Steve and Casey Cretsinger Experiencing Tribal Missions in Guinea, W. Africa 
Proudly showing off their purchases
School officially started this week here in Guinea and I’m not sure who’s more ready – the kids or Steve and I. The last month has been a constant whirlwind of activity as students have tried to earn the money needed to go back to school.
Although to actually go to school is free – you have to pay for a uniform, shoes, notebooks, chalk, a little chalkboard, and you have to pay for every exam that you take. So, for most families in our village, these costs add up to just too much. When you are just trying to keep everyone fed, there isn’t the extra to send eight kids to school. To get even four kids outfitted with everything that’s required it would be two months salary or more. There are no bank loans, layaway or credit cards. So, most families just choose the one or two that will get to go.
All that to say that the summer break can get crazy for us as everyone wants to earn enough to go to school. Kids even as young as eight were here asking for whatever work we could come up with. Steve got creative with some different projects and we had quite the summer work crew. It’s great to see the teenagers and young adults working hard to earn their school money. They kept envelopes here with us and we added to their savings. They were all very excited to come and show us their supplies and let us know that they were set to go.
We have a couple of students who need to village this year to go on with their education. They have had to find a room to rent with someone and are trying to adjust to living more on their own. We told them that we would help them with an “allowance” each week so that they could concentrate on their studies and not have to worry about how to pay for that room or what to eat. The stipulation is that they have to bring home a note from their teacher on Saturdays that tell us that they are working hard and doing well in school. I feel a bit parental about it, but they all said it was a good idea and would make them work harder. If you’d like to “sponsor” any of these boys, just let us know.
Of course, not everyone can work for their school fees. We have quite a few single moms that are just unable to come up with the money to send their kids to school. Actually, it’s not just the single moms. Any mother – married or not – is responsible for what her kids need for school. We sent them to town to make a list of what they would need and how much everything would cost. We are so thankful for the generosity from people back in the States that made it possible for us to sponsor so many kids to go to school.
We were more than ready for the work projects to come to an end, the lists come to an end, and the kids to head to school. But, again, we thank God for these opportunities to show Christ to our neighbors and be a part of our community.
