We've spent the past week down in Southern Indiana at a Salvation Army campground for EBM's Annual Enrichment Conference. It was a good opportunity to reconnect (and in some cases, connect in person for the first time) with other missionaries from our organization, the wonderful folks who serve and work with us in the Home Office and to report to the board. It was a good week of both challenge and encouragement, worship and fellowship, rest and recreation (how far can you kick a shoe??)... The camp was beautiful... Tim found it very amusing that a Salvation Army campground was located in a geographical region called "The Devil's Backbone," and reminded me of that several times. We were also amazed that every road we traveled to get to this campgound was paved! The facilities were lovely... We'd see more green in 5 minutes than we'd seen the last four years in Niger. As we'd walk to breakfast every morning, we would walk up a long, gently sloping hill covered in green grass, clover (and several bees) and the conversation would always revolve around King (remember the horse we had in Niger for a few years) and how he'd go absolutely crazy to see that much open space covered with all that green grass! The camp food was "too" delicious, the fellowship with other EBMers was great, the pool was cold (so they'd fill up an inflatable boat with hot water for the little kids) but lots of fun, and the big kids enjoyed activities like hiking, a high ropes course, paintball and archery... not to mention the wii in the game room in the basement! Now we are mostly home (we stopped at my parents for a little visit) - we'll finish up the trip this afternoon - and while getting ready to attend and actually getting to the conference less than two weeks after touching down in the States seemed more than a little crazy , we are thankful we were able to do so. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures - especially of the paintball. I'm still trying to figure out the appeal in volunteering yourself to be the target for several other folks shooting at you with hard pellets filled with a die that not only explodes all over you when it hits you but also leaves rather large welps and bruises to document the contact (just ask Tim, Brendan and Rebekah). But I do have some pictures to add...
While we were down at the camp, we were able to check our email a few times, and received word that one of our pets, Knight the cat, was doing very well (and getting spoiled) in his new home. The girls often talk about and wonder how their animal family/friends are doing - it is hard for them to leave them as we travel back and forth between our two homes...
...so I thought I'd post the following photos of the girls loving on and saying goodbye to their fuzzy buddies - taken right before we left Niger, almost 3 weeks ago, now.
This is Mickey... she's been our kitty for almost 7 years. Tim found her at our office and brought her home late one night, after the kids were all in bed. I was sitting back in our bedroom reading and I knew something was up... he walked into the room, but kept looking back down the hallway and then I heard the "meeooww..."
That meow was nothing compared to the squeals and "cris de joie" the following morning when the kids discovered what their daddy had done. Rebekah has a particularly soft spot in her heart for all things animal... and she was always loving on Mickey - even if it meant climbing the mango tree (to which she's allergic) to spend time together! 
Knight
...is Nadia's kitty. A few years back, Nadia had gone out to spend the weekend with a friend who lived in another village and they'd just had kitties. Nadia fell in love, so several weeks later for her birthday we arranged, as a surprise birthday gift, for one of those kittens to come and live chez nous.
Knight is a little "tom" and can't seem to remember that he's about a third of the size of all the other toms in the neighborhood,
but he's always been so patient, loving and cuddly with the little ones. First Elsie Mae and then Mary Michelle could pull on his ears, tug his tail or toss him whichever way and he'd never complain or swat back at them. In fact, he'd often seek out their "risky" company.
So, the girls were super excited when we heard from Knight's new family this past week, friends who've welcomed him into their home, that he's doing well and even starting to get fat!
...and we had the opportunity to take Tim's mom and Jonathan (Mary Michelle tagged along, of course) to a Detroit Tigers baseball game. 
Now, maybe, just maybe, I finally understand a little the draw of a good baseball game. I know Jonathan and Mary thought it was a great way to spend an afternoon and evening.
Jonathan was happy as long as his tummy was full (although we shared a pizza instead of a hotdog to quiet the rumbling of his tummy) and as long as Mary Michelle wasn't trying to steal his ballcap!
The icing on the cake~ 
~coming from behind in the 9th to tie up the game, to win it an extra inning. 
"Daddy, when are the tigers going to come out and play? All I've seen so far are humans." 
We are, in fact, still chuckling over that comment!
