A Passport for an 8-Month Old???

Count me among those who think that having a passport for an 8-month old infant is kind of silly. The main reason I think it's ridiculous is that we had to take him to get passport photos yesterday, and the passport for a child is good for FIVE years. That means that when he is 5 1/2 years old, he will still have his 8-month old picture in his passport! Now that is just crazy. He will hardly even be recognizable by his picture, and we'll probably get stopped by customs in every country we visit; he kinda looks like an international man of mystery, you know.

Anyways, we're sending in his passport application today, not because we think it's terribly necessary, but because some "wise" government official thinks it is. A social security card would suffice; maybe even his birth certificate; but alas, we're spending another 60-something bucks so that Caden can have his picture on a piece of laminated paper for international travel. Oh well, at least he's adorable!

Bummer

Togo lost today to Switzerland, 2-0, officially eliminating them from the tournament. They didn't play well, but Switzerland was clearly the better team. Let's just hope that Togo can build on this World Cup experience and come back better prepared to compete in 2010.

There is still one important game remaining, however. In an interesting twist of fate, Togo's next game is against one of their imperialist colonizers, the French! Go Hawks!

We're Pulling for Ghana Today

Not only will it help the U.S. team if the Ghanaians can beat the Czech Republic today, but we just generally want to pull for the West African nations. Ghana is the best of them, and if the U.S. doesn't advance, we hope that Ghana can as a consolation prize.

As I write, Ghana is up 1-0 on a quick goal by Asamoah. Bringing it West Africa style baby!


UPDATE: Ghana added another goal for a 2-0 victory! Plus the U.S. is currently tied 1-1 with Italy, and they're a man up for the rest of the game!

Togo World Cup Update

Well, even though we lost 2-1 to the Koreans, it was a valiant effort. When you're leading 1-0 at halftime, it's a little disappointing to lose, but after going a man down when Abalo received his 2nd yellow card, I figured we were finished. The Koreans are just too skilled and experienced to hold off when you're playing with only 10 men.

So who's to blame? Not Mohamed Kader. He scored a brilliant goal on a hard grounder that barely hit the post before finding the back of the net. (This pic is the team celebrating Kader's goal. Gotta love it!) If there is any blame to go around, it falls on Togo's soccer federation for causing all of the chaos in the days before the match. You're in the World Cup for the first time ever; NOW PAY YOUR PLAYERS!!! Seriously, just getting there was huge, because many people, Americans especially, have never even heard of Togo. These players fought hard to give their country some world recognition, and they are rewarded with a contract squabble. Anyways...

The Togolese definitely played with more heart than the U.S. team. That game was an embarressment, but this is our AFRICA blog, and we will not speak of such things here.

Togo's next match is against Switzerland on June 19th. It's a winnable game for them if they can just focus. Switzerland is just so...neutral. Prediction: Togo 3, Switzerland 2. Go Hawks!!!

Prayer Answer

We received a very generous donation from the Bell Trust while we were away in California. Thanks for your prayers on this matter! We thank God for trusting us with so much...