Steve and Casey Cretsinger Experiencing Tribal Missions in Guinea, W. Africa 
Fatou cooking up piles of cashews
On my trips into the village lately I have noticed that there is a lot of work going on. People are starting to get ready for rainy season which is just a few weeks away. The past few months have been a little more quiet and restful as dry season dragged on and their wasn’t much to do in the fields. But, now as rainy season approaches, you find people hurrying to get things finished up. Houses that are being built need to be finished before the rains come and wash away the mud. Cashew trees are in full bloom and the ladies are spending hours burning the nuts, cracking them open and getting the cashew out. Many families are seeking to sell these cashews to help with the fields that will soon need to be planted. This week I sat with ladies as they started preparing palm nuts to be made into red palm oil sauce. It’s just a never ending supply of work to be done. All this as the temps soar each day. I realize how blessed I am that I don’t have lug my clothes to the river to wash them on rocks, I don’t have to bend over a fire for hours everyday, I don’t have to look ahead to months of back breaking work in the fields. I pray that even in spite of the differences in our lives – that I can be a source of encouragement and grace in the lives of the women around me. They have so much to teach me!
Ladies preparing palm nuts to be made into palm oil
Now it's time to crack the cashews open
More work preparing the cashews to be bagged and sold
