Business Updates

As usual, things in the front office are busy but good.

Our two fishing rigs have been sidelined for the past week. Once a month, every month, around the time of the full moon all kapenta fishing companies shut down for around 6 or 7 days. The boats use special light bulbs, both out of the water and deep down in the water, to attract the small kapenta fish into the nets. When the moon is full or close to it the small lights are ineffective, so everyone takes a little break. It works out well though. The fishermen set out to fish around 3:00 pm and return the following morning around 7:00 am for about 24 days straight, so they need and deserve a rest.

While our boats were sidelined we took them to a neighboring fishing company’s engineers to have some maintenance work done. Most of the local owners are friendly and willing to offer advice, something that I’ve been trying to take advantage of. I’ve hit a number of owners with question after question and have received a crash course in everything from engine repair to catching strategies. I’ve come a long way but still have a lot to learn.

Catches were pretty terrible last month, so we’re hoping for some improvement here in April. Still, there’s only so much we can do. Much of it depends on weather and, to a certain degree, on luck.

I’ve also received a crash course in both carpentry and welding. I’ve been trying to find out what tools our guys really need and what they say they need but could really do without to get the job done. Again, I’ve learned quite a bit but still have a long way to go.

Last but not least, farming is coming right along. I’ve got a few hard working little Namumu-ans helping me every day. I’ve discovered the secret to effective farming here. Before, I’d try to organize big groups to come to work and get a lot accomplished. They’d always mess things up and get in each others’ way. Now, instead, I just walk over to the beds and start working. Inevitably, around 4 or 5 of the kids will wander over to see what’s going on and to help me. With the small numbers we always get a lot finished and I’ve been able to teach them a thing or two.

Recently we’ve been seeding and mulching and building fences to keep out the stray dogs. These dogs are really ticking me off. They wander all around Namumu and keep doing little dances all over our newly planted beds. We built a fence but they continued to get through. Man oh man did I start to get angry. Really angry. I learned my lesson after God punished me, though…

It was early in the morning and I was tired and grumpy. I walked over to the beds and found the usual doggy footprints all over some recently planted cabbage. While I was gathering straw to do some mulching I started having Michael Vicki-ish thoughts about the Namumu dogs, I mean really terrible thoughts about what I wanted to do to them. As I was having said thoughts, and I mean RIGHT when I was having said thoughts, my foot fell into a deep hole, a hole that had previously been used for an outdoor toilet. God’s punishment was swift. I quickly repented for my bad thoughts and for my anger.

So there you have it. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush and he spoke to me through an outdoor latrine.