34 Days . . .

. . . and 15 hours

before I leave for Niger!!

These last 5 weeks will be full of preparations. Tomorrow, (Sunday) I leave for Toronto, where I will be taking a 2 week linguistics training course. This course is designed to teach missionaries how to learn a language. Which will become important when I begin studying Fulfulde (pronounced: full full day). Without the benefit of a school, planned activities to practice the language, and likely no grammar textbook - learning this language will be mostly oral, with the aid of a tutor. I have already learned my first two words of Fulfulde: mi yetti - which means thank you!

When I return home I will have three weeks to connect with a few of my cluster churches, and to spend time with friends and family. Though I am excited to finally be leaving for Niger (the actuality of which at times still feels surreal) I am sure that saying good-bye to those I love will be a difficult endeavour.

Though as I say good-bye to Canada and my friends and family, I anticipate going home and saying hello to Niger and the family that I will find as I finally meet my teammates.

I am also finishing the end of my physical preparations:

• Monday - final vaccination!
• Feb. 4 - begin malaria medication
• yesterday - mailed off my VISA application

And finally, it has begun to snow in Calgary! In anticipation of the extreme heat that I am going to, and how in one month I will long for cold, I am enjoying my final snowfalls. On Thursday afternoon, I sat on the c-train platform in the middle of a snow flurry while eating a DQ turtle ice cream blizzard. It was pure joy!

Prayer Requests:

1. VISA application - pray for approval and that this will process speedily
2. linguistics training course - pray that myself and the other missionaries will have open and alert minds to learn all that we will need for our future ministry and language learning
3. travel safety - for myself and the other missionaries as we travel to and from the training course
4. health - for well-being over the next month as I prepare to leave, and that I will arrive in Niger refreshed