Greetings from Togo!
These past five weeks since arriving back in Togo have flown by, and we are feeling settled in now and back to our everyday routine. When we arrived, the dust from harmattan (a season of extreme dust from the Sahara) was amazingly thick, however, it has now past and the heat of dry season is quickly taking over. The thermometers in our kitchen and bedroom have already reached into the 90s and this is just the start of it. Each season here comes with its pros and cons, and one great thing about the hot season is less mosquitoes (hence less risk of malaria), which is a huge blessing, especially with our little Eli still a baby.
The very night we arrived back in Kara, Pastor Tom Messer of our sending church, Trinity Baptist in Jacksonville, FL, came to our home for supper. He was in our city for just a couple of days, but what an honor it was to host him; as he has been a spiritual mentor of ours for almost 17 years now. It was really neat to have him here aa we enjoy so much having loved ones from back home over on our side of the pond.
We have been able to visit both of the village churches since coming back. The dear people of Tchandida were very excited to meet Eli, and the chief of the village wanted his turn holding our little man. Jon was happy to introduce his BOY to the church family as seen in the picture below. With a family of six now, and three car seats in the backseat of our truck, Abby has no choice but to be up front between me and Jon for outings with the family. Thankfully, the truck is equipped with six seat belts, and though it’s a bit snug, we make it work okay when traveling as a family. The picture below was taken on our way home from church, where Jon sweetly had his arm around Abby. 
Our children are all doing well and feeling at home back in Togo. Abby is busy with her schoolwork, and we’ve been enjoying some fun things in science like the experiment below when studying sound and pitch. Spending some time with other missionary children has been a real treat for her, both up north in Mango, and even down south where we spent several days last week. Doing a Skype call with her 4th grade class back in Florida on their 100th day of school was really special for Abby. She thinks of them often, and it was fun to “see” her classmates and be able to ask them questions.
Annabelle and Emma are becoming a good little team doing chores like setting the table, and Annabelle is a big help playing with Emma during periods of schoolwork where I really need to assist Abby. Emma enjoys helping me with Eli’s bath time and also in the kitchen. Eli is now four months old and at the mercy of his sisters, who love to try new things with him, like stuffing him in the pillowcase pictured below. He’s a happy little guy most of the time and likes to be where he can see what is going on. He had his first little swim in the pool yesterday and seemed to like the refreshment it provided.
Jon has been working hard to research and talk to contacts concerning the steps needed to be taken for the orphanage. We have a good Togolese mediator who is working with the government in Lomé to do the proper paperwork and make things official. Jon sure enjoys spending lots of time with the girls and has set aside time each day to read some of their favorite books to them out loud. Though Jon enjoys reading, I know it’s only because of his love for them that he is reading books such as Little Women and American Girl.
We are staying busy and enjoying being back in Togo. Thank you all for the love, prayers and encouragement you give to our family. We thank God for the wonderful friendships He has given us with so many of you!
THE HUFFS IN TOGO 