I played my guitar this evening. It was so nice. I have poured so much time and energy and excitment into that thing, it's about time that it worked. Even though there is no garuantee that it will hold a tune because the strings are still stretching so it's been out of tune all night long. I'm so glad to be almost done with it. It has caused me so much heartache (not real heartache, just....well, superficial heartache). I made the play call-backs today! I was really happy but I felt really bad because two of my other friends who tried out didn't make it. They narrowed it down to 25 girls and Mon they post the cuts of the 14 girls who will have a role. As I sit here I can't help but feel bad for myself because I haven't had a dream about you in a long time. I keep telling myself that I must be a bad girl and I must not be thinking about you enough, but I think about you ALL THE TIME. So I don't know what the deal is but tonight I am especially anxious to get to sleep. I've been missing you more than usual today. But I've been praying for your trip.
Bethany

No matter how bad a day I have had you always make it so much better whenever I sit down to read your emails. Are you ok? I mean, are you hanging in there? I'm really sorry that you are going to miss the burial services. But God plans everything for good, right? What are you guys going to do in Nairobi? Drama? My sister called me tonight. It made me feel quite a bit better to know that she is doing well. She was kind of struggling with some different things when I spoke with her last. But she is much better now. She was in a really good mood which put me in an extra-good mood to read what you had written me. Her hall and her had a dancing party in thier dorms this evening, or maybe it was yesterday and then they all went and jumped in the lake. I luaghed so hard as she was telling me this story. It killed me. Adam called me last night and we talked for maybe 20 min about how hard college is for him and how much he hates it and how much he thinks that he is going to switch majors because he has always loved music more than engineering. I was only frustrated because everything that he is now saying he should have done is exactly what I told him he should do before he started school. And then he keep contradicting himself because he started talking about God's WIll and for the last ten minutes of our conversation, all I said was "Adam, listen to yourself." I don't know if he herad me or not. BUT life goes on. If it will make you feel any better, we are supposed to be getting our Africa vidoes in mid Oct. which will probably be later for you guys but I am so excited to see it and you. If you never get one, let me know and I will hook you up. I'm glad that you find me encouraging and I hope that I can be encouraging when you need me to since I can't hear your voice or know if you're down unless you tell me. I totally understand about writting, I figured that you wouldn't with everything going how it is. I didn't know if I would even hear from you today. And I was pleasantly surprised. I've been praying for you alot and will continue to do so while you guys are away. Have a good time and minister effectively. Sweet dreams, Gideon.
Yours,
Bethany

you'll never know what those two mails you have written to me mean.I took a deep breathe of relief after reading them, they were so encouraging.Thanks so much for the encouragement and prayers.On behalf of the guys here, tell everyone there that we are so encouraged to know that we're not alone at times like these and so we're blessed to know that you guys are praying for us.Moreover thanks so much for offering to do anything.well, really thanks the most I can ask is a call from you any time, hearing from you would really cheer me up but I also don't want to put you in trouble with your dad about that so if its not possible its okay, I'd still understand.You don't know how it makes me feel to know that you are there for me, actually wanting to be with me-and believe me I feel the same way too-and that you think about me and pray for me.All in all ministry has to go on, so we're travelling tomorrow to Nairobi that means we'll miss the burial service which will beheld tomorrow but we've no choice so I guess that's okay, just incase you want to call I want to let you know that it's okay to call on the same number cause we'll be with Chris in Nairobi, evening or morning would do-that is if you can call but don't stress yourself about it.So that means I won't be able to check the blog till either monday or tuesday and hey I'm sorry I couldn't write mail yesterday,we never had a second,but I'm overwhelmed by your mails and thanks again.I'm so glad you're here for me and yeah I've been making up my own dreams of you and how right you are, thinking of you and how much you like me gives me the boost I need I'm sure the same is the case with you.You too are a precious stone Bethany, good night.
Giddy.

I just want you to know that we'd prayed for you and everyone else alot tonight during youth group. Our hearts go out to you guys. My youth pastor was sick so two hours before it was time to start, he wanted me to pull together a worship service. It went well, it was just kind of stressful. That time I supposed to be setting up for my first drama practice which also went better than I thought that it would. I was excited. I don't think that I'm going to make tryouts. There are 140 other girls trying out for the one of the fourteen parts that I am. Oh well, we'll see what becomes of me, huh? I got to take vital signs in my nursing class today. It was incredibly unoraganized but I learned alot. It was fun. What have you been thinking about these last couple of day? I've been thinking alot about you, about Danson and God's Will for your live and our lives and the other lives of the guys over there. Please let them know that we've been praying for them and tell them I said hi. I am so glad that you are in my life- even in the struggling times. Please let me know if you need anything. I pray for you all the time and I miss you immensly.
Beti

Wow I cannot imagine what you are going through. I have so many questions and I'm wasn't even a part of his life like you were. Are you going to make it? One thing I hate about this is that I can't hear your voice or see your face so I don't know how you are feeling. And I don't know how to express my sympathy to you either. Is there anything that I can do for you or the other guys, besides pray? Please ask them and if there is, please please let me know. Just remember, that "we rejoice in our suffering because we know that our suffering produces perserverence; perserverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us" Rm 5:3-5. I know that you are strong and will get through this but if I can make you feel better in absolutely any way please don't hesitate to ask. I don't know what else to write in desperate hopes to encourage you. I would do just about anything to be able to be over ther with you now but, I however, am not the one who is able to make those desicions, but you know that. If you need a boost, just think of me and how much I like you and, why don't you create your own dream of me, ok? You are a gem.
Atoti

mmmmhh........I've got some bad news today. Danson went to be with the lord this morning.I don't mean that it is bad to be with the lord because he is in a better place,but he meant so much to me as a person and to the whole team he was a father to me.You know he even knew about me and you and I remember when we were driving back from Tanzania and I was so down cause I was missing you, he was there for me and he comforted me, I hope I had also told you that I was to see him to talk about BI plans to see how he would help me and pray together and before that happened he fell sick and ow he's gone.Quite a number of things are on halt because of that but we're hanging in there knowing that the lords will has come to pass and that God himself is incharge over us.To add on to that school teachers here are on strike cause they want their salaries raised.This affects our highschool ministries.Any way atleast the drama ministry is still on.WE are showing the same drama we showed during the youth sunday.Thats how we do it, we practice a play and show it at as many places as possible then we train for another one.Well thanks so much for your prayers and please continue to pray for strenght,comfort and provision at a time like this. Thanks for being there and a nice time in school, church, home, every where.Imiss you so much and a time like this I really wish you were here physically but I know you are with me in spirit.Good night

And trust me, I wish that I could be there too. I know that you are a good teacher. You taught me probablly more than you realize while I was with you. I am immensly sore today from all of my adventures over the weekend. And I itch all over. I think I got posion ivy or something. We found some pieces that kind of go with my guitar but I will have to take some peices our and put them with other peices so I'm sure that it will be much more work than I have expected. Oh well, what else can I do? I don't know. I'm really excited for Wed to come because that is play tryouts and my first church drama practice. I hope everything goes well and I am really really nrevous about play tryouts. That is something that I really want to do, I just don't know if that's what God wants me to do or not. We will be praying for the drama team as you guys travel. What kind of shows do you put on? Today was our first day of autumn. I love this weather. It invigorates me. I absolutly love it. Please pray for my medical class that I would be bold as we are talking about dealing with dying patients and self esteem. I think that I could be presented with some oppurtunities to share my faith with my whole class but it depends on how open my teacher will be concerning class discussion on religious matters. Oh my adventures are over-all of the girls here are never adventureous when boys are around, at least my friends aren't, and I'm not very good at being adventurous by myself. One of the things on my To Do List for life it to spend a couple of days in the wilderness or climbing a moutian or a rock climbing excursion or something. Wouldn't that be cool? Anyway, have a good night sleep and sweet dreams, Cutie.
Beti

wow! I'm really happy for you. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time just like I expected.I expect anyone hanging around you to have nothing else but fun cause you are fun to be with.You're quite right about the class because unlike the other sunday, yesterday they seemed to really understand. Then I stopped being too serious and cracked some jocks here and there and it worked.So we had a nice time.The drama team will be travelling this weekend for minisitry in Nairobi at the Daystar University which is a christian University.We'll leave on Friday.I'm looking forward to having a wonderful time.
I'm glad you fine and happy, cause I'm, happy when you are happy and I want to be there when you are not.I look at everything around and I wish so much that you were here, the full moon, the stars, the beach, the weather, everything! You are miles away but sometimes I think about you and I feel like you're here. I look at this distance as a time of learning so that the next time we're together I appreciate everysecond with you as a gift from God(not that I didn't the last time- I cherished every moment)I look forward to seeing you some day.I miss you too much and you're the only one in my heart(apart from Jesus of course) Good night and take care of yourself-don't get too many injuries in your adventures-I like it though.
Guapo

Oh I don't know where so start. I have had the most amazingly fun weekend that I have had in a long time. How about I start at the beginning? Doesn't that only make sense. So me and my five girls and my Youth pastor are in the car on the way to his uncle's house and I am totally in this adventurous mood and so I ask Pastor Tom if we were going to mud wrestle. He looked at me like he couldn't believe that me, a GIRL, wanted to get down and dirty in the mud. He hestitated and told me that it wans't on the schdule but if we really wanted to that we would have to build a mud pit ourselves. So I convinced all of the girls but one to do it. Then later, we went on this night hike and we were on this trial going out into the woods somewhere and all of a sudden my youth pastor is missing. Apparently he had left us to see if we could find our way back (not that it would have been to hard since we were on a trail anyway). SO we start walking back and I didn't really want to walk back I wanted to be adventurous and stumble through the woods and get lost and have to build a campfire and have to fight off lions and tigers and bears (not really, I get carried away sometimes). But this one girl was really really scared of something. I don't know what. I was enjoying it thoroughly. The moon was shinning really bright and the stars were out and his uncle had a fence going all the way around his property anyway. I love it. I didn't want to go back at all. I just wanted to go exploring or something but I was shot down rather quickly because the other girls weren't that brave (they would NOT have used the word "brave". "Stupid", they said, was more appropriate.)
So we made it back just fine and later went to sleep. The next morning, after getting like 5 hours of sleep, we are awaken by Tom's voice telling us that our first callenge started now and that the first team to make it back to the house wins 500 points. We roll out of bed and start out looking in the woods for our first flag. We find the first one up about 15ft in a tree with no branches. Next to this tree lies a long peice of lumber, a saw, and some nails. So what we had to do was saw this peice of wood and then hammer it to the tree, climb on to it, grab the flag and then climb down. Whoelse did all this but yours truly? I thought i was going to die on the way down because i didn't nail the wood into the tree very well but I made it with minimal injuries. Our team actually lost but it was so fun. Then we had breakfast and some really good devos and Biblical challanges about becoming a godly woman. We had to do other things like army crawl on the ground and I decided that i really like nature and i really like to be able to get dirty and have nobody care. I was filthy all weekend long. It was great. Later, we did go ahead an buld our mud wrestling pit and that was the msot fun I have ever had-tackling some of my best friends into slimy, cold mud. We were cover in mud and it was so gross but it was immensly fun at the same time. I can now officailly say that I have mud wrestled. Then we were up late again having a bonfire. I had such a good time. We got some really good pictures of us mud wrestling and building this boat that we had to do for another challenge. I'll try to send you some but they are not mine so sI'll have to get copies made and that might take a while. I felt like a mountain man. Good times. Well, that was my weekend. How was yours? I hope your class went well. I think that you are a good teacher and would do just fine. How are your school minitries going? And Danson? I pray for you all the time and I missed you over the weekend. I cannot even tell you how glad I am that you are in my life and how happy it makes me to see what you've written me. I REALLY need a good night sleep and I have had so much homework. Of all the weekends for my teachers to assign me three papers all due tommorrow, they had to choose this weekend. Sometimes, I think they conspire against us. I hope you have an fantastic day today and the moon is beaultiful tonight and I'm thinking of you (so of course I'm in a good mood)
Your pathetically happy girlfriend,
Bethany

I'm ready to speak tp the teens at my my teens class this morning.I pray tha the Lord will give me utterance and ability to give out God's word in its simplicity.We're also starting a youth radio programme for youths called 'off the hook'.WE hope it will go alog wqay into affecting the lifes of hundreds of youths who willbe listening to this programme.And I'm praying for yu too I know you'll have plenty to tell me when you're back.I thank God for you Bethany.I get this good feeling when I begin to think of you.I think around this time God is teachmg me to learn to wait upon him.There are so many things I'm looking forward to that haven't yet become clear to me like school and so forth.Not that I'm getting pessimistic but just to be rational and objective, have you ever thought what would happen if my plans to fly over there don't work?Romanus has been to the US embassy and denied a visa 2 times yet he had evrything and they gave him the reason that he couldn't prove that he was going to the US ontemporary basis-I don't know how in the world he was supposed to do that.SO you see it's not completely an impossibility.Honestly his experience really discouraged me alittle bit but I got over it when I remebered that GOd is not asleep and he in charge and only his will shall prevail.But no matter what happens I know we'll meet again somehow and so I'm ready to wait. I will wait for no matter how long as long as I'm conviced it is God's will.You mean to much to me Bethany, I can't even explain and when I think about you I not only think about the immediate but mostly about the future.You have touched a spot in my heart that no one has.I'm blessed to have you and I'm very proud of you.Take care.I like you alot.sweet dreams.