Both eyes were stuck shut this morning.  Ugh!  So much for the eye infection improving.  But the other problem cleared up as I was the only one who wanted to eat the little watermelon that was given to us.  I tried to eat a lot of the seeds.  Must have been just the type of fiber I needed.  This is not a usual conversation for me, but I want you to know what it is really like on a mission trip.  Silly things become big problems.  But not so big that God can’t use silly things like watermelon seeds to remedy them.

Pr. Kelly had to go to a different village, so Alfred took us three girls to our village.  Alfred has been to America before (both of his children live here) and he speaks enough English to communicate well.  He is a very jovial fellow who treated us like grandkids.  On the way to the village he had the driver stop for cold pop (a real treat here) and cookies.  They recycle the bottles... Mine came without a lid altogether... I never thought orange pop could be so scary.  The first cookie I ate had something hard in it.  It was dark, so I laid the hard thing on the floor of the car hoping to get a look at it back at the hotel.  The other girls were munching away and it was all I could do to keep from telling them - but Alfred may have gotten his feelings hurt...

Pr John (translating tonight), Toni Minikus, Toni Crumley, Rachel

Many people were missing from the meeting tonight.  We heard there was a wedding in the next village.  But the talks went well and the church members enjoyed the new tambourine we got for them.  (theirs was missing 70% of it’s “jingles” so was too quiet)

On the way home Alfred told us that it is our love for the people that attracts them.  The fact that we were not afraid to hold their children (they don’t wear diapers of course - Rachel experienced the result at least once).  The fact that we don’t appear to care that they are all dirty and untidy and poor is what attracts them to us.  He said these people will consider us friends for life because of this.

Rachel holding a dear little baby seemingly unmindful of her wet lap.

Our conversation was interrupted by a high pitched scream from Rachel.  She was sitting in the middle and therefore saw the driver narrowly miss a baby pig in the road.  Locksmaya slammed on the breaks - not because of the pig, but because of the scream.  He wanted to know what was wrong and couldn’t believe that scream was for a pig!  After that, every time he saw a pig he imitated her scream and chuckled. (funny!)