Guest Author: Jordan Taylor
This morning was relatively normal. Work at the feeding clinic went well. Word had gotten around that we were giving a set of clothes to those who came, so things were busier than usual. In total we saw 141 babies, which was a good increase from the 92 we saw yesterday. A grandmother brought her infant grandchild. The child’s mother had abandoned them, so she was coming for help. We put the baby on formula and told the grandmother to return every week for more formula, and she will continue to get formula until the child is 6 months old. Then the baby will be transitioned over to Cerelac, which is a mixture of cereal and formula. At that time the baby will begin to eat soft foods from home. At 10 months the baby will be transitioned to multivitamins and weaning mix, which is a mixture of ground roasted corn, soybeans, and sugar, which the caregiver will cook to make porridge. At that time the baby will also begin to eat regular soft table foods. They will be welcome to continue getting weaning mix and vitamins as needed. Thanks to all of you who give money for the babies and for this work!
We set out to greet a few of the area chiefs before lunch. We took Iddrisu and Nazo. Before we set out, Mom had an interesting discussion with them. Mom was asking how much cola (monetary gift) was appropriate. Dad had suggested 300 cedis (around $25 US). Iddrisu said that an odd number was not good. Mom tried to explain that 300 is an even number, but Iddrisu was focused on the 3 at the beginning, not the 00 at the end. Moving past the technical discussion of odd and even numbers, Iddrisu explained why it was bad style to give an odd number by using yams to illustrate. He said that if someone gives you 3 yams, you will not get yams for many years. But if he gives you an even number of yams like 2 or 4, then more will come soon. You probably will not be surprised to know that Mom and Dad settled on the even number of 400 cedis ($32).
Our aim was to visit three of the area chiefs, but we were able to see only one, as the others were otherwise occupied. The chief we visited was actually one of the very few female chiefs in Ghana. She is an elderly lady who is a relative of the Ya-Na. She had a newly-built palace that was made of multiple mud-brick walls and mud-brick round-houses with shiny new tin-sheet roofs. After taking off our shoes, one of her elders led us inside. We greeted her. We handed the 400 cedis to Iddrisu, Iddrisu handed the cedis to one of her elders, and the elder then told the chief of our gift. She thanked us and gave us a blessing. After a bit of talking back and forth between one of the elders, he mentioned that the chief was looking to build a pavilion so she can go outside and be protected from the sun. Dad said he would be happy to give her 1000 cedis ($80). She was pleased with the gift.
When we returned to the compound, we had only around 30 minutes to eat lunch before we were to head out at 2:30 for our second day of VBS at Jagrido. Earlier in the day we had helped Mom in the kitchen to prepare a Cantonese beef noodle soup that is very similar to Vietnamese pho soup. It did not take us long to set the table and enjoy the soup, which was marvelous!
Once we finished lunch, we piled into the van and again picked up Zorash, Timothy, and Abigail and made our way to Jagrido. To get to Jagrido, we have about 5 miles of paved road before turning off onto a dirt road into the bush for another 5 or 6 miles. The VBS was very similar to yesterday’s activities with one key exception. I continued my lesson on how the Bible works together, but I finished early so the teens and adults would have time to join the children to color. Mom, Charity, Faith, and Lindsay continued with the story of Moses, this time focusing on the 10 plagues. After I finished, the teenagers and adults joined the children as they colored. I believe the older ones might have had even more fun than the children! It is amazing to see the pleasure such simple things can bring to these people who have so little.
Once VBS ended we made our way back to the compound. Because we did not have time to prepare dinner, we picked up a few things on the way in: 3 grilled guinea fowl, 2 pineapples, 3 loaves of bread, and kenke (soured ground corn that has been cooked). The grilled guinea fowl, pineapples, and bread were quite tasty. I haven’t tasted the kenke yet, but I don’t think the prospects are looking very good based on the description. Haha! Oh, I almost forgot that we also picked up a few pieces of grilled beef. When Mom passed it around, Lindsay bit off a piece, began to chew, and said, “This must have been an old cow.” I thought surely it could not be that bad. I was writing and did not want to dirty my hands, so I had her give me a bite. I tried biting the meat in two, and I pulled with my teeth as she pulled with the fork. It stretched to double its length, and I was worried I was going to rip out my incisors. I declared, “This meat had already turned to beef jerky.” I eventually was successful at taking a bite, but I chewed on it for at least 10 minutes, maybe longer, before I finally gave up on it and put it in the dust bin. I’m sure my jaw will be sore tomorrow.
Currently it is 10:00 PM, so I am going to call it a night.
Please continue to pray for us!
In His service,
Jordan and Lindsay Taylor
Charity and Faith Holladay
Steve and Kandie Taylor
