Day 163 – April 24th

Tuesday! We had a good school day – the end is definitely in sight for all the kiddos. We are in tying loose ends mode. Asher’s pretty much done, Nandry has her final Language Arts Test tomorrow and is writing a story, and Boaz is soon to also finish Language Arts and his State Report on Tennessee. We are working hard in History to finish South East Asia, and we are enjoying some experiments with magnetism! We had our last lesson in art today – sad to see that end. I allowed the kids to choose from our different art materials, and they had fun coming up with what they wanted to create. Nandry and I worked on our jewelry, for which I drilled holes in shells, and sawed porcupine quills so I can make them into beads with a needle (the inside is as soft as Styrofoam). So far, so good, they just need to be sanded and threaded.
However, while I drilled holes in the shells, I started feeling more confident, and, alas, the drill bit just happened to SNAP while I was working on a shell, and the remaining bit slammed into my right thumb. All I remember is pain and, well, you could imagine, but I’ll spare the squeamish folks the details. Needless to say, if I am able to type now, my finger will be okay, though it does hurt quite a bit. I’m not good with blood, but once I was able to be comfortable and not see my hand, I started feeling better. We have a nurse on our team, Jenn, and the doctor of our team, Reda, is here for a couple of weeks right now, too, so I was in good, adept hands, besides the care of the Conrods. They were there assisting, too.
Adventures in Africa! I’m just glad I am okay and that I am able to do most things still, though I find I need help with some surprising things. I use my right hand more than I thought! :-) And I still have packing to work on.
Prayers are definitely appreciated as I wrap up my time here – this is not the first close call I have had over the last week. A few days ago, our hot water kettle’s handle just broke while I was carrying hot water over for a shower. Thankfully, it was not boiling hot, but it was pretty painful. Felt like a bad sunburn that night, but it is totally fine now.
So prayers are appreciated! Three more days of school! And only 15 days until I am back in the U.S. of A. It is still not real.