 Before we left the village Oumar Dia's family offered us a goat, a big honor but we explained how we had to fly back to the U.S. and could not bring it with us.
I brought along some gifts. Dia's wife and sisters loved them and smelled perfume for the first time.
Then the elders gathered around us and prayed for a safe trip home. I think their prayers were answered when our truck died at exactly the same gas station we stopped at in St. Louis on our way to the village. Out of the blue I heard my name and there was Oumar the little boy I met on the way to the village and took his photo. He said, "Hello Stephanie!!" and I said, "Hello Oumar." I knew we were going to be just fine. Pollution and dust clogged our engine filter. Mechanics changed the filter and charged us $12. They don't charge for labor in West Africa!
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We brought jump ropes and taught the kids how to use them.
