Jan 9/04
Overslept today.  Not good.  Left for Tin at about 8:30.  Went in 2 small pickup trucks.  Spent the morning meeting the people in Carmela's courtyard.  It's hard to see my daughter living like that.  She has a small bedroom in a mud hut and grass roof.  For her having screen to close up the space between the walls & roof to keep out the bats was the height of luxery.  Her walls are white washed inside with a blue stripe all around.  The kids in her "family" seem to love her and while we were sitting with the old man she had a child on her lap.  Everyone we met while walking from Paul & Lois had to be greeted and ritual greetings exchange and Luanna & I introduced as her parents.  One boy even called me by name, she had taught him.  Carmela took us to the river to show us where she washed her cloths.  She liked the place because there was rock on the bottom and shore to put the cloths on after washing.  One of the woman gave raw peanuts when we were sitting with the old man.  I was given a bamboo lounge to sit on and the women got small stools.  The difference was I was male.  On the way back to Paul's house we went the long way around just so Carmela could introduce us to some of the school kids and I met the boy who Carmela had taught my name.  Back at Pauls we had dinner & siesta and started to work.  My first job was to fix the sewing machine.  After opening it up and figuring out what was & what was not happening I made some adjustments & an oiling got Lois to try it and had it declared fit for use again.  Next job was to fix a cord with N.A. ends that was broken close to the female end (about 1" from the end).  At home we'd cut off the end and put on a new one.  Out here with no parts it was different.  I tried to solder in a piece but the old copper didn't take to the solder so I ended up laying short wires over the break & wrapping longer ones around it.  Hope it works.  Find out tomorrow.  We need these cords to run 110 volt tools off the gen set.  There is no power in Tin other than solar & the local power in Burkina is 220.  Art worked on Lois's kitchen.  She's getting a new counter top.  Kendale cleaned up the top of the bricks after the top was off.  Art built a form and others mixed cement to fill the mould.  When that was done he put ceramic tile into the wet cement.  Then we barricaded it off so no one would step into it, cleaned up the tools & back to Oradara in the dark.  Jim was sick all day.  He ate a bit at dinner & no supper.  Part of the group held a prayer meeting with him.  Don't know if his meds are causing the problem.  Some talk of taking him to a Dr. in Bobo tomorrow.  Hope & pray all works out well.  Supper was spagetti & meat sauce wtih lemon pie for desert.  Shower time & off to bed.  Hope we soon catch up on our sleep.  We have a nice room & share a bathroom and shower with Arnold & Tina.