We are finally starting to finish some projects

This Sunday we were at church at the Dolo's Town Branch. Since they do not have a keyboard or anyone capable of playing a keyboard they sing acapella. They always sing the hymns at about half speed so we spend a lot of time singing. We had the idea of getting a battery powered bluetooth speaker and then playing the music for the hymns through their smartphone. All was going well. The prelude music from the new speaker set a nice tone for the meeting. When it got time to actually sing the first hymn they did not use the speaker but sung acapella again. I spoke with them and I think they'll get it right next time. Few things ever go as you think they will here.

 This is the church courtyard where they hold primary and relief society. The church is building a new building for the branch and so the landlord isn't doing much maintenance. Because there are large openings animals get in during the week and make the area pretty messy.

Our project at Zappia public school is going well. Here is a nicely tiled a bathroom that will have a toilet and a floor drain in it

Previously they had a well were the children had to lower bucket to get water. We made the well deeper so that it would get water all year round and replaced the bucket with a pump.  The well is now sealed so there should be much less contamination.

Our project at Gbokolleh public school just finished. This is a new three classroom building that we constructed.

We also built them a new three stall bathroom. Instead of a regular toilet we have what's called a squat pot. You flush it with a bucket of water from the well.  This works out better for the children who just use the outdoors when not in school.

While we were on our safari we had two of our bigger projects approved. One is to build a five classroom, two office and six stall bathroom at the Wein Town public school. We will also be remodeling their existing buildings, putting in electrical wiring and providing 400 new desks. With the electrical wiring they will be able to provide night school classes.

The second project is to provide medical equipment to the Jackson Doe Regional hospital. A lot of basic stuff that you think they would already have such as incubators and baby warmers.

It takes a lot of effort to get a project to the approval stage. First we have to find the project. Then we have to get contract bids. We have to get the project approved by a committee. Once approved we have to get contracts created and signed. After the contract is signed we have to get the funding to the contractor.  In Africa each of those steps can take a month or more.

Being on a mission is a different type of life. You spend all your time doing things for others. That in itself is very satisfying. But it is not always easy. At times you find yourself thinking how much fun life was when you went on a lot of vacations and just entertained yourself. I guess that's just one of the great moral struggles in life. One way is a lot more satisfying to your heart and your soul and the other way is more fun and distracting.