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