We had to go to Tamale to run errands and also to have the blue van serviced. It takes Japan motors hours to do an oil change. They told us to be there at 7:30 this morning; we were on time; at 2:30 this afternoon they called and said that the van was finished and that we could pick it up. We knew this was what was going to happen so we decided to drive 2 vehicles to Tamale so that once we got there, we would not have to hire taxis and yellow yellows to get from place to place. We left the mission house at 5:35 just as it was beginning to get light. I was driving the red truck and Steve was driving the van. As we were passing through Yendi I looked at the fuel gauge and it was sitting on empty; we pulled into the nearest filling station to get diesel. It would have been bad to run out of gas on the way!
Once we got to Tamale we dropped off the van and headed to the airport to buy plane tickets for our trip to Accra to renew our visa. On our way back from the airport we stopped and bought another 10 cases of Konkomba Bibles. The guy that helps us load the Bibles said that the Bibles are going fast! We plan to get our share! Ha! We stopped at the Social Welfare office and picked up the form we have to fill out to send in with the report for the license renewal. We bought more brooms /rakes for Donkey to use when he sweeps the yard. We also did a little grocery shopping and stopped at the vegetable market to buy things we cannot find in Yendi or that are cheaper than the produce in Yendi. Today we got beets, large onions, garlic, green beans, cauliflower, eggplant, bell pepper, limes and Papaya fruit. We also went to the big Chinese supermarket; it has everything you could imagine that is made of plastic; a little food, some clothes and shoes; it also has furniture, jewelry, cosmetics and appliances. We stopped at another store and bought wall clocks; we bought 44 clocks. The clocks are going to be the gift we give the churches that attend the seminar. They will be a nice addition to the church buildings.
I was not happy on the drive back to Yendi because we had to drive in the dark! I don’t usually drive and I especially don’t like to drive after dark. We try not to be out after dark because it is not safe! The closer we got to Yendi the darker it got. We had to drive for about 45 minutes in the dark. It was so nerve racking! The goats and sheep sleep in the middle of the road and they won’t move; there are children walking on the sides of the road; we passed and met dozens of vehicles that had no headlights; every village has at least 5 speed ramps; miss one of those and you are airborne! People are riding bicycles on the road and of course they have no reflectors on the bicycles; it was just awful. Yendi sits up on a hill; I was so excited when I saw the lights of Yendi!
Thank you, Lord, for us getting back to the mission house safely!
In HIS Service,
Steve, Kandie and Skeeter
The Monkeyshines
I was lonely today! I saw Mom and Dad get up before the sun this morning; that is never a good sign! I knew they were going somewhere and I did not like it! You know that when they leave like this, I am always afraid that they are never coming back! Then it got dark and they still had not come back! I started to worry! You know how worrisome it is when your kids are late coming home well; I feel the same way when the parents don’t come home and it is late! I was excited when I saw the headlights coming down the lane. Mom was in the lead and she was honking her horn in hopes that the night watchman would come and open the gate. Dad had to get out and open the gate; no one knows where the watchman was.
I was so happy to see them. When Mom came and released me from my jail cell I just chattered and chattered welcoming them back home! Everything in my little world was right again. The first thing Mom did was fix me a bottle of milk /cereal. It was delicious! I drank the whole thing; I only stopped once to catch my breath! Then she surprised me with Papaws (Papaya), I have not had any fresh ones for several months. The parents also bought me some new collars; I wear them around my waist and a new leash. I broke my old collar when I got scared and pulled very hard trying to get away from a water tanker that was parked beside the wall! They bought an extra one just in case another one fails on me! While Mom wrote the Yendi Notes I took a nap on Dad; it is really past my bedtime but I got to stay up late because I have been stuck in my jail cell all day!
Life is good again!
Love, Skeeter
