Dawda, the mason came this morning to finish the sidewalk and build a dam at the end to divert the water. For a while I have been thinking that I would like to have a small set of stairs against the cement wall on the east side of the property. The wall is so tall that we cannot see over it. That is a good thing because if we cannot see over it the folks on the other side of the wall cannot see over either but from time to time I would like to see what is going on outside of the compound. The West side of the wall is like a picket fence that is made of cement so it is easy to see the “goings on” on that side of the wall. The job that we had for Dawda today was just a small job so we asked him to build us some cement steps that are attached to the cement wall. He was more than happy to have the work. We are now the proud owners of not one but two sets of steps. The steps will also be a benefit for the night watchmen. Imagine if they hear a ruckus or someone calling for help or another watchman shouting “Thief” they can hop up on the steps and see what is going on without having to open the gate! Dawda’s helper thought it was the best idea ever! He said, “ Sister Kandie think fast!” Nazo, Iddrisu and Red all thought it was a great idea and would add an additional layer of security.
We are not all that pleased with the way the sidewalk turned out but what can we say; it is set in “stone”; actually cement and there is no going back now. It had some problems before but today was icing on the cake; the 3 inch cement border turned into a 6 inch border so ¼ of the sidewalk has a 6 inch border and the rest has a 3 inch border. When I walked out and saw them working on it I asked, “How did the 3 inches turn into 6 inches?” They all assured me that it was the same as the other sidewalk and that it was straight. There is nothing straight about that sidewalk! At least it will be free of dirt when it rains.
We spent the morning with Zorash and the other ladies that work for the Child Center trying to get all the documentation that the Social Security office is asking for. Each employee is supposed to fill out their own forms and appoint a beneficiary for their contributions in the event they should die. Well, some of the employees cannot read or write so filling out the forms is left to us. The forms ask for digital address, street names, house numbers, name of parents, Ghana card numbers, Social Security Numbers, Enterprise personal identification numbers and a host of other stuff. The whole thing makes me have heart palpitations! Ha!
We told the employees the information that they needed to bring to us tomorrow; we will have to wait and see if they bring what the forms ask for. We tried to give Mr. Iddrisu a list of what he needed to bring but it was lunch time and he was too interested in getting something to eat than to listen to us.
Please keep us and the work in your prayers.
In HIS Service,
Steve and Kandie
