One of the things I love here is the formality of friendly visits. When you arrive at someone’s house, it's normal for them to formally welcome you, for you to formally announce why you have come, and to leave with a formal blessing. Blessings are important no matter what your faith.

For that reason, I’m preparing my final goodbye blessings ... some for fellow believers, and some for those who have heard. We all think Paul’s flowery greetings and goodbyes in his epistles hardly seem like normal conversation, but here, they are entirely appropriate. I’m working through my French Bible to create my own goodbye blessings from Paul's blessings, like Col. 1:9-10, Eph. 3:16-19.

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better … and that your eyes will be enlightened so you can know the hope to which he has called you …” Eph. 1:17

They will respond, "Amen," and possibly touch their foreheads to signify they have accepted it.

Please pray for:
- Me to persevere this last week in spite of a mean head cold that has sapped all my energy.
- Adema, the Koranic teacher that is seeking hard and wants to come see me one final time on Wednesday.
- Oumou, that she will truly seek to grow in her new faith while I’m gone.
- Olivier, as he figures out exactly how he will serve God with his life.
- All those I have shared with that have not responded.
- Me to tie up final media office work on a magazine and a video.
- Me as I figure out next steps in life.

Fatimata decided she wanted to paint my toenails bright bright red!