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"Thy Will Be Done"
PrefaceAs our time of departure draws near we realize that we cannot complete all the things we had intended to do. We recognize our own limitations. So before God we humbly say "Thy will be done".
Wednesday February 21, 2007
Joel has no schooling in Bissau this week so we have an opportunity to do some more training with him. The training today centers around accounting with Martha.
Herb was out on the veranda lightly sanding his first coat of varnish polka-dotted with "no-see-ums". He can see them now that they are imbedded in the varnish. He got a second coat on all six frames and our work table top. Over lunch with Joel he mentioned that there was no butane gas in Bissau and wouldn't be for at least two weeks from February 19. Immediately after lunch Herb and Joel went to the Canchungo gas station where we buy butane. They were out. We only have enough for the refrigerator to last us until February 28 or possibly March 1 unless the Lord stretches it for us. Remember that the Lord did make the Israelites shoes and clothing last for forty years!
There is no use fretting or worrying about it because we believe that is what satan would want us to do as a distraction.
In late afternoon we had a pleasant surprise. Pastor Joiquin Correa, President of the Evengelical Churches of Guinea Bissau and his assistant, Fernando Cá came to visit us with Pastor Chenda. They had gone to see Jesus' Industrial School before coming to the mission house. They marveled and praised God for what had been accomplished since we came together in 2003.
Thursday February 22, 2007
Martha went to school in the car this morning to continue working on cleaning and arranging things in the sewing classroom. Herb spent time training with Joel. Herb finished cleaning up and sorting things in our combination storage and guest bedroom. That is where the night guard for the mission house will sleep when we are away.
Martha had the opportunity to counsel and disciple Nene, our neighbor who recently accepted Jesus as her Lord.
Nene struggles with trusting God to provide for her and the four children. Martha led Nene through the bible passages that would help her trust Jesus completely. Nene is a very hard working woman and will not just sit on her hands and expect Jesus to "do it all for her"; she just needs to know that she does not have to do it ALL by herself.
There is no further word on the availability of butane so we just have left it in the Lord's hands. The refrigerator is a convenient luxury for us not a necessity of life.
It was a hot day and a very warm evening so we stayed our on the veranda a long time this evening.
Friday February 23, 2007
Herb's first job this morning was to clean the refrigerator's exhaust pipe. It started smelling foul last night so we turned it off. We want to "nurse" it along to stretch what little butane we have left.
Torna came this morning and his wound was not looking good. It had become "soggy" with the dressing we had put on yesterday morning. Torna's wound is literally a gouge of flesh that is gone. We are not doctors; our assessment is that he needs a skin graft. We know this is not possible here so we do our best so he can develop a healthy scab that will allow the layers of skin to at last be restored beneath the scab.
Herb took the car full of empty boxes to school where they are needed to complete sorting of carpenter tools and supplies. We are pleased with the selection sizes and types of both nails and screws. The nails we can buy here are square, strong, but there is a very small selection.
Martha spent most of the afternoon on the computer – not unusual. Herb was writing up employment contracts for instructors and policies for the house and car in regard to how they are cared for and used in our absence. Martha is a brave lady. In the heat of the day she fried chicken over a hot stove in a hot kitchen. Herb suggested she lay the chicken on the veranda to fry in the sun and heat.
Don't laugh - it may have worked but Martha envisioned a battalion of flies attacking the chicken on the veranda so she bore the heat of the kitchen.
This evening Dr. Yiro Baldé, one of our neighbors came to visit us. He was trained as a doctor in Cuba ten years ago. We have learned a lot from him about medical care and about what is really going on in this country.
Saturday February 24, 2007
We planned part of the day for preparation to go to Bissau on this coming Monday, February 26. We will come back on Tuesday.
Torna came this morning for us to look at his wound. It appeared much better than yesterday but complete healing will take a long time. We hope he can be patient enough to take good care of his leg for this length of time.
Herb went to school again to mark boxes of tools in regard to their contents. It is a time consuming process but necessary to determine what tools and supplies we have enough of and what more we will need in the future.
Martha tried to equalize the eight large batteries on the solar power system on the mission house. It is supposed to be accomplished electronically through the system periodically. We have not been able to build up enough voltage to accomplish this procedure since we arrived in October. Martha saw the indicator say that the equalization was in process once last year. It was set on automatic and may have happened in our absence. We fervently hope so!
We had our neighbors over again to see a movie about Jesus. Seven adults and ten children showed up. They cannot understand the words but can see what is going on for the most part. We never want to underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to move in people's hearts even under these conditions.
Sunday February 25, 2007
It seems strange waking in the morning and feeling cold when it is still 72° in our bedroom.
Martha took a car load of children to Sunday School. Nene was planning on coming to Church this morning for the first time. Regretfully, through a miscommunication she thought we were going to pick her up at the market in town.
We thought she was coming to our house or to the church on her own. Nene and her four children came for the noon meal today. The children are well mannered and well behaved. We had an enjoyable time together. They all have good appetites because they are all hard workers.
Torna came with his mother for the first time. We were happy to meet her. She is grateful for the care we have given her son. We discussed the care of his wound and the importance of keeping it clean so it doesn't have to be scrubbed clean. Then we went to our respective churches.
Monday February 26, 2007
We got up early and left for Bissau around seven o'clock. This was Herb's first time to drive to Bissau. We went to Bobo and Dorcus' and had breakfast. We then went with Bobo to the office of a petroleum group called Petromar.
They control distribution and pricing of petroleum products in Guinea Bissau. Our purpose in meeting with them was to negotiate a lower than pump price for delivering larger quantities of diesel fuel for the school's generator. We believe we can make a deal to buy for about nine to ten cents a gallon less than the pump price, delivered to the school. Bobo was more than a translator for us; he was a big help on negotiating.
After our meeting with Pertomar we went to the cybercafé to work on our e-mails. It was a routine event except for two things. We were sad to learn that another dear relative, Tina Troost had passed away. She was in a rest home.
She had lived a full and beautiful life and was a born again Christian. The other exception to routine was regarding Herb. He used the cybercafé's restroom and when he went to leave the door latch was stuck. He tried every conceivable way to get it to work but it wouldn't budge. He then resorted to beating on the door and yelling in hopes of getting someone's attention in the cybercafé. After several minutes someone came to his rescue and was able to open the door from the outside. Martha had experienced the same thing and when Herb said where he was going to go she didn't have time to warn him.
We did an exciting thing – we confirmed our airline reservations for coming home. Everywhere you go in Bissau you have to wait in line a long time and so it was with TAP airlines.
The evening at Bobo's was relaxing. We met a lovely Egyptian couple who are on an engineering project building a hotel. They are members of Bobo's church. Martha had a wonderful time remembering her trip to Egypt in 1988 with her sister, Esther, and relating her experiences to them, and talking about Egypt. Adel and Eva go to the Coptic Church in Cairo. They speak some English.
We looked at several places to buy butane in Bissau – no one had any.
Tuesday February 27, 2007
We went to our bank this morning to make a deposit. We ended up waiting in line for well over an hour. During the long wait Martha went to the cybercafé about two blocks away, finished our e-mail work, came back to the bank and still waited a quarter of an hour more.
After finally getting out of the bank we visited Pastor ZePaulo to deliver him some garden seeds. He has a flower garden and grows vegetables as well. They were much appreciated.
It was now time to head back to Canchungo. It is a long hot drive whether we are in our car or a Kondonga. We hasten to add it is more comfortable riding in FLAME's car!
On the way home we stopped at Chenda's farm to see Mpili and her large garden. She and her family were delighted to see us and Mpili gave us an extensive tour of how she is growing beautiful plants from the seeds we brought in the container. We took some pictures of them.
Zulia came over this evening. She and her mother have been telling us these past weeks that her bones throughout her body hurt. We are concerned for her. This is far beyond our first aid abilities. We have given her some good quality multiple vitamins that can help her body build up its immune system. We prayed together and encouraged her to see a doctor. Doctors here are not nearly as skilled as doctors in the US and other more advanced countries in the world. Their success rate here is much lower and people here are aware of this, therefore they are reluctant to go to doctors.
Wednesday February 28, 2007
We went to school this morning. Herb continued working on creating an inventory of tools, supplies and equipment.
Martha continued to organize the sewing classroom. The major challenge ahead is to get the twenty plus sewing machines needed. We have four second hand electric sewing machines which we will use. We can use many more. We will ship them in the next container which we hope to send in August.
Mid morning a Brazilian couple who are working in Sintchambutche with Will and Ilma Brown arrived to pick up a hospital bed, medical supplies and garden seeds. They were delighted to have these things to take to their remote village and clinic. It brings joy to our hearts when we see people thrilled at receiving things that we bring in our container. The lady who is a nurse from Brazil, told us about how they had purchased garden seeds earlier this year in Senegal only to have them stolen before they got back to their village in Guinea Bissau.
This afternoon Herb started putting up the six window screens. He says this is the fun part.
Herb has determined it is time to go home to America because he is on the last notch for tightness on all his belts.
He feels okay but has less appetite due to the extreme heat has caused him to lose weight. Martha has also lost weight and is looking it.
We calculate that our butane fuel for the refrigerator will run out tomorrow. It is hard to believe the entire country has none available but that is what we have been told.
Tonight is neighborhood VCR movie night at the mission house. We usually have ten to twenty adults and kids. We look on this activity as building bridges into their hearts for Jesus. As we prepare to leave soon we trust and hope Chenda's church people will step in and surround these people with God's love so that God's will will be done.
Thank you for your love and prayers.
Love,
Herb and Martha Reynolds
marthaeij@yahoo.com
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