prayer request

We have a friend who is currently having some marriage problems. The more I learn about some of the normal customs of Tanzanian marriage the angrier I am. Angry because Satan has taken something beautiful and turned it into something ugly. I suppose in some cases the same could be said for marriage in America. At any rate, Carson and I are pretty uncertain of what if anything we can do to help. If our friend does what culture dictates and EVERYONE is advising the marriage will end. Did I mention they have a newborn. I'm not really sure, but Postpartum Depression could be a factor. Please pray that God will bring peace and healing to this couple and that we will have the wisdom to help if possible.

Head Colds in the McNeal House

Last Thursday morning I woke up with a dry throat and thought, "I need to start taking some vitamin C or I'll be sick in a few days." By afternoon I had a temperature of 103! That night, Jude screamed for hours, despite our best efforts to soothe him. We finally decided it was his gums hurting and some baby orajel did the trick. I spent the weekend fighting off a fever and feeling pretty crudy. I've mostly recovered, but now Jude is sick. His little cough is so pitiful. We hate not being able to make him feel better. This morning, Carson woke up and said his throat hurt a little... So this week, our prayer request is health for our family. Thanks so much.

Distractions

There are many distractions in the course of a week that change our entire plan for the day. We run out of water and Carson has to drop what he is doing to go buy some in town. Or perhaps something breaks that needs to be fixed right away. There is always something.

Today, the distraction was a neighborhood fire. It started across the street when someone was making a small fire for cooking and the wind blew the few little sticks out of the jiko. Dry season and a windy day turned that tiny fire into a big one before you could blink. Carson set about carrying buckets of water out the gate to the fire as fast as he could. I helped with filling the buckets. Fortunately, the fire never made it to our fence.

Here's a picture of him pouring water on a smoldering fence across the street.

The yard where it started after the smoke had cleared.

The fire managed to burn up most of the yard it started in and half of their fencing as well as a bit of the fence of the house behind it.

We had our own fire a few weeks back when the night guard dumped the ashes from his fire on some wood chips in the yard. Carson wasn't home at the time, but the neighbors, our landlords, helped get it out before it did much damage.

If you recall there was also a fire back at language school that burnt down the dining banda. I think by the time we move back we'll be able to put "experienced firefighters" on our resumes. All the fires have inspired Carson to put in a new water spicket in the yard and invest in some sort of hose pipe so that water is easily accessible in all parts of our yard.

And, it is Monday so here is a prayer request for you:

I'm dreaming of a paper making project I want to start here in Geita. I can't give you a lot of details, because right now they are just ideas. Please pray that I'll know which ideas to pursue, and that I'll be able to find the time between taking care of Jude, taking care of the house, and putting out fires!