Crisis

Today, Cindy and Natalie went with the Hewitt’s back into Tamale (bouncy dirt road, Wale Wale, etc) for a supply run.  We brought some “special” foods from home that we knew we would not be able to get here but we knew we would need to stock up on some staples here.  Tamale (2 hours away) is the closest place to get some things.  We went into the market area here yesterday and pretty much can get fresh bread, fresh in season fruits (now oranges, bananas, mangos, watermelon), tomatoes, onions, red peppers, dried beens, powdered milk, tea, flour, sugar, canned fish, tomato sauce -- and lots of hair extensions and hair products -- I’m thinking about buying me some hair!  There is a “Coke” store where we can get glass bottles of Coke, Sprite, Fanta and Bitter Lemon.  No Diet Coke.  Did you hear me?  No Diet Coke.  

Anyway, Cindy went for a supply run and had a long, hard day.  She was able to get a lot of needed things so we feel much more prepared for meals.  That made us feel better and more “secure”.  After all, we are foodies!

Since Tamale is also the closest place to use an ATM (yea!  2 hours away from an ATM in an all-cash society)  We did get some cash in Accra before coming here but you can only get so much out of ATM’s at one time on any given day.  Since she was going, we decided to get some extra since we had no idea when we would get a chance to go  back.  (I feel SO like Little House on the Prairie!)  Somehow, in the process, the ATM machine ATE Cindy’s debit card!!  And the bank would not give it back to her.  Apparently the “policy” when this happens is to mail it back to the address on the card.  Now, if we happened to be in Memphis, this would not be so bad.  Considering we are NOT in Memphis (or Kansas for that matter) it creates a bit of a problem.  Yes, I still have a debit card, but I am not in Tamale and we don’t know when anyone will be heading that way again.  Luckily, we have email access (most of the time) so I contacted Kathy Thomas (THANKS KATHY!) to just cancel Cindy’s card.  We would make do with ours until we can get a new one mailed to us (3+ weeks just to transport it -- not counting processing a new one) but since my card has the same number on it, it would cancel mine too leaving us with NO access to cash in a cash-only society!!

Needless to say, we had a momentary breakdown over this but we are all ok now.  After all, we still have SOME money here, we just stocked up on supplies that should last a while, they sell rice and beans here in Nalerigu really cheap (sense of humor, check!), . . .  AND . . . we were sent here by a God who provides for our needs.  We know that and have already experienced that.  Why would He send us here only to drop us without any provision.  God is good and we trust in that truth!

Thank you, Father, for always giving us just what we need . . . just when we need it!

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