Steve and Casey Cretsinger Experiencing Tribal Missions in Guinea, W. Africa 
Ephraim all bandaged up for a couple of weeks
Each time I sit down to write an update to our week or share a story with you, I struggle with how to explain a world so completely foreign to us Americans. I think to myself how insane the week has been and that surely the next week will be quieter. Funny, how that quiet week just doesn’t seem to come.
Our week is always filled with crazy stories, heart breaking situations, and busy days. This past week is giving us a taste of the hot season that is quickly approaching and it indeed does make everything even more difficult to deal with. Believe me, it’s a struggle to stay patient and pleasant with everyone with temps reaching 120 (that will be the normal temp in April)! Our afternoons are getting hotter and hotter and pretty soon these afternoons temps will be what we are waking up to.
Heat aside, this week has brough some major issues for us to deal with.
A friend was brought in the middle of the night very sick. After a few days of tests she is staying in her family’s village for a while. Which confuses me because she never stays there unless she’s mad at her husband. But, no one will say why she is there. And her kids are here in our village with the 2nd wife to take care of them. I wish I wasn’t the outsider and just KNEW what was going on.
One of the teens coming to our Bible study was involved in a motorcyle accident this week. His passenger struck a child going through a crowd and the little boy died. Very long story. He was in jail almost a week as his family had to negotiate his release. We, as Americans take it for granted that we have an actual judicial system. There was an issue over his fine because it was known that his parents work for us and therefore they wanted quite a bit of money. It was a tough situation for us because yes, we had the money and could have paid it. But, it would have been the same story for the next situation, and the next and the next…We know that we can’t solve everyone’s problems. In the end, we gave an amount and said it was the most we could help with. After a few days of stand-off, they accepted the money and he was released. It was a very dramatic week with MANY conversations with people about what to do.
Ephraim gave us a little scare the other day when he accidently punched the kitchen counter with all his might and his hand immediately swelled and turned black and blue. After waiting a few hours we decided that it was probably broken. There is a hospital about an hour away that can do x-rays, so Steve took him there the following morning. He thought it was pretty great that he would get out of writing in school for a few weeks, but has realized that it also means he can’t play soccer, play the wii or build legos very well. It may be a long couple of weeks.
We’ve been dealing with some family issues a lot in the past few weeks and we’d appreciate your prayers for us as we seek the best way to parent our boys. Steve being gone a lot has taken a toll. We want to be understanding of where they are coming from and at the same time teach them the acceptable ways to express their frustrations. I’m reading a book called “The heart of anger” and the very beginning reminds us that God does not give us children to raise without giving us all the tools to do a good job at it. We just need to keep asking God for His wisdom.
I hope that every post I write reminds you how much we need your prayers. We’re living in a culture and language not our own…with a faith that makes no sense to most everyone around us…homeschooling our children…no “date nights”…missing our family and friends…livng with very little privacy…very much missing worshipping with our church…
I say all those things so that you know how you can be specifically praying for our family and our ministry. We are a body of Christ and we are your hands and feet as we serve here. We are so thankful to know that you stand behind us!
Our friend, Titi, is the second from the left.
One of the twins we've been feeding
Hard to believe that they came to us at just two pounds
This is a baby suffering from the same horrible rash that MANY other people come to us for help with.
Okay, you twisted my arm, I’ll tell you more. No two days seem to look alike over here. Sometimes I’m amazed at the situations that come up in an afternoon…when those situations aren’t driving me insane.
