Low Patience

Manny and I are coming down to the last two weeks of our time in Benin for now. I plan to return, but still it is an interesting time. I have noticed my patience wearing thin. For the past months I have been kindly dealing with all the misconceptions that people have of white people here, as well as the harsh realities of behaviors in the people. The people really are wonderful they just are well, lost! It is easy to see why anger, jealously, immorality are so prevalent. People need the Lord, as my good friend (I wish) Steve Green would say. Even now as I type outside the office, there is loud music playing in a language I cannot understand, and that's not the frustrating part, it is the annoying African pop music with no point and rythm of about two notes repeating over and over. Yesterday playing soccer I got stern with some of the young boys playing. The goalie missed a shot and the other team scored a goal, and the other team made fun of him. I immediately shot back with a comment that they might have done the same place. They maybe thought I was not serious. But I continued sternly that I really do not like mockery, and they should stop, how would they feel? They went silent, and one kid said, that I was right. We actually did not have as much making fun of others after that. I wondered if that was the right approach, I certainly was stern, but not shouting, and tried to show an example by encouraging everyone even when they did mistakes. The harder part is dealing with the misconceptions. People ask for things. After pathfinders yesterday, a guy was walking behind me as I headed home. Arnold one of the church kids was with me holding my nalgene water bottle. The guy asked if I had something to give him. I didn't even know who he was. I breathed deeply and said I did have something a handshake! He laughed but was not impressed. He said how about the bottle it is food in it right? No just simple water. I felt like pouring some on him to prove the point. But he relented and I turned to my house and he continued on. I told Arnold how little effort people put it. At least the guy could try to befriend me and then as our friendship grows I may out of the bonds of our relationships give him something in appreciation. But that would be too much work. For now, I just have to: "Say oh, and let it go." (I read that in one of Suzy's old "Country" magazines)

High Jump for Dumbies

The tension was building. The new white guy was going to show everyone how to do the high jump. It was pretty exciting, no one knew exactly what would happen. They warned him that the sand was pretty hard, but he seemed confident enough that they thought maybe he could do it and escape injury. Everyone cleared out and with great anticipation waiting. The young man traced his way back from the high jump rope in a large sweeping circle. Then with great concentration he made his approach. His technique was not exactly Olympic perfection but quite nice looking, even at the low height of the jump. He landed squarely on his upper back. He looked up stunned for a moment. Everyone kind of held their breath, more or less suppressing all out laughter. He got up slowly smiling and wincing a bit. He had avoided a real back breaking perfomance, so to speak. He made light of the situation and everyone had a good laugh. He jokingly remarked that at least now if another white person tried to show the "proper" jump technique, they could now say that another dumb white guy did, and it was not fun.
As you may have guessed by now, I am the dumb white guy (not all the time, but in this case yes). I really did do a good jump, but somehow I thought the sand was a bit softer! In our initiation week in April we looked at a different aspect of prayer every day. The first day was the Lord's prayer, I remember going over the line "And deliver us from evil". We mentioned how sometimes evil things happen to us beyond our control and we ask God to protect us. In my case I was keenly reminded how God protects us from evil that is because our own dumb mistakes! Manny and I were discussing my now funny but nonetheless sobering incident and he remarked that we only have two weeks left here and the Devil surely wants to mess it up. We need to be on our guard against temptation and dumb mistakes, and for the rest of the uncontrollables continually rely on God in prayer and trustful obedience.

What's on the menu?

Food somehow has become such an intergal part of our universe really. I suppose rightly
so, on earth we need it live. But in even in Heaven the grand entrance of the saints is welcomed
by a banquet feast. Thus appetite is important. Jesus' first temptation in the wilderness
was based upon appetite. Culture in our societies around the world is deeply intertwined with
the food eaten. This is all just to say that I finally got around to writing down what we ate for a week
(thanks to Uli for the idea, she did this on her blog, call me copycat if you'd like). I know many people
wonder about it. So here goes!
Sunday:
Breakfast: Leftover spaghetti from Sat. night, fried with tomato paste and onions
Lunch (or Diner if you prefer): Boiled yams and sweet potatoes, with tomato sauce
Supper (again or Diner if you prefer!): Tomato flavoured rice with leftovers from lunch (you'll
see leftovers as a common theme, we can only keep things for a day without having a
fridge)
Monday
Breakfast: Leftover rice with added seasonings
Lunch (or Diner if you prefer): Lentil/Onion soup (lentils we got in Cotonou, a real treat)
Supper (again or Diner if you prefer!): Lunch reheated
Tuesday
Breakfast: Fried spaghetti and hibsucus water
Lunch (or Diner if you prefer): Rice with tomato/onion sauce
Supper (again or Diner if you prefer!):Leftovers
Wednesday
Breakfast: Corn/ wheat flour pancakes with milk (powder milk)
Lunch (or Diner if you prefer):Brown Bean/ lentil/ yam stew, delicious!
Supper (again or Diner if you prefer!): Refried stew
Thursday
Breakfast: Spaghetti with cabbage/onion/tomato sauce
Lunch (or Diner if you prefer): Fried spaghetti
Supper (again or Diner if you prefer!): Tapioca soaked mixed with powder milk and sugar (try it so good)
Friday
Breakfast: Corn/Wheat pancakes
Lunch (or Diner if you prefer): Watché (beans and rice) with fried onion/ peanut butter sauce
Supper (again or Diner if you prefer!): Refried watché and leftover pancakes
Sabbath (I happened to fasting eating only simple foods as I was praying on certain subject during meal times)
Breakfast: Fruit
Lunch (or Diner if you prefer): Some pancakes fruit
Supper (again or Diner if you prefer!)(fast over): Fried dough like an enchalada, and fried onions
With many meals especially breakfast I might eat a few oranges, bananas, or mangoes, whatever is in season
and maybe suck a few lemons too.
Hope you enjoyed the menu!

Liberation Noise

Actually we have been very blessed thus far in Benin. After ten months, I have never had to
go ask people to turn down their music at night. During there are few times I would have
but there is less jurisdication for that. But the hour finally came. Last Friday night (July 9)
behind our house was a party for a liberation. It is actually to celebrate liberation from
being an apprentice. A young man or woman has completed some apprenticeship and is
ready to head into the work force. And it is all right behind our house and
right outside Manny's window. It went until 3 or 4 in the morning! Until finally a neighbor
told them to be quiet. The law actually is that it cannot go past midnight, but law is in the
eye of the beholder perhaps. By Sabbath night we did not want to repeat sleeplessness. (Well
I slept since my room is blocked by Manny's, poor guy.) So we thought before we call the cops
at midnight at least we can talk to them. Well around 7:15 pm the power cut so went out to
talk. We asked for the man of the house and girl took us in a room and started waking up this
guy passed out on the ground, I really did not want to talk to someone who couldn't stand on his
own feet from drunkenness. But a replacement was found, another man of the house. We told him
our issue nicely and said we'd like to keep the cops out it. Then as we were finishing the power came on
and another man came and started talking. He said very emphatically that no one could stop their party
not even the president of Benin. Well we just restated that we were asking for a favor out of decent
human respect. The guy was not convinced and we left without letting him finish. We'd said
what we needed. I asked our landlord if he was going to call the police. He said he would if needed.
Equipped with earplugs, Manny and I did sleep. Then next morning I asked the landlord what
happened, he said he sleeping, apparent he can sleep through Mount St. Helens if needed. But his
wife who was up with their baby daughter all Friday night, said at Midnight exact they cut the
music. I really am happy about the story. I shared it with the pathfinder kids. Around the world
people get made really fast. If one just takes the time and effort to do all in peace as much as possible
a lot of stife could be avoided!

Simple Things

It is rainy season here (you have that before). This time of year, along with pains that you already know about, brings lots of joys. I am sometimes too much of a thinker, my head is in the clouds, with daily plans, future dreams, and other sorts of things. But lately I been blessed and kindly reminded by God of simpler things, of beautiful simplicities in the nature all around. Animals are abundant, goats, ducks, sheep, chickens, the works. My favorites are pygmy goats (the only kind around here) and ducks. The goats are real rambunctious, especially the little ones. I love to watch them play around and have fun. They butt each other like big horn sheep, sometimes even raising up on their hind feet and giving a good charge. I threw out some yam peelings out in the compost heap outside our compound the other day, and a goat came over and happily munched on the peelings, Arnaud who was there at the time told me that is their favorite food. It was quite commical.
Ducks are the other favorite. I am sure not why. Dare I say it is because the little ducklings are so cute and furrying. They waddle around. All ducks when they swim are like little boats paddling along. They really seem to enjoy life. While I wouldn't change my life for a ducks life, it is helpful to remember to enjoy life, to always keep in mind that God's got it all and to not worry. Ducks taking a bath after a rain storm is a great show too. They get their feathers all wet, and shake their wings about and look like a child at play. Again that same carefree theme! God's nature in simple ways so profound and moving!

Something Radical

I was talking with amissionary of another denomination that lives in our region, though not in our city. We were discussing the Adventist Church in Nati. He was asking some questions on how things were going, how ministry with the youth was. I shared our challenges of having a small group, and not enough mature or responsible (althought those go together) people, to help run the programs and be active. He knows about the wonderful group of young people and children we have at the church and proposed that maybe we should do something radical. I was curious. He was speaking about building a church on young people and kids. I was excited to think about it. In reality, that's were our church came from. Ellen White was only in her teens when she had her first vision, and James White was 22 when he did a six week circuit and converted over 1000 people to the Advent movement. Although when the SDA church was officially organised they were a little older, many of the strong messengers and missionaries were young. So were the apostles many say, and the list goes on. And this something radical really is already happening. The youth are leading out in church services and Sabbath schools, they are helping in church programs, they are really making an impact. While the most important part is that they really get to know Jesus and not just put on a show, seeing them up front and helping behind the curtain is a real indication of their passion for Christ. I pray that it continues. And even greater is the realization is the opportunity our growing church has to build healthy youth. That is, just as for the early Advent movement those young people laboured hard and then became the wise, caring adults as the SDA became an organized entity. Thus here we can this growth too, the young know build the church and the youth of the future work together with them. What harmony. That is far thinking, and surely I hope these youth will bring the message to Nati, so that Jesus can come before they are a bit gray-headed!

Different Neighbors

This past Sunday our church organized another heath fair. Suzy and Manny worked tirelessly to get all the material ready throughout the last couple weeks. We had seven stations based on the NEWSTART model, with some extra additives that were relevant to needs here. Unfortunately it was a rainy day in the morning. In pathfinders prayed that the rain would stop, since the program was supposed to be partially outside. The rain did stop, but it seems it scared away some attendees we did not quite have the turnout as the last health fair. Also it is planting season, so perhaps a number were occupied with that. Nonetheless, several came, including my friend Fidard, and a friend of his. Fidard is doing very well, he is rarely drunk, and the demonic attacks have lessened somewhat. We were going to start Bible study, but we missed the first one and then I traveled a bunch the next several weeks, now we are down to about four weeks before I leave, so I have not brought the subject up again, though if he does, we can start and then keep going when I return. Many came that I did not know, but I did know my neighbors who came! I was very happy to see three of the ladies from our compound and one of their husbands. When they got to my booth (which was talking about rest, confidence in God, having a spirit at equilibrium, and sleep) I thanked so much for coming. My old neighborhood folk I invited twice to this and the last health fair, and none of them came, but after only knowing each a month all four came. One man who I invited had visitors at his house stay longer than he thought, but even he came all the way up to the church before the program started and told Manny he would not come. I told him later I would get brochures for him! It was even more moving, to have our neighbor win a Steps to Christ, in one of the draws. He had wanted a Bible though, but the two were already given away. So he asks Manny for onee. Sure! That doesn't sound that strange until one finds out that the man is Muslim, and his father is the head Imam (teacher) of all Natitingou! It would certainly be challenge for him to change beliefs, but can you imagine the impact and testimony! His name is Adam, please pray for him. So as hoped the health fair brought more than just good health advice, it established more saving relationships and planted some more seeds for salvation.