Changes

This is quite comical, but it appears when I added this one I copy the wrong file. I usually cut and paste from notepad, I pasted an email from someone instead of the blog, I will try to post "changes" later.
thanks the management

Okay here's the real thing:
Making Sense of it all Just a little thought I have been having over the last few weeks. I am glad to write this blog and putpics up online, but I am sorry that you do have to miss out on some of the best parts. Whileyou may see, read, imagine, and if I ever get video online, listen to, you'll never smell, taste,touch. Well maybe not every, maybe some of you have already been to Africa or will in the future. Butyou know you miss out on experience. Some smells are worth it, like after the rain, or the smell of roastingpeanuts or rice and spicy sauce. Other smells are different, like moutard (or mustard) a spicethat usually knocks my nostrils out at the market, if I get caught in a traffic jam by thatstuff, I am thinking, could you please go before I barf! But I am getting used to it. Touch isinteresting, you certainly have a more intimate experience with food when you used your handsinstead of a fork. Whether the sauce is slimy, oily, or full of veges, it all adds to the experience.So if it's hard to make sense of it all, maybe if you could use all sences, would help.
JAm PackedThis week has been a full, busy, and I would say rewarding week. Good news is that Manny has finallyarrived, he is my fellow student missionary and will be doing health work here in Natitingou and the surrounding villages. After three months of solo student missionary, it is very pleasant to have a roommate and comarade to chat with. He is excited to learn and is already picking upmuch French with his Spanish language skills he has already. Pathfinders has been getting better. The younger ones are really started to focus and we getalot more done. I praise God for that. They are eager to learn and love to play! We played frisbee foralmost an hour on Sunday. Last Sabbath, I was able to preach my first sermon in French. It was avery happy time. I thanked God He got me through and I could sense His spirit working. The translatorfor Dittimari was able to understand all my French so I was glad for that. I preached on the topicof Thanksgiving, and the story of the ten lepers with only one returing to Jesus It was actually I was planning on giving in September but every SabbathI was to preach something came up, so I finally got the chance and I told the congregationthat I was glad to have three months practice before sharing. I was also able to give the sermonfor the Wed, and Fri night meetings based on chapters from Desire of Ages, two very powerfulchapters on Matthew 24 and the goats and sheep from Matt 25. Manny arrived Thursday night by the way.Along with Uli and Toussant the other missionaries here on the Ottamari project. So our teamis back together now and our field director will be here soon as well, so the whole thing willreally get going! Praise God.Had an interesting encounter this week with a young lady. I was supposed to be doing a Bible studynear my house, but the people weren't there, so as I waited a young lady came by and asked if Icome to her house to have prayer and share some Bible verses. I was happy to, but kindly askedif her husband was home, she said yes, and he was. The interesting part was twofold. First the husbandwas someone I knew well, not from conversation but more from confrontation. He is Leon and the firsttime I went to a Bible study at that place, he came in drunk out his mind. He was much of a problem at first, but then he began to interupt the study, I had no problem, I would justwait to continue, but the people were fed up, so after he started getting upset cause no onewould listen they forced him outside, he came back, and they put him outside again, by this time he was livid. And behind the building he shouted and waved his arms, I could see him throughthe window. I was a little nervous, but being in good company I did not feel threatened by oneguy. Well her husband is Leon, whom since then I have never seen that drunk again. The lady, Suzanne,told me she'd like me to pray for them and she had some question. We prayed and then I askedwhat she'd like to ask, and what kind of things she was interested in so we continue study at latertimes. In the conversation she asked my religion, I said Adventist. She was happy. She went intoher room and came back out with an amazing picture. Her baptism by the Adventist Pastor who is in charge of the north of Benin! When was this I asked. She said about two years ago. But shejust can't figure out why she doesn't feel like going to church anymore! How God leads! No Bible study but here I was to contact a lost church member. I talked with Suzy about her and she saidthey had simply lost her, she had gone to some other village or something. A church lady hadbeen visiting her again, so hopefully she'll come back soon, I said I would visit her and herhusband as well. Since then her husband has become much more friendly. On Sunday he warmly greeted me on thestreet and invited me to stop by and see some of the friends we mutually know. I was glad.Oh and Fidard is doing better, because of the business of the week, I haven't seen him muchbut last time I was there he was repentent, and I encouraged him a verse from Ezekial 36, whereGod promises to replace our heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. I read it to him but I knew it applied to me just and as much and us all indeed!
Thanks A Givin'Just a littl note. I went with Suzy and another friend to Tanguieta on Thursday for good ole AmericanThanksgiving. There are a number of American missionaries in the north that do a lot of language translation and such. The families house we went to is with a group called Ministryof Jesus, and they run a Bible and Agricultural school just outside of town. We had a wonderfultime together and the whole day was capped off with Manny's arrival and meeting Toussant and Ulifor the first time.
Culture NumbRecently be going through a bit of culture shock. It's less like shock and more just like going numbfor me. I really haven't exploded. Just get annoyed, I am so far pretty good at controlingemotions, just these little things that tick me. Mostly as I mentioned in "The Game", just bugs me when I am consider white and not a man. Many people are nice, but there is still this barrier, but I can see as I live here more, people are beginning to see I do not fit the normalwhite stereotype, that I live like they live, that I want to be African. I'll admit sometimes it'sactually funny, like when my friend came over yesterday. We were just going to visit before he goeson a trip to Cotonou to makes some extra money for a few weeks. He came with his wife, whom whenhe spoke to Manny in English called his sister, so I am not sure if it's bad translation by himor if it is his sister. Anyway we had fried igname for him. And he tried some and then pronouncedthat we had not done a great job and that his wife/sister could come over later and help us learn properly. Well I didn't know what to think. I was kinda offended at first, I thoughtman you could just not eat it, you don't have to tell me it stinks. But he was onlysaying it with my best interest, so it could slide. The he asked if I had some drinks. I had alreadyoffered him water, and so I told him again that's what he had. He thought that wasn't toogreat. I of all people should have some drinks. That was funny. He thought I would have thosethings but we are living without such luxuries as pop (soda) and juice for the most part. But laterhe concentated for water. Well the rest went well, and we prayed for his voyage and bade him farewell!So while it can be wearing in a new culture it can be humorous if you look at it right.