Joel the hedgehog

so that's right...this is...well, was for a short time....our new pet. We were out talking to Colin a few nights go and some kid walked up and was like, hey there's a hedgehog over there. Then we were like, oh really? so we ambled over and quickly got excited when we saw it. Colin immediately decided to pick it up with his bare hands, calling it a "cute wee animal" and immediately suggesting that we name it Joel. We brought it in for a while, and though Colin informed us milk was the best thing to feed it, we soon learned online that they are lactose intolerant. nice. so we played with it for a while, which involved watching it curl up in a ball, trying to feed it a centipede and mushrooms, Colin repeatedly kissing and then regreting that, and watching it run around...after a while we decided to keep it in our neighbor, Hayley's garden (yard), which had a high cement fence and a gate. only later did we read online that they can apparently climb walls over a meter high or up houses, if they wedge themselves in between the wall and gutter. I am still doubtful and think he is hiding in there somewhere and we will find him soon. Poor Joel.

In less important news, things have been great in the past week, but are very busy now. The American team from Nashville arrived on Sunday and the Birmgingham UCF team on Monday. We have been splitting our time between those two teams, since the UCF team is working in Ballykeel this week and the Nashville team here in Dunclug. It has been very encouraging to see other Americans again, especially some of our friends from UCF, and to receive a few amenities, such as American peanut butter, measuring cups, black beans (for elizabeth), and my ab roller. so anyways, things are going great and it's late and I am exhausted and need to go to bed. So, this won't be that long, but I simply wanted you all to know what has been going on here. Please continue to pray for our work with the American teams, that the surplus in numbers will be beneficial in reaching more people and establishing new relationships, and then that we 4 will be able to follow up and build on those. The UCF team in particular will be here for a month, so we will be able to have a lot of interaction with them and be encouraged by their support and friendships. We love you all!