Did I tell you that about 3 days ago we heard a big boom and the lights flickered once and then went off. We suspected that it was a transformer. We had no lights all night and still no lights the next day. Steve called someone from the electric company to make a complaint and put in a work order. Later in the day we found out that indeed it was the transformer that supplies power to our area that blew up. They said that they were trying to find another transformer but we are still without power. We are proud that we have the generator! This morning shortly after we finished our walk the generator started making an awful noise! Steve dashed out and turned it off only to discover that the pressure hose that feeds fuel into the generator had a terrible leak! Steve said that the hose was a special hose and he doubted that they could find one in Yendi. We were worried that we would be spending hot nights and dark days with no generator. Steve called Gomda the mechanic because the generator is run by a diesel engine. Gomda was not able to come to check it for a couple hours. While we waited for him I moved my cutting table outside and spent the time cutting up fabric scraps. Steve decided to work outside too; he finished pruning all the bushes around the mission house and the Child Center. When Gomda came he said that there were no compatible hoses in Yendi but he knew a man that made custom hoses and he would have one made and change out connectors too. About an hour later Gomda returned with the new hose, installed it and presto-bango we were once again powered up! What a blessing the generator is. The clinic near the mission house has been running their generator too. Steve went over and asked them if the electric company had given them any information but they had not. We sort of thought a medical facility might carry more weight than we do.
Mr. Iddrisu told us this morning that his wife’s father died and that he needed money to send for the funeral. We have learned to investigate and find out exactly who really died because they call their uncles father or senior father or junior father. They call their cousins their brothers and their aunt and sister wives their mothers. They also call their brother’s wives their wife and the women call their sister’s husbands their husband. It is all very confusing! The man that died is really Mr. Iddrisu’s wife’s uncle by marriage; would that be an uncle-in-law? I said all that to say that Mr. Iddrisu is going to have to work lots of overtime and days off to get the money to help with the funeral. We hate it for him but he said there is nothing else he can do; it is a force for him to support the funeral.
When Steve went to town a little while ago to get diesel for the generator and the truck he said that the town was polluted with people; mostly children. He said everyone was dressed up and headed to the palace to dance. Today is the final day of the Damba festival and the people are supposed to dance all night. About 10 minutes ago it started raining heavily. Steve said, “Well, this is going to stop the dancing tonight!”
Please keep us and the work in your prayers.
In HIS Service,
Steve, Kandie and Skeeter
The Monkeyshines
Do you know what Banana Bread is? Have you ever eaten Banana Bread? I had Banana Bread for the first time today and it is my new favorite food! When we were without electricity this morning Mom and I went in the kitchen with a flashlight (there are no windows in the kitchen) and she started peeling and mashing the over ripe bananas; let’s call it like it is, she started peeling the rotten bananas that I refused to eat! I was sitting on her shoulder while she worked. Those bananas were pretty disgusting! I hopped down on the counter and smelled them while she was working on them and they were still uneatable! It only took her a few minutes to mix up the Banana Bread and pop it in the oven. Thankfully the oven is gas so we can still eat when the electricity is off! Soon the kitchen filled with a wonderful aroma! After the bread came out of the oven we had to wait for it to cool off before we could eat it! We ate it while it was still warm! I had another piece with my lunch! If Mom can fix something like Banana Bread, why in the world does she keep trying to make me eat bugs?
Banana Bread Rocks!
Love, Skeeter
