Word-Snapshots of My Life in Banta Mokelkeh

The children are on holiday visiting their relatives, and school has not yet started, so things are much slower paced around here for a few days. There's been so many little memories from each day that I just want to share a few that paint a picture of what life is like here.

One of my most favorite things is to walk down the hill to Ngolala where children are standing waiting their turn to fetch water. As soon as they see me, they all begin to yell, "Aunty Sarah!" Some of them can't quite pronounce Sarah, so it ends up sounding more like Selah. Such a great sound.!

Some of the girls slept at my house for a slumber party. We laugh, tell stories, and sing. Last night the generator was out of fuel so we had no light, just the light from our torchlight. Jeneba, Amie, and I sat and sang praise songs with Alladin's whole new worlds thrown in the mix, and it was such a beautiful moment. Then this morning, I awoke feeling guilty because the girls were already awake and were busy scrubbing my bathroom floor. Such responsible kids.

I have ringworm, and it's awful. It's in several places, and I want to scratch it so badly. It's a bit like having the chicken pics. You want to scratch spots, but it will just make it worse. Random fact for you there!

My namesake Sarah has been asking if she can come visit me for holidays, so today was the day. I went to collect her in the morning, and she stayed all day. She's a little troublesome, so her mom sent her responsible older sister as reinforcement! We had a wonderful time reading, coloring, blowing bubbles, and swinging on the playset. As we walked out of her village, she proudly told everyone malaway, which means goodbye in Mende. She was so dramatic about the whole thing, you would have thought she was leaving for a month, not just for an afternoon.! Love this girl so much.

It's difficult to obtain fresh vegetables around here. Our farm is trying an experiment to grow lettuce, cabbage, and carrots. Yesterday, one of the aunties brought me a big plate of lettuce, and it was a happy moment to a salad.

On the food note, I tried to make yogurt, and it was an epic failure. I suppose all the women who are always telling me I don't know how to cook, are right. So much for trying to be domesticated.

Tonight was a dance party and getting ready for another slumber party. That's a few word-snapshots for you of my life in Banta Mokelkeh! Please continue to remember me and my coworkers in prayer.