Hey all,

We  just received word from the contractor in Togo that they scored a good quantity of cement.  I suspect things will move swiftly now.  Gildas was kind enough to send some more photos.

      Here are some hand-made brick they will be using for the foundation and the walls.

    Rebar for columns and footings.

   More sand.  You can see the remains of a brick church that was never finished.  Beyond that are the existing classrooms.

I had an interesting  and fruitful experience the other day when I did a radio interview on Sirius 159/XM 117 Radio.  There is a program on the Catholic Channel called “The Catholics Next Door”.  The hosts are Greg and Jennifer Willitz.

They are terrific hosts — so easy to talk to.  They were  kind enough to send me a CD of the show, and I hope to have it up on the site soon for all to hear.  Also, a listener to the program sent in a monthly donation of $25.00.  That is awesome!  

On a worrisome note:  my adorable assistant in Togo — Liqua — has had a terrible bout with Malaria.  Everyone I know in Togo has Malaria.  It is horrible.  The frustrating thing is that even people who are educated and have bed nets don’t use them because it is so hot and nobody has air conditioning.   The bed nets tend to make you hotter and stop the little flow of air there is, so compliance is tough to achieve.   I am very worried about her, and will keep you updated on her health. 

On a lighter note, as of today I have  seven/eight bachelors lined up for the “Second Annual Bachelor Auction and Wine Tasting” .  I still need a few more, so if you live in the Chico area and know an eligible guy, please send him our way.  I am always reachable at Natalie@leapingstone.org

Cheers,

Natalie