They didn't come... (Email to parents)

Mommy and Daddy,

I don’t really feel like going into all the details, but the girls who were supposed to come didn’t come- well one did, but left before we really got started. Anne came late- we were able to get the Exodus re-recorded, though it’s a terrible story- so unnatural,…I almost feel like starting over on it…

But leaving that aside- I talked to Anne and Mamta a long time about why they have been coming late, and that we can’t get any work done if they are going to continue like this. Finally when I asked if they were too busy, and if it would be too hard to keep doing the stories. They said, "yes”- I asked Anne if she would teach someone else how to do it, and she said yes…

I called another girl in, and we arranged to meet on Thursday at 10:30 (their sewing class starts at 11, but they can’t come earlier than 10:30)- I’m already discouraged because the new girl said she can’t come earlier than 10:30. I asked if after Thursday, she could come earlier, she said no. I asked if it would be better for me to meet her after the sewing class, she said no, she lives in the village and has to go home…It already sounds like she is backing out….

I cried part of the way home. Robin was with me on the motorbike. I talked with her some about. I told her, “I have a hard time just giving up on people especially before we even try them- any work. It's probably a waste of time to do it becuase we'd have to drive 1/2 hour over there, and then she can't even meet very long. But then I think, if she can do it, and does a good job- then driving an hour, hey, driving 2 hours should be worth it, huh? Well, maybe…but are there others we should try? I mean is it wasting time to pursue something that had a lot of odds against it?

I really don’t know- I talked to Vivian about it for about 45 minutes today, we brainstormed about others we could try…Didn’t come up with much…

I’m supposed to go an get a cultural story from our neighbor this afternoon, and we are supposed to go and meet the some other girls to try back-translating (asking someone to listen to a recorded Kahani story and put 'back' into English so we can understand it fully).

Anyway…any thoughts let me know- please pray for wisdom to know how to spend my time…Maybe time would be better to spent in prayer?

And you know, persevering and keep trying wouldn’t be so hard, if I knew what direction to even look in…

Love ya. Wish you were here.

~ Elizabeth
P.S One praise: water did come today.