An African Folk Story:

One day a cow, goat and dog all got on a toka toka (public transport van) The  adjudante (man who collects the money) came around and the cow paid. The dog however, only had large coins so he asked for some change. The adjudante did not have the correct amount of change and said “wait until the goat pays and then I will use the goat’s payment to make correct change you.” Unfortunately at the next stop, the goat quickly disembarked and ran away without paying. This is why when a car passes by, the cow just stands there, the goat runs away and the dog chases.

Interesting fact: the number one cause of motorcycle/bicycle accidents I have encountered has been cows standing on the road.

Interesting question: Jon was talking with Mamadu (late 20s) about western movies that he had seen. Apparently Chuck Norris (Chika Nordi) has made it pretty big here. They were discussing his obvious strength and skill. With all seriousness, Mamadu asked “why hasn’t Chuck Norris taken over America yet, to rule it?”

I never cease to be amazed at this different world of Africa. However, the object of my amazement continually changes…. It changes from being amazed to see a cow/goat/chicken/pig walk into a house…. To being amazed that I am not amazed at seeing a cow/goat/chicken/pig walk into a house.

Jon and I have exactly one month left here in Catel. Sometimes it’s hard for me to think about leaving other times (mostly when the heat gets the best of me) I can think of nothing else but leaving. With no replacement yet found to run the clinic, leaving is very hard. It is hard for me to leave a task uncompleted. Ask Jon… once I start a Sudoku puzzle… it is almost impossible to persuade me to stop until it is finished. I feel that leaving now is dropping a project right in the middle. The clinic has been started, it continues to grow in both what we can treat and number of patients daily. Tenning is learning so much but will have two years of school before he can officially run the clinic on his own. I keep asking God what his plan is here….This clinic is obviously desperately needed.  Is there no one to take this responsibility off my shoulders?

Then I am reminded. This is not my project. The clinic is God’s project and he knows how to take care of what is his.

“God does not call us to be successful; only faithful” –Mother Theresa

Meet Sadja

One of Jon and I’s constant companion and good friend is a twelve year old boy named Sadja. Sadja comes from a family of 13 children, three wives and one husband. His family is Muslim so he is not permitted to come to church, but attends Bible study and frequently comes over to read the Bible. He eagerly absorbs any Bible teaching and is excited about loving God. We have been continually impressed with the maturity level of such a young boy.

Sadja has an incredibly compassionate heart. One day when He came for a visit I was battling a high fever and vomiting. He noticed I was feeling pretty miserable in the intense heat, and asked what was wrong. I told him I was sick and immediately without hesitation he placed his hand on my head and began fervently praying for my healing. I wasn’t instantly healed, but my spirit was lifted beyond explanation at this display of passion and faith.

Sadja with his orange tree that planted
 when he was 10 years old. He waters
and cares for it daily

Sadja  states that he wants to work every day and save his money so that he can go to school to be a nurse. He often watches/helps me in the clinic and has become quite good at dressing changes. One day as Jon was watering the orchard, he followed him from tree to tree singing a song he wrote that went something like this: “I want to go to America with my good friends Jon and Annette, pack me in your guitar case” He spends his morning working in the cashew orchard and attends school in the afternoon. He often enjoys helping Jon with the many different work projects around the mission. He speaks several languages and we are amazed at how much English he has picked up in the last months. Sadja is quite the hunter and can show you how to smoke a ground squirrel or a giant rat out of the ground.

 I asked Sadja if there was anything he would like to tell my friends and family in America, and he said “Jon and Annette are my very good friends, please pray for the work in the clinic and the church.”

The new clinic building

The new clinic building

The clinic work continues to go well. We have a prospective building!!! We are hoping for a construction team to come in January to work on the many necessary renovations. Currently it is pretty much a shell so we are hoping to add a floor, ceiling, finish the walls, and add solar electricity and possibly even plumbing! We have been doing much paperwork and hope to have our official license soon.

With the monsoon season starting, I have seen a slight increase in malaria and am bracing myself for more as the rains increase. There has also been a sharp increase in machete wounds. I was puzzled until Tening explained that this was the time to start clearing the rice fields with the machete as the primary tool. Buying supplies and medication continue to be a constant struggle. It is not uncommon for West Africa to be completed exhausted of certain medications. Even large hospitals are completely out of some staples like Ibuprofen and de-worming medication.

Please continue to pray for the Church in Guinea Bissau. Pray that God would lead EMM to the right person to continue the work in the clinic when we leave. Pray that people here would continue to experience a thirst for more of God and his Word.