Life In the Mara

The last few days have been very hectic. We are getting the truck put back together, trying to get the welding done that needs to be done, and getting ready to go home all at the same time. There just is not enough time in the day. The good news is that everything is moving along. Yesterday we were able to confirm our round trip tickets for America. It is fairly difficult for us to get good fairs as we need to pass through Germany both coming and going. This adds two legs to our normal trip and can get expensive fast. Normally we have used Swiss Air and have gotten away with a three week layover in Zurich Switzerland. When we tried that this time, we were shocked to get prices that were almost 3,000 dollars a person. With no hope of getting that flight, we changed to British air ways and two 20 hour plus flights that would have allowed us to get a round trip ticket for $2,400. As Christmas came and went we continued bargaining with Swiss Air and others. We told them our ticket costs and asked them to match it. Yesterday we got a confirmed ticket with direct flights of no more than 10 hours each for $2,000 each. We are thankful for that.

The truck rebuild is also coming along at a decent pace. We lifted the cab yesterday and are starting the patching on that today. We hope to have it done by the end of today so that when the parts arrive from America this evening, we can start on the engine. As soon as the engine is set in the frame, we can bolt up the transmission and transfer case and then set the cab on. I need the cab to hold the wiring harness and computer so that we can start the engine. My goal is to see the engine running by the end of Sunday. I honestly do not know if I can reach my goal, but it would be great to see it. Josh is also getting some time to help me on different projects. I have him taking off the old engine mounts in the picture below. He was one happy boy.

Along with all this, life continues on. We continue to have morning devotions every morning with the workers as well as Sunday services which have been very well attended. I have been down three times to talk with David and help adjust his medications. Tanya has also been pressed into service to help with taking some of the sick ladies to the health center. We have one girl who was in our Sunday school class 10 years ago who has a badly infected foot. I have never seen a foot so swollen. Tanya is taking her for a series of shots to try to get the infection under control. It is a blessing to have a daughter who you can rely on. The rain is also continuing here in the Mara and that as well is a blessing. Thank you all for your prayers.