Some pics for your enjoyment!

We got home at dinner yesterday and are headed out to a village church and bible college in the bush right now. So, I will update tomorrow when I get back.

I just thought people might want to see some of our pics to this point.

We rode 7 hours (3 ½ on dirt roads) to a little “resort” in the desert. We stayed in mat huts and rode camels, saw an archeological dig from the 10^th Century, climbed on a sand dune, ate lots of weird food, and drank my new favorite “Arabic tea”. I will write more soon.

Thanks for your prayers. Everyone is doing well and so far no one is sick.

Jonas

Arrived Safely

I am enclosing a picture of us in Casablanca on our journey, in case you want to show it this morning. We made it with all of our bags (luggage and goods for the missionaries). Thanks to everyone who helped!

The Nehlsens say hello and we all wanted to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone there!

We love you guys,
Jonas (for the Wharton clan)

Africa Trip - Part 1 - The Journey To...

Hey Everybody! We have actually arrived in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, but I wanted to drop a note and fill you in on the trip here. We started out for the airport on Friday, Dec. 21 at 3:30 am (Thanks Adam!) and found that we actually got to the airport before the Delta employees even opened. Therefore, the lines were amazing, but once they opened, it went quickly. We were able to check our bags all the way to Ouaga. As we walked away, we prayed that they would actually get there. Then, we headed for the gate to catch our first plane to Atlanta. In Atlanta, we began the first part of what I have decided was one long meal with flights in between. We ate at On the Border and it was delicious. Then, we headed for New York (JFK) and I was fortuante enough to experience a flight at 37,000 feet next to an infant with an ear infection. (you can probably fill in the details) When, we got to JFK, we met up with Beth's sister Shonna and checked in with Royal Air Maroc. (that was an experience) Nonetheless, we made it to the gate and loaded onto the plane. Ashley and I were seated away from everyone else, but we ended up sitting with a friend sent from God: Mamadou. He has lived in NYC for the last 15 years and was moving back home to Ouaga. He was such a big help as we made our way through customs and such at Casablanca. He waited for us at each juncture and it seemed that every time we were confused where to go, he was there waving us over. We praise God for him and hope to get to know him and his family better before we leave. He and his wife own the pharmacy around the corner from where Beth's sister Amy works. Anyway, we finally made it to Ouaga at 4:00a.m. on Sunday. We are seven hours ahead of our normal tim on Colorado so the trip was a little confusing to our schedules, especially because of our meal schedule. On the planes, they fed us dinner every time we got on and then breakfast before we got off. (believe it or not, the food was awesome) Then, in Casablanca the airline put us up in a hotel on the beach for our layover. We ate lunch and dinner there for free as well. In between, we walked on the beach and took a nap. By the time we got here, our bodies didn't know if it was morning or evening, time to sleep or wake, or whether we should eat breakfast or dinner. So, we ended up talking and then sleeping a few hours and when we woke up we french totast and a bowl of brocolli cheese soup. (a true brunch) Well, that's about it for the first part of the adventure. We traveled, we ate, we arrived, we slept. We made it and all of our bags did too! Thanks for praying and I will write more soon!

vacation, my girls, two shells...

So, it's been a really long time since I wrote, but it's not because I haven't had a lot of thoughts. However, I am on vacation and it is wonderful. We took vacation for a week and enjoyed my wife's parents 50th anniversary celebration. we had a huge party and then the family (all 31 of us) went to a camp and spent 3 days together. It was awesome to spend time with all of my relatives on my wife's side. The godly heritage is incredible. It is truly amazing what a missional life (or 2 that is) can produce. I am a byproduct of that heritage and very proud of it. They are my in-loves not simply in-laws.
My girls are the next thing to address. I love vacation with my wife. It's mazing how relaxed she gets when we have spent time catching up with her family. (emot, phys, spir....) Now, we can be one with eachother without feeling like sponges. We are filled up and giving to one another. It's great! I truly love my wife allways and always! As for my daughters (my other girls) the are incredible as well. No man could be as blessed as I am. They love to have fun and yet get serious about the "right" things. They may fuss and fight, but they love each other and us and it is very apparent. I have had a blast with them each in their own way. Thank you God for all of my girls!
Now, for the shells. I have been looking for shells to fill a jar with when we get home. I usually collect rocks for significant moments in my life, but at the beach it seems appropriate to gather shells. So, I began looking for small ones. My fam has kept the lookout for cool ones and bring them to me when found. My youngest Ash brings me anything cool. She quickly understood that I am selective about only unbroken shells and when she finds cool broken she just shows me the shell and pitches it saying "if only we could find the whole thing". However, today I realized that she loves things even when they are broken. What a cool trait in someone, that they could actually love someone/something even when it is broken. I began taking them from her no matter the shape today. A dad can learn alot about acceptance from a little girl. Thanks Ash!
The last but not least thought about shells is one that I had with my oldest Amee. As we walked the beach, I came across a piece of a shell that had been polished to smooth on very side. It had apparently been a part of a much larger shell at lone time and the sand and surf had polidhed (refined if you will) it until it became even more beautiful than at first. When I began to reflect on the learning (or moment) that I was having, Amee said "yeah, uh, huh". I then mocked her and and said "yeah, uh-huh" and reflected that I was just too old and dumb. She then said "Dad, I get it." and I know she did. 14 maybe a new age, but it's cool when she tells me she's listening and I still matter even when it doesn;t seem like it. I sure love her and and very proud of the young lady she's becoming.

Thanks Jesus for vacation with my family!