Steve and I just got in from “hunting and gathering”! We have been checking out the prices in several of the small hardware stores. None of the hardware stores are very big and the prices vary from store to store and you know how I am always on the hunt for a bargain! We are buying supplies for the roof for the training center. We needed roofing nails and were happy to find a place that sold them for 5 Cedis cheaper than the rest of the shops; we needed 20 boxes. We also needed 3, 4 and 5 inch nails. We did not need just a few nails, we needed pounds of nails. We bought 55 pounds of 3 inch nails, 70 pounds of 4 inch nails and 55 pounds of 5 inch nails.
The monthly evangelists’/church leaders’ class was today. Thirty two men attended the class today. I was the shirt, tie, tire and tube distributor. I also paid the men’s transportation, collected the data on the number of baptisms and restorations for the month and sold communion juice to those that needed it. I wonder if I could put today’s job into a resume. I waited until 11:00 to go to the class to make sure that all the men were present before we started distributing the items. Steve gave each man a number so that I would not be swamped. I had a good helper today. There is a young member of the church named Timothy; he is an electrician by trade. He lives near the church building. He does not attend the monthly classes. He is married and has a young baby. He helps us during the seminar and he understands most of my English. He was milling around when I arrived and I asked him to help with the distribution. He was excellent in helping the men pick the size shirt they needed and bagging up their items. If he had not helped me I would still be there struggling!
When we got ready to leave Abenada, the late preacher John Kanbonja’s widow, asked if she could have a ride to Yendi; she said that she was going to the market to sell her green leaves and okra. She usually rides in the back of the pickup with her produce when we take her to town because we are usually loaded but today I was the only one in the truck so I invited her to ride in the front with me. She was so pleased! It is customary for them to take off their shoes when they enter someone’s house. Before Abenada got in the truck she took off her shoes. She sat on the edge of her seat all the way to Yendi. She speaks no English but I think she was afraid of my driving. Things look different when you are looking out of the front windshield instead of riding backwards in the back of a truck. She wanted to give her friend instructions before we left but she did not know how to roll down the window; when I showed her she just grinned! When we got to the market she could not figure out how to open the door and get out. She will have something to talk to the market ladies about today!
Enjoy your weekend!
In HIS Service,
Steve and Kandie
