she has too much to smile about. But then behind me, some boys whose families also live in tin roofed shacks in this courtyard were running around beating on an old can with a stick. Laughing and smiling. Teasing with the white girls who had invaded their space. They followed us out to our car, these boys, and just watched us and smiled with us until we left. I don’t know their situation, but I am sure it is much the same as the little girl we visited…but they were playing, and dancing, and laughing. I don’t know that I would be doing the same in their situation. I would probably lie on the floor of my shack and wallow in my misery. But these boys probably don’t know any different. This has been their life for as long as they can remember. This is their life now.

I could only hope that I would choose joy.

I can only hope everyday that I choose joy.

((standing in the doorway of their home. you can see 3 of the 4 walls))

((beautiful.))

After this visit we came across the ocean. We trekked down to the waterfront and listened to the sound of the crashing waves. Dipped our toes in the water. A large wave pummeled me as I was smiling sweetly for a picture and my skirt got SOAKING wet!!! I love the sound of water. I love the ocean. I am glad we got to see this side of the Atlantic. God is a beautiful creator.

We stopped by a few more roadside markets. Bought some maps off a man. Got some mangoes. Then we headed back to sakete.

On our way to cotonou we had dropped off one of arbre de vie’s helpers in porto novo, the largest city between cotonou and sakete, and she spent all day Wednesday purchasing food items in bulk for the orphanage. We picked her up at the market in porto novo and loaded jon and ashley’s car up with all the goods she bought. We drove back to sakete and made it to the orphanage around 8 o’clock.

As we pulled up the newly paved driveway to the centre, the children began running after our car. Screaming and so excited to see us all! It had been exactly 24 hours since they had seen any of us. And let me tell you something…getting out of that car and being bombarded by screaming children who are so excited to see their mama, papa and tata’s is just about the best feeling in the world. Hugs all around. Kisses all around. Love all around.

It is enough to make you never want to leave.


"may the God of hope fill you with ALL JOY and peace as you TRUST IN HIM." ((romans 15:13))

((Mama Jacquelyn, Me, Alice, Dossou, Hubert, Ashley, Rosalyn in the purple plaid, Amide, Delphine, Vivianne, Cosmo in the front))