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I’m writing this from the dorm living room in the dark as we watch Hairspray on a Friday night (after a pitch black game of Zombie tag). Life is back to normal here in Storch dorm! : ) All 17 girls are “home” from all over the world as they returned from Christmas break. While they were excited to see everyone here in the dorm, it’s rarely easy for anyone to leave family and home, especially when they’re in high school. A few girls told me that they tried to be brave saying goodbye because they didn’t want to make their parents sad. Pray that my girls can be honest with themselves, God, and their dorm staff about their homesickness so we can help them through lonely moments. I certainly remember how I hated those goodbyes during my boarding school years! 

And yet as life gets back to normal, it’s been sweet to see the girls have a new love for each other and a sense of cohesion that wasn’t as clear before break. They are truly a family now. : ) And I love them more than ever.

But back up real quick! I got to go on Christmas break too! : ) Erkai and I visited Guinea to spend time with my family. Because we flew out of Paris to get to Africa we had one full day in Paris! So much fun. We were exhausted after visiting Notre Dame, Saint Chapel, Musee D’Orsay, Invalides, Eiffel Tower, and Louvre. And walking most of the way between them. Lol.. but totally worth it.

I'd been to Paris, but it was so fun to visit with Erkai. This is from the Eiffel Tower.

Fam plus Erkai minus David. We sure missed you, David!! :(

Found out these two have a ton of similarities, including their favorite hobby (teasing Sarah ;) )

Climbed to the top of a rock arch in Mali

Christmas!!

One of our break activities included taking this handsome guy's senior pictures

We needed a picture, too. :) 

They insisted I take a picture of them! :)

Love hazy Guinea sunsets

My beautiful Mamma!

Handsome Daddy

Erkai in Guinea

Going on a tour of my city, Kankan

LOVE HIM!!

The arch again!

Visited a zoo in Bamako, Mali. Can you find the lion? lol

So basically, it was a wonderful break, except for missing my middle brother, who was in the States working. Because it was so good to be home, it was a little hard to come back... But since I've been back to BFA, there have been some incredible moments:

-Reconnecting with some of my girls and going deeper with others.

-Getting to see one of my best friends from Cedarville for a night as she is on her way to work on the OM ships... LOVE HER!

KATIE! <3

-Star tipping with some of the girls. Hilarious.

Showing off our mud and battle scars afterwards

-Feeling closer to Jesus

Devos in the car one day! :)

-Seeing the girls be refreshed and refocused after break

Prayer requests:

-Continued growth and unity with Steve, Stacey, and Callie. That's a praise and a prayer request.

-For me to not be too tired. I saw how much more I've loved my life (and the girls) this last week because I'm not so tired...it's wonderful, but I'm not sure how long it will last.

-Have wisdom from God for the girls when they tell me about emotional/spiritual/relational problems.

-One of the teachers at BFA injured her back in a rock climbing accident. She's had surgery, but everyone's waiting to see what kind of motion/movement will return. Prayer for peace and hope.

Thank you for your prayers, financial support, encouraging messages, etc. Love y'all! :)