Tomorrow we head downriver for Thama with Evando. Evando is wanting to get an early start and with how hot that sun can get, we like the idea. I told him that we would try to be down at the boat right at sunrise. I think it will take us around five or six hours to get down to Thama so will probably get there around noon tomorrow.
We actually just got back here to Breuville today from our two-night stay out at the Ash village with the Rodrigues. It was a good stay and we felt like we got to know them better. Reb had taken our Settlers of Catan game and after the initial learning curve, they really got into that game! Games sometimes have a way of helping you get to know people better. José came and picked us up Friday morning and it was a battle getting up the five or six curves to the village but we made it. The river is so low that you have to continually be getting out and pulling the canoe along. I am always thinking “stingray”, too, but no one got stung.
Right when we were pulling up to the shore at the village we heard José’s son Manuel yelling down to his dad that there were two snakes up near the house. So, José took off up the hill and I followed with the camera. Sure enough, there were two green, medium-sized snakes. I took pictures first, then Ze Rod blasted them with his shotgun. Anyway, apparently we had a couple of papagaios on our hands and they are quite venomous. None of us really like snakes, but I think both José and Suelaine are especially nervous about the critters.
Soon after the snake killing, José, Manuel and I went down to the river to find the Rodrigues’ duck for lunch. This duck apparently lives down at the river’s edge. We finally found this silly female duck and she was sitting on a bunch of eggs. Well, José couldn’t bring himself to kill the duck while it was sitting on eggs so soon we were fishing for lunch. Manuel did get a biology lesson in there about why this duck’s eggs would not produce little ducklings (no male ducks around). As we wandered back up to the house to get José’s cast net for fishing. I did hear him talking about possibly getting a male duck so that his female duck could have ducklings some day.
José didn’t get too many fish, but we did take the little ones we got up to the house. Suelaine took a look at the few fish we caught and suggested that it was the day that one of the roosters in the yard should give its life. So before we hardly got the fish in the sink, José went outside and clobbered one of the roosters on the head and had water heating on the stove to de-feather the thing. Apparently, Tsidikenu (José’s youngest son) was told, or at least believed, that that particular rooster was his so the poor boy was heartbroken when he saw the dead rooster that was going to be lunch. Tsidikenu’s rooster tasted pretty good with the rice, beans and pasta.
Friday night we just sat around and talked and it was interesting getting José and Suelaine’s perspective on the church here in Breuville as they spent quite a bit of time out here, too. José had the generator going so we had lights in the house. Also, he pumps water into their big water tank when he runs the generator. It was great being able to take a shower! I think Reb especially enjoyed that.
José brought us back here to Breuville around 10:00 this morning. Again, we did a lot of pulling and so forth to get the boat here. It is giving me the idea that it might be good to see about a decent, fairly wide trail between Breuville and the village. José did mention that it would be nice to have a horse to go back and forth between Breuville and the village.
Here in another 45 minutes we will head to church for the evening service. We spent most of our day today packing and organizing what we plan to take and also what we plan to leave here. Reb baked bread for our trip tomorrow as well as tomorrow’s breakfast before we go. OK, I think I will leave it at this and, Lord willing, we will be in Thama tomorrow.
Disclaimer: This personal ministry website is provided by New Tribes Mission (NTM) as a courtesy to its members. NTM makes no warranty regarding the accuracy of the information on these pages. Opinions expressed are provided by members in good faith, but are entirely those of the member and do not necessarily represent policy, doctrinal position, or opinions of NTM. If you encounter information that you consider questionable, please e-mail the NTM web team.
GET INVOLVED
