Steve is outside checking the truck to make sure that it is ready to go to the bush in the morning. Earlier he filled it with diesel; he has to top it up each week before we leave because the gas gauge stopped working years ago; we would hate to run out of diesel out in the middle of nowhere! He also put a bench together and got it loaded. The benches are just a plank of 1×12 that has a couple legs attached. There are no backs on these benches. Many of the people bring their own chairs or benches when they come for worship. They would not know what to do with the church buildings and padded pew we have in the states!
The electricity has been on and off all day. We have had to run the generator more than half the day, at least we have no idea what they are doing. Someone said that the transformer for our area blew a few days ago; it is possible that they connected our area to another transformer and it is easily overloaded causing the power outages.
Zorash called first thing this morning to let us know that the lady had prepared ½ of the Shea butter we ordered. We usually buy 2 types, one that is just natural and one that has been dyed yellow; the natural cream colored one was ready for us to pick up today. The Shea butter is dyed with the roots of one of the bushes that grows wild in the bush. Because of the effort it takes to find, harvest, clean and pound the roots the cost of the yellow is higher than the naturally cream colored one. When we went to Zorash’s house to pick up the Shea butter we took 2 ½ gallon buckets with us to put the Shea butter in. The ladies that make the Shea butter pack it in huge calabash gourds that have been cut in half. We could take the butter in the calabash to the mission house and keep the calabash until we used up the Shea butter but if it gets very hot in the house the Shea butter will start to melt and that is a mess! We prefer to put it in a bucket with a lid. The Shea butter looked nice but the ladies are complaining that this year the Shea nut trees did not produce like they have in past years. Part of that is because the women are cutting the Shea nut trees for firewood. They can’t have firewood and Shea nuts.
We saw Mr. Iddrisu out in his field the other day. We watched him carefully because we were afraid that he was going to bend over to pick the tomatoes instead of squatting. We were prepared to remind him about the danger of bending but he did good. He had also planted some hot peppers so I picked a couple to eat with my supper.
We had gone to the back field to poison the termite mound again. This must have been a huge colony of termites because this is the third time we have poisoned them. Steve also had to poison some bees that swarmed and were making a hive in the bottom of the metal storage container that we keep lumber, wire and such things in. It is too dangerous to have them living in the container.
Enjoy your day!
In His Service,
Steve and Kandie
