Hi Everyone,
When we arrived back in Fada on Wednesday, we all went to our host homes. Luke and Pastor Rufus had a heated discussions about money and our ministry. Pastor Rufus said he would meet with us all tomorrow to share his frustrations with us. Luke called us all and told us, which made us sad and devalued our ministry. Thankfully, Pastor Elisha was there for the talk between Luke and Pastor Rufus; he was able to calm them down some--and would later be very helpful.
Thursday was our day off, but it didn't seem like it, as usual. We took a team picture to advertise for an upcoming concert we have. We discussed as a team how we would handle ourselves during the meeting with Pastor Rufus. In the evening, we were all happy to see Pastor Rufus in the happy mood that he was in. Pastor Elisha had talked to him and encouraged him to focus on the things that unite us. Pastor Rufus apologized for all of the misunderstandings that had happened between him and the team. He said that the Devil had caused a lot of separation between us, but that God was strunger than that. He asked for our forgiveness. It was a really easy going meeting, thanks to Pastor Elisha explaining what our ministry is about. Side note, Pastor Elisha is applying to be on a Youth Encounter team!!
Friday morning, I woke up feeling very sick. I had an upset stomach and diarrhoea. Since Friday, I have been sick. My body doesn't want me to eat anything!! Friday, my skin was really hot. Also, part of the day, there wasn't electricity, so I had to suffer without fans (there's no air conditioning here in homes). The high temp is usually around 110, but it cools down to 95 at night. I think my sickness started because of stress. We all got ourselves really worked up about what Pastor Rufus said--thankfully, we didn't have to hear it from him at the meeting. I think my body has been unable heal because of the heat. I have no energy the sun is extremely draining and my body just won't let me eat. Hopefully soon I will discover something that my body actually wants me to eat. From Friday to Sunday, I rested at my host home. The rest of the team practiced with another group for an upcoming concert and went to a church service. Otherwise, I haven't missed a whole lot. Luke and Sonja have all been sick with similar stuff, but it isn't lasting as long. Please pray for my health and for the health of the Cross Fire team!!
When I have been able to eat food, it has been very good! I really like Burkina Faso food! We have had rice, toe (pounded corn or yams), boiled potatoes, boiled yams, french fries, chicken, millet, beans, gumbo, wild cat (we found out afterwards), fish, rice porridge, bread, tea, and hot chocolate. Our hosts and people in the village have fed us amazing meals.
Prosper left us on Sunday. He had to go to Cameroon a week early so that he can get his visa to the States renewed. We already miss him, and especially miss his translating. Please pray that his visa stuff works out.
As far as our upcoming schedule, Monday, we will go to a hospital. Tuesday, we will go to a Muslim Junior High and we will visit a group of prostitutes. Thursday, we will go back to the village of Tanwalbougou to do a workshop with women and children there. Friday, we will have a concert with several other groups, and kids will compete to see who can sound most like the bands-- we are all very excited about this! Saturday, we leave for Ouaga. Monday, we will take the long bus ride to Cotonou. On Wednesday, we will fly to Douala, Cameroon, where we will be for several days before our week long break.
Peace,
Tiffany
Monday, April 20, 2009
Life in Tanwalbougou
Hi Everyone,
Easter Sunday, we left eraly to go to Tanwlabougou, a village where we stayed until Wednesday. This time, we got to ride inf a more comfortable truck. We got to the village at 8:30. We shoke many peoples' hands. Pastor Rufus gaves a speech that was really disheartening to us. He was disappointed that we arrived to the village tired--which is because he has kept us quite busy. The liturgy for the Easter service was all in Gourmachen, which I have learned a few words in!! It is very fun in the villages where many of the people do not speak French. We sang somes joyful songs with alleluias for them and they sang and danced for us as well. There are three main guys that helped us out in the village (besides Pastor Rufus)--Olivier, Muyumba, and Narcisse. Olivier gave a sermon in Gourmachen, which was translated into French, and then into English by Prosper. Pastor Elisha, from Ghana, gave a brief message in English. The serivce was two hours long. It felt very different from Easter at home, but it was good. There were about 100 people at the church. I really missed being with my family, but I really enjoyed the sense of community in the village.
Village life is very relaxed. The afternoon of Easter, we rested and played card games with the many kids that were there. I mostly rested because I had a really runny nose because of the dust at the school with 1000 kids. In the villlage, we stayed at the pastor's house, which is surrounded by a cement like wall that is three feet wall. There was a long drop toilet, no running water, and no electricity. We slept outside bcause there was no air movement under the straw/grass shelter. Easter was a very hot day and we were all very sweaty. Around sunset, we went to a family who had just been baptiwed into the Catolic church. We rejoiced with them and encouraged them with a song. An old man there wanted to take Luke's watch and then wanted Sonja to stay and be his wife. Adrienne lied and said she was engaged to a Canadian! Us girls are frequently asked why we are not married and we are often told we should remain in the country so we can marry someone here. Most often, this happens to Sonja, we assume this is because she has blonde hair. When we got back to the house, the sky looked really cool. There was sky looked relly cool. There was heat lightening--lightening without thunder, rain, or storm clouds. On the horiwon, there was heat lightening, but stright up the sky was covered with stars; it was beautiful. The thirty or so kids that were alway around had started playing durms and dancing. Luke joined them in drumming. Prosper and I followed along in ther traditional African dancing. Luke joined them in drumming. Prosper and I followed along in their traditional African dancing, which was really fun, even though dancing isn't really my thing. The kids were really happy to see me, a white girl, join in with their traditional dancing. I even got several kids to join in. The kids smiled so brightly at me. Every morning and evening in the village, there was a devo. I really like that because it helped everyone maintain their focus on God and their community of faith. We all enjoyed sleeping outsdie under the stars; okay, except for the part when the rooster woke us up at 3 a.m. We got up at 5 or 5:30, with the sun, every day in the village; which normally I would complain about for hours, but I didn't, even though I was often tired. However, it helped that we often went to bed between 9 and 10 because we just had lanterns and flashlights for light. Life without electriticity can be amazing! You should try it sometime! No, really you should, where it is camping or whatever.
Monday morning, we were supposed to go to anothjer village, bu that didn't end up happening. We did team stuff. Around 11, a group of women came to greet us; We sang a song for them and they sang and they sang and danced for us. After lunch, we packed our instruments into two donkey carts. Prosper, Lindsay, and I rode in one donkey cart; Luke took a nap in the other one. Sonja and Adrienne walked. It took us about and hour and 45 minutes by donkey cart to travel the 6km (close to 4 miles). Thankfully, we had a nice cloudy, cool (under 95) day. Donkey cart is a common way of transportation, especially in the villages. It is simply a donkey pulling a large wheel-barrow like cart. When we go to the village of Kpencangou, we greeted the kin, who was the head of several of the surrounding villages. We did and hour long program for about 300 people. One of the ladies there id a really funny dance that looked like a chicken pecking. I amazed myself at my ability to mke kids with scowls on their faces smile at me simply because I had smiled at them. I enjoyed a relwxing ride back on the donkey cart and I walke for part of it. The other girls went to be early. Prosper, Luke, and I taught people some of our songs. It was really fun. The night felt very cool! It was 86 degrees!
Tuesday morning, we went to do a program at a school in Tanwalbougou. On our way there, we watched people getting kernels of of corn by hitting it hard with sticks. At the school, we greeted the teachers and waited for the 600 kids to gather. They were very packed in. The kids really enoyed the puppet show, and were later imitating Frank's ( one our puppets) voice. When we go back to the house, we wgreeted laides that were there. They are part of a women's village developent committee that does social work stuff for villages and helps at the hospitals. Around 3, we walked to the village of Tiango. We did an hour long program for about 1000 people there. I spent the evening looking at the sky, which was full of beautiful stars.
Wednesday morning, we thought we would be going to a hospital, but Pastor Rufus decided we wouldn't go becuse there was a chicken pox outbreak. So, we met as a team for ahile in the morning. Around 3:30, which was supposed to be 1 or 2, we left the village for Fada.
Overall, I really appreciated the slow pace of village life. People took time to be with the people around them. They don't need electricity, a TV, or a computuer to enterntain them; they have each other. They lean on each other for support. They play with you. They dance with you. They laugh with you--and at you! They smile! Take time to care for the people who are around you, even if that means you have to take a break from your normal conviences in order to do so. It is so rewarding to pay attention to what is going on around you! Take some time to slow down! Look at the stars, go for a walk, be in nature, talk to a stranger, be with people.
Peace,
Tiffany
Easter Sunday, we left eraly to go to Tanwlabougou, a village where we stayed until Wednesday. This time, we got to ride inf a more comfortable truck. We got to the village at 8:30. We shoke many peoples' hands. Pastor Rufus gaves a speech that was really disheartening to us. He was disappointed that we arrived to the village tired--which is because he has kept us quite busy. The liturgy for the Easter service was all in Gourmachen, which I have learned a few words in!! It is very fun in the villages where many of the people do not speak French. We sang somes joyful songs with alleluias for them and they sang and danced for us as well. There are three main guys that helped us out in the village (besides Pastor Rufus)--Olivier, Muyumba, and Narcisse. Olivier gave a sermon in Gourmachen, which was translated into French, and then into English by Prosper. Pastor Elisha, from Ghana, gave a brief message in English. The serivce was two hours long. It felt very different from Easter at home, but it was good. There were about 100 people at the church. I really missed being with my family, but I really enjoyed the sense of community in the village.
Village life is very relaxed. The afternoon of Easter, we rested and played card games with the many kids that were there. I mostly rested because I had a really runny nose because of the dust at the school with 1000 kids. In the villlage, we stayed at the pastor's house, which is surrounded by a cement like wall that is three feet wall. There was a long drop toilet, no running water, and no electricity. We slept outside bcause there was no air movement under the straw/grass shelter. Easter was a very hot day and we were all very sweaty. Around sunset, we went to a family who had just been baptiwed into the Catolic church. We rejoiced with them and encouraged them with a song. An old man there wanted to take Luke's watch and then wanted Sonja to stay and be his wife. Adrienne lied and said she was engaged to a Canadian! Us girls are frequently asked why we are not married and we are often told we should remain in the country so we can marry someone here. Most often, this happens to Sonja, we assume this is because she has blonde hair. When we got back to the house, the sky looked really cool. There was sky looked relly cool. There was heat lightening--lightening without thunder, rain, or storm clouds. On the horiwon, there was heat lightening, but stright up the sky was covered with stars; it was beautiful. The thirty or so kids that were alway around had started playing durms and dancing. Luke joined them in drumming. Prosper and I followed along in ther traditional African dancing. Luke joined them in drumming. Prosper and I followed along in their traditional African dancing, which was really fun, even though dancing isn't really my thing. The kids were really happy to see me, a white girl, join in with their traditional dancing. I even got several kids to join in. The kids smiled so brightly at me. Every morning and evening in the village, there was a devo. I really like that because it helped everyone maintain their focus on God and their community of faith. We all enjoyed sleeping outsdie under the stars; okay, except for the part when the rooster woke us up at 3 a.m. We got up at 5 or 5:30, with the sun, every day in the village; which normally I would complain about for hours, but I didn't, even though I was often tired. However, it helped that we often went to bed between 9 and 10 because we just had lanterns and flashlights for light. Life without electriticity can be amazing! You should try it sometime! No, really you should, where it is camping or whatever.
Monday morning, we were supposed to go to anothjer village, bu that didn't end up happening. We did team stuff. Around 11, a group of women came to greet us; We sang a song for them and they sang and they sang and danced for us. After lunch, we packed our instruments into two donkey carts. Prosper, Lindsay, and I rode in one donkey cart; Luke took a nap in the other one. Sonja and Adrienne walked. It took us about and hour and 45 minutes by donkey cart to travel the 6km (close to 4 miles). Thankfully, we had a nice cloudy, cool (under 95) day. Donkey cart is a common way of transportation, especially in the villages. It is simply a donkey pulling a large wheel-barrow like cart. When we go to the village of Kpencangou, we greeted the kin, who was the head of several of the surrounding villages. We did and hour long program for about 300 people. One of the ladies there id a really funny dance that looked like a chicken pecking. I amazed myself at my ability to mke kids with scowls on their faces smile at me simply because I had smiled at them. I enjoyed a relwxing ride back on the donkey cart and I walke for part of it. The other girls went to be early. Prosper, Luke, and I taught people some of our songs. It was really fun. The night felt very cool! It was 86 degrees!
Tuesday morning, we went to do a program at a school in Tanwalbougou. On our way there, we watched people getting kernels of of corn by hitting it hard with sticks. At the school, we greeted the teachers and waited for the 600 kids to gather. They were very packed in. The kids really enoyed the puppet show, and were later imitating Frank's ( one our puppets) voice. When we go back to the house, we wgreeted laides that were there. They are part of a women's village developent committee that does social work stuff for villages and helps at the hospitals. Around 3, we walked to the village of Tiango. We did an hour long program for about 1000 people there. I spent the evening looking at the sky, which was full of beautiful stars.
Wednesday morning, we thought we would be going to a hospital, but Pastor Rufus decided we wouldn't go becuse there was a chicken pox outbreak. So, we met as a team for ahile in the morning. Around 3:30, which was supposed to be 1 or 2, we left the village for Fada.
Overall, I really appreciated the slow pace of village life. People took time to be with the people around them. They don't need electricity, a TV, or a computuer to enterntain them; they have each other. They lean on each other for support. They play with you. They dance with you. They laugh with you--and at you! They smile! Take time to care for the people who are around you, even if that means you have to take a break from your normal conviences in order to do so. It is so rewarding to pay attention to what is going on around you! Take some time to slow down! Look at the stars, go for a walk, be in nature, talk to a stranger, be with people.
Peace,
Tiffany
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Time in Fada
Hello Everyone,
We spent several more days in Fada before going to the village. On Wednesday, ten of us piled into a seven passenger car to visit the village of Tanwalbougou. The car was very uncomfotable and the ride took two hours, when it takes one hour with a good vehicle. Pastor Rufus took us to the house neqr the church where we will be staying. He wanted to show us what our accomodations would be. It is a cement walled area with several huts with straw/grass roofs and a long drop toilet. We have stayed at similar places before, but not quite like that. He kept apologizing for being poor, which annoyed us because we don't care and we prefer to live with people so we can understand their way of living. When we arrived, the church choir sang several songs for us. They were very excited to see us. We greeted all of them and then went to see the church. The church is also used a a school for people to learn how to write in their own language, Gourmanchen. We were led to several homes in the village to greet members of the church. Pastor Rufus talked to us about our schedule and he surprized us by saying that we will stay with host homes in Fada instead of saying at SIM.
Thursday, we went to a prison to do a program. The prisonners were very happy to see us. They really appreicated ou message of grace, love, unity, and forgiveness. Unlike most of our programs in Africa, they weren't dancing along, but they did clap. Our French was translated into two local languages. There were about 250 men there. Either there weren't women at that prison, or they were somewhere else. We saw some family members bringing food to a prisonner because the prison doesn't serve enough for them. I wish that I knew more about the justice system here.
After lunch on Thursday, we left SIM for our host homes. We spent some time with each of our host homes. Sonja and I are together. While we will miss having French, German, Australians, Canadians, and Americans to talk to; we were glad to finally have the opportunity to be in host homes again.
Thursday afternoon, we went to an orphanage in Fada. The kids sang us a welcoming song that included our names. The president of the orphanage told us a little about the orphanage. There were about 40 kids that are between 6 and 18 years old. There are 20 kids on the a waiting list. The kids don't actually stay at the orphanage, they stay with host homes. Various organizations and people give financial support to the orphanage, so they can give money to host homes for meals. The orphanage employees visit Fada families to see if they can support their children. They take some children who are orphans (often due to AIDS), who have only one parent (who they also call orphans), and children whose parents are unable to provide for them. They choose some of them to help out and support. The orphanage has activities for the kids. They observe the kids in school to see how they behave. When they are 18, the kids move and learn a trade or go to school. We taught them some songs and did a puppet show. They loved it!! The kids sang several songs for us that include our names. We felt very welcome there. We played with the kids for awhile.
For dinner, we ate with a Muslim family. We pasted the Catholic churh, where there were about 2000 people for a service, but we didn't get to go to a Maunday Thursday service. Instead, Sonja and I read about the Last Supper together.
Staying with host homes in Fada has been wonderful. I am slowly remembering the French I learned while staying with host homes in Cameroon. My hosts only speak a little English. All of our hosts have electricity, only some have running water. My host mom, Esther is the secretary general of Fada. Her husband, Emmanuel, works out of town. They have a young son named Joshua. Three of their nieces are there also cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Joshua. There names are Fadi, Caroline, and Kati. The girls don't know French, which limits our conversation a lot, but all of them are great hosts. They knew we were coming for two weeks and prayed they they would have the means to provide for us, and they do!
Good Friday, we went to a preschool for 3 to 5 year olds. There were probbly aroudn 300 of them-- for only four teachers. They were very cute and had matching pink uniforms. There was a playground. We did some sing alongs and our puppet show. They had short attention spans, but were glad we were there. They wer very cute. In the evening, we went to Pastor's house for a Good Friday service for us and a few others. We played a few songs and Olivia gave a message. Prosper read from Luke. It was all in French.
Saturday afternoon, we did a program for 1000 students at a school. It was crazy and very dusty. We were supposed to have mics the whole time, but we only had them at the beginning because they stopped working. It was hard to talk and sing loud enough, but at least some of the kids were glad we were there. They were really packed in. When we tried to do our puppet show, we told the kids they could come closer, bu then they were hit with sticks by a guy who want them to move back; so, we didn't do our puppet show. We were all overwhelmed, but got though the crazy program by smiling at each other. In the evening, I was sad to hear that I missed my mom's call Friday because we are staying at different host homes, but at least Prosper got to take to her.
Easter Sunday, we went to the village of Tanwalbougou. Life in the village is great and we had a great Easter!! There is much more to tell about, but that will come later when I have time to go to a cyber again.
Peace,
Tiffany
We spent several more days in Fada before going to the village. On Wednesday, ten of us piled into a seven passenger car to visit the village of Tanwalbougou. The car was very uncomfotable and the ride took two hours, when it takes one hour with a good vehicle. Pastor Rufus took us to the house neqr the church where we will be staying. He wanted to show us what our accomodations would be. It is a cement walled area with several huts with straw/grass roofs and a long drop toilet. We have stayed at similar places before, but not quite like that. He kept apologizing for being poor, which annoyed us because we don't care and we prefer to live with people so we can understand their way of living. When we arrived, the church choir sang several songs for us. They were very excited to see us. We greeted all of them and then went to see the church. The church is also used a a school for people to learn how to write in their own language, Gourmanchen. We were led to several homes in the village to greet members of the church. Pastor Rufus talked to us about our schedule and he surprized us by saying that we will stay with host homes in Fada instead of saying at SIM.
Thursday, we went to a prison to do a program. The prisonners were very happy to see us. They really appreicated ou message of grace, love, unity, and forgiveness. Unlike most of our programs in Africa, they weren't dancing along, but they did clap. Our French was translated into two local languages. There were about 250 men there. Either there weren't women at that prison, or they were somewhere else. We saw some family members bringing food to a prisonner because the prison doesn't serve enough for them. I wish that I knew more about the justice system here.
After lunch on Thursday, we left SIM for our host homes. We spent some time with each of our host homes. Sonja and I are together. While we will miss having French, German, Australians, Canadians, and Americans to talk to; we were glad to finally have the opportunity to be in host homes again.
Thursday afternoon, we went to an orphanage in Fada. The kids sang us a welcoming song that included our names. The president of the orphanage told us a little about the orphanage. There were about 40 kids that are between 6 and 18 years old. There are 20 kids on the a waiting list. The kids don't actually stay at the orphanage, they stay with host homes. Various organizations and people give financial support to the orphanage, so they can give money to host homes for meals. The orphanage employees visit Fada families to see if they can support their children. They take some children who are orphans (often due to AIDS), who have only one parent (who they also call orphans), and children whose parents are unable to provide for them. They choose some of them to help out and support. The orphanage has activities for the kids. They observe the kids in school to see how they behave. When they are 18, the kids move and learn a trade or go to school. We taught them some songs and did a puppet show. They loved it!! The kids sang several songs for us that include our names. We felt very welcome there. We played with the kids for awhile.
For dinner, we ate with a Muslim family. We pasted the Catholic churh, where there were about 2000 people for a service, but we didn't get to go to a Maunday Thursday service. Instead, Sonja and I read about the Last Supper together.
Staying with host homes in Fada has been wonderful. I am slowly remembering the French I learned while staying with host homes in Cameroon. My hosts only speak a little English. All of our hosts have electricity, only some have running water. My host mom, Esther is the secretary general of Fada. Her husband, Emmanuel, works out of town. They have a young son named Joshua. Three of their nieces are there also cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Joshua. There names are Fadi, Caroline, and Kati. The girls don't know French, which limits our conversation a lot, but all of them are great hosts. They knew we were coming for two weeks and prayed they they would have the means to provide for us, and they do!
Good Friday, we went to a preschool for 3 to 5 year olds. There were probbly aroudn 300 of them-- for only four teachers. They were very cute and had matching pink uniforms. There was a playground. We did some sing alongs and our puppet show. They had short attention spans, but were glad we were there. They wer very cute. In the evening, we went to Pastor's house for a Good Friday service for us and a few others. We played a few songs and Olivia gave a message. Prosper read from Luke. It was all in French.
Saturday afternoon, we did a program for 1000 students at a school. It was crazy and very dusty. We were supposed to have mics the whole time, but we only had them at the beginning because they stopped working. It was hard to talk and sing loud enough, but at least some of the kids were glad we were there. They were really packed in. When we tried to do our puppet show, we told the kids they could come closer, bu then they were hit with sticks by a guy who want them to move back; so, we didn't do our puppet show. We were all overwhelmed, but got though the crazy program by smiling at each other. In the evening, I was sad to hear that I missed my mom's call Friday because we are staying at different host homes, but at least Prosper got to take to her.
Easter Sunday, we went to the village of Tanwalbougou. Life in the village is great and we had a great Easter!! There is much more to tell about, but that will come later when I have time to go to a cyber again.
Peace,
Tiffany
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Safe in Burkina Faso
Hello Everyone,
Thursday, we went to the village of Molbogues for our program. Lindsay stayed at the seminary for the day because she wasn't feeling well. We performed for about 350 people in Molbogues, then we went to Nano to play for about 500 people at a high school. During our program in Molbogue, a piglet ran through Luke's legs--it was quite hilarious. After the school program, there were some skits about AIDS. I learned that now is the time of year that the students learn about AIDS. This school wasn't nearly as crazy as the one we went to before.
Thursday, we woke up to a cool temp of 82 degrees. --Yes, that is cool for us!! We actually woke up chilly and used our sheets, which is very rare. It was such an amazing feeling to be cold. It is crazy how our bodies have adjusted to the temperature. Usually, the temp is the the high 90s or low 100s. It is very dry here.
Friday, we did a program for about 450 people in the village of Mandiaré. As usual, they did fun dances for us after our program.
Saturday, we went to the village of Mogou. Up to this day, the speaking during our program in the villages was translated into Mobah; in Mogou, it was translated into Gangam.
Palm Sunday, we endured a long, bumpy ride to the village of Bagré. We couldn't really tell that it was Palm Sunday. We didn't go to church. We rode in a van for two and a half hours before getting to Bagré, where we did an hour and 15 minute program. We did see some people waving palm branches in a village that we passed. Also, there are many donkeys in Northern Togo, and in Burkina Faso. We often see donkeys hauling a wheel barrow of stuff. We played for about 250 people in Bagré; it was translated into Gourma. Then, we ate dinner with Pastor Bigbi.
When we went to the villages in Togo, we were always fed lunch. It was interesting to try the local dishes. We often had rice, fufu, chicken, guinea fowl, and goat. They always served us a vinegary type drink; sometimes, it was beer, other times it was unfermented. We woud respectfully try it, but rarely enjoyed it. It was nice to have some meals provided for us.
During this past week, I have enjoyed reading more books! I read two of Rob Bell's books--Sex God and Velvet Elvis. I recommend that you read both. Sex God discusses how our relationships, sexuality, and faith in God our related and can't be separated. Velvet Elvis is some of Rob Bell's theological thoughts. He challenges many things about Christianity. Rob Bell is the maker of the Nouma videos, which I also recommend.
Monday, we had a long day of travelling. We finally left Dapaong at 9:40 a.m.; we hoped to leave at 8:30. We all piled in a five passenger car--6 of us and the driver-- and drove to the border. We reached the Togo/Burkina Faso border around 11. There was a group of 9 people waiting for us there. We breezed through customs. Lindsay and I discovered that our visa for Burkina Faso lasts for five years!! We don't think we'll be staying. Once we got into Burkina Faso, we met Pastor Rufus. He gave us our mail packet from the office!! We were all pretty happy to get some mail!! We stopped to eat a late--3:00-- lunch in Koupéla and finally arrived in Fada N'Gourma. We are staying at a SIM place; there are many foreigners there.
So far, Burkina Faso seems pretty good. It is the third poorest country in the world. Our ministry here will be very different because the Lutheran Church only started here in 2006. Pastor Rufus is the only "pastor" here, but he actually isn't a pastor, but people call him that. He is from Liberia and devoted his life to God's service after being sick for seven years, but surviving. There is one church in a village that we will be visiting. Otherwise, our ministry will be in Fada N'Gourma (Fada) and Ouagadougou (Ouaga), the capital. We will be going to a prison, an orphanage, a school, and we will be meeting with prostitutes. We are all excited and nervous for this different kind of ministry. We will be here in Fada until Saturday, when we will go to the village for five days. We think we will be sleeping on the church floor in the village. We have been warned about keeping track of our stuff because the Cross Fire team that was in the village three years ago was robbed. Hopefully, we will be okay. After five days in the village, we will be in Fada for 10 days before going to Ouaga. We will be there for two days before taking a LONG bus ride to Cotonou, Bénin, where we fly out of. We will fly to Douala, Cameroon and be there for a few days.
Then, the girls are going to Denmark to visit Sonja's family and the boys are going to the States for a one week break.
It will be strange to not celebrate Easter like I am used to; I'm not sure if we will celebrate it at all. Most Burkinians are Muslim or animists.
Sadly, Prosper will be leaving us a week early. He has to go to Cameroon early to get his visa to the States renewed. Hopefully, we will thrive even when we don't have our fluent French-speaker with us.
I hope that you all have a very wonderful Easter!!
Peace,
Tiffany
Thursday, we went to the village of Molbogues for our program. Lindsay stayed at the seminary for the day because she wasn't feeling well. We performed for about 350 people in Molbogues, then we went to Nano to play for about 500 people at a high school. During our program in Molbogue, a piglet ran through Luke's legs--it was quite hilarious. After the school program, there were some skits about AIDS. I learned that now is the time of year that the students learn about AIDS. This school wasn't nearly as crazy as the one we went to before.
Thursday, we woke up to a cool temp of 82 degrees. --Yes, that is cool for us!! We actually woke up chilly and used our sheets, which is very rare. It was such an amazing feeling to be cold. It is crazy how our bodies have adjusted to the temperature. Usually, the temp is the the high 90s or low 100s. It is very dry here.
Friday, we did a program for about 450 people in the village of Mandiaré. As usual, they did fun dances for us after our program.
Saturday, we went to the village of Mogou. Up to this day, the speaking during our program in the villages was translated into Mobah; in Mogou, it was translated into Gangam.
Palm Sunday, we endured a long, bumpy ride to the village of Bagré. We couldn't really tell that it was Palm Sunday. We didn't go to church. We rode in a van for two and a half hours before getting to Bagré, where we did an hour and 15 minute program. We did see some people waving palm branches in a village that we passed. Also, there are many donkeys in Northern Togo, and in Burkina Faso. We often see donkeys hauling a wheel barrow of stuff. We played for about 250 people in Bagré; it was translated into Gourma. Then, we ate dinner with Pastor Bigbi.
When we went to the villages in Togo, we were always fed lunch. It was interesting to try the local dishes. We often had rice, fufu, chicken, guinea fowl, and goat. They always served us a vinegary type drink; sometimes, it was beer, other times it was unfermented. We woud respectfully try it, but rarely enjoyed it. It was nice to have some meals provided for us.
During this past week, I have enjoyed reading more books! I read two of Rob Bell's books--Sex God and Velvet Elvis. I recommend that you read both. Sex God discusses how our relationships, sexuality, and faith in God our related and can't be separated. Velvet Elvis is some of Rob Bell's theological thoughts. He challenges many things about Christianity. Rob Bell is the maker of the Nouma videos, which I also recommend.
Monday, we had a long day of travelling. We finally left Dapaong at 9:40 a.m.; we hoped to leave at 8:30. We all piled in a five passenger car--6 of us and the driver-- and drove to the border. We reached the Togo/Burkina Faso border around 11. There was a group of 9 people waiting for us there. We breezed through customs. Lindsay and I discovered that our visa for Burkina Faso lasts for five years!! We don't think we'll be staying. Once we got into Burkina Faso, we met Pastor Rufus. He gave us our mail packet from the office!! We were all pretty happy to get some mail!! We stopped to eat a late--3:00-- lunch in Koupéla and finally arrived in Fada N'Gourma. We are staying at a SIM place; there are many foreigners there.
So far, Burkina Faso seems pretty good. It is the third poorest country in the world. Our ministry here will be very different because the Lutheran Church only started here in 2006. Pastor Rufus is the only "pastor" here, but he actually isn't a pastor, but people call him that. He is from Liberia and devoted his life to God's service after being sick for seven years, but surviving. There is one church in a village that we will be visiting. Otherwise, our ministry will be in Fada N'Gourma (Fada) and Ouagadougou (Ouaga), the capital. We will be going to a prison, an orphanage, a school, and we will be meeting with prostitutes. We are all excited and nervous for this different kind of ministry. We will be here in Fada until Saturday, when we will go to the village for five days. We think we will be sleeping on the church floor in the village. We have been warned about keeping track of our stuff because the Cross Fire team that was in the village three years ago was robbed. Hopefully, we will be okay. After five days in the village, we will be in Fada for 10 days before going to Ouaga. We will be there for two days before taking a LONG bus ride to Cotonou, Bénin, where we fly out of. We will fly to Douala, Cameroon and be there for a few days.
Then, the girls are going to Denmark to visit Sonja's family and the boys are going to the States for a one week break.
It will be strange to not celebrate Easter like I am used to; I'm not sure if we will celebrate it at all. Most Burkinians are Muslim or animists.
Sadly, Prosper will be leaving us a week early. He has to go to Cameroon early to get his visa to the States renewed. Hopefully, we will thrive even when we don't have our fluent French-speaker with us.
I hope that you all have a very wonderful Easter!!
Peace,
Tiffany
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Ministry in Togo, Ghana, and Books to Read
Hi Everyone,
Monday, we went to the village of Tambimnoug. We did an hour and a half program for about 150 people under two mango trees. The church choir there sang us some songs before and after our program. The chief of the village really appreciated our message of unity. We ate lunch at the church. After lunch, they gave us some mangoes and beans. We were one kilometer from Ghana, so we decided to go there for awhile. We went to the market in Ghana for about 25 minutes. At customs, they had no problem with us going as long as we didn't stay. In Ghana, the main language is English, but their accent is hard to understand. At first, we didn't even realize that it was English.
Tuesday, Valerie, a missionary here, took us to a high-school here. There are over 1000 students at the school, with classes sizes around 80. When we arrived the kids were rowdy and were watching a skit to teach them about AIDS. There are many billboards here in Togo encouraging abstinence. Over 100,000 of Togo's 5.1 million people have AIDS. There are many orphans due to AIDS. We did an hour and half program for the high-schoolers. Many of them were not paying attention during our program, some were making fun of us, others made fun of Prosper because Cameroon lost a soccer match against Togo. However, in the midst of this here were several kids that really connected with us. After singing, we had a question and answer time. They asked good questions like why are you on team, why are there so many Christian denominations, and why is there suffering. We all took turns answering. Some seemed really interested and we encouraged them to keep searching for answers to their questions. Valerie fed us a delicious lunch, then we went to the seminary and had some rehearsal. We took some time to discuss how programs have been going. We ironed out some problems have been having. I have become way more flexible with programming, but I still need some work.
I'm reading "The Shack" and "The Irresistible Revolution." They are both really good. "The Shack," by William P. Young, is based on a true story of a man who encounters God and has many of life's tough questions answered. "The Irresistible Revolution," by Shane Claiborne, is about being a Christian activist and a revolution towards being truly Christian by serving our broken world. I highly recommend that you read both.
Monday, we will be going to Burkina Faso!! Before then, we will be doing programs everyday in villages around Dapaong. In Burkina, we will be going to Fada N'Gourma and Ouagadougou.
I hope you all have a great Easter!! I will miss being home for Easter. We've heard that they don't celebrate here much.
Peace,
Tiffany
Monday, we went to the village of Tambimnoug. We did an hour and a half program for about 150 people under two mango trees. The church choir there sang us some songs before and after our program. The chief of the village really appreciated our message of unity. We ate lunch at the church. After lunch, they gave us some mangoes and beans. We were one kilometer from Ghana, so we decided to go there for awhile. We went to the market in Ghana for about 25 minutes. At customs, they had no problem with us going as long as we didn't stay. In Ghana, the main language is English, but their accent is hard to understand. At first, we didn't even realize that it was English.
Tuesday, Valerie, a missionary here, took us to a high-school here. There are over 1000 students at the school, with classes sizes around 80. When we arrived the kids were rowdy and were watching a skit to teach them about AIDS. There are many billboards here in Togo encouraging abstinence. Over 100,000 of Togo's 5.1 million people have AIDS. There are many orphans due to AIDS. We did an hour and half program for the high-schoolers. Many of them were not paying attention during our program, some were making fun of us, others made fun of Prosper because Cameroon lost a soccer match against Togo. However, in the midst of this here were several kids that really connected with us. After singing, we had a question and answer time. They asked good questions like why are you on team, why are there so many Christian denominations, and why is there suffering. We all took turns answering. Some seemed really interested and we encouraged them to keep searching for answers to their questions. Valerie fed us a delicious lunch, then we went to the seminary and had some rehearsal. We took some time to discuss how programs have been going. We ironed out some problems have been having. I have become way more flexible with programming, but I still need some work.
I'm reading "The Shack" and "The Irresistible Revolution." They are both really good. "The Shack," by William P. Young, is based on a true story of a man who encounters God and has many of life's tough questions answered. "The Irresistible Revolution," by Shane Claiborne, is about being a Christian activist and a revolution towards being truly Christian by serving our broken world. I highly recommend that you read both.
Monday, we will be going to Burkina Faso!! Before then, we will be doing programs everyday in villages around Dapaong. In Burkina, we will be going to Fada N'Gourma and Ouagadougou.
I hope you all have a great Easter!! I will miss being home for Easter. We've heard that they don't celebrate here much.
Peace,
Tiffany
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)