We have been cooking the grains for the weaning mix since 6:30 this morning. We are making a triple batch so it is taking an extra long time to get it cooked; at least we are not cooking with firewood. The gas cooker is working wonderfully well. At 3:30 this afternoon we turned off the cooker because we had to go out to Kulkpeni to pay the workers that are making the bath houses. While we were out there Kenneth, the man we buy the formula and baby cereal from called and said that he was in Yendi and our order was ready to be picked up. We had to go back to the mission house to get the money. With all the road construction around the market it took us a little while to figure out where his truck was parked. While we were in the market we bought more canned tomatoes for the seminar and another case of spaghetti. We bought some last week but we did not have the list with us so I was just guessing how much we needed.
While we were in town we stopped at the vet’s office and got de-wormer for Skeeter. We want to worm him before we leave for the states.
A strange case came to the Child Center this morning. A woman named Rafia brought a child that appeared to be about 8 or 9 years old. As soon as we saw the child we could tell that he had some sort of neurological problems; his head bobbed continually. A little something was going on with his gait. Rafia said that the child was not her child. She said that one day he just appeared at her house and stayed with her. She said that she felt pity for the child; she could tell that something was not just right with the child and she started taking care of him. After a little while she decided that if she was going to keep taking care of the child she needed to investigate and see if she could find the parents of the child. By and by she found the family of the child on the father’s side. The child’s father had died and the mother remarried to another man and left the child in the care of his father’s people. Rafia then got the history of the child. She said the child had been hit by a motorcycle and sent to Yendi hospital. The child had head trauma but his head was not bleeding. The child was transferred to Tamale. The neurologist did x-rays and exams and determined that the child had excess fluid on his brain and needed to have a shunt. The neurologist told the family that if they could find some money he could do the surgery. The surgeon warned them that if they did not do the surgery the child would suffer neurological problems and that it would be cheaper and they would have a better outcome if they did the surgery as soon as possible. The child’s father was already dead and the family did not have any money for the operation so they took the child from the hospital and went home against medical advice.
The family said that the child is a wanderer; he will walk away and not be seen or heard of for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. They were perfectly happy for Rafia to have the child and take care of him. He obviously loves her because he never tries to wander off; he always stays close to her. Once Rafia got the details of what happened to the child she took him back to the hospital in Tamale and took him to the same doctor. The doctor still had the records and the original x-rays. He was able to show Rafia where the excess fluid was in the child’s brain. The surgeon said that he still needs the operation to put in the shunts and the sooner it can be done the better for the child; he is afraid that the longer they wait the more damage there will be. The child’s name is Abdul Mumin Shaheed but his local name is Dintag which means “It Will Change”. Abdul can walk, talk and answer questions appropriately; he is a lovely child. He does not go to school because Rafia is afraid he will wander off and get lost. The doctor wrote a letter for Rafia to distribute for donations for the surgery. She started raising money last week and already has 2,500 of the 14,500 that is needed for the surgery. Steve promised them ½ of the money. Rafia was excited about the gift. She is going to go around and see how much more she can get. Steve also gave her money to fuel her motorcycle to make it easier for her to get from place to place. Of course we will help with additional money if she is not able to raise all of the money.
Thank you for your love, prayers and support.
In HIS Service,
Steve, Kandie and Skeeter
The Monkeyshines
Mom and Dad went back to that nasty vet’s office again today to get me worm medicine. I keep telling them that I do not have worms but obviously they do not believe me! Mom says, “A healthy monkey is a happy monkey!” I am perfectly happy unless they leave me behind and that is not my fault!
Mom caught Donkey giving me a piece of a Kola nut this morning. He munches on them all the time. They are full of caffeine; students and drivers that want to stay up all night eat the Kola nuts! This afternoon I was so wild that I could not even sit still; Dad wanted to know what was wrong with me; when he found out that Donkey was feeding me Kola nut he was not happy! He said that they were not good for full grown people much less a tiny little monkey like me! They are going to tell him not to give me any more of the Kola nuts. I sort of like being hyper!
I climbed up in another tree with my leash on; Mom was right there with me she was putting food in the food dish of my jail cell. When she looked around I had climbed up high and gotten my leash tangled in the branches. She had to stand on the root of the tree on her tippy toes to reach the clasp on the leash. She got me free but she could not reach the leash. Dad brought the ladder and got the leash untangled.
No Caffeine for Monkeys!
Love, Skeeter
