They Call Me Yovoe

Hi friends!
Tomorrow evening will be exactly two weeks that I have been here. I am sitting in a somewhat croweded internet cafe, there is a cell phone playing the lastest French hits loudly, it was interesting to here an English tune by Celine Dion, maybe she is the best singer in the whole world! I have been spending my time here in Cotonou in Red Cross training, which by Gods grace I passed on Friday. This will definitely aid me in helping the young people up north, as the training was not only first aid but also health education, psychology of groups and such. I walked to church yesterday, which was tiring and refreshing. As I walk the streets here, the little children will usually be very exactly as I pass, calling Yovoe! Yovoe! which is the term here for white person or stranger. I really wanted to make some connections here even though this is not the exact place of my project. I was able to meet a young boy named Alfred, who was excited to know all about Canada. I have visited him the last couple days. Hopefully I can see him on a return trip here to Cotonou. I also met Prospere, who was interested in coming back with me to Canada, as most people do here. After explaining I was a missionary to the North, he surprised me by asking me that I pray for this country that the people in Benin would have peace. I assured I would and that many people in Canada were too. It really hit me as I walked to streets, people here are here, they cannot leave unless by some miraculous good fortune. Yet I, I am here for only a little while and then I am gone forever or for a while, back to my comfortable home. It is the way things are, but really makes me consider the duty I have to these people in Christ. In these two weeks God has really asked me to rely on Him. During the day I am with friends but the evenings finds me alone in my room, just myself and God, where I have felt loneliness, but realized His supreme love and care for me. I tell you this not for you to see that I am some great missionary roughin it like in old times, but to say that we are never alone, and to say praise God that I can now relate to people who though surrounded by people in a city can feel alone inside. Yet God is true, Jesu est fidele, as a song I learned during training, Jesus is always there.
God richly bless you.
In His grip,
Eric
p.s. Indeed I have alot to learn! What sounded to me as Low Voe was actually Yovoe, as Suzy pointed out to me. Good to know.

Thanks

I just figured out I had comments. Thanks to you all. I very much appreciate your prayers. I ask you to remember the people here too. They are really in need of Christ, as we all do! God bless.
Eric

Cotonou Alive

Hi friends,
I can here the honking outside my window right now, the city is alive with motorcycles and cars. Would you bleive I forgot my pictures and since I am at an internet cafe, I cannot go back and get them, so hopefully I will have them up soon. I am a training for Pathfinders, mostly we are working on first aid and team building, so it is a great cultural introduction. I will be heading up the project next Sunday. God has provided me with some great friends here from the Adventist Church, an awesome way to sort of ease into Benin. I am excited to see Gods hand moving (pardon the grammar, I am on a french keyboard). For a few mornings the bats have woken me up real bad, but I have asked God each time to silence them and I drift off to sleep again. Little things He does. I suppose after these few days I have not seen His hand in mighty ways, that I always think about in themission field, but really I need a change of perspective. In everything God is mighty. He does not have to do mighty things, He is, that is a great comfort. I do know to that He is working in ways I cannot see, I am sure there are great things he has already done that I will not know about until eternity, that I am sure for all of us. The city is a little overwhelming, a lot of car exhausts especially when sitting on a motorcycle in the middle of traffic at a stop light. But people are used to foreigners here and they have me greatly, even when I do not know them. I tried a trick that John Kent suggested at training to learn language, ask for directions to a place you already know the way too. Everyone kindly pointed me in the right direction, but also suggested I take a semi john or motocycle taxi instead of walking, but hey I could handle on forty five minutes, being a great Outward Pursuit hiker and all(: Well I must be off, hopefully pics will be here within the week. God bless you all.

In His grip,
Eric
Almost forgot to tell you about the clothing market, this little girl mabye 2 years old came to me and held my hand in playful wonder, she said ca va, which is how are you. It was really heartwarming, It reminding me that for these children,younger and older, I am here with Christs love.

The Arrival

Hi friends,
With joy I write to you of my arrival here in Benin! It was a pretty uneventful trip. I did have some excitment getting into the terminal at Cotonou, Benin's largest city and where I am staying for the first couple weeks. Had to show my vaccination record, the up to customs, but no questions, just stamp and gone. But one of my bags did not arrive with me, but such is life! Lots to see here for sure! Amazing walking or riding a motorcycle taxi and never seeing a single white person, well I have seen about five the whole day, but all in the evening. The people here are very nice. Spent most of the day at the Adventist church in pathfinder training, went well. Not much contact with mosquitoes yet, but that's alright, definitely not complaining! Take care and God bless. Oh yes and welcome back to school (especially the CUC'ers, will miss you)
In His grip,
Eric

To be announced

Hi friends,
No longer is my unofficial motto, "to be announced", for I have a date of departure! One step closer to a wonderful year of missions. Wonderful, of course, should not be confused with easy. It will be wonderful, but challenging and intense for sure. I am excited to heading off. It was a bit nerve racking to not have the sure date in mind, waiting for the visa, trying to pack and not knowing when the date would be, etc. So this Sunday, August 31, 2008, I will be off and away. The flight is overnight and then a 7 hour layover in Paris and then onto Benin. I was just talking with my mom today how so many people are gone for the long-weekend, "Everyone goes away for vacation on the long weekend." Then I thought, yeah me too! Just I am going a bit further for a bit longer than most indeed! For those of you reading who are starting school, or started, I do wish the best for the new school year, I pray it is a blessed one. And for everyone else, have a great year. I will be updating you as much as possible over the next year on happenings and such. I will let you know that my challenge for the first thirty days is to keep contact limited to absolute essentials. This is a way to ensure that all my focus is on getting to the people and the project. But I will most likely send one when I get there. Take care and God bless.

In His grip,
Eric

Disclaimer

Hi friends,
I had wanted to put this up earlier but kept forgetting. This is just a note that I am putting up for my own peace of mind. This blog belongs to me, in other words, while I am a missionary with Adventist Frontier Missions, this blog is not officially connected to them. AFM does not proof-read all the content. So if there is something you find disagreeable or questionable, feel free to contact me with the email in my profile. While this blog is not official AFM material, I do realize that I represent AFM and its mission and I pray that all content on this site is of a wholesome, pure, and uplifting quality, ultimately representing Christ to the world. Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Eric

Another chapter

Hello friends,
Life moves by chapters in way. Steps on long road. A long, but joyous road with Christ. Another chapter has moved past, I completed the Adventist Frontier Missions Profile training and am now at home in Oshawa awaiting departure to Benin! It's pretty exciting. I am going for 9-10 months but really it seems as if I have been a missionary for a year already, just applying and telling everyone about the trip! But really the truth is that missions is life long. Everyone is a missionary. Oh yes, nice to say, but do many people really take it to heart. Well I suppose that's up to you and me. I can only decide for myself, I pray you all with take decide that too; to be a missionary wherever you are, a living example.
With excitement and prayer,
Eric