As a pet’s name, what does that conjure up? A beautiful stallion perhaps? In Africa, might it be a leopard, or even a lion?

Somehow, it is the name of Matthew’s tiny brown bunny, which likes to be held and eat lettuce. We are still puzzled by the name, but Thunderbolt is taking it in stride.

We went on a field trip to an ostrich farm last week. After a long loud bus ride with dozens of young children singing `99 bottles of pop on the walls’ until my eyes were in danger of permanently crossing, we arrived.

After we got to see all the exciting things at an ostrich farm, we learned that you could ride an ostrich. Which we just had to do. About the funniest thing that has happened to me is watching Nan yelling `But I don’t want to go for a second lap!’

And then it was my turn. How do you ride an ostrich? There is no saddle, and four men hold the ostrich while you walk the grounds. Adults must hold the wings of the ostrich and try to balance. I was told that I was the only one who had ever sung `Rhinestone Cowboy’ as he went around the track.

Forests and mountains surround us, and this week they were both on fire. Cutting down trees and making charcoal is a very popular way to make extra income, and at times there were at least a dozen different men cutting down the trees. It is illegal, but the police told us that they didn’t have gas in their cars to take anyone to the station if they caught them, so why bother?

Africa needs hope; it is the only thing that will make you sacrifice in the short term. You will give up something now if you have a hope for the future. As I was pondering that, we received 20 more boxes of toys from you folks. Every Sunday when I give toys away, I marvel at how you folks have offered hope to kids you have never seen. Thank you.

This has been a tough week at RVA. The fifth grade teacher was ordered by the doctor here to return to the states ASAP to get a MRI. That is scary for him, and so upsetting to all his students who love him and are worried for him. At RVA right now, there are two cases of typhoid, two of malaria, and several other very ill people. Africa can do that to you.

We knew that this would be a tough week for us, just because March 4 would have been our son’s second birthday. We are in a good place in regards to his death, but we knew that his anniversary would be a tender one for us. We didn’t know what was to come.

On February 29, our next door neighbors gave birth to their third daughter. It had been a very normal pregnancy, and it was a normal birth, except that the cord was wrapped around her neck. She got a little fluid in her lungs, but otherwise was given a clean bill of health.

On March 3, she suddenly had problems breathing. The doctors spent two hours trying to revive her, but she passed away two hours later. There are times when I wondered how I came to be in Africa, but it was amazing to be here and realize that we were able to help in a way few others could, because we have walked in that sorrowful place.

I would ask that you would keep Jeff and Laura Wilson in your prayers. Emily has gone to the place where Stephen went where babies never die, where the only tears are tears of joy, and mommas and babies are united forever, but it is so so hard.

I’ve signed off yp (your pal) in place of yop (your old pal) for several months, because I have felt renewed in the last few months; new perspective, fire in the belly returning, lost 35 pounds, etc. So forgive me if, just for this week, I go back to yop; a baby dying makes me feel very very old.

YOP