In case you missed it earlier today, I posted before pictures of the guesthouse patio project that we’ve been working on.

Here it is, the big reveal, the AFTER pictures that you’ve been waiting for:

Hello, seafoam green walls, black and grey woven outdoor couches with red cushions, and an outdoor table for six!

Remember the before?

The after. A little “oasis” at our mission’s guesthouse in Dakar, Senegal.

I’m especially excited about the table! Now people can sit outside and enjoy their coffee, lunch, meetings.

How great is that tree wall decal? I bought it at IKEA in Germany.

Solar lanterns – perfect!

As missionaries and local pastors come to stay at this guesthouse, as people arrive from dusty and far away villages, we hope that this patio can serve as one of the little things that sends them back refreshed and encouraged to continue the task at hand.

This is going to have to be a double post because there are just so many pictures! Plus, I really want you to get the full effect of the “before” to fully appreciate the “after”.

The guesthouse patio gets used all the time. Moms sit out there and chat while their kids play on the playground, teens make attaya {Senegalese tea}, meetings take place, guests welcome African friends, or relax and read their Kindles. In general, it’s ‘the hang out spot’ for all who pass through here.

 The space was just in desperate need of some TLC, new tile, a fresh coat of paint, some color, and some functional furniture!

So we took on the challenge.

This was both a really fun project and a headache. The workers we hired didn’t always show up on time, they messed some things up, there were some language barriers, they had to start over, the mason was unavailable, the windows needed repaired {again}, and they wouldn’t send their workers until Shawn first went downtown and paid. The paint store said the paint was ready when it wasn’t, and things moved slower than we would have liked because… well, we’re in Senegal. But the job is done, and we’re really happy with how it turned out.

Here are the ‘before’ pictures:

The building REALLY needed to be repainted after the windows were replaced.

A smorgasbord of tile, benches, chairs, a broken ping-pong table, and chipped paint.

The broken-in-a-few-places-so-be-careful-how-you-sit furniture.

Are you on the edge of your seat? Are you ready for the “big reveal”? Come back this afternoon for post #2: the AFTER pictures.

Guess what?! We booked our tickets to fly back to America for our six month home assignment! We leave July 1st. [That's only six weeks, you guys.]

The excitement has already begun.

+ Soon we get to meet a new nephew {the first baby on my side of the family!}, and a new niece on the DeAtley side.

Baby Owen can’t wait to meet Aunt Jenn! Or so they say…

+ Along with a new niece and nephew, we get to see our brothers and sisters {4 siblings on each side plus spouses} and everyone else, too!

Hooray for seeing family again!

Our nephew Myles was just a little guy last time we were home. Now he’s a big boy!

+ We’re looking forward to worshipping in English with our sending church Revolution, seeing friends, going out for wings after the service, and catching up with those we’ve missed.

+ We’re excited to meet up with our other churches and supporters, scattered around the US, and share our lives face-to-face, rather than over Facebook.

+ Soon we get to eat a big juicy hamburger, steak, and milkshake. Not necessarily all at once…

+ I can’t wait for “summer in the USA” again. I know it’s hot. But guess what? They have air conditioning {almost} everywhere you go! The last two times we’ve been back it’s been in the fall/winter, so it’s been a long time since we’ve had the shorts, limeade, cookouts, and public swimming pools experience. Side note: we haven’t experienced a ‘summer in the US’ since 2009! Wow!

I can’t wait to eat these!

I can’t wait to wear shorts again and show off them white ol’ legs.

I can’t wait to eat black cherries again!

Speaking of fruit, my sister-in-law said that she’s in the process of planting some 500+ strawberry plants in my honor! I can’t wait to taste the goodness.

Yes, there are many things we are looking forward to about our time home. But there are also some challenges that come with this missionary lifestyle.

+ It’s really hard not knowing where you’re going to live each time you go home.

+ We aren’t really “settled” anywhere. Being the decorator that I am, it’s hard not to buy that mirror / those picture frames on sale at Target, just to hang them for a few months and then store them for another 2 years. We know wherever we end up is temporary, and that can be hard.

+ Even though we’re in the US, our families are so spread out {Colorado and Ohio} that we still don’t get to spend every holiday together, or as much time as we’d like. I know, that’s just a part of life / growing up, but it’s still not always easy to be away. And when you live in Africa, the time is even more of a precious commodity.

+ In two years a lot can change within a family or a circle of friends. The dynamics may not be the same as the last time you were home. You don’t always come back to the way you remember it, or the way that it was, and that’s not easy!

+ You have to do a lot of public speaking, which we really don’t mind too much, but it takes a lot of time to prepare, think and pray through how we can best express the needs, the ministry, and what God has been doing since we were last home {fall 2010}.

+ We’ll be away from the guesthouse for six months. Thankfully there’s a family who has volunteered to take over while we’re away {praise!}, but there will still be emails and questions, and issues that will come up that we will have to take care of. We’ve been busy preparing a job description manual for them to use while we’re away.

+ Some things are hard to explain, hard for people to understand, and people don’t always know what to ask. People want to know what life is like here, what challenges we face, what it’s like living in another country, being away from family, and what amazing things we have been involved in / seen God do in our time here. However, sometimes all that comes out is, “So, how’s the food over there?” People mean well, but it’s hard to know what to ask. This was especially true after our evacuation from Guinea. We experienced hearing gun shots all night long, and saw people being herded like cattle. People just didn’t know what to say…. and that made it hard for us to know how to deal. Life in America just went on as usual, and we were supposed to just “jump in” and pretend that we were up to date on all the cultural and social things we had missed out on.

+ Traveling and speaking in churches gets expensive and exhausting. Sleeping in different beds every night, having to be on the road for hours at a time, and interacting with a lot of people as you spend the evening at a church potluck, Kids’ Awana group, etc.

We love our time home in the US, and we can’t wait to experience many of the reasons we love being there. There’s nothing like being in your home culture and being around your heart language 24/7. And although there will be some rest involved [there HAS to be], home assignment is no vacation. We travel, we speak, we’re busy, we reconnect, we serve in our church, we get involved while we can, and we look for ways to recruit new missionaries as we encounter young people looking for an exciting future with the Lord.

Thanks for investing in our lives, for reading posts like these, for caring, for wanting to know more about us and what we face as missionaries getting ready to go on home assignment. Also, don’t be afraid to ask how the food is. Just make sure that’s not the only question you ask.

s&j

Yikes! Time is flying! Lots to do before then…

People looking for a guesthouse to stay in… if you’re afraid of bold colors, you better stay somewhere else. We now have a patio with bright seafoam green walls. BAM! It’s pretty much the first thing you see when you get here. [Before & after pictures to come.]

Color… I love how you liven our souls. That’s one reason I wanted to add so much color to this guesthouse, because a lot of weary and tired travelers pass through this place.

Germany and France…  it was your small cars, kilos, your pharmacies, your road signs, the sound of your ambulances, the different languages, different currency, and kilometers that reminded us a little bit of Senegal… aka: not America.

Roxy… because you’re just so cute, lounging there, I shall snap a picture of you and post it on the blog.

Roxy relaxing by some tires.

Chips saveur barbecue {bbq chips}… you are so delicious, go great with sandwiches or as a snack, and can be found at one of the many CityDia locations in town. I’ll just have one more… *gets crumbs on the keyboard, licks her fingers and continues typing*

Smoke generator… I have no idea what you are, but Shawn is working on adding you to his smoker. {Read: more delicious food to come!}

Shawn working on building a smoke generator.

People who don’t know what a smoke generator is… it’s a contraption that allows for smoking at temperatures under 100°F, perfect for your favorite cheeses and cured meats. A cold smoke generator also separates the two essential variables in smoking food; smoke and temperature. Dial in your favorite cooking temperature and use the adjustable air pump to control your smoke level. 

 Lavender room spray… another squirt of you in the air would be greatly appreciated, as the smell of burning trash wafts into our home.

 Coming to you on a breezy, dusty Dakar Wednesday,

s&j

Congratulations to our friends Edem and Leticia on the arrival of their first son!

He’s two months old!

I was able to go visit Leticia this week, and hold and kiss little, I mean HUGE baby Emmanuel Fidele Praise NUNEKPEKU. Big, long name with a cool meaning. It means, “God with us, he is faithful, and He is worthy of our praises”.

Getting to hold him.

We met E & L when they were still dating {awwwwwww}, and Edem lived as a single guy in the apartment below us. We got together for meals, got to know about their cultural traditions, what it’s like living in Senegal coming from another African country, we watched Home Alone together, and welcomed them with open arms when they came to visit us in Cap Skirring last year.

Maman et bébé.

It was fun being back in our old neighborhood where we first met E & L.

 Welcome, baby Emmanuel!

+ We’ve had some good meals with friends. Those on staff at a Christian school here in Dakar, those who work security for the U.S. embassy, and a Senegalese couple from our church. Thank you, God, for little pockets of family. Wherever we live.

Posing with my friend Dior.

+ We’ve watched the days get warmer and warmer.

+ We’ve been eating pot roast for dinner. It’s a comfort food for me: carrots, and onions, and potatoes, oh my! We’re using up the rest of the cow that Shawn and Jonathan butchered a few months back. 

Hello, delicious.

+ We’ve been enjoying some Dunkin’ Donuts coffee that we brought back from the commissary in Germany. My fave: add a little hazelnut creamer.

+ We’ve been praying for those working throughout West Africa.

Headed to a monthly prayer meeting to pray for missionaries scattered around West Africa. Coffee in hand!

+ I’ve been taking pictures of my outfits for the Gazelle Skirt blog. You can see my week of outfits here. Us gazelle girls are planning a clothes swap for June 1st, and we’re going to be raising money for a women’s prison. Free clothes and helping others? Win, win!

+ We enjoyed a lunch date at a Vietnamese restaurant in Dakar. The sweet old lady who works there offered to make Shawn his favorite dish {bánh bao} someday soon. How sweeeeet.

Hong Kong restaurant in Dakar. Good and affordable!

+ Roxy has been loved by co-workers passing through.

Roxy has been in heaven this week.

+ I’ve snapped some pictures of the pretty flowers around me.

Pretty.

+ We’ve recently sent out our needs list for this year. Let us know if you want to receive a copy!

 + Kids have been enjoying the guesthouse playground. Well, there’s nothing new there.

Having fun.

+ We’ve been buying tile, new paint, and some outdoor furniture as we prepare to redo the veranda area at the guesthouse. We’re particularly excited about this project because it’s something that everyone will use and enjoy. Since our mission center is on the same property as the guesthouse, lots of meetings take place here, gatherings, etc. It’s going to look really good guys. Just you wait! Unfortunately, the project is taking longer than expected {this is my surprised face}, because after we ordered, paid for, and loaded the tile, they said they didn’t have enough of that kind. SO. We picked another and loaded it up. It’s being laid today, paint is being ordered today, and our furniture will be delivered on Friday!

Goodbye, old, broken tile.

+ I’ve been listening to this song. “See? I was never gone.” We’ve also been watching American Idol this season. Which girl are you rooting for?

+ We’ve had some friends come to greet us.

Shawn and his friend.

What have YOU been up to lately?

Until next time,

s&j

Some tidbits from our lives as guesthouse managers, living in an international setting.

A favorite: picking out colors to spruce up the guesthouse walls!

Hello, Tuesday. Picking out paint colors for the patio. Green verbana it is. Extending the stay for two of our NTM missionaries, as they wait in town for important paperwork. Writing the quote of the day on the board. Answering phone calls. Talking to Ndeye, one of the maids about her son’s birthday tomorrow. Pay day for the workers! Calculating next month’s worker’s hours. Replacing a broken fan in room # 8. Making plans for a Brazilian team arriving next week. Talking to a co-worker about the construction of her village house. A quick visit to the bread stand. Stocking up on cleaning supplies, tea, milk, and brooms* for the guesthouse.

Quote of the day on the welcome board.

Updating the little things like towel racks and toilet paper holders. The guesthouse needed 10+ tp holders but they were too expensive downtown, so Shawn welded some!

Roxy, a friend and a watch guard.

Nearby fruit, egg, and bread stand.

Ndeye, wearing her new uniform!

How do you like the new uniforms? Read more about them here.

Sometimes it’s the little things that are the most challenging. The fact that our guesthouse maids and day guard can’t read or write is difficult. If we want to leave them a list for the day, we can’t. When it comes time to pay them their monthly salary and they have to sign the pay book, they just scribble the first letter of their name.

Often times, in this culture, more water = more cleanly. When they clean a bathroom, shower, toilet or floors, in their minds, the more water the better. So they splash water all over the bathroom! Everything gets soaked, and too much water gets used. Plus it becomes expensive for the guesthouse water bill. So one day I had to show them, step by step, how I wanted them to clean a bathroom. I had flashbacks of the day my mom showed me what to do, and what products to use where. This is how you use Windex, etc.

* Another small daily challenge: the ladies are used to pushing a broom when they sweep, rather than pulling it along with them as they walk forward. It’s frustrating because the broom bristles {or whatever they’re called} split in the center, making them useless for sweeping, and then we have to keep buying more brooms! I try to show them and tell them how I want them to do it, but old habits die hard.

THIS is the state of most of our brooms.

We’re so grateful for the 3 years we had in this culture before jumping into this role. It gave us some valuable time in other west African contexts to see and learn how to “be a boss”, interact with Senegalese men and women, either older or younger, and we were able to observe how Christians conduct their homes, businesses, etc.

It’s certainly an interesting life! We like the diversity of both the international guests that come through here {often missionaries working in a variety of places and contexts}, and the Africans that we see on a daily basis.

Continue to pray for us, that we’ll have wisdom in the role God has given us.

Having fun on the job… shhh! Don’t tell anyone.

 Your friends in Senegal,

s&j

PS – what else would you like to know about our lives / ministry / role as guesthouse managers? Anything?

+ We’ve had an impromptu tex-mex night with friends. Olé! Please pass the 7 layer taco dip.

+ We’ve been responding to lots of emails, and making reservations. The month of May is going to be a buuusy one!

+ We’ve killed a family of cockroaches. They didn’t just have two kids, either!

+ We’ve visited with friends serving in Guinea.

+ We’ve redecorated our living room. Thanks to a little trip to IKEA, some new curtains and blue accents. And by “we” I mean Jenn.

New red throw pillows!

+ We’ve hosted a few African families at the guesthouse. Including a cute little charmer named Daniel {he’s only three, you guys}.

+ We emailed our “3 things to mention” ministry update. Let us know if you didn’t receive it and would like to!

+ We’ve enjoyed some of the treats we brought back from the Air Force base / Germany. Milk chocolate – yum! Horseradish sauce – something we’ve never found here.

Some of the goodies we brought back.

+ We’ve worshipped with our African brothers and sisters. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, they sure can clap and dance and sing… all at the same time!

+ We’ve looked at tickets to fly home for our home assignment in July. Every day Shawn browses prices, airlines, and possibilities. Want to make a donation to our ticket fund? Follow the link, and comment ”tickets”. [ ----> That would really be a huge blessing! <---- ]

+ We’ve made a few lasagnas to freeze. We’ve enjoyed some fresh fruit!

Mango season is here!

Yup. That’s pretty much what we’ve been up to since we’ve been back from our trip!

What have you been up to?

s&j