Today was a holiday; “May Day”. I guess that other places in the world celebrate May Day as a national holiday but I don’t know where they are. Ghana loves holidays so they celebrate Christian holidays, Islamic holidays, Ghanaian holidays and any other holiday they can shove into their calendar. Please don’t tell them about “Ground Hog Day” or they will be closing the banks, school, and government offices for that holiday too! Ha!
Since today is a national holiday the workers had the day off and the Child Center was closed. To be quite honest we enjoyed the quietness of the compound! Steve started writing the monthly report and I sat entering receipts and getting the Withholding tax sheet ready to send to the IRS office tomorrow. Yes, I know that I told you we had finished the Annual returns but it was a lie! We found a mistake on the Child Center’s Annual return last night so we had to prepare an amended return. Yesterday was the last day to file the Annual returns so we were happy that we found the mistake. Now we are back to working on the monthly tax stuff.
This afternoon we gathered up some food items and items of clothing and took them to the lepers. Many times they are forgotten and it had been a while since we had taken them a gift. Today they got 5 pounds of rice, a liter of cooking oil, canned tomato paste, onions, bouillon cubes, a shirt and a ball cap. They were so pleased with the gift and even more pleased that someone thought about them.
Steve had to work on the cot that the new watchman is going to sleep on. The metal frame at the top of the cot had broken. The cot is made out of 1 inch square metal tubing. Steve figured out a very good way to fix it. We had thought of welding it but the material that the bed is woven in is some sort of plastic/ nylon rope. We knew that if we welded it the sparks would melt the rope. Steve drilled a hole in the end of the square pipe at the angle; then he drove a piece of ½ rebar through the square pipe. When we got to the break we pried up on it and the rebar went all the way through. Something else might break on that cot but it will not be the part Steve fixed!
We forgot to tell you that yesterday when we were visiting the chief at Yawondo a woman came rushing by; it was obvious that she was in a great hurry. Even though she was in a hurry it would have been bad form if she had not stopped to greet the chief and his visitors. She was one of the church members; she apologized for not being able to come to worship because one of the women had delivered just now and it was her job to bathe the baby. She said the woman had not delivered in the house; she had delivered in the bush when she went to use the bathroom. She said that she found the woman and brought her and the baby back to the house. She was going to her house to get the special clay pot that the midwives use to bathe the babies. There is no telling how many babies this pot has seen.
Steve is outside with Kwabena, the new watchman showing him around the property, showing him where he will be staying and where he will keep his stuff. Steve gave him a flashlight, a machete (cutlass), rain jacket and cot. Kwabena asked if he was allowed to bring his slingshot with him to work; he said he was very good with a slingshot. Of course it is allowed as long as he does not feel the urge to shoot the birds; especially the owls. They like to eat all sorts of birds and the owls are big. He is free to all the rats he cares to kill!
Thank you for everything! We appreciate your help!
In His Service,
Steve and Kandie
