July

As you may remember, we had a flood right at the end of July. Since Wendy and Melissa were going to be helping at Living Hope it seemed like a good time to introduce them to some of the teachers and so we all went and helped clean out the school.

Our joke was that they are "WATER" students so we need to get them as wet as possible!

Austin helped man the pump. Way more fun then a mop and bucket!

Kelsey carried many head pans of water out. I was worried about how sore she would be the next day but for the most part she was fine.

The pump was struggling and so we scooped and carried water. We emptied one classroom and started another before the pump got one as empty as it could and then we finished mopping it.

Mama Justina made banku, stew, and sardines for the clean up crew.

The house that Gary and Whitney Weiler had lived in is getting turned back over to its owners. So we cleaned it out. Not an easy job since no one has a lot of storage area besides the two containers that aren't the driest places at the moment. Thankfully we found corners to stick it in here and there.

It took a lot of discussions and some people might need marriage counseling.... but the house is no longer our responsibility! (Actually that is over dramatic! We had a very fun day working together!)

More flood clean up. Our church lays at the perfect spot that when there is a heavy rain, it runs down the road, and then across the church yard. And when it is really heavy rain, it creeps into the church as well. We didn't have church there for about a month this summer.

Of course the day we decided to clean, the water was turned off and Kelsey carried water from Living Hope just up the road. This is not the type of cleaning that works well when you are trying to conserve water! But we did it! And then just after we were done, the water came back. It almost felt like we should start again!

The young folks went crabbing one evening. Melissa and Wendy spent most of their time living with us and working in the kindergarten at Living Hope. Ross and Terrell spent most of their time in Assomdwee, helping with Bible studies and a wood working class for the village boys.

One evening on our way home when we hit a mud puddle wrong and snapped something at our tire. So thankful to have a husband that knows mechanics! Although fixing it in a mud puddle was not an ideal situation.

We ladies left the men to it and walked the rest of the way home.

One Friday we helped some girls sew bags. The ladies in Assomdwee had done this with the VBS crew and not everyone that wanted to sew a bag got to do one so this was with the rest. 

We enjoyed having Wendy and Melissa as part of our family for a month. 

The last Sunday they were here we had a fellowship meal and games and then sang at the hospital. There was a corn hole game, a foot ball game...

and a volley ball game. I think everyone was tired till the day was over!

A missionary gathering. Always good food and fellowship. This was one last one before the WATER students and Marvin and Grace Zeiset left.

Brent and a friend putting a puzzle together. 

Many people ask Kenny what he actually does. It is a joke with us because it is impossible to tell someone what he does and yet he is always busy. He does spend a lot of time reading and studying but this particular day I was reminded why. He preached in the morning and then three young men came home with us for lunch and then they had a three hour Bible study. 

Stella needed to make a rug for a school project. Kelsey and I made several of these years ago so we helped her make one. She was so pleased with the finished result!

Austin got cat fish. Andy is experimenting with them as part of his Agri Plus work. 

They have been an exciting project for Austin. Some grew quicker then others and sadly it seems the big ones are eating the little ones. Just today he sorted them by size to see if that helps.

Twice a week we do Fante class with Lavern and Sherri. If you ever wish to stretch your brain, try learning Fante!! This was actually a class we had with the whole mission, learning simple phrases.

My kitchen has been slowly falling apart. Plywood and termites, I was going to say don't go together well, but then again, maybe they actually get along too well. Kenny might be a mechanic but he is not a carpenter! Lavern offered to help him with this project so we are replacing the totally eaten out boards and soaking everything with termite spray. Hopefully it last awhile!

I love painting but oil based paint really is a challenge! But it is lovely to have drawers that slide and doors that actually open.

We took the WATER students back to the airport. As always we thoroughly enjoy the sights while driving! It's good the new road is getting high bridges!

This little truck bobbed and swayed and we expected to see it tip, but it was more stable than we thought.

A very nice car on a very rough road. And you can't see how deep mud puddles are. I took the picture before two ladies in high heels stepped out. And a man in a suit. Kenny was pretty sure these young men sit here and wait for a vehicle to get stuck in the hole and then push them out.

And another July passed us by! It was busy and fun with the four young people around. They were a blessing to our mission and we hope their experience was a blessing to them. But at the end of the month, it was good to be back to just our family in our house. We hosted a lot the past several months and even though we enjoyed it, it was time for a change of pace. The week after they left we officially started school. The first week I quaked in my flip flops. How was this ever going to work? Does my brain have the capacity to handle everything? Teach proportions, predicate nominatives, long division, and linking verbs? And keep track of Kelsey who is doing high school. But having just completed our third week, I can confidently say, we can do this! Mostly, I need to be on the ball and have a plan and things will happen. Brent remembers his multiplying that he forgot on summer break. Austin actually remembers that a predicate nominative renames. And Kelsey's schedule is light enough she can make lunch and keep the house going if I am busy. And we still have time to have visitors for lunch, go to a ladies day, and still feel like we are catching up from the busy season of hosting. 

Probably the biggest thing in our lives right now is missing Marvin and Grace. They went home on furlough for the month of August but we knew he had an appointment with a cardiologist because his heart has been bothering him. So we knew when they left their plans could change. We weren't quite prepared for how bad his heart actually was but long story short, he is having open heart surgery this week. Time will tell when and if they are able to come back, but we thank God for His protecting hand while they were here and that He took them to the US safely. So our little mission got a little smaller by two people but a lot smaller because those two people were such an influential part of the mission family. Please join us in praying for them.

And you can pray for everyone here. We are down to four couples while Marvin's are gone and we pray that God calls people to join the team here. We feel the responsibility of the church more again but are so thankful to have a good leadership team for support and direction. It also feels like the spiritual battle is especially intense these days. Pray that we can be focused and rooted and grounded in God.