Ghana Field Journal — Missions With the Consfords
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Bonjour, Today Joe took the vehicle back to the mechanic. He checked on the price of a new radiator and found out that it is about $1800. …
Missions With the Consfords
Ghana Field Journal — Serving the Lord for Over 25 Years
These daily journal entries document the Consfords’ missionary life across Ivory Coast and Ghana. Over 1,630 entries capture the church planting, the hard days, the answered prayers, and the everyday reality of following God wherever He leads. Browse the full archive or join the Consfords as a prayer partner.
Bonjour,
Today Joe took the vehicle back to the mechanic. He checked on the price of a new radiator and found out that it is about $1800. So, they tried JB Weld this time. Hopefully that will hold it together! Joe downloaded a manual for that vehicle to find out more about the timing problem. He discovered a couple things that had been done incorrectly. He fought tooth and toenail with the mechanic to try to get them to do it right. They fixed one problem but not the other. The man that rebuilt the pump agrees with Joe and is going to come tomorrow to try to get it fixed.
Joe has a meeting at 9:00 in the morning to see about getting our vehicle switched from Ivory Coast plates and registration to Ghana plates and registration. Today, the man that he talked to said that it falls into the “ancient vehicle” category and requires a 50% import tax. (If it is a brand new car, it is 100% import tax. A used car is 10% import tax. Our vehicle is a 1990. It is up to their discretion to consider what is ancient.) After some talking, they told him they would see what they can do. A taxi driver that attends a church here in Takoradi went with Joe. Tomorrow, the taxi driver, a man from the Customs office, and Joe are going to meet at the head customs office to discuss what can be done. Pray for a miracle!!!
Joe also has to go to the immigrations office tomorrow to get a 90-day extension on our visas. Technically, after we have been in Ghana sixty days, we are supposed to leave the country. Normally, we would go to Ivory Coast for a day; but that is not an option right now.
The boys did school this morning. After school, they were playing outside. We are constantly telling them, “Wear your shoes.” Gilbert and Danny went with Francis to burn the trash. Apparently Danny gathered some leaves to add to the fire, but he did not watch where he stepped and stepped into the fire. He came screaming into the house. He had dirt all over his face and hands. I was trying to figure out where he had been injured. Between the screams, he said, “I’m burnt.” I couldn’t tell where he had been burned. So, I took him to the bath tub and washed him off. I found a blackened place on his foot. I treated it with burn spray and then wrapped it in a cold towel with ice around it. He cried and cried. He finally stopped crying.
After naps, we went outside for a while. When we came back in, Danny wanted to put ice on his foot again because it was hurting. I looked at his foot, and there are blisters all the way across the bottom of his foot. No wonder it was hurting so badly! We cleaned it, wrapped it in gauze, and put a sock on his foot. Keeping him sitting still is no small task!
Joe got home just in time for supper. Danny met him at the door to show him his foot.
A demain,
Joe, Laura, Gilbert, Danny, and Bonnie