We have enjoyed showing the yam that looks like a hand and fingers to the people that have passed in and out of the compound today. Nazo was the first person to see it. He was the most amazed. He repeated over and over that it was a “terrible thing”! Nazo is very superstitious. It is because he was raised around all the traditional leaders and is tied heavily to the palace. Nazo is a Muslim so he is not allowed to participate in the pagan customs but that does not keep him from believing. Nazo then told us a story that his father told him. Nazo said that it was a true story. Nazo is probably close to 60 years old so you can imagine how old his father would have been. Nazo said that his father was in the field harvesting his yams. A single yam is planted in a yam mound that is about 3 feet high. The yam can grow to the top of the mound as well as to the bottom of the mound. These yams can grow up to 10 pounds. When the yam hits a stone it divides and makes fingers. Nazo’s father dug up a yam that looked exactly like a human being. It had a head, arms, legs and even had divots in the face that looked like eyes. Nazo’s father was so afraid of the yam that he ran away and left his farm. He ran to the Ya Na’s palace (King of this area) and told the Ya Na about the yam. The Ya Na consulted the traditional council and sent two men (Juju – Witchdoctors) with Nazo’s father to the farm to get the yam. When the yam was brought back everyone was amazed and afraid. The Juju man said that to save the people from the danger of the yam he would do the traditional things needed to protect the people and in addition he would not divide the yam and share it rather he would eat the whole yam himself and thus save the people from danger.
Mr. Oldman, our neighbor, stopped by for a visit and to give us a new soap dispenser for the Child Center. He said that the last time he washed his hands at the Child Center he noticed that the pump soap dispenser was about to break so he brought us a new one. Isn’t that sweet? Mr. Oldman took a picture of the hand shaped yam. He said, “God is wonderful!”
Red finished the metal windows for the church building at Niliyuundo and brought them to the mission house today. He even spray painted them. The church leader will pick them up when he comes to class at the end of the week.
The handicapped tricycles have arrived in Yendi; the ones that were bought at a salvage auction. Red already has one of them completed, painted and ready to go. It looks really good. Red did a great job. We were supposed to get 10 tricycles but only ended up with 8. We would have liked to have 10 but 8 is better than nothing. Red has to order some of the parts from Kumasi. Some of the tires have not been assembled. When I say they have not been assembled I mean they do not even have spokes in the wheels. Red is going to have to hire a bicycle mechanic to put them together.
Take care and have a good day.
In His Service,
Steve and Kandie
