Down by the Riverside

Even now as I type the rain is hitting the roof hard but there are no leaks.
First off I have to give credit to our landlord he did try to fix our roof. The first
carpenter was a flop, made more leaks than before. The second tried but just
couldn't do enough. Last Friday night (June 5) we came home and the rain came down hard.
And the leaks opened in the roof like a symphony of drips. In my room along the peak of
the roof there were six or seven, falling nicely on my books, which Manny and I quickly pulled away
from the wall. There were a few other leaks. The living room opened up into another six or seven
drops and Manny's room has some too. He had moved his bed to get away from another leak and now
the new leak was on the place where he moved his bed. That was about it for us, we decided to move.
Where we weren't sure, but somewhere. We waited over the Sabbath and then on Saturday night
I told the landlord we were moving. He tried to say that he would fix it again, but I just told him
that we had to go. Sure we are not our here for luxury but we know that for the price
we can have somewhere where we do not get poured on in rainstorms and by the providence of God we found
one. On Sunday I was at Pathfinders and Manny out to the village with Suzy. We said that if we
didn't find a place on Sunday we'd move into the extra rooms beside the AFM office, in the same
compound where Suzy lives. We walked up to a guardian who said he had a room, but we found
out that it was far away, we wanted to be close to the church. Manny was justing getting into
Malaria unfortunately (he is all better now, praise God), and thus headed home. I continued searching.
I just asked God to lead where he'd like us to go. I walked asking random people. Not much in the quarter
where the church is. I ended up back near our present house. I thought I would just tour down along the way
to a friends house. One empty place was already taken, so I kept going.
I was stopped by a couple children, and was kinda of annoyed at the interuption. One
said "And give me" I was flustered I had nothing to give him. What he was actually saying was
and Donné, meaning how's Donné, one of our church kids, they are in the same class. I had an
embarrasing laugh, and thought I'd ask him if there was some rooms in the quarter, nope, but he'll
let me know. I went on a little. A nice place was up ahead, the lady next door said there were no
rooms. I turned around, the same kid was just up the trial I asked him who lived at that place, he told
me and said there were no rooms. And as if a light went off in his mind, he motioned to follow him.
He took me right near by to a nice little compound. The landlord was in Cotonou, but his little brother
was a renter and showed me a place that is a mirror image of our current location, except the door
is on another wall. Well and the shower and kitchen are outside, yet they have roofs and walls. I asked
the price, cheaper than before. And the roof was a thing of beauty! So I told him I would bring my comrade
tomorrow and we'd sign the deal if it looked good. It is good and we are thankful to be in the new place.
It's actually closer to the church. I had really been praying for what to do about morning worships.
Our old place had no real quiet spots nearby, and usually it was too dark when I spend time with God
to crawl over the highschool wall where there would be some tranquility (the guards will get you!). But here
the river runs right by us, and there is a big tree and an open bank where I can take my chair in the morning.
There is a path near that people use and I am required to greet them, but in the morning traffice is pretty low.
I enjoy going down by the riverside and laying down my burdens. The new place has some new children
whom I am trying to get to know, and also not run me down. If you give them license the children, sweet as they
are, will use the white guy like a candy machine, just do and get what they want. Our house could end up a zoo.
But I would like the place to be a shelter in the stormy lives of the youth around