Today is our grandson Taylor’s birthday. He is 12 years old. Missing birthdays and special occasions is one of the hardest things about being over here. Of course we celebrated his birthday before we left and we talked to him this morning before he went to school but it is just not the same as being there in person.
Meri said that her son is feeling a little bit better and that he is now able to eat some soup and porridge. She thinks that he is improving. She will be so happy when he is well enough to go back to school.
First thing this morning Steve hired 4 men and took them out to Kulkpeni to move some gravel. We are going to build another building for sleeping quarters for the seminar and also to demarcate the land and keep people from encroaching on the property. When Red dumped the gravel he dumped it right on the building site. The mason is supposed to come and give an estimate tomorrow as to the cost of raising the mud ball walls. The mason said he would be able to start the foundation as soon as the gravel was moved. On the way out to Kulkpeni this morning Steve stopped and bought all the men some breakfast and rented a couple wheelbarrows to help with the work. The men worked until almost 3:00. Can you imagine? And in this heat! The high today was another scorching 118 degrees.
Shortly before the Child Center closed this morning Zorash and I took the corn and soybeans to the grinding mill to have it ground into porridge for the children. Zorash usually grinds the grain for us but her grinding mill has been cut off because the electricity bill has grown so high that she cannot pay it. She said that most of the grinding mills in Yendi have been cut off. We had to drive to the middle of town to find one that was still operating. Zorash said that they need to raise the cost of grinding but the people are so poor it is difficult for them to pay any more.
A few weeks ago a mother came in with a set of triplets. A week or so after she first came to the Center one of the babies died. Well, the babies came back this morning but their mother was not with them. Some older siblings were taking care of the babies because the mother had died. How sad is that? Steve started the babies on formula and sent some sympathy money back to the family.
Thanks for all you do!
In His Service,
Steve and Kandie
