I've been postponing writing this entry for an hour now. Not because I have nothing to say, but because there's so much to say that I know I can never cram it into a handful of paragraphs. Maybe I should write another book...
Here's a synopsis of the past week. I'll fill in the details later.
Friday -- I made some more glow-in-the-dark bracelets, then we all hopped on the bike and drove out to the Bible school where we gave out the Bibles, erasers, pencils, and sharpeners I'd brought out (thank you to those who donated!). I also tied a lot of bracelets onto a lot of little wrists. Then we rode into town for lunch and errands. Back at the house, someone stopped by for a couple more downloaded audio Bibles. Mom has already given out 482 copies! She's just about out of sd cards, and the man who gets them for her is sick with malaria. Please pray, both for his complete healing and that mom can get more memory cards.
Saturday -- Ceremonie de remise de diplomes le 12eme (graduation)
Eleven students became pastors, with their wives seated behind them. There were a lot of speeches and gifts given throughout the ceremony which was followed by a luncheon of rice and sauce. People broke into family groups seated and squatting around huge basins of food. There were also a couple of long tables where the missionaries and some of the other Bible students and leaders sat, served on individual plates. As a fundraiser for the meal, the graduating students pick a cloth from the marche to sell. Usually that first cloth runs out and they have to pick out a second. Almost everyone at the ceremony was dressed in an outfit created from that cloth. Mom wore a shirt and pagne from the first, my outfit was the second cloth. Dad wore a vest made from the first.
Sunday -- We rode the bike in to the Bible school for church today. This time we were stopped at the barrier (police check) where the guard told us not to put three people on the bike anymore. At church, all of the visitors stood up and introduced themselves - Dad introduced me. The message was preached in English by a visiting pastor from Maine, translated into French, and then summarized in Cebaara. After the service, the visitors left the building first and everyone shook our hands as they left, joining the end of the line to shake hands with the others still coming out.
After church, we went in to town to pick up some cloth, then went to a tailor to order a couple of outfits. Then mom and I took a taxi home and dad followed on the bike.
We got back home to find that our toilet had leaked and the whole back of the house was flooded. A suitcase that dad had already started packing was soaked through, so we emptied it and spread everything out to dry. Then Mom and I mopped up the floor with rags and a bucket while Dad worked on the toilet. The only casualty was a favorite old book.
Monday -- I began cleaning out the kitchen cabinets and bookshelves today. The plumbers came by to fix the toilet.
Tuesday -- Leah, the wife of one of the graduates, took Mom and I in to town to find the ingredients for a special sauce. We rode mototaxis (motorcycles with a yellow cloth draped over the gas tank -- it's apparently ok to ride three to a bike if the driver isn't white). This time when we were stopped at the barrier, the guard merely asked us where our helmets were (the Africans don't wear them). We picked out a rooster from a cage at the marche, and for 100cfa (about a quarter) they offered to kill and pluck it for us.
The rest of the morning was spent in a cooking lesson, preparing the meal, which Leah's family joined us to eat. The food was delicious and the conversation interesting with a blend of three languages being used.
Dad was doing laundry when the outside faucet broke, but he was able to McGyverise it with a ten franc coin and a piece of inner tube rubber. I got a few more cabinets cleaned out, and Dad got a suitcase packed before we walked across the compound for a prayer meeting with some of the other missionaries.
Mom has been working almost non-stop on the final edits of the PEDEBE books. Yesterday someone stopped by with the last two. He's been editing the hard copies and she then has to make all of the changes on the computer. The goal is to have all fifteen books finished and printed out before we leave Torogo on Monday. Please pray for her as the time left begins to dwindle.
Wednesday -- Today we've got some errands to run. Hopefully we'll get a chance to stop by the internet cafe where I can upload this note. It's definitely longer than I meant it to be, but so much shorter than it would be if I could sit down beside you and tell you what's going on over here. Thank you for your prayers. Know I'm praying for you as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment