A Celebration and Windshield Wipers

A Celebration and Windshield Wipers

 

On Tuesday we had a luncheon for the Senior Staff to celebrate the retirement of Mr. Phiri.  It was a lovely time.  We held it at the restaurant and the food was delicious.  My mother always gives the menu for special events, so I'll follow her example and have your mouth watering:  roasted potato wedges, rice, a tomato gravy, fried chicken, a meat and gravy dish, cole slaw, and cake.  We have wonderful food at our restaurant!

 

Mr. Phiri brought his wife, Catherine, his youngest son (the last of 12 children – all living – all by one wife!) who is in 5^th grade and 2 grandsons who are both in 7^th grade.  All 3 boys are very handsome. 

 

There was laughter and fun.  Mr. Phiri said that by having this luncheon to honor him, we were saying to him that he had done a good job, and he was very appreciative.

 

Mr. Phiri was our first employee and became the supervisor of the workers.  He had worked for Mr. Nyrienda who had owned the land originally and who was the father of the 3 aunties that we bought the land from.  He was able to tell us where good black soil could be found on the property, where the gravel, and crushed rock could be found – left from when they redid the Great North Road, and where the "beacons" or property markers were.  I once walked with him through grass that was almost 6 feet high, with bush all around and he found his way to a cement marker in the ground at the corners of the property. 

 

We are very grateful for all that he did in the early years of the ministry.

 

On a different topic, the latest fun activity of the boys in the village has been to make "cars" from long grasses.  They drag the long grass behind them and have a piece of it in the front.  The interesting thing about it is that they use this grass and make "windshield wipers" out of the grass that they actually manipulate to go back and forth, just like real wipers. 

 

Then 4-5 will line up side by side and walk along together with their "cars."  I am doing an inadequate job of describing their "toys," but the interesting thing to me is the ingenuity to use what is around them to make something that is fun to play with.  No Nintendos, computers, Wi's, TVs!  And the items change as the seasons change since they are based on what is available.  A month or so ago it was all whistles from the grass in the early rains.  Now it is these cars.

 

We also have a lot of guitars made of scrap wood, a plastic bottle and string they find.  They have great fun strumming and singing and it is fun to watch. 

 

I was so blessed this afternoon to walk around the village as I took pictures.  Some children were swinging on the swing set, some were clearing a small patch of land to expand the garden for their house, some were "driving cars", some "playing guitars," and some were sitting on their verandas reading.  On a day with beautiful weather, there was such a sense of peace and joy.