We’re going through another season of “Did you hear that?” Sadly, “Did you hear that?” refers to the sound of gunfire as the conflict here has really heated up. Mind you, hearing the noise of gun battles many miles away is a regular and normal occurrence for us, but when this noise is only a mile or so away, it’ll make your head snap around to figure out the direction it came from. I can’t go into details of what is going on here in Minembwe as it could impact our status here, but life is VERY BAD for the local people.
IF YOU CAN’T BLEAT THEM… — We decided that our herd of goats, originally meant to provide meat for our family and the orphans, is now not as cost effective as simply buying an occasional goat.
A program was devised for our goat herder to train up the fathers of eight local families in how to care for goats and how to breed them. The fathers and their families are refugees, and they are very poor as all their cows have been stolen and most of their possessions destroyed by the rebels over the last three years of conflict.
After a time of training, we presented these fathers with three goats each; the goat herder continues to oversee the program.
The other day, a group of the fathers came to visit and to again express their thanks. One of these fathers told me, “Thank you so much because with these goats I now have something purposeful to do, and my family will eventually benefit from these goats.”
TRAVELS – The Ostranders are now in the USA as they await the birth of the latest Baby O. SHE is due on December 24. Lisa is scheduled to fly back to the USA in December, and I will return to the USA in late February. Then, all nine of us will then leave the USA together on April 3 to return to Minembwe.
Somehow!
Michael