Author: rhondajwelch

Yesterday was the first day of school for Amos and Lydia. Lydia went to a French school in Niger but this is Amos’s first school. I was told not to take pics and make a big deal so as not to get them freaked out. So I took one while they were having breakfast! Jessica asked Lydia if she could take a pic just before they left but Lydia declined!

They had a good day and at dinner last night Grandpa asked Amos if he was ready to go back again in the morning. He replied that he went today and that was enough! But they both cheerfully went this morning and have decided it is pretty fun.

Yesterday we traveled by train approximately five hours to Meteora. A place with huge outcropping of stone cliffs in the middle of a small town. On top of six of those are monasteries, there were at one time over twenty. The remaining six have been kept up and parts of them open to the public, as there are still monks living there. Yesterday we went to one and today will be visiting the others before we go back on the train this evening.
We haven’t been able to adequately put into words the awesomeness of our surroundings. It is an amazing life God has given us and such a blessing to be able to see His wondrous works, especially getting to share it as a family. These are just a few pics from my camera, will post more when I get back to Athens.

Life here has been going by slowly I guess. We had visitors from America last month and were very busy. It was good seeing our friend and we hated to see him go. We made new friends that we hope to see again.
Most of the bean farmers have their crops in, just a couple are still drying their beans. It was a very good harvest for both the beans and the peanuts. Just a side note about peanuts….
They are so abundant here and sell for a good price. They are mainly used to make a kind of sauce for over cassava or matooke. And I am guessing that not everyone gets to eat it because of the cost of peanuts. But they do not know what peanut butter is. Crazy, isn’t it? Becca, who works for me, went to the Dr last week and he told her she needed more protein. I was talking to her about ways she could get more protein and I mentioned peanut butter. I’m surprised, because I see people grinding it in the market that nobody knows peanut butter. But they don’t, she looked at me like I was crazy. So I opened a jar of our peanut butter (which we buy at the supermarket) and gave her and Sharifu a taste on a spoon. They thought that was the best thing! So I gave her a jar and told her to eat it on bread. She was very happy. I think maybe we should start producing peanut butter and getting it to the schools!
Rice is being harvested and dried right now. So far it is also looking like a great harvest.
Raelee and I had malaria again a few weeks ago, we are a little quicker now recognizing symptoms, especially in her, and got on treatment quickly. She was better in three days, I took a little longer to recuperate. I think there were a few factors that caused us to have it again and we are trying to change things. I had taken the mosquito net down from the front door because the dogs kept tearing it but now realize we really need to have it up. Raelee is going back on her original preventative meds and Christian and I have to take ours sooner than we were.
I think I have been struggling a little with culture shock again. I don’t think you ever stop, not as long as you live in a culture that is so different from what you know, and is so hard to figure out! We are getting ready to have a break, going to see our sons, daughter-in-laws and grandbabies. We will be gone for three weeks and I think it will be good. Get perspective back!
While we are gone, the dogs are going to be trained. For five weeks actually, and our workers think that’s pretty funny, the dogs going off to school!
Last Monday we took our good friend Salima off to University. She was so excited to have the opportunity to go to college. She wants to be a social worker or something in that area. She’s a great girl and very gifted in working with children. I will miss her helping me in Sunday School, she’s our singer and motivator!

“You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands, you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.” Psalm 128:2

The bean and peanut farmers have begun to harvest. So far we have gotten our half of beans from two women. They yield was very good, one bringing in a little more than the other one. At the projected prices when we sell, we will have made the money back that we supplied them with. On the one woman, there will be a little profit. We haven’t started buying any of theirs yet. We will buy theirs at the fair market price as it is right now, hold it, and sell when prices go up. The peanuts are being dug, they dig them up and then pile them in big circles in their fields to dry.

The rice is looking good, probably be a few more weeks until they harvest. And it looks like the rains are over, to my disappointment! I love it when it rains even though my floors stay dirty! But the cool nights and mornings are still here. Hope they stay awhile!

Keep praying for the harvest, that there is a good yield – both for the farmers and The Mandate. Pray for honesty in the farmers while they are harvesting and splitting the crops with us. So far it hasn’t been too much to keep up with, but it may be more difficult as more start bringing in their crops.

We’ve had a difficult month already with different things going on so I ask for your prayers for strength, perseverance and patience. For wisdom and tempered tongues when dealing with difficult people, and fairness when it comes to wrongdoing. For health, strengthening of faith and of character. Your prayers mean so much and are felt here when you pray there!

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  Romans 5:3-5

The picture at top is some of the rice fields getting close to harvest time! Here are a few more…

Monday morning we drove toward Kenya to the forest where we feed the baboons. We wanted Olivia and Jessica to see them. Usually you can pull to the side of the road and honk and they will come running out of the woods. Just as we were passing the turn to go to Kenya there were some in the road. Bit there is so much traffic right there we didn’t want them to get run over. We drove til we were in the forest, parked, honked and…no baboons. Moved down the road a little and repeated. We drove past the forest doing this and didn’t see any more baboons. Chris turned around and drove back the way we came. Finally Jessica saw one. We fed him, thinking more would come but they didn’t. We drove some more and finally came up on a group of them. It was very exciting for the girls and Raelee, they all fed them from their hands. Very brave! It was a good end to a fun weekend. Can’t wait to spend more to with the girls!

Running out of bananas so I threw her a mango!

This guy was looking over the truck door. He was big!

The babies are the cutest!

Sula went with us to take the girls back

There was a discussion after I saw this pic!