There have been interesting things happening around here the last couple of days. The locals have been busy harvesting the burnt pine trees ever since we’ve been here. They have lumber mill of some type right out in the trees with them planing the lumber down. Then a huge truck will come and load up all the finished lumber and haul it off.  Well add all the rain we get every afternoon and it spells disaster for these huge trucks. One of them tipped over in the road because of a big mud hole. They brought another one in to try and help set up the other truck and the second one tipped part way off the little bridge. Finally last night one of the trucks made it out past the church and we were cheering-only to be short lived. That truck went up the road and got stuck in the mud not to far from the main road connection. Well it blocked our road all night so Mamere and Pepere had to stay the night here!

First thing this morning the men and kids were up working on the little trail that runs up behind the church so that Mamere could get her truck out and she just let with a bunch of weight in the back and I suppose the men will have to push her in places and there is also a water ditch to cross but I bet she makes it. Today was the day that Dale and Pepere left on an early bus for Kibidula and Mamere is leaving later with a truck load of fundis to take them back to Mafinga.

Pepere fly’s out of Dar this week and Dale is meeting up with the first group after they come back from Zanzibar to fly out together.

The fundis gave a very nice farewell/thank you speech last night after we showed them another blue planet dvd as a thank you. They are very good men and hard workers. They said that they could feel God watching over this project ever since they started and said we were all good fair people. Memere of course, answered back and told them that they had been the blessing here by agreeing to leave their families and come and work for 3 weeks. Then we all prayed together and they all left for the night.  I think 3 of them are coming back next week to work 1 more week here and I know that 1 of them has requested bible studies. So that is very neat to see the Lord work even through the language barrier.

Yesterday Angie and I along with Hannah, Bella, Christina, Beth, Izzy, and Shari and her Hannah all rode to Lupalilo and Ikonda with Memere. I was looking for fabric liner and more material along with searching for produce for our group. Angie was looking for material for the other girls and Shari went along to get her weekly produce. I ended up finding 4 pineapples, tomatoes, green peppers and my material stuff. I met 2 older ladies there that were very nice and seem very interested in what we are doing there. Many of the people are fascinated by the length and color of our hair, especially the little girls. Memere found 2 new brooms since ours had been broke and duck taped back together. So we had a good shopping trip over.

We stopped off at Lupalilo on the way back to Mago to grab Memere’s dental tools because she had to pull some teeth. While she was gathering supplies I walked over to her nursery school to see Nye the teacher and all the little kids. They were all very happy to see me and instantly lined up in the front of the class had brought with her and they were learning English. It reminded me of a sparse Sabbath school room. All the kids had to shake my hand before I left. Then we headed over to a cripple woman’s house to watch and assist Memere with teeth extraction.

This woman was so crippled that she could not use her legs at all and she had to pull herself along the ground with her hands. Of course her legs had wasted away from not being used- it was just sad to see. She was sitting on the ground weaving a basket and letting some millet dry in the sun while she kept her chickens away with a stick.

We laid a shatangi down on the dirt right in the sun and she drug herself over and laid on in. She was so worried that her bottom and legs would not be covered by her wrap so we laid another shatangi over her legs which instantly made her more comfortable. Then Memere had this lady open her mouth and I have never seen anything like it before. She had plaque so bad that you could not see her teeth. So Memere started scraping plaque off her teeth in huge chunks. Of course the blood started flowing from her poor gums and the next thing we knew Izzy walked over to Angie and said “I don’t feel good”- and that was all she wrote! Angie swooped her up just as she passed out. That poor girl was white and pale and Angie took her to the truck.

Memere began pulling teeth without pain medicine but quickly saw it would be a bigger job and gave her some numbing. She pulled 5 teeth out and I felt really bad for that woman but knew she would feel better later on.

I feel much better even though I have a residual crud. Jon and Steve are both much better. Poor Jonah and Izzy came down with a fever last night. Jonah was worse than Izzy and his fever went higher. We gave him some medicine and Teresa was sponging him down. At one point we even put an instant icepack on his neck because he just wasn’t cooling down like he should. Well by the time we all went to bed his fever had dropped a lot. He did get sick in the night but this morning he has been sleeping peacefully and Izzy seems fine.

I will have to end this update because I am making fried potatoes for breakfast to go with the apple cinnamon walnut muffins I made last night. Oh, and we have had regular rodent visitors in the kitchen and cook shack. Last night one was staring at me from the top of a spice container. Apparently they climb very well!

Well Mat and & Sam seem lonely without Jonah around to work and play with. Jonah is trying some broth and has been up to the cho a few times. Everyone else is just dealing with a cold and some of us are getting getter. We are praying that everyone will get well and no one else will get sick.

We had a meeting last night and decided that we will be leaving here November 26 to head for Kibidula then we will all go out to Lake Malawi for 4-5 days of R&R. Then we will go back to Kibidula for a few days and try to get in a safari trip somewhere. Then we will journey back to Dar and then out to Zanzibar for a couple days before heading home.

If anyone back home has any requests for anything from Africa please speak up and I will be happy to try and bring it back.

To the Morgans: Trina if you can get me some measurements for Tori, Ellie, and Erica I could have a dress made or blouse and skirts for the girls. But I would need them right away because we are leaving here in less than 2 weeks. Shoulder width, chest, tummy, hips. arm lenght and circumference along with leg length for skirt or dress length.

If anyone else would like something sewn please send the measurements right away and I will have them done.