October 24, 2011
You know you’re in Africa when you use a purse to catch a dog. Last night, we had Sunday evening church with the missionaries. Their dogs got out of the gate as we were all leaving, but my carload (which included C, Sam, and the Barillas) spotted the two dogs on our way down the hill. We decided to stop and try to catch Bolt and Oreo. Well, Rachel, Sam, and Cwere able to catch the dogs fairly easily. It was the keeping them that was the difficult part. Neither of the dogs had a collar, so there was nothing to hold them with. I was driving, so I had stayed in the car in case we needed to drive after the dogs. Mark came up and asked if there were any head coverings or anything in the car we could use to catch the dogs.
I looked around and tried to think of anything we could use. Then I realized that I had my purse around my neck. I handed my purse to Mark, and then he decided they could use a belt to catch the other dog. The purse worked it magic, and they were able to catch both of the dogs and hand them over to the Loeschers who had turned their vehicle around to bring the dogs back up. I looked at my purse strap this morning and noticed that it had acquired some battle scars of red dirt from the adventure last night.
Last week, I saw my first scorpion. I was standing in the kitchen, talking and putting dishes away. I looked down and saw what I thought was a piece of meat on the floor. I thought, “I should really clean that up, but I guess I’ll wait until the dishes are finished.” I didn’t think any more about that “piece of meat.” A few minutes later, Sam walked in and inhaled sharply. I looked at her. Then I looked at what she was looking at. She was looking at that piece of meat on the floor. And then I realized it was not a piece of meat. Somehow I instinctively realized that it was a scorpion. The Barillas were visiting, so Mark came in and stepped on the scorpion for us. I haven’t seen anymore scorpions, but I’m still very careful when I put my feet on the ground.
The election results came in over the weekend. Truthfully, I’m not even really sure who own the elections, although I’m pretty sure it was the current president. Nevertheless, we’re so thankful that the country has remained relatively calm and peaceful during this time. I haven’t heard of any rioting or demonstrations. God has answered prayer!
This weekend, some friends (who live about an hour away) have invited all of the Foumban missionaries over for a harvest party. The kids are looking forward to a break in the regular school schedule. Truth be told, I’m pretty sure the teachers are looking forward to a break as well. B also invited Sam and me to spend the weekend with them. We’re definitely looking forward to that. From what I hear, she is an incredible cook. And rumor has it that they have hot running water. I have not taken a shower since August 20 of this year. A hot shower—what a treat to look forward to!
