Today is a day to celebrate!

Today is Father’s Day and Mark and my wedding anniversary. The weather is cool, about 84 degrees, with nice breezes. We just need a barbeque pit and some pork steaks with a tangy-sweet sauce for the day to be perfect.

Our teachers at the French language school have been asking us so many of their curiosities about America: How do we celebrate holidays and anniversaries? Why do we have pets? Are there many churches in our home town? How many animists? (People who believe in the gods of nature that require sacrificial animal killings.) Before we came here, we understood that we would represent Christianity and the US. I have truly been feeling that responsibility during these kinds of conversations. It’s not easy to explain why we Americans choose to spend millions of dollars on our dogs and cats while many people here can only afford to eat one meal of rice each day. I tell them we are trying to send help and deliver as much as we can personally. How can I tell a Burkinabe that so much of the money, food and medicine sent here is stolen by their own government? The rich get richer without regard to those who have nothing.

Speaking of which, one of our co-missionaries, Lynn, had her home broken into allegedly by one of her employees. There were only two people who knew that Lynn and the guard, Boris, would be gone in the early hours of last Thursday. Lynn was with Boris. So, the only other person who knew the house was empty had to have had a major role in the theft. Although it could have been much worse, he stole her new laptop, a DVD player, a camera and $600 cash, hidden in a bag in the deepest part of her closet under some clothes. Because nothing else was disturbed, it was obvious that someone who knew exactly where the money was kept had taken it. That money was to be used the next day to purchase rice, fish, etc., for us to give to the sponsored children this coming weekend. It is disheartening to give someone a good paying job, and then have him steal the food out of others’ mouths. “‘Vengeance is mine,’ says the Lord.”…. Okay, go God!

Some sad news about our Friday baby program: we had to end it. Not enough money to keep up with the rising price of the formula. Unfortunately we had 11 babies dependent on that milk; may God somehow provide the food they need.

Yesterday we purchased all the fixtures for three bathrooms and also a double bowl kitchen sink for our staff house. So many designs and colors! Errr….not. One does not buy a shower surround or anything like that here, just the pipe and shower head. Of course the commode and sinks are white. Hopefully we’ll get a good year of use from them before any parts need to be replaced. Everything will be done in a nice gray concrete finish until we can afford some paint, and maybe even tile on the floors of the bathrooms. We have been talking about finding some broken tiles and doing kind of a mosaic thing. It would be easy for us to do and cheaper than real tiles. We are excited that we will have a home with some space from the orphanage. Hopefully we have figured out ways to protect our private space. Ruth and I can’t wait to be able to walk around in shorts!

Hope all you Dads are having an exceptional day; you are in my prayers. Your example and tenderness are vital to your family’s growth and contentment. Be glad you aren’t following the Muslim religion as do the majority here. The men have several wives and 20 or so kids!

In His love,
Connie