Greetings...
After much research and personal experience we've decided that there are MANY types of heat.....just when you think it can't be worse than some other country, it is! It's just the end of spring, beginning of summer and I can only imagine what the next few months hold.
Did you know that pineapple plants (referred to as suckers) will grow with no dirt? Me neither, David has been in the midst of planting a huge pineapple plot on the grounds. First Step ordered a truck load of suckers from Ghana, they arrived and finally three weeks later will be planted. They still look really good, interesting.
We continue to marvel at the strong sense of community we see here. Walking/driving through a village or town, groups of people are seen everywhere talking and laughing. There are so many taxis here and as many struggling countries most of them are running on empty. Watching a taxi run out of gas, in the midst of traffic, the driver jumps out and before he can even begin to push there are a number of either school boys or pedestrians pushing his vehicle. No one asks for help, it's just a given, it will happen. Isn't that amazing??
A few weeks ago it was still cool in the mornings and I would wake and run to the bathroom window. There, outside gathered around the fire that the guard had built the night before, were all the neighbors kids. Oh I wish you could have seen them, adorable in tattered pjs with feet in them, knitted caps with ear flaps and big sweaters huddled around the fire laughing. It brought tears to my eyes. There is an old piece of a plastic tub that the kids tied a piece of rope to and they take turns pulling each other around. The rope breaks and they fix it, as the plastic breaks they just fit onto whats' left. This is their ONLY toy and they love it. Thomas and Janet, the two youngest, have stole my heart.
Something to share with you. While visiting the beach we observed two groups of men, about 1/2 mile away from each other, each group pulling on a rope. What we didn't realize is that the men were working together to bring in one massive net. The men had "dug" into the sand and one man continually chants "pull, pull, pull". At the end of each line on the beach a man sat and coiled the rope as they pulled it in. David decided to go help, which they were thrilled with an extra hand, but after 15 minutes he was exhausted. The men continued (in unison) to pull for almost two hours towards the end they began to move closer together and the net (handmade) appeared, it contained hundreds of crabs, jellyfish, and small and large ocean fish. Then the task of sorting the fish to keep, killing the jellyfish (they just step on them??) and out of nowhere materialized women with baskets to sort and fill to take to market. The men laid the net out and began checking for holes to be repaired. The rope that was coiled....was about 3 feet tall when they finished, David guessed it as probably 1/2-3/4 mile long on each side. They use two small wooden fishing boats to take the net out early in the morning and drop it. We enjoyed talking with them and truly appreciated how hard they worked.
We are feeling like we belong, again... God has a wonderful way of providing just what we need when we need it the most! We have been blessed with a wonderful family of expatriates that have made us feel so welcome. There are about twenty five adults and ten children. They have experienced the "newbie" feelings we are having and have provided such a strong support system for us. Each Thursday the ladies meet for bible study and I'm excited that from now on I will be able to join them each week. I also hope to begin volunteering at a secondary school one or two days a week as a teachers' aide.
Please keep my knitting/sewing group in your prayers, this coming Monday is our first official class. The ladies came over today and I was able to meet them. So happy that one of the women speaks English very well. We will start with dishcloths and progress from there... Remember Siniba, Abebatu, Ramatu, Fatimata and Koni in your prayers. The yarn is spun, the needles are paired and David will "build" the classroom this weekend. It will consist of a big tarp overhang on the house but as long as it provides shade... I'm really excited, the class will be four hours long with a time for sharing and bible verses.
David is very busy on site. A solar powered system is currently being installed to pump water. The cost of diesel fuel to run everything, since no electric power is available, can be crippling. As is every country we've been to, David is loving the kids and the vendors. He loves to barter and when they see him coming... I'm not sure who enjoys it more, the vendor or David. There is a new tenant coming to visit this week, and things are progressing well. There is talk of an additional, much larger site, for one company and that would mean a lot more work!
Just felt led to tell you, we think of all of you at different times during the day or week. Tonight while sitting on the front step I looked down and noticed Davids' sandals (thank you Leland of Frontline) still going strong and my skirt, a left behind item from darling Stacey, an IWU nursing student in Zambia. Then I walk in the house to begin dinner and pick up a big ziploc bag with my good friend Williams' (Cypress) name on it. It contained a change of clothing for him that was stashed in someone elses' bag in case he never got his bag. I cherish all those memories. My mother must be so proud, to think I have "owned" and taken care of the same bag for four years!!! One can never dispose of a good clean "baggy", they are too valuable on the field.
We had to make a quick trip back to Michigan last month. David began experiencing problems with his left eye. He's never had any eye problems, so it was pretty scary. After two retina specialists consults, they diagnosed a bleed in his retina. He was given an injection in his eye(OUCH!) and told he should have one a month for three months. The Dr. said it looked like the first one may have taken care of the problem and released him. We were worried but kept putting it into Gods' hands. Only a select few retina specialists know how to administer this shot. This past weekend while visiting with our expat family they introduced us to an eye Dr. and his family from England, and he has been trained to administer those shots. Can you believe it?? In Sierra Leone, halfway around the world????? God is so good!
A devotional to share...God has really been providing comfort to us as we settle in. Taken from Romans, Corinthians and Genesis.. "I am with you and for you. You face nothing alone - nothing! When you feel anxious, know that you are focusing on the visible world and leaving Me out of the picture. The remedy is simple: Fix your eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen.....But you can find Me only in the present. Each day is a precious gift from My Father. How ridiculous to grasp for future gifts when today's is set before you!...As you savor this gift, you find Me." This really hit home for me, I need to stay in today. When we arrived I was ready to do everything, at once! I know I have to step back, appreciate what I can do today and not constantly fret about what I'm not doing. All in His time, not mine. I'm willing so when He is ready, it will happen.
Thank you for walking the road with us....
Blessings,
Mr. David and Mrs. Beth
Prayer requests:
Davids' eye continues to heal
Funding for the Jesus film project
Additional new tenants for the zone
Sewing/knitting class success
Beths' confidence in sharing her walk
Our funding will climb back to 100%
Praises:
All of the paragraphs above:)
After much research and personal experience we've decided that there are MANY types of heat.....just when you think it can't be worse than some other country, it is! It's just the end of spring, beginning of summer and I can only imagine what the next few months hold.
Did you know that pineapple plants (referred to as suckers) will grow with no dirt? Me neither, David has been in the midst of planting a huge pineapple plot on the grounds. First Step ordered a truck load of suckers from Ghana, they arrived and finally three weeks later will be planted. They still look really good, interesting.
We continue to marvel at the strong sense of community we see here. Walking/driving through a village or town, groups of people are seen everywhere talking and laughing. There are so many taxis here and as many struggling countries most of them are running on empty. Watching a taxi run out of gas, in the midst of traffic, the driver jumps out and before he can even begin to push there are a number of either school boys or pedestrians pushing his vehicle. No one asks for help, it's just a given, it will happen. Isn't that amazing??
A few weeks ago it was still cool in the mornings and I would wake and run to the bathroom window. There, outside gathered around the fire that the guard had built the night before, were all the neighbors kids. Oh I wish you could have seen them, adorable in tattered pjs with feet in them, knitted caps with ear flaps and big sweaters huddled around the fire laughing. It brought tears to my eyes. There is an old piece of a plastic tub that the kids tied a piece of rope to and they take turns pulling each other around. The rope breaks and they fix it, as the plastic breaks they just fit onto whats' left. This is their ONLY toy and they love it. Thomas and Janet, the two youngest, have stole my heart.
Something to share with you. While visiting the beach we observed two groups of men, about 1/2 mile away from each other, each group pulling on a rope. What we didn't realize is that the men were working together to bring in one massive net. The men had "dug" into the sand and one man continually chants "pull, pull, pull". At the end of each line on the beach a man sat and coiled the rope as they pulled it in. David decided to go help, which they were thrilled with an extra hand, but after 15 minutes he was exhausted. The men continued (in unison) to pull for almost two hours towards the end they began to move closer together and the net (handmade) appeared, it contained hundreds of crabs, jellyfish, and small and large ocean fish. Then the task of sorting the fish to keep, killing the jellyfish (they just step on them??) and out of nowhere materialized women with baskets to sort and fill to take to market. The men laid the net out and began checking for holes to be repaired. The rope that was coiled....was about 3 feet tall when they finished, David guessed it as probably 1/2-3/4 mile long on each side. They use two small wooden fishing boats to take the net out early in the morning and drop it. We enjoyed talking with them and truly appreciated how hard they worked.
We are feeling like we belong, again... God has a wonderful way of providing just what we need when we need it the most! We have been blessed with a wonderful family of expatriates that have made us feel so welcome. There are about twenty five adults and ten children. They have experienced the "newbie" feelings we are having and have provided such a strong support system for us. Each Thursday the ladies meet for bible study and I'm excited that from now on I will be able to join them each week. I also hope to begin volunteering at a secondary school one or two days a week as a teachers' aide.
Please keep my knitting/sewing group in your prayers, this coming Monday is our first official class. The ladies came over today and I was able to meet them. So happy that one of the women speaks English very well. We will start with dishcloths and progress from there... Remember Siniba, Abebatu, Ramatu, Fatimata and Koni in your prayers. The yarn is spun, the needles are paired and David will "build" the classroom this weekend. It will consist of a big tarp overhang on the house but as long as it provides shade... I'm really excited, the class will be four hours long with a time for sharing and bible verses.
David is very busy on site. A solar powered system is currently being installed to pump water. The cost of diesel fuel to run everything, since no electric power is available, can be crippling. As is every country we've been to, David is loving the kids and the vendors. He loves to barter and when they see him coming... I'm not sure who enjoys it more, the vendor or David. There is a new tenant coming to visit this week, and things are progressing well. There is talk of an additional, much larger site, for one company and that would mean a lot more work!
Just felt led to tell you, we think of all of you at different times during the day or week. Tonight while sitting on the front step I looked down and noticed Davids' sandals (thank you Leland of Frontline) still going strong and my skirt, a left behind item from darling Stacey, an IWU nursing student in Zambia. Then I walk in the house to begin dinner and pick up a big ziploc bag with my good friend Williams' (Cypress) name on it. It contained a change of clothing for him that was stashed in someone elses' bag in case he never got his bag. I cherish all those memories. My mother must be so proud, to think I have "owned" and taken care of the same bag for four years!!! One can never dispose of a good clean "baggy", they are too valuable on the field.
We had to make a quick trip back to Michigan last month. David began experiencing problems with his left eye. He's never had any eye problems, so it was pretty scary. After two retina specialists consults, they diagnosed a bleed in his retina. He was given an injection in his eye(OUCH!) and told he should have one a month for three months. The Dr. said it looked like the first one may have taken care of the problem and released him. We were worried but kept putting it into Gods' hands. Only a select few retina specialists know how to administer this shot. This past weekend while visiting with our expat family they introduced us to an eye Dr. and his family from England, and he has been trained to administer those shots. Can you believe it?? In Sierra Leone, halfway around the world????? God is so good!
A devotional to share...God has really been providing comfort to us as we settle in. Taken from Romans, Corinthians and Genesis.. "I am with you and for you. You face nothing alone - nothing! When you feel anxious, know that you are focusing on the visible world and leaving Me out of the picture. The remedy is simple: Fix your eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen.....But you can find Me only in the present. Each day is a precious gift from My Father. How ridiculous to grasp for future gifts when today's is set before you!...As you savor this gift, you find Me." This really hit home for me, I need to stay in today. When we arrived I was ready to do everything, at once! I know I have to step back, appreciate what I can do today and not constantly fret about what I'm not doing. All in His time, not mine. I'm willing so when He is ready, it will happen.
Thank you for walking the road with us....
Blessings,
Mr. David and Mrs. Beth
Prayer requests:
Davids' eye continues to heal
Funding for the Jesus film project
Additional new tenants for the zone
Sewing/knitting class success
Beths' confidence in sharing her walk
Our funding will climb back to 100%
Praises:
All of the paragraphs above:)
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