{"id":3451,"date":"2015-02-02T11:02:58","date_gmt":"2015-02-02T11:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/?p=3451"},"modified":"2015-02-02T11:02:58","modified_gmt":"2015-02-02T11:02:58","slug":"our-first-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/2015\/02\/02\/our-first-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Our First Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tomorrow marks 1 month since we arrived here. \u00a0Our transition back has gone smoother than I thought it would. \u00a0Today I thought I would share some of the ways God blessed us this month.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We are beyond blessed to live with family here. \u00a0It was amazing to come home and have family here to greet us. \u00a0We left one set of grandparents in the states, but we returned here to one. \u00a0How much more spoiled could we be!\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3452\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3452\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8464.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3452\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8464-e1422871815267.jpg\" alt=\"Some might think we are crazy to live together, but what is not to like about this cute couple!\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3452\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some might think we are crazy to live together, but what is not to like about this cute couple!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>Walking back into church was such a blessing. \u00a0It is not a perfect church by any means, but it is our family here. \u00a0It felt good to be back among them serving alongside them.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3453\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3453\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8474-e1422872003512.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3453\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8474-e1422872003512.jpg\" alt=\"This was a picture of the joint service last Sunday of the two churches in town\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3453\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This was a picture of the joint service last Sunday of the two churches in town<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>We have been blessed by so many relationships here with dear friends that we have been able to just pick back up. \u00a0These are the people who have made it feel so much like home here.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3455\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3455\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8496-e1422872143762.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3455\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8496-e1422872143762.jpg\" alt=\"We have so many dear friends and it is so good to be back here with them.\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3455\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We have so many dear friends and it is so good to be back here with them.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>Although the boys were very anxious about leaving America, they have fit back into life here so quickly.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3454\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3454\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8476-e1422872260950.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3454\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8476-e1422872260950.jpg\" alt=\"Something that is always an encouragement to this mom's heart\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3454\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Something that is always an encouragement to this mom&#8217;s heart<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>A special Christmas present! \u00a0I came back, turned on the shower and was surprised by HOT water! \u00a0Like real hot water!\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3460\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3460\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/P1050083-e1422872623909.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3460\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/P1050083-e1422872623909.jpg\" alt=\"Our solar water heater, that Joel's dad installed.  Isn't it beautiful!?!\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3460\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our solar water heater, that Joel&#8217;s dad installed. Isn&#8217;t it beautiful!?!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>Confirmation that we love our ministry! \u00a0It is always crazy getting back in the grove of things after a 6 month time away, but we couldn&#8217;t help but be reminded this month that God has placed us in a ministry that is well suited for our gifts and we love it.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3462\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3462\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/10413400_10205264700033980_9068927611966765023_n1-e1422873799290.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3462\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/10413400_10205264700033980_9068927611966765023_n1-e1422873799290.jpg\" alt=\"This is the newest missionary that we welcomed to the field.  It is a pleasure to work alongside these new workers as they adapt to a new life and culture.\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3462\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is the newest missionary that we welcomed to the field. It is a pleasure to work alongside these amazing folks as they adapt to a new life and culture.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>It has been a great joy to reconnect with our team here in Dakar. \u00a0Some of the members of the team we haven&#8217;t seen for over a year as they were on furlough and returned during our furlough. \u00a0Saturday we brought the kids in to Dakar to let them reconnect with old friends.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3464\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3464\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/20150131_114106-e1422874407106.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3464\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/20150131_114106-e1422874407106.jpg\" alt=\"We did a special outing to a place with rides.  A much needed moment of smiles.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3464\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We did a special outing to a place with rides. A much needed moment of smiles.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>Coming back I realized how much our boys have grown up. \u00a0Sometimes it just hits you and this month it hit me.\n<figure id=\"attachment_3458\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3458\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/P1050080-e1422872742470.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3458\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/P1050080-e1422872742470.jpg\" alt=\"Ethan is not doing dishes on his own: washing, rinsing and drying.\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3458\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ethan is now doing dishes on his own: washing, rinsing and drying.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3456\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3456\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8524-e1422872804189.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3456\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8524-e1422872804189.jpg\" alt=\"Tyler is building lego sets all on his own.  \" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3456\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tyler is building lego sets all on his own.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>The exchange rate has been highly in our favor recently. \u00a0This means that we have even more than we thought for our car purchase. \u00a0It is now just a matter of getting our money here and final negotiations, but we hope to have our car by the end of the month.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3457\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3457\" style=\"width: 334px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8529-e1422872971524.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3457\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/DSC_8529-e1422872971524.jpg\" alt=\"As our car has broken down a few times this month, we will appreciate our new one all the more.  Nothing but smiles here!\" width=\"334\" height=\"500\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3457\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">As our car has broken down a few times this month, we will appreciate our new one all the more. Nothing but smiles here!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>We left not really knowing what our support would look like, but knowing God would be faithful. \u00a0This past month we have gotten emails and indications of our support increasing and we can&#8217;t help but praise God. \u00a0We have such an amazing team!\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3459\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3459\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/P1050081-e1422873170705.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3459\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/02\/P1050081-e1422873170705.jpg\" alt=\"Thank you for being a part of our ministry.  We are truly blessed!\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3459\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thank you for being a part of our ministry. We are truly blessed!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tomorrow marks 1 month since we arrived here. \u00a0Our transition back has gone smoother than I thought it would. \u00a0Today I thought I would share some of the ways God blessed us this month. &nbsp; We are beyond blessed to live with family here. \u00a0It was amazing to come home and have family here to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2545],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3451","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-updates-and-news","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3451\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}