MERRY CHRISTMAS (Sort of Canadian Style)!!!

Dear Mike.... I tried to think of what I could do for such a brilliant guy and it ended up being one of our favorite service projects of the mission.


We went to visit a library out in a village about 40 minutes out of town.
The library proprietor was a professor.
After he retired he decided he wanted to help the members of his home village have the opportunity to learn.
He and his wife moved back to the village and built this little library and school. We visited with them and he gave us a little tour. The library itself is one room filled with shelves and stacks of all kinds of books.
Many are text books, but many are a collection of wonderful books.
Most all of them are in French, but there are a few in English. He also has 5 pads of cement with a "roof" covering, which act as classrooms, where he teaches school.
Even the outhouse was cool.
The grounds around it are beautiful and spotlessly clean. It was amazing!

We asked if we could return for a service project in 4 weeks, and asked what we could do to help. He said that all the books needed dusting... thousands and thousands of books. The purpose was to separate each book and wipe off the dust... and the moisture which would shorten the life of the books. We also offered to paint the posts of the "classrooms". He asked if we could donate some mice poisoning, because there are some mice who have moved in and are eating the books!

I explained to him that we had a Canadian son-in-law that loves reading and learning. I told him we would like to do the project and dedicated it you.

On the day of the project, after we arrived, they fed us a beautiful African meal,
and the we went to work.

You would have been proud of the elders... but mostly proud of this wonderful couple who have dedicated their lives to the love of reading and learning. We are proud of you and your search for knowledge. Thanks for being such a wonderful husband and Dad. I was proud to wear this shirt.

Love, "Other Mother"-Kriss