Birmingham to Bamako

So obviously I haven't yet mastered the fine art of staying current with a blog. Now that we are back in Mali, I am really hoping to keep up with it more!
The big news is that we are back in Mali. We left Birmingham January 2nd, and arrived in Bamako on January 4th. Honestly, we have had more enjoyable trips: airlines changed their minds on a couple of things, we had delayed flights, many hours in cold airports, and even more hours on airplanes. The longest we spent on one plane was 16 hours. In that time, Josh got sick. On our last leg from Addis Ababa to Bamako, Jonny and Danny joined in. Oh, the fun! Normally our return to Mali is rather direct (US to France to Mali). We will definitely do it that way again next time!
Despite a very tiring 48 hours, there are plenty of things to be thankful for. 1. We made it! It was so great to see our teammates at the airport, and then arrive on our yard to see many more smiling faces. The past few days have been great being able to catch up with various people that come by. 2. All of our luggage made it! With several stops and late flights, there was great potential for lost luggage. It is all here with us, with no damages. 3. We are all together! It is always hard to say goodbye to family and friends. It is times like these that I appreciate my husband and kids that much more. No matter where we go, they are people who have experienced exactly what I have experienced, and we can always talk about, laugh, and remember different people and places that we miss.
Now we are trying to get back into the swing of things. Jet lag is fading, and two of the boys went back to school just this morning. Please pray that they would adjust quickly to BCA after having been homeschooled for the first half of the year. Also pray that illness would leave our family. Danny had to stay home as he is dealing with a deep cough and fever. Yesterday Steve was on the couch most of the day with fever, but is doing much better today. Steve is over at the office right now with our teammate, Kevin, catching up on all sorts of mission business. Pray that we would quickly adjust and get plugged into the proper ministry and family priorities.
We are just so glad to be back! Despite our crazy flights back, current illness and jet lag, we can honestly say that we return refreshed. While we will miss so many people and aspects of home in the US, we also feel at home here in Mali. We are excited to see what God does in the next few years!