Once again, Brian and I are alone in this big ol’ house, this time unexpectedly and suddenly!Eddie Vetter from Cascade was feeling quite ill the last few weeks, and upon tests with doctors in Uyo, they decided he had better leave the country to get adequate treatment.The doctors met and consulted together, and felt that it would be wisest for Eddie Vetter to go to the nearest first world hospital; they were not quite up to the seemingly complicated surgery they felt Eddie needed.Now he is home in Canada, having been in London to hospitals where, as far as I know, the doctors didn’t take his case seriously enough.So, Eddie and Anna, though we miss you a lot, we hope and pray it is all for the good that you find yourselves home so fast.
Again, Brian and I have to adjust, which I think we worked on all last week.Not much got done by either of us. Brian mostly ran around and mentally analyzed projects which he figured he could work on, and I did the ever present patching of clothes in the sewing room, and checked up on the barn. Ed and Judy from Crystal Spring left just a week before Ed and Anna’s unexpected departure, so we were in the middle of readjusting as it was.And so now we are wondering daily, “what will happen. Will they send someone to help us manage here, or what?”We don’t know.Some experienced white people here would really make our day :D.It’s a strange situation to be in, two young people here in Palmgrove by themselves; I don’t think that has happened before!But it sure wasn’t planned that way.Brian would really love someone to aid him with the daily tasks of answering questions and demands… but we tell each other that whatever the church will decide, that will be good enough for us.We have the Bible to lean on, and a person surely has all the help he could ever need right there, eh?Well, being young and human, we still feel having more white people here would be nice…. (hint hint)!?
As we speak, so to speak, the puem are making tiles. Sure they had to take an extra trip to town to buy a few bags of cement, but at least there is some progress showing now.They are making only enough to cover a small roof over at the water house.The roof is to cover a big plastic tank.Making the tiles is another step toward the completion of the water house. This stack of tiles took them 2 hours to make. In addition, they are making rafters for this roof.
Another job on the go now is the buying of a few truckloads of sand to fill in a big hole right beside and underneath one of the houses here in Palmgrove.When Brian saw this big hole caused by erosion, he urged them to do whatever it took to fill it, because otherwise the house would soon fall right over.Brian knew that if he didn’t get on their case and nag until it got done, that is exactly what would happen. The people here don’t let a little something like that bother them.Even those living in the house are quite content to live like that, despite the danger of their waking one morning to find the bedroom wall crumbling.It’s a different world here.Now they have one load of sand already, they dump it in front of the house, then haul it around the back with wheelbarrows.At first I was like, “what?Buy sand??” But there are tons of sand around!” But apparently the sand here is no good for that because it would keep sinking and sinking.You have to buy sand that comes from a place like under water or in a hill, sand that is packed already.Somehow, I think this project will take a while yet.
>Oh, good news!! Palmgrove is one member richer!Ita Glory had a baby boy last Sunday.The mother is quite proud, and both she and the boy, Joshua, are healthy.I told her I have a brother named Joshua too.Being a boy, he will be circumcised after a week or so.Another thing they do around here is cutting tongues… When Brian and I first heard that we just looked at each other.Apparently, if they didn’t cut every baby’s tongue, it wouldn’t be able to speak properly when it grew up.The nurse just makes a tiny incision in the flap right underneath the tongue.When you lift your tongue, you will be able to see this flap or feel it with your finger.We got a few of the young people to show us theirs, but as far as we could tell, it looks the same as ours.
And so, like our people in communities at home, we continue to run the race, just on a different continent.Sometimes home seems light years away; other times it feels just like home the way we do things.I guess we are getting used to the way things are done here. We can for sure say we are more comfortable than two months ago.The other day I told Brian we haven’t even been here for 3 months!! It seems much longer already.In another two weeks we will be celebrating our 3rd month anniversary…. so to speak :P.When I talked to my daddy on the phone yesterday, he says he’s chomping at the bit to go seeding… Well, here planting season is over.The cassava, yam, pumpkin leaf, pineapple, and beans are all in the ground and now waiting for the rain.The rainy season isn’t here yet. I think it rains every day in the months of July and August.The days are still hot, sometimes cloudy, but we haven’t had rain in a while.I’ve been wanting rain because I pushed some green bean and cucumber seeds into the ground in my garden a few days ago; now the seeds are just sitting there in the heat.I figure if I watered them they might come up and whither in the sweltering heat.As you can see, I’m not the world’s best gardener.In fact, at home I keep telling my friends that I’ll have to go pot a dandelion and put it in my room, because I think it would be the only thing that would grow!Everything I try growing at home dies eventually.So this garden of mine here doesn’t know the peril it’s in!The corn Anna and I planted are growing fast, sure, but I think too fast.I think we shouldn’t have used seeds from Canada because they are only 2 or 3 feet high and are getting heads… no tassels yet, but far as I know corn shouldn’t get heads yet!Should they?? I keep telling Brian I’ll have to call his mom for advice.
So don’t forget about us here in this distant land; we need your prayers daily.We will try to have “joy in the journey” here!On Friday we were in Abak in an internet café, and we almost managed to stay on the net for a whole hour!! before it shut down on us.I loved reading the comments, but I got through only half of them.We plan to go to Uyo today. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish them.Thanks so much for your enthusiastic participation in The Bridge!!
Leanne
(“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye…”Psalm 32:8)

(“ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God!”Phil 4:6 )

alone again