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The Price's are told they can only have forty-four pounds to be carried across the ocean by the Pan American Airline. When they get to the airport they find out that the passengers are not weighed. They put all of their extra luggage under their clothes and on their bodies.
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The Price family met the Underdown family as soon as they got off the plane. The Underdown family is another Baptist missionary family that used to live in Kilanga, but has now moved to another part of the Congo. They gave the Price family the mosquito nets and warned them on the things they would endure.
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When the Price family got to the village, the village people threw them a feast. However, Nathan could only focus on the sin of their nakedness which led to a sermon right there on their sin.
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Ruth May was the first person out of the family to make friends with the kids in the Congo. They didn't have games like American kids did so she taught them "Mother May I?" Throughout the book, you can find many accounts where the kids are playing this game.
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Ruth May broke her arm when she was spying on the African Communist Boy Scouts. She was up in the tree and ended up falling out.
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Anatole came over for dinner one night and Nathan ended up arguing with him while eating dinner. Anatole tried to tell him that the villagers had their own gods that they prayed too. The village chief wants him to stop pushing the villagers towards Christianity.
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Nathan said that Orleanna was too attached to the worldly object. He was still mad over the argument with Anatole. He just broke the plate right in front of Orleanna.
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The Underdown family came to visit them in the Congo to tell them what was going on with the government. The mission was going to be canceled and the funding for it would be canceled. Mrs. Underdown said that their best decision was to leave. Nathan refused to leave .
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Tata Ndu is set on marrying Rachel. However, Rachel refuses. Nathan comes up with a plan to have her act like she's engaged to Axelroot so the village will not be upset with her.
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Ants attacked the village over night. Adah tried to get her mom to help her, but her mom chose to help Ruth May instead.
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Tata Ndu decided to have an election during the church service. Nathan was outraged and said the church was no place for an election. However, they went ahead and voted. "Jesus Christ lost, eleven to fifty-six."
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Leah decided that she wanted to hunt with the rest of the men. Outraged, they immediately said no. However, they held a meeting and gave in letting her go ahead on the hunt. She ended up killing an antelope, but the Chiefs grandson argued and said he did, which led to an argument.
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Ruth May was up in a tree one day like usual. However, all the family heard screaming. They all run to find Ruth May laying there slowly dying. She was bit by a green mamba snake up in the tree. It bit her right above the heart so unfortunately there was no chance of her surviving. Ruth May passed away that day.
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Orleanna was officially tired of staying over there. After she cleaned up Ruth May's body she had the kids help her move all of the possessions out on the yard. The villagers came and took whatever they wanted. The little kids tried to play "Mother May I?" while Ruth May was laying there. They didn't understand what was going on.
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Orleanna has officially decided to leave the Congo. They sat out that day only carrying the things they could carry on their backs. They left town and didn't turn back. Nathan stayed in the village.
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The family fell sick with malaria while on their journey out of the Congo. Leah wasn't recovering very well so she convinced them to just let her stay there with Anatole. Later, she would end up marrying him.
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Adah decided to finally speak and go to college. She went to Emory University to study to become a doctor. While she was there, she came in contact with a specialist that could take care of her limp. She no longer has the disability.
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While Rachel was in France, she married Daniel DuPrée. She ended up being married twice and became a successful hotel owner.
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Orleanna has finally come to peace with everything that has happened. Ruth May tells us in the last chapter of the book that she has made peace. She is able to go on to the other side.
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Mama Tataba tried to give advice to Nathan on how to build the garden to make it grow. However, Nathan wouldn't listen and planted the seeds how they would have originally planted them back home. She tried to tell him that the ways that worked where they were from didn't work the same way in the Congo.
