YENDI NOTES MONTHLY
APRIL 2026
Our area is still waiting for the rains to come. We have gotten several showers but the heavier rains usually will begin in late May. We are just happy there was enough rain to help fill the cistern so we don’t have to purchase water to bathe and wash clothes. One afternoon this month the temperature registered at 114 degrees F with a heat index of 126 degrees F. Sometimes we wish we could exchange some of our cooler Alabama temperatures for the heat over here. Lord willing, we pray the rains will come so the farmers can raise a decent crop this year. Some of last year’s farmers planted crops, like rice and corn, anticipating the price would be higher because of the bad crop the year before; it didn’t pan out that way. Rice is less than half the price it was last year; the people who purchased it for a futures market to resell for a profit lost money this year.
This month our travels took us to several of the villages that are far away from Yendi. We visited Mulpido which is a two-hour trip north of Yendi on April 5th. A geographical point of interest about this area is that it holds many ancient underground cisterns. There is a huge layer of stone covering this flat landscape. Years ago, possibly the slaves hewed holes through the 12-inch layer of stone to the sandy soil that lay beneath it. Ladders are made by making notches in a small tree trunk. The soil was removed by hand and dug deep enough to hit water. These cisterns can be 8 feet deep and as large as a room inside; they are hidden in plain sight. Some of the cisterns are marked with the ladder but others are just there. The cisterns would be a parent’s nightmare if a child falls into one of these cisterns because they hold deep levels of water with no way of escape. While walking over to the church building to look at some termite damage, we passed a boy fetching water out of one of these cisterns. A little further I was shown a hole that was intended to be a toilet but 3 feet down water had entered the hole which they had to abandon. We provided funds for several pieces of lumber and a couple of roofing sheets to repair the church building.
We try to make sure we visit the small church at Wadiig before the rains come because we have to cross a bridgeless river to get to the village. A week before we visited on the 12th a big rain had fallen. When we arrived at the river, Timothy Niligrini had to take off his shoes, roll up his pants and waded out in the river to see how deep the water was and if the ground was rock or mud. I estimated the depth of the water to be about 18-24 inches. I put the truck in 4-wheel drive and away we went. The church meets in a school block (school house). There were 8 adults and 35 children that attended.
On April 19th we worshipped at Jagrido. Timothy Niligrini and his two brothers along with 24 other households in the village were holding the annual final funerals for their loved one. Here’s the kicker, services were to start at 5am that morning. Why, you might ask? This was the last day of the 3-day funeral which means the families hosting the funerals provide meat to all the visitors. It is like trick or treat, only it is meat given and not candy. Kandie and I arrived in the village at 4:30 am and the village was already buzzing with activity. Animals were being slaughtered and divided into portions to share with visitors. At 5am the worship services began. This early worship allowed the Church to meet and fulfill their obligations to worship on the first day of the week and later to fulfill their family obligations.
The last Sunday of the month, the 26th, was our longest trip. We traveled 3 hours to the Chereponi area north of Yendi to meet with 6 small congregations. I loaded the back of the pickup with 7 church benches to give each of the 6 congregations. Earlier in the month Nana Bekum, the evangelist who works in this area, requested help with additional benches to replace two that were in disrepair. I took extra wood and nails to see if I could repair any of the older benches. I was able to repair 2 of the benches. We were provided a meal of rice and fowl for lunch.
We postponed the April Church Leader/Evangelist class until the 8th of May. Our friends from Bethel, Jim and Pam Clark, will be here on that Friday to hold a special class for the men as well as their wives. This is the first time to host a class that included the women so we look forward to seeing how the experiment will come off. The monthly report given by the evangelists and church leaders will be reflected in the May 2026 Monthly Notes.
It took 2 days to get all the men from the various congregations into Yendi to sign the paperwork the government requires. Brother Divine heads up this activity. We provide the transport money for the men to come to Yendi. Some of the men have to come from as far as 2-3 hours away so it is easier for them to come here than for us to go to them. We were afraid we were going to miss the deadline to submit the papers but everything worked out; we are most grateful to the Lord for His help!
We continue to express our gratitude to the Lord and all of you who support the work financially as well as spiritually by your prayers. Without your constant help this work would fail. May God bless!
In His service,
Stephen & Kandie Taylor
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