Difficult time for friends

Long time no hear! My apologies, time is like a feather in the wind sometimes, flies away sometimesand is hard to catch and for sure impossible to regain. Manny, Uli, and I spend this past weekin Cotonou getting our visas again! Always an exciting adventure! The traffic in Cotonou is probably not more than many big North American city, but the driving rules make it thrilling,or should I say chilling sometimes! Lots of motorbikes and throw in a few cars, makes forstrategic driving. I will skip back a little. You may remember my friend Fidard. I went over there the other day to visit him, he was doing well. I went over a few days later and found him in a bar (bars here are littleopen air huts or closed in sqaure buildings with usually at bench coming out from the wall) They all servethe local grain beer, naturally brewed). When his children said that's where he was I should havejust said I'd come back, but I promised to stop by so I went to see him. We talked there a few minutesand then went back to his house. When he is drunk it is like talking to a different person, andit's a little annoying, because the next day he won't remember anything. That was Monday and on Wednesdayour neighbor came and said that Fidard had been banging on our door at 11PM. We were apparently very sound asleep,we heard nothing, Roland told him to go away, he did. On Thursday I went to see him, and he was bruised, and had a nasty cut on his hand. He explained that he came home that night and got into a fightwith his wife and she beat him up pretty good. He got his wife to come in and all of a sudden I was mediator. They did not agrue, and I said I was not a professional, so I'd help, but to continue helpfor their marriage they'd need a real counselor (which actually does not really exist here, unfortunatley),we talked it out, and they seemed ready to try to start over with their marriage. But that's whereI can't help them more, so pray for them and as well that we might someone to counsel them! Roland who I mentioned had a recent breakthrough is going through some rough times. His familycannot afford rent in our compound and they is some friction between them and the landlord. He saidthat the landlord's children are rude, and the landlord does not like when his children are insulted.When he told me that I really sorry for him. Think about, no father likes their children to be insultedbut Roland thinks that if their rude they should be rude back and no one should have a problem with it!Both sides are obviously not be very kind, but it doesn't not occur to anyone to "heap coals on your enemies head". It's the mentality here and everyone if you think about it, an eye for an eye.Whatever the case Roland said they'll be moving so by the time we get back, they will probably be gone,but hopefully nearby so we can keep our friendship and Bible studies going!

Update: Roland did move, but only a five minute walk away. We still plan on continueing lessons, although April is a very busy month for me, so prayers again!