Dawda, the mason, thinks that he will be able to finish the building tomorrow. We sure hope so! It is looking good. Someone that reads the Yendi Notes wanted to know why we were building the buildings. According to traditional land laws if you buy land you have to develop it or the Ya-Naa (king) can take it away from you and give it to someone else. The mission property is about 12 acres which is a sizable plot of land especially by Ghanaian standards. When my dad bought the land he started with 6 acres but he was not able to get a good well on that 6 acres so he bought an additional 6 acres so he would have a place to drill. He drilled on this property 6 or 7 times before they got water. It was only 3 or 4 years before the well went dry and we started harvesting rain water. Twenty-three years ago when my dad bought the first piece of land the land was 2 miles out of town and no one lived around them. They were actually “in the bush.” People used to make fun of him and ask why he wanted to live in the bush. Well guess what? The town has come to us. There are houses all around the mission house and people are struggling for land to build on. We don’t want the land to be taken away. I say “we” but the land does not belong to our family anymore. When my parents died they willed the land to the elders at West Hobbs Street to ensure that the work would continue as long as possible. If we are able to secure a 50 year lease on the property it will be very difficult for anyone to take the land away.
Mr. Iddrisu was not at work today because his nephew that he has raised has a new baby and today was the naming ceremony for the baby. Nazo had to stay until the workers went home. When we went back to the job site to pay the day laborers a lady passed through that was selling sliced watermelon. Steve bought watermelon for all the workers; you would have thought that it was Christmas! It was a nice treat after working in the heat all day! Red, the guy that drives for us, was at the job site so he enjoyed the watermelon too.
The ladies that work here helped us make diaper rash ointment and sulfur ointment this morning. I hate the smell of the sulfur ointment but the mothers like it. Both of the ointments are Shea butter based.
It is almost time for Bible study so I will close for now. Have a great day!
In His Service,
Steve and Kandie
