While we were working in the Child Center this morning we got a visit from a young man that was setting himself up in a small business giving out micro loans to the women in and around his community. He was looking for a sponsor; we did not bite but we gave him an ear full! He tried to present his business as a means of helping the women make Shea Butter but really it was just a way for him to make money. He charges them 10% interest on loans that have to be paid back in 1 month. Seems like a pretty lucrative deal! These loans he is giving the women are only a stepping stone to a bigger business he wants to start; he wants to start importing Massey Ferguson tractors.
The aged aunt of the teenage boy who got a gunshot wound to his hip last year during the Durbar festival borrowed the money for the second operation to remove the pins and plates that are holding his leg together. We had her come to the mission house this afternoon and we fixed it so the boy could get the surgery without her going into debt. She was so grateful; she got on her hands and knees to thank us for the gift. She does not work and she had no idea how she was going to repay the money. Zorash was happy too because she stood for a guarantee for the woman’s loan. My brother had given us some discretionary money and we thought this was a good way to use part of the money.
The ladies got the corn and soybeans roasted this morning. When they finished we took it straight to the grinding mill. We also took the peanuts that were roasted before we left for the states and had the peanuts ground into PPP (peanut protein paste) for the malnourished children. I put the peanuts in the freezer so the bugs would not get in them. Zorash was sure that the peanuts could not be ground into paste because I froze them. I took them out of the freezer several days ago to come back to room temperature. She insisted that they had to be re-roasted before they would turn into paste. How silly is that? What could they turn into besides paste if they put it through the paste grinding machine? I did not let her re-roast all the peanuts; I held some back just to prove to her that they would turn into paste. Oh! How the ladies were talking behind my back about the peanuts. Well, guess what? We ran the ones I reserved through the machine first and SURPRISE they turned into peanut butter! Zorash said, “You have won!” In fact the ones that had not been cooked twice made a smoother peanut butter than the twice cooked ones.
It is almost time for Bible study so I will close for now. Take care and thank you for the love, prayers and support.
In HIS Service,
Steve and Kandie
