Just tidbits #1

A quick jot- down of random tidbits for you. I currently have I think 5 different posts started. So that's how that's going. I might start doing this more often so things don't pile up so much.

• the power has been off since yesterday afternoon. We turned the generator on for a tad last night so we could get to bed in decent time without losing our minds. The dishes got left on the counter. Ugh. Oh well.

The power was still out this morning. Robert turned the generator on. It always feels weird to run our generator. Its so loud. And we CAN do without it, so we normally try to. However, we have to keep our fridge/freezers at least mostly cold, so if its off too long we turn it on for a while. If the generator is on, its quite likely people will ask to charge something or another. We currently have six phones and a laptop charging on our porch.

The clinic's generator is "spoiled " somehow. ("Spoiled" is often used in place of "broken" here.) They have someone coming to fix it. Thus the laptop.

•Maddie informed me that there was a snake in the yard. Fun. When I went to investigate there was a snail. Little less terrifying.

•last night I wandered into the kitchen with a flashlight. There was a slight scurrying of feet upon my counter. Probly a lizard. Not a big deal. We've had a few babies running around the house. This one. Was a EXTREMELY fat, medium-large sized lizard. I went back to bed. I wonder where the lizard is now.

•Thor is our dog. He is a South African Boerboel. It's a super large dog breed. They are 150-200 pounds full grown- normally. But Thor was about 75 pounds when we got here. His ribs were one of his more noticeable features. His stomach was sunken in. He had sores everywhere he had joints because when he laid down his bones would create "bedsores". So that's been my project. Fatten him up. Make him less miserable. His sores are still there, but I think they are getting better as he fattens up slowly. The problem is, the dog eats more than we do as a family most days. It takes more to feed him than an average citizen makes here in a day. Pa Willie wants him to guard his pigs, and we have spoken for a puppy from his small dog. We were very glad when he said he would take him. Morro (our watchman) had told us that the only people that he knew that would take him were those who ate dogs. We weren't about to do that, but it just doesn't work well to have this big of a dog with our small children. Thor is a very calm dog, but he is a dog. And dogs get excited sometimes and turn around quickly. If one of the children is in the way they go flying. When someone comes on the yard, it's all I can do to hold him back. Once he's up to a healthy weight I don't think I'll be able to.

•We are going to Trevor and starlas here soon. I think we are going to have a "Mission- Canadian- Thanksgiving". We are planning to stay the night. So that's exciting. I must break for the kitchen to stir up some muffins.

Some of you have wondered how to pray- what to pray... It seems that our struggle is staying positive through the sicknesses. It seems like one of us is always somehow sick. Diarrhea, mostly. Maddie and Ivan have had small bouts of puking. It has gotten better. We have more good days than bad now with that all.. but, for example, I didn't feel well last night. Ivan is cutting two teeth so robert was up with him a lot. I still don't feel the greatest. Robert went to church yard work this morning. Ivan is very high maintenance. Laundry really needs done. The dishes need done. Twi study has fallen to the back burner once more. I haven't been able to do my work with it for 4 days or so. Sometimes it seems like we are never going to get anywhere. Robert is looking into different things to do. A well to fix? A new generator for the clinic? ( big enough to keep their fridge running?) But you can pray that he can find something to do. The congregation here is doing very well. That is good. But sometimes that leaves the missionary wondering what his place is. Hopefully this helps!

We love and miss you all. May your courage be sufficient for the day♡