Too much for one weekend

This was another really crazy weekend in the Wright house. The craziness started a little earlier than I was prepared for. Friday morning when I arrived at school, I was shocked to hear that one of the French teacher's sisters died in the night. She was 23 with three small children: a three-year-old daughter and twins that are three weeks. It came as a shock to everyone because there were no real signs of her being ill until the night before. This tragedy had a ripple affect because that French teacher is set to marry the school secretary in a few week's time, putting a serious damper on what should be a joyous time for them. It also caused a few others on staff to be reminded once again of their recent loss of family members.

Please pray for this situation, for the family dealing with such a tragic loss. For the husband left without a wife. for these children left without a mother, that God would work in a mighty way in their lives and fill in this gap. For the staff at Sahel that we would be able to support this couple in their grief and help them celebrate and find joy as they start a new family together. And for those that are still grieving their own losses that have happened over the year.

Part of the craziness of this weekend was something I had been looking forward to for a long time: General Conference for the FMCIC. I had been praying for the event for awhile and even though I was disappointed that I couldn't be there in person, I had hoped to reconnect to the church at home as I tuned into the live stream broadcast and catch glimpses of friends and family. I got up super early on Saturday morning and tried to log on to the website to see what had happened on Friday night, but the internet didn't seem to want to cooperate. Later in the morning the page would come up but it would cut in and out as the internet/computer tried to handle the download and by early afternoon when the next session started we had to give up. The website wouldn't load because there were too many video connections on it for the internet to download. (Or at least that is what we think happened.) I was really frustrated that I couldn't even be a part of things from afar. I pray that it was a blessing to all who attended and I look forward to being there in person in 2017!

In addition to the funeral on Saturday and trying to catch part of conference, Dave had to help with the church board meeting on Sunday after the morning service. (He has been helping the leadership to develop their vision for the ministry of the church and to understand their roles on the board.) Then in the evening he spoke (probably the first time in a year because he likes to let others in the missions' community have the opportunity and only fills in when there is a great need) and lead communion in the English worship service. It was probably too much for one weekend and I am afraid that I am still trying to recover from it all.

We also received news from home that Dave's uncle and our renter are both receiving radiation treatments this week and that Dave's sister-in-law's mom is in the hospital with water around her heart. Please pray for these situations and for us as we try to love and support from a distance.