Sunday, July 10, 2016

I attended church in the town where I’m staying. Most of the communication was in French, but I had trouble understanding it due to “fuzziness” in the amplification system. My traveling companion, who works here, said he also found it difficult to understand. I enjoyed the singing though; it’s always very animated here in Africa. I was wishing I had taken my tablet along, so that I could video some of it. Maybe next Sunday.

 

The afternoon consisted primarily of resting, but did include a meeting from 4:00 until 6:00 or so. I met the others who have been preparing for this workshop, and we talked about all that has been done, verifying that everything is ready for the start of the training phase Monday morning.

 

My body seems to have fully adjusted to this time zone now, so I am getting good sleep each night, even with a nap in the heat of the day.

 

I am pleased with my living conditions, though they are barebones compared to what I enjoy back in North Carolina. I have my own little house on the SIL compound to live in. It has electric lights powered by 12-volt batteries. There is a countertop gas appliance with two burners where I can heat water, flame bread, or even cook a simple meal if I had to. I use it primarily to heat water for my morning shower. The shower consists of a bucket of water on the floor, a cup, and a large basin to stand in. The basin serves to catch the water so I can reuse it to flush the toilet. The toilet is connected to a septic tank of some sort, but there is no running water, so it has to be flushed by pouring water from a bucket into the toilet bowl. I shave by filling a large cup partway with water, in which I wash off my “hoe” after each pass across my stubble. My water supply consists of two large barrels that were nearly full when I arrived, one by the kitchen and one in the bathroom. There is also a water filter to provide pure water for drinking and brushing teeth.

 

I am grateful for a rectangular mosquito net over my bed, filtered water, a way to heat water so I can have warm water for my shower, an indoor American-style toilet, and a daily (reportedly, at least) supply of fresh bread. I do miss having cold water to drink, the ease of running water, and fast internet access, but I can survive without those amenities. I am glad for God’s promise to provide all that I need for the mission He has assigned to me. I feel privileged to have been chosen to promote and lead Rapid Word Collection workshops.

 

I am grateful for your partnership, whatever form that takes.