We have a floor in one of the toilet pits! Yeah! The block molder only molded 450 blocks today; they are going to come back tomorrow and mold the remaining 150 blocks. They had already left for the day by the time we went to the jobsite this afternoon. John, the mason, got the second pillar poured on the main gates today and he also got the apron put on the back side of one of the buildings to fill the gap between the wall and the building. He hopes to start building the walls of the pit tomorrow. The pit floor is still oozing water. He said that he will have the workers bail the water out of the pit before he starts the walls. We will not be around for the next couple days because we have to go to Tamale on business.
Kwabena, the night watchman, was bitten by a carpet viper this morning. Steve spent most of the morning at the hospital. First, he had his continuing education class and then he was helping Kwabena. The doctor wanted 2 vials of ASV but they only had one available at the hospital so they had to send someone to look for another vial. Steve said that one vial he paid for was a polyvalent but the second vial they found was a monovalent; the doctor said that he did not like that one as well but if the snake that bites you is the one that causes your blood vessels to bleed it will work well. He said that he thought the combination would work for Kwabena. Steve said that Kwabena got bit on his hand and that his whole hand was seriously swollen. We are still unclear as to what he was doing when he got bit. Steve said that his hands were all dirty so he presumed he was working in the farm. We will find out more tonight at Bible study.
Mr. Iddrisu has a seriously swollen leg / foot; it is so swollen that it has water blisters all over it and it is weeping and the skin is sloughing off. He told Meri that he was not going to tell us about his swollen leg because we would want him to go to the hospital and those that he consulted about his leg said that this was not a hospital case and that it needed to be treated with local medicine. That is a good way to get a nasty infection and lose the limb or your life. While we were mixing paint yesterday, I noticed his swollen leg /foot and brought it to Steve’s attention. Steve told him to start taking antibiotics. He said that he would but if he does or not will depend upon him. The people are mostly afraid that the hospital will give them an injection and they will die. I asked him if it was painful, he said, “yes, it is painful but I am a Dagomba man and we don’t cry!” Whatever!
Please keep us and the work in your prayers.
In HIS Service,
Steve, Kandie and Skeeter
The Monkeyshines
Today was a much better day than yesterday! I was able to be outside for hours this morning and I played inside in the air conditioning this afternoon. I was able to drink all of my bottles today and lots of fruit.
Mom caught a huge lunar moth; she thought that it was injured because when she first saw it he was not trying to fly; she thinks he got hit by the fan blade. She brought him to me and as soon as I saw it I wanted it! I jumped and snatched it from Mom’s hand but I dropped it and it started flying; I chased it but ran to the end of my leash! Mom chased after it but it flew far, far away! I am not sure if those big moths are poisonous or not so maybe it is just as well that it got away!
Mom put a bracelet on my arm; it actually had the face of a cat on it and it was pink! I don’t usually do pink because I am a guy but the cat was really cute! It was not really a bracelet; it was some sort of cable tie organizer thing but it was just the right size for a monkey bracelet. I had a love/ hate relationship with the bracelet. I wanted it on but when it was on my arm I rolled around like I was crazy trying to get it off! When Mom would take it off, I would get it and try to put it back on my arm myself; it turned into a great game!
My favorite game is “Cat and Monkey” not “Cat and Mouse”.
Love, Skeeter
