Multitude Monday - 1000 Gifts ~ No place like this place!

Anna took these pictures several months ago... on Easter.

It has taken me this long to sort through them all... crop...

discard the ones not worth keeping...

I LOVE looking through the photos that my kids take and getting a glimpse

of their world as they see it.

And I really am loving this batch of photos

because of the community represented in them.

And so... this week's gratitude list is going to be the different things the Lord brought to mind as I've looked through these pictures... people, things about this community...

for which I am infinitely grateful.

this week's gratitude list:

(#'s 2966 - 3009)

students who love talking with even their most demanding teachers

becoming friends with fascinating folks we would have never met were we not in Niger

sweet babies with really great names

the girls who enjoy them

friends who were here when we arrived

friends who've left, made major life changes and then come back

friends who are holding their future with open hands...

trusting God to do what He will do

the beauty of adoption... physical and spiritual

new friends who've come since we arrived in Niger and who make mighty contributions to our expat community

girls growing up together... one of our first pictures from Niger show Rebekah and her friend as pre-school play group...

big sisters who pitch in and take care of little sisters without being asked, simply because it needs to be done

little sisters who really love their big sisters and thrive off of every moment of attention they will share with her

this snuggly sweet girl who never fails to make me smile, even when I'm crying at the same time

wearing fancy Easter dresses and while sitting on a dusty terrace

I think she's the 7th cousin/sister to wear this sweet, fancy Easter dress

fellowships with tables full of food to share

friends who come from so many parts of the world

pink and brown with polka dots for little girls

bare baby toes... even when the babies have become pre-schoolers

all those bracelets... and they'll always make me think of my Nadi-girl

baby games and antics

wondering what thoughts are crossing her mind at this moment... I can guarantee they are outside of any normal boxes and probably humorous

a community where everyone really enjoys standing around and talking together... even when it is sticky, sweaty hot

friendships that span huge age differences (even if there isn't as much size difference as would be expected)

big hugs, freely and frequently given

girl friends of all ages

shoeless boys wearing vest and tie...

playful mischieviousness

boy talks between two chatterboxes

tomboy princesses

middle school girls who still like to race and play

running after sitting still for a whole church service

being part of a community where everyone's kids runs around barefoot while in their Easter best... and no one really worries about it!

sweet friendships...

good buddies...

boys who'll listen even when they have no clue what she's talking about

friends who are happy to help their friends

barefeet and lace

wondering who's in trouble with M&M now... somebody usually is!

teens who'll really listen to elementary kids when they want to talk

running barefoot in the sand

seeing beauty even when you can't escape the trash

looking forward to the next time this group of people will all be together again... all bowing low at the feet of Jesus

counting past 3000

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