July 3 Monday

We went to the office today and Don was beside himself. He is so tired he is grouchy and impatient.

He is working hard on writing up reports on each well he evaluated and 4 of them another NGO came in and painted our well with their colors and put their logo over the top of ours. These local NGO's are hired by very large NGO's from other countries. What the local NGO's do is paint someone else's wells, put their logos on them, and send pictures to the foreign NGO's billing them for the construction of the well plus their workmanship. When they get paid they pocket the money and all they are out is paint and the workmanship for painting. Don is so angry, he says he IS going back to the WASH meeting in July and confronting the local NGO in front of the entire committee.

Sunday July 2

Geneba's 60th Birthday - my African friend.

 A very nice Sabbath. Don came home from Kenema. He got all 58 wells evaluated this week. That was quite an undertaking. He is exhausted and went to bed at 7:00. At 8:30 he came out wide awake and can't turn his brain off. He is thinking about his victory vision and the farm and how to reorganize our facilities to make them easier on two people getting older but who don't want to throw in the towel quite yet.

 He brought me another nice batch of cocoa beans and two pineapples, We cut one up for supper and ate the whole thing, It was very sweet and so delicious.

Saturday July 1

Is there anything sweeter than getting an e-mail from your 5-year old granddaughter. Don left two of his favorite goats in the care of the Sodens and one of them delivered twins. Elizabeth fell in love with the little female and asked her grandpa if she could do work to buy the little goat. Grandpa told her "yes, we will discuss the terms when I get home in November".

 Elizabeth named the little goat Uptown Girl. Don received the following e-mail from Elizabeth this week: "I walked and brushed uptown girl. I walked her from the dog place in the yellow place where the sun is shining. And I found a place to get ready for the fair, And I got all my stuff that I need for uptown girl. And grandpa I want to do all the same things brushing walking and halters every day. Signed Ellie

Friday June 30

44 years ago today I was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A sweet Spiritual 44 years.

The Clawson's have left for Guinea this morning to open the country to Missionary Work and Guinea will be part of the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission. It is a 6 hour trip there. It is really only a 4 hour trip but there are so many police stops it takes 6 hours.

Don is still in Kenema. I talked to him shortly after they left to do well evaluations and Lamin told Don they were going to do "small Africa" today. That means they are only going to go on roads that are paved. Yesterday was a nightmare for all of them.

"Just a friend thing" - I opened your card today because I miss you.

Thursday June 29 - thats one way to find a bride

The rains have come and have hit hard. Many of the dirt roads are washed out or have big ravines running down them. Don, Lamin and Jonathan went to evaluate wells in the Kenema District today. They have 40 wells to evaluate. They did 4 today. The wells were so far out into the provinces and what was once roads are now just paths big enough for an okada or are deplorable ruts full of water. I do not understand why they forged on. I would have written up a report saying this is the wrong time of year to do an evaluation telling them why we need to wait until the dry season. Don says he is sure there is damage to the underside of the truck. All three men are basket-cases tonight from being on an adrenaline high all day.

Don shared one story from today. They were in a far-out village and they were asking the caretaker of the well how often the well has broken over the past 3 years and who they get to repair it. They told Don they have their own technician. REALLY!? Now the rest of the story: When the well crew were putting in the well, one of the men from the village paraded out several single women and asked if any of the men were interested in taking a woman to wife. Their was silence among the men and then one of them said "I am". He chose a woman, has stayed in their village, and maintains the well.

Mudslide

Monday, August 14, 2017
Good morning all!  This is not an official post from Jeanne and Dad.  However, if any of you have seen the world news this morning, you'll have heard about the devastating mudslide that has struck Sierra Leon in the area that Dad and Jeanne serve.  Cho got a text this morning from Dad assuring us that they are safe and sound but several in their area and congregation have been killed.  I will keep you posted if we get any other pertinent news.  Just keep them and those they serve in your thoughts and prayers!

Wednesday June 28, 2017

Jack and Jim's 70th Birthday!

Don attend the WASH (water and Sanitation) meeting in Kenema only

to have it cancelled after 4 men sat for over an hour to have no one

else show up. The man who conducts the meeting is always telling

everyone how important it is they attend. He chose to attend a

different meeting. No one was happy. Don doesn't think he will attend

another meeting. I vowed not to attend another WASH meeting last

month when they asked us to contribute a ream of paper for their

copier. These people beg money, supplies and food for this meeting

from the NGO's monthly and the meetings are a waste of time.

Nothing of value is accomplished. We have not contributed from our

Humanitarian fund, but we have contributed out of our own pocket.