Seminary Didn't Prepare me For This!

Today in Bangui the thing I most dreaded has begun. What was I most afraid of about coming to this place? Namely, how I was going to be able to process in my western thinking, which translates to; 'if I see someone suffering, I strive to bring assistance and make it all better." Here, the perplexity of the overwhelming vastness of needs, and seemingly hopelessness that is written across so many faces of the people here is a challenge bigger than what I bargained for. Nothing I've ever experienced, in life or in school, could possibly prepare me for what I am experiencing here.

This is life in Bangui. I know I've talked about it already, but now that I'm fully awake and I've been asking the Lord to give me His eyes for the things I'm seeing and it's an aching pain. At the moment I'm struggling with typing because the tears that are welling in my eyes make it difficult to see the keys. With each drive down a main street there are hundreds of people hoping to sell the smallest thing, a loaf of bread, a few pieces of firewood, anything to make some money for the needs that they have.

We turn down a side street and we come across a child, maybe four, maybe six selling cigarettes by the road while his mother tends to the many children that scatter about outside of her home. We pass a truck overloaded with men and wood who have returned from the rain forest where harvesting of lumber is taking place regularly and I realize how wrong this is but how do you say that to someone who simply wants to provide for his family? These are the extremely difficult questions that shout at me as we drive through the streets. It seems that this entire culture is on a downward spiral that could one day perhaps just cease to exist.

This country called the CAR is too far inland for any real commerce, transportation of any goods is a challenge, and besides, remember earlier I told you there is only one plane a week that comes here? Now I know why.

It's interesting as I watch our team struggle within themselves about what they are seeing. There is nervous laughter as we are driving through the streets, talk of things we miss about home, and a general sense of "what can we possibly do?"

But now we've turned into the ICDI Orphan Care Center and we are greeted by swarms of children so happy that guests from America have arrived. Humbled doesn't even get to close to what you feel as we poured out of our vehicle and children lined up in droves to shake our hands, greet us and welcome us here. Soon the playing begins, and I'm sitting and watching the children. It's free time and there are so many children running to and fro, laughing, playing, interacting with our team like we've all grown up together. It's an incredible sight.

You have to wonder, where do all these children come from anyway? Earlier today I had a chance to interact with one of the ICDI leaders and ask some questions about the culture and more specifically, the children. Some of the things he told me left me stunned.

He spoke of a study that was done by the French equivalent of our own CDC (Center for Disease Control) in 1988 whereas four hundred prostitutes were tested for HIV and 40% of those tested, tested positive. Just two years later, in 1990 four hundred prostitutes in the city of Bangui were tested and at this point 80% were now infected. Add on seven more years to that statistic and perhaps we're getting close to our answer about where all the children have come from.

So what can we possibly do? Did I mention that I'm at the ICDI Orphan Care Center today and clearly, as I witness and watch all that transpires around me it becomes evident that any hope for this country lies in the hands of the children, and those who teach them. Here at the Orphan Care Center there is a weekly program that we are helping to do today that involves singing, Bible lessons, games and before the children leave each and every one has a belly full of food that sends them home with a really good feeling. Perhaps in some small way we are experiencing what Jesus felt when He feed those who were in need.

Topping the list of ministry paradigms here in Bangui is the "True Love Waits" and "True Love Stays" programs, and they are starting them now. "True Love Waits" teaches children and young people to choose abstinence, to wait for sexual activity until they are married and then once married the "True Love Stays" program teaches men and women about remaining faithful to the person that they have married, all wrapped in strong Scriptural teaching and recognizing that it takes more than just a strong will to follow this plan, it takes Jesus Christ living inside of you. I guess you've got to start someplace and being a youth pastor at heart, I'm all for doing it beginning with the children.

"Oh, come on RAD, aren't you perhaps exaggerating just a bit?" "No, not really." Another staggering statistic the ICDI leader shared with me was tied to the "True Love Waits" curriculum. Let me explain. As part of the program, before they begin teaching about abstinence they do a survey with the group they are speaking to and one of the latest groups to be targeted with "True Love Waits" principles is none other than the village of Pama, the very place our church is beginning a partnership with through this trip. We leave for Pama on Monday.
Here are the results of their survey to see for yourself.

Question #1: Asked of the girls participating, "At what age do girls begin sexual activity?" The answer, 9 years old.
Question #2: Asked of the boys participating, "At what age do boys begin sexual activity?" The answer, 11 years old.
Question #3: Asked again of the girls, "How many sexual partners do you have in a month?" The answer, 2-3
Question #4: Asked of the boys, "How many sexual partners do you have in a month?" The answer, 1-2, which seems a bit suspect according to local leaders.
And the final question, asked of both groups, "At what age do you get married?" The answer? For girls it's 16 and for the boys age 20.

I'm not all that great at math but that translates somewhere to about 238 partners for girls and about 216 for boys. That's what people of faith are up against in a battle for this land. No doubt it's a battle, but thankfully it's not a battle without hope.

So my prayer request for today? Pretty simple. Pray for those who teach and live "True Love Waits" amongst many who are without hope. Pray that the African people will be enlightened to the truth that AIDS is not "something that America made up to steal our fun" a quote given to me today. And pray that in big or small ways our team will be able to be a blessing and encouragement to all those that we are meeting. It is a beautiful feeling to know that even though the odds seem overwhelming, we serve a God who is all about overwhelming the odds. Thank-you Jesus, Thank-you Lord.

As far as the team goes, I think spirits are running high, we had a great time of teaching last night about angels, we were full on singing when the entire city experienced a black-out and so we just kept right on singing. It was really pretty cool.

Our work projects for today included digging a drainage ditch to help keep water from collecting in places it shouldn't, serving the medical needs of children here in the clinic at the Orphan Care Center and then participating in the afternoon orphan programs at two different locations. We were almost able to finish a special project we had been working on, putting a basketball court in for the Orphan Care Center, but as the last welds were being layed, the power once again ceased and so the project came to a stop.

Tomorrow will be our first morning in church which we are all looking forward to. By the way, thanks for the comments/posts that many of you have left, I have shared them with our team around our evening dinner hour and just to hear that people at home are praying and missing us means a whole heck of a lot.

Thanks for reading and as you can see from the picture, I've got more than a few blog writing admirers, RAD.

Blogger's Note: This message was received Saturday night and posted sometime after 11:30 p.m. RAD sent the following note:

"Ivanildo. I sent you a couple of extra pictures this time as soon we won't be able to get any off to you. The SAT phone is still not working and I'm a bit panicked as we leave on Monday, no phone, no blog. We are trying to get it working. If you read the blog you can most likely figure out where the pictures I sent you fit in. Thanks for keeping a voice for us back in the states, RAD." Notice that though the team is not able to access the Internet, I collect all the comments and send them to Africa in the form of an e-mail. So, if you were wondering whether they are reading your comments, the answer is: YES! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and post your comments!

If you are wondering what the sign in front of the orphan center says, here it goes: to the left are the words of James 1:27. The big yellow and red letters in the center say "Mercy Center," then it contains the names of the partnering organizations: Vision Trust, ICDI, and World Food Organization. On the bottom it says "assistance to orphans." Pastor Ivanildo Trindade.

Driving As a "Spiritual" Exercise

click on picture to enlarge
08-03
Driving in Bangui is a whole new experience. People line the roads, walking, riding "motos" (motor scooters), pushing push carts, getting in and out of old Toyota minivans that are marked "bus" and are completely stacked to the roof. Take all of that and then pave the road between all of the people on the sides of the road, incorporate no stop signs, speed limits, or lane lines, add in about a gazillion deep pot holes that everyone is trying to avoid and you are in for some kind of ride. Sometimes the traffic on the road acts like it is a two lane road, at other times it's a three lane and every now and then it becomes a four lane road determined by lots of horn honking and some Sango words I decided to not ask Tom to translate.

All of that serves as a backdrop for my morning today in Bangui. This morning I was invited by the ICDI staff to come to a retreat they were having to address some recent developments as of late. Allow me to explain. If you can picture all that I described for you above and then add in the final element for driving gone wild, namely, darkness, and you'll have a bit of an idea of the danger being on the streets of Bangui entails. And that is exactly what fostered the retreat that I was invited to.


In the last couple of months ICDI staff have been involved in three accidents, two of which were fatal. One time, driving along, at night, pitch black because there is no electricity, a man was drunk and had fallen asleep in the middle of road and the ICDI driver simply did not see him and ran over him killing him instantly. A second incident occurred not long after the first with very similar circumstances, again leaving a fatality in it's wake. The third incident was just in the last couple of weeks where a boy was hit, thankfully only a bit scraped up, but none-the-less, struck by an automobile belonging to ICDI.

It is these recent tragedies that have moved the ICDI leaders to come together to ask for spiritual cleansing, and protection for Bangui people and for the missions staff as well. You see in Africa, for example, if you were to hit someone with your car, the one thing you don't do is stop and see if they are okay. In my western thinking that just seemed wrong but then it was explained to me. If you by accident were to strike someone with an automobile and kill them, any family member of the person who was killed that was in the area would be perfectly in the right to come to the vehicle and then admnister the same punishment on you, namely, they could in turn kill you. I'm pretty sure I'm not in Wooster any longer. Instead what the driver would do is drive to a safe distance, get out of their vehicle, listen for wailing that would accompany a death or if none was heard, determine that most likely the accident victim was only injured and then report to the authorities in the next town what had happened. There would then be court proceedings and justice would be served through the judicial system.


Enter in the retreat that I attended today. I sat around the table with ICDI drivers, administrators, financial officers, micro-enterprise leaders, the ICDI representative for the country of the CAR, nurses and staff from the orphanage. As we gathered there was sharing, prayer, singing, and broken hearts before the Lord for the families of those injured and a pouring of emotion in regardless to how these events might possibly inhibit the work of ICDI and the gospel message in the region. It was a powerful time in the presence of the Lord and the deep concern was clearly felt throughout the room. At the end of about two and a half hours we came to a break in which Tom and I had to excuse ourselves as the rest of the team was waiting back at the villa for direction as to the day's events.


How to pray today? Pray along with us as we have prayed today. For the families of those injured, for the hearts and emotions of those who were doing the driving, good and honest God fearing men, and for the ministry presence here in Bangui and the continuing work of ICDI in the future. Thanks for your faithfulness to pray.


Team update: I realize that this blog is the only communication back to the States while we are here so let me give you just a bit of a catch up on the team overall. Today the team went to the local market for groceries where they learned quickly about the African way of life and saw first hand the extreme poverty that besets so very many people. The smells and sights were a bit overwhelming to many within our group.

As team leader that would be my second prayer request that somehow we would not lose heart in what seems to be such totally overwhelming needs all around us. That we would not quickly slip into a closing of our hearts toward the plight of the poor simply because our emotions cannot handle anymore.

We also learned in our crash course of speaking Sango that some words mean two different things depending on your voice inflection. Did you know that the word "ear" and the word "breast" are the same word in Sango? Yeah, neither did we. But we do now!

This afternoon we had the rare privilege of canoeing on the Ubanga river. Not canoeing like you would do at some canoe livery in Loudonville, but canoeing in a dug out canoe crafted from a hollowed out log. It was totally cool, at least until Tom tried to reassure us that the crocodile sightings were at an all time low in this region and that really it's the Hippopotamuses that cause more fatalities than any crocodiles. Did I mention that Hippos swim just down the river a ways from where we were canoeing?

The protection and care that each of us have felt and experienced on this team from the Lord simply cannot be put into words. It is such a blessing for me to know that so many friends back home have joined with and continue to go before the throne of Grace on behalf of our team and the people of the CAR.

Thank-you.
RAD
Blogger's note: This entry was received as an e-mail on Saturday, August 4, with the following note from RAD: "Bro, Sorry I'm getting this off to you late, we had a power black out and hence since the SAT phone is not yet working I couldn't email the blog to you.
Thanks for posting stuff up for us, RAD." Please, remember that from now on, as the team has traveled to the village of PAMA, communication may be a little slower as they will have to rely on a sat phone. They will not be able to e-mail pictures either. Keep them in your prayers!

Meet the Team - 2

Dave & Jana Slater

This is Dave & Jana's second trip to the Central African Republic. They were part of our exploratory trip in the fall of 2006. Dave and Jana made a profession to dedicate their lives to Christ a little over three years ago. They say that they grew up going to church, but it wasn't until someone explained to them how they could have their sins forgiven that they clearly understood the gospel and a light came on inside their heart.

Dave works for Seaman Corporation in Wooster and Jana works for the Wooster Community Hospital. Their full time jobs, however, have not hindered them to serve in many different outreach projects at our church and last year someone got closer to them and challenged them to consider what the next step for them was. They agreed to serve on the Global Task Force (missions committee) and the next thing we knew they were headed to Africa. They both love children and their hearts break for those who are less fortunate than we are. Dave and Jana are salt of the earth people who are willing to sacrifice their vacation and finances to bring hope to some of the "least of these," as the Lord put it.

We thank the Lord for Dave and Jana's example and pray that the Lord will use them in a mighty way during this trip.

Meet the Team

Pastor Bob Doerr

You've already met Bob (affectionately known to us as RAD). He has been doing the writing for this blog over the last couple of days. Born in 1961 in Cincinnati, OH. Married to Debbie since 1985. Has 2 children: Austin (1989) and Lindsay (1991). Saved since 1979. On staff since 2001. Previously worked as a Youth Pastor. Hobbies are hanging with his family, hiking, and camping. His main ministries include four14, coordinating New Direction ABF, coaching Junior High Intern, and leading the Motorcylce Club.

RAD is one of those guys who talks fast, though he never looks like he is in a hurry. If you hear RAD long enough you will start hearing phrases such as "God being in your space," "Yo," and "What's going on fellas?" You will also hear his heart beat for God and for people and you will learn to respect his tireless work on behalf of young adults. RAD is the man.

We Didn't Hit the Ground Running...

What day is it? That’s sort of the thoughts that are running through my mind at the moment. It is Thursday and for each night thus far we've been riding on a plane. Did you know that they don't have showers on planes? All the people around me know it:)

Our arrival in Bangui started out stressful. We hit one bout of turbulence that everyone on the team confessed: "It really scared me." And then several hours later we hit a second even greater pocket that left our team running for the bathrooms and grabbing the “comfort” bags "on the back of the seat pocket in front of you."

Well, needless to say, everyone was very much looking forward to just finally getting their feet on the ground. As time approached for the plane to land, we started the descent, it was dark out, so we couldn’t really see anything out the window, but at what seemed like the absolute last minute, our plane did a major pull up and shoved us back in our seats as the thrust of the engines took us strongly skyward. “Now what?” Was the summation of my thoughts, as I felt the plane begin to circle back around, when the voice of the captain came over the intercom: “We’ve encountered some dense fog and will not be able to land at this time.” Thoughts ran through my mind about a recent plane crash in Africa where the pilot tried to land in a really dense fog and everyone on board was killed. Needless to say, prayers were being sent heavenward as the plane continued in its circling pattern.

Over the next 1 ½ to 2 hours the plane circled, would make a dive toward the ground trying to make out the runway and then at the last minute pull out hard. “How much gas does this thing hold?” I wondered as the cycle continued to repeat itself over and over. By this time people on board were talking in loud voices, some inciting panic amongst those on board, causing flight attendants to physically get in the space of these people just to keep the plane from going bonkers. Finally, the plane landed, cheers and applause reverberated throughout the entire plane as a sigh of relief from all was easy to detect. And all that before 10:00 in the morning.

The remainder of the morning was spent waiting to clear our luggage through customs -- twenty-two trunks each packed with vital stuff, of which only eighteen actually survived the journey. Which really wouldn’t be that big of a deal, except that there is only one plane a week into Bangui, which means the earliest people would be able to secure their belongings would be next week at this time, which by the way, we’ll be 4-6 hours back into the bush and most likely unable to make it back to Bangui to pick them up when they arrive. Talk about a rough landing…

The trunks that were lost: one belongs to the Koehler’s, which held all of their camping gear, video equipment, and other necessities. One trunk belonging to the Carters, which likewise held their camping gear, along with half the clothes they were planning on wearing, and finally the Slaters, who lost two of their trunks which most notably contained the PA equipment we were going to be using to show the “Jesus” film once we arrive in the back country. A clear reminder to me that the battle we face is “not against flesh and blood.” There was marked discouragement on the faces of those who will now be trying to camp in a bug infested climate with no tents, not lights, no sleeping pads, along with the general disappointment of the team regarding some of the outreach that we had been planning. Pray for encouragement for the team as we attempt to process all of this day’s happenings on basically little or no sleep since Monday evening.

The rest of our day today will be spent trying to get a jump on the jet lag, registering at the American Embassy, seeing the capital city of Bangui, (which I snuck a couple of pictures for you as you are not allowed to take pictures in the city), closed out with a special treat, a dip in the Ambassador’s pool.

I’m reminded of the Scripture in Psalm 30, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” “Lord, may tomorrow be a day filled with joy for each of us here.”

I’d like to share more, but I hear the splash of pool water calling me!
Thanks again for reading and journeying with us,

RAD
P.S.: Dearest Debbie, Happy Anniversary tomorrow. Thanks for allowing me the privilege of walking the road of life and ministry with you all these years. I love you.

Half Awake in Paris

Day two, Paris with the natives.  Natives in Paris?  Not African  

natives, but French placed natives by the name of Rob and Nicole  

Plaster.

It was an all night, I guess that's what you can call it when your  

time zone leaps ahead about 6 hours, flight complete with lots of  

people, in flight movies and more carbohydrates than probably a man  

my age should be eating:)  Anyone, thankfully the flight was mostly  

uneventful, a bit of a delay, got us into Paris a little behind  

schedule but considering we had about a twelve hour layover, it  

really didn't matter.

Once in Paris the Plasters were superior hosts as we dined in some  

fine, yet affordable cuisine, saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and  

closed out our time with some delicious ice cream.  I am thankful for  

the chance to see and hear first hand the ministry that Plasters have  

endeavored to do under the Lord's guidance.  Yet another way that a  

bunch of Wooster Jesus people who reside at 4599 Burbank Road are  

making a difference by giving back to the Plasters and the people of  

France.  What a joy to be serving on the front lines representing  

Jesus and all the folks back home.  Thanks again today for your  

prayers for our team.

Tonight we will be flying out from Paris about 11:00 p.m., which will  

land us in Bangui, Africa, early tomorrow morning. Pray for contacts  

on the plane, along with adequate rest for the team because so far  

it's been an hour here and there of sleep we've been able to grab  

since leaving Wooster yesterday morning.

Tomorrow we will be acclimating in Bangui and then it's off to the  

village we go!

Thanks for stopping by the blog, and I look forward to chatting  

together again soon!

RAD

Read RAD's Heart

On the plane, that’s where you will find the Africa team today. First stop, New York’s JFK for about a four hour lay over and then it’s off to Paris! Once in Paris, sometime tomorrow morning, the team will be meeting up with Rob and Nicole Plaster, our missionaries there, who recently visited our church and spoke at Four-14, and will be spending our twelve-hour layover seeing the sites of Paris. We are hoping to be able to encourage the Plasters in the work that God has called them to.

Thanks in advance for your prayers for our team and the success of this, our first church partnership effort with the village of Pama.

On a more personal note, I wanted to share my heart about some news that I received this morning. While we were at the church loading up the luggage trunks I received a phone call that a homeless man that I had recently had a chance to minister to and with was killed this morning in a motorcycle accident. The man’s name is Billy Walker and if you haven’t heard his story, it’s a powerful one. Billy was living on the streets of New York for the last years and when the Lord led four14 to the city earlier this month, our paths crossed and my heart for this Vietnam Vet was born.

Long story short, we ended up bringing Billy back to Ohio with us from New York, in an effort to help him reconnect with his family out in Arizona. To my knowledge Billy was not a believer; however, in the long ride back to Ohio and the night he spent at my house, afforded me the opportunity to share with him about Christ and the hope He offers for those who have lost all hope. We spoke openly and I don’t know at this juncture if Billy knew Christ for sure or not, but he did call me just two days ago to let me know how much he had appreciated our ministry in his life and that he would be praying for me, as he knew I was leaving out for Africa today.

HOW can you pray? Simply put, that Billy would have a burial that is honoring for one of God’s children, something homeless people are unaccustomed to, and that our church would continue to be a church that values the lives of people regardless of their station in life. Pray that we will spare no effort to bring everyone to the knowledge of Jesus.

If you wouldn’t mind, I as well am feeling a bit on the broken hearted side with the loss of this man and yet leading out the four14 Africa team is where the Lord would have me be. Thanks again for taking the time to read our blog and for caring enough to tie your hearts to ours as we serve the world that God so dearly loves.

Until I wake up tomorrow in Paris,

RAD

We are not ignorant of his schemes...

"The Team" -- looking good at the beginning of their trip

This morning at about 10:30, we surrounded our Four-14 Africa Team and prayed for them before they started their trip. We took a break from our staff meeting to do this because we know how important prayer is for the success of this endeavor.

"Saying good-byes"
No sooner had we finished praying the enemy of our souls was up to his old tricks. Pastor RAD came into the room where we were meeting to inform us that he had just received a phone call saying that his "homeless friend," Billy, had died in a motorcycle accident.

Our jaws dropped almost in unison as we heard the news. To understand the impact of this you simply need to know that while in a recent mission trip to New York City, God really moved

RAD's heart and broke him to the point that he gave a homeless guy a ride on the church bus,

housed him in his house, bought him new clothes, and fed him before this man, Billy, went on to his next destination. No one realized that this would be the last time RAD would see Billy alive.

We could not believe the time of this news that dropped on us, and especially on RAD, like those metal balls that are used in huge demolition jobs. We were astounded at the attempt of the enemy to sap the energy out of this team even before they stepped onto the plane that would carry them on the first leg of their journey.

Jana, checking last minute details -- got prayer??

So we ask you to pray that God will protect RAD and the rest of the team against discouragement. Pray that the enemy will not succeed in his efforts to frustrate what God has in store for this team in the CAR.

Praise God that Billy experienced outrageous love that is only possible through Christ. I pray that all of us will have the courage to follow RAD's example in reaching out to "the least of these."

Pastor Ivanildo Trindade

It's time to pray for our CAR team

Team (from left): Chad Kohler, Natalie Kohler, Matt Carter, Sarah Carter, Jillian Moomaw, Pastor RAD, Sonia Spires, Jim Roe, Sue Peters, Jana Slater, Dave Slater, Pastor Tom Peters)

Picture in your mind a village of 4,000 people with no hospital, no adequate school facility, no sanitation, no t.v., no Internet connection. Now imagine hundreds of little kids running through the dusty roads, coughing, sneezing, their skins covered with sores, their bellies bloated from malnutrition, their hair turning orange, many of their Moms and Dads gone from AIDS.

Welcome to PAMA, Central Africa Republic, where our young adult team will be serving from July 31-August 17.

The reason this trip is so important is that it will be the first team we are sending to the actual village our church is partnering with in this three year partnership that we started this year. Our goal is to be Christ's light in the midst of a place covered to despair as thick as the red dust that sticks to your body in that part of the world. We go as servants of the Risen Lord to bring the hope of Christ into the lives of "the least of these."

Would you pray for our team?

That God will protect them and give them complete unity as a team;
That they will not hesitate to serve the people of the village of PAMA and go out of their way to bless them;
That the weather will cooperate so they can finish the school building in the village;
That God will change their lives in a radical way for the Kingdom and that it will reverberate throughout our whole church;
That relationships will be built that will result in people coming to Christ.

Over the next several weeks, I will be posting entries in this blog. I hope you will check in daily, but please, don't be disappointed if you don't find something new every time. Remember the description of the village above. I can only put in what the team sends me and they are relying on a satellite phone, and will be very busy. They have, however, been warned, to send those stories daily, or else... Smile!

Pastor Ivanildo Trindade

A Laugh That Could Heal All of Africa

That is the best way I can describe it. This little human with skinny little apendages and a swollen belly and the orangish tinted hair that comes from severe malnutrition. Laughing. HYSTERICALLY!

Not more than 3 or 4 years of age, she walked up to me with the confidence that only an extrovert of extroverts can have. I held out my arms and she held out hers and she was up in my arms. And then she started talking in Sango faster than even a Central African could comprehend. She mimicked my English with perfect intonation and pronunciation.

Her smile melted me as I held her. She attracted an audience of 50 or more in a matter of minutes. And then I began to tickle her....and her LAUGH, oh if you could hear her laugh! In those moments, all was well with Africa and her audience knew nothing but the joy of a little girl and her laughter that seemed to say " Life, what a gift and how fun it is!" She brought joy to her community for 10 minutes simply by laughing and taking in the joy offered to her in those moments.

And the most incredible thing: I GOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT JOY! That's what happens when you go where God sends you. And that joy is especially apparent when you have it to contrast with the poverty and despair of a place like Africa. I know many of you probably think, " I could never go to Africa. I could never see that kind of sickness, tragedy, and poverty. I couldn't handle it!" That is a natural reaction. But my friends, speaking from experience can I humbly say, "YOU'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG!!" God equips you to go where He sends you, and more than that He BLESSES you in ways you will never know if you stay within your own comfort zone. Sometimes He blesses you so deeply that you get to hear a laugh that could heal all of Africa. And that, my friends, is an irreplacable gift. Is He calling you to go? Let God give you a gift like the laugh that could heal all of Africa.

Laura Gibson

A Trip to Make

We have a trip to make today. Although it will be a long trip, at least it won’t be on one of the available means of transportation shown below.

No, this trip is to return to the U.S. for Barb Teach, J.P. and me, so we decided on going with this option instead!

It’s been a great trip. We got a lot of work done with the team that was here the first two weeks. And this last week has been focused on building relationships. As you can tell from previous entries, Barb has really worked hard at building a deeper relationship with Sue, Dr. Y’s wife. As I write this, she is over at the clinic right now wrapping up her time with Sue.

J.P. and I were able to work on relationships this week too, with our visit to Pama and Sayéré, as well as building relationships with ICDI staff here in Bangui. Although it is a time of much grief when a relative dies, it is also a time of renewing and strengthening relationships. The C.A.R. Representative for ICDI, Mr. David Zokwe, lost his brother last Saturday after an extended illness. We were able to go to the village where his brother lived last Sunday and share from the Word some thoughts on how God is our Fortress in times of trouble and grief (Psalm 62). Then after we returned from Pama, we were also able to sit with the Zokwe family as a way to “kangbi mawa”, or “divide up the grief” with them. So this last week has been significant in terms of opportunities to minister in relevant ways here in Africa.

Thanks again so much for all your prayers for our team over the last three weeks. Our hope and prayer is that we will come back to you changed and that we will be able to serve the Lord even better in the time that He allows us to serve there at Wooster GBC!

Grateful for His Grace,

Pastor Tom

Saturday, March 10

Spiritual Encounter at the Clinic

Barb & Sue

“That ye may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10).

It was bittersweet seeing the team off at the airport last Saturday. But I rejoice at what had been accomplished in such a short time by so many energetic, dedicated people. The guest house was so quiet after everyone left. I miss our team devotions – they were very special.

I have been working at the clinic this week

helping Dr. Y’s wife, Sue. There is an African nurse, Emilie, who works in the clinic also. The operation here at the clinic is a little different from that in the U.S. The patient sees the doctor and each person has a health book. The doctor writes his orders out for treatments, medications, IVs or lab work. The next stop is the pharmacy where I help Sue. Sue reads and explains each order to the patient because many can’t read. She then gets a basket and fills it with everything they need, like gloves, bandages, wipes, medications, syringes, lab slides and specimen containers. These supplies are only kept in the pharmacy.

The clinic

In the mornings we are so busy we don't have much time to talk. But I am a servant for Jesus Christ disguised as a nurse. I will find a way to turn Pharmacy work into Kingdom work!

When I received all the medications that were generously donated back in Ohio, little did I know that I would be the one to thoroughly count bottles of 1,000 Vitamin C, iron tablets, Tylenol, and Ibuprofen and pack them in small plastic bags. It took some time to count them out by tens and twenties and package them. That was my afternoon job. “Diko yoro” – count medications in Sango! Col. 3:23 “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto man.” Counting medicines may seem like a mundane, uninspiring task, but I prayed about how I could make this task honor Jesus. So I decided: When I count pills, I will pray for those needy people who will receive the medicines. And that's what I did! More importantly, though, I pray that they will see Jesus in the Doctor and Sue.
Barb, counting medicine

In the afternoons, the other nurse leaves so it was just Sue and I are together in the pharmacy. This had to be God’s planning because this was the time we could have girl talk and some really deep conversations about God, the Bible, and Jesus. When Sue talks about God, she says, “I am a Christian. I pray before meals and at bed time.” Her desire is to make time to read her Bible and pray and go to church, but she says her schedule is too full. I did encourage her to start the day in the Word and gave her a daily devotional book. Pray she will discipline herself to take the time to be renewed. Pray that through the remainder of my time I would be able to clarify what a “Christian” is to her.

This trip has been a life-changing experience. I will never forget what I have seen and done. I just want to thank everyone at Wooster Grace for making this mission trip possible. Also, all those prayer warriors – may God bless you!

Barb Teach
Friday, March 9

"For Whatever Will Help"

Before I left for Africa my seven year old granddaughter, Lauren, gave me money she had saved in her bank. She said it was "for whatever will help." After going with Dr. Paul Y to do home visits with AIDS patients and seeing the devastating need for medicine and food, it was an easy decision where to use Lauren's gift of love. Because of an unselfish act of a seven year old, one AIDS patient will receive the needed anti-retroviral drugs (ARV's) for ONE year!! I can't wait to get back and thank her for that special gift.

Barb Teach

The Village Connection

Meeting with the Sayéré village leadership

Greetings again from the Central African Republic! Thanks again for all your prayers for us this week! J.P. and I got back late yesterday from our trip into the villages up north. It was a very profitable trip.

We also took with us Edmond, who is employed here with ICDI to do training in "True Love Waits." We were able to introduce to two villages, Pama & Sayéré, the basic principles of village partnerships, where churches, groups, or individuals in the U.S. partner with villages to see community and spiritual development happen. We had very good meetings with village leaders there about the partnerships. In asking them what their basic needs for their villages are, both at Pama and Sayéré the first thing out of their mouths was education of their children.

Pama

For example, here is a picture of the current school building at Pama. The Director of the school told me that he and the other teacher instruct 280 students each day in six grade levels. Because of the lack of space, they cycle through the day bringing different grades in at different times.

Also included here is the school "building" at Sayéré. It was interesting to me that both villages saw education as a greater need than clean water, or health care, or agricultural projects, although all of those needs were mentioned also later in our times together. We hope to have Edmond do some follow up meetings with the two villages so that they can ask any questions that may have come up since our meetings about what the partnerships will look like...

Another great thing that happened on the trip is that Edmond and Pastor Tolzombo were able to do two presentations of "True Love Waits", a biblically-based AIDS initiative that has been promoted by GBIM and ICDI ove the last year or so. It’s very interesting what you learn when you go into these villages.

Edmond (in purple shirt) using an illustration in the "True Love Waits" presentation

For example, at the beginning of the presentation, Edmond asked some diagnostic questions about sexual activity in the villages. In Sayéré, a village of about 500 people, he asked them, "At what age do boys and girls begin sexual encounters?" The response was incredible. They said that for boys it is about 10 years old, and for girls it is 9 years old! OK, get this picture. We’re talkin’ real bush here! I mean, the road has one truck that does commercial ventures on it regularly every other day! Occasionally, another truck comes along, but obviously it’s not a very high traffic area.

Pastor Tolzombo shares a point in TLW at Sayéré

And yet in a small bush village, sexual activity for boys and girls starts at or before the age of 10! Is it any wonder that AIDS is a major issue in sub-Saharan Africa?! In Pama, a much larger village of just under 5,000, the stats were about the same. Another question was, "How many sexual partners does a boy or a girl have on a regular basis before they are married?" In Sayéré, they said the average was about one a month. In Pama, they said that boys probably had three a month, and girls two a month! "True Love Waits" is designed for these kinds of places. Edmond & Pastor Tolzombo did a great job of presenting the case against this kind of sexual activity and the case for abstinence until marriage.

You could tell that in both villages, the presentation was very effective. Pastor Tolzombo will do follow up with clubs for those who are interested in staying pure until marriage. Please pray for a strong commitment from those who indicated a need to stay pure, and for the Lord to strengthen them against temptation and the obviously dangerous trends of their culture.

Thanks again for praying! - Pastor Tom
Thursday, March 8

Phase Three is About to Begin

Just a few hours ago, we said goodbye to most or our team that has been here in the Central African Republic for the last two weeks. As I write this, Laura Gibson, Tim, Jeana, Valerie & Zac Harley, and Rob Miller are on their way to Paris on the first leg of their trip back to the U.S, Three of us remain here for another week -- Barb Teach, myself (Pastor Tom) and J.P. Peters.

I hope you’ve been able to follow the blog over these weeks. I want to take this opportunity to thank Laura for doing such a great job at keeping the blog current. She’s done an awesome service to the team, as well as to our church to keep you informed as to how to pray for us on this trip.

Jeana deserves a lot of thanks also because much of the planning of our meals, she has coordinated. And many of the breakfasts she’s cooked herself. She’s been getting more & more Sango vocabulary, too, as she interacted with the guys who were helping us these weeks, Ossé and André. Thanks so much, Jeana!

Tim has done a great job of leading our team time every morning. It’s been great to see how God has been equipping Tim over the years to fit into the role that he had on the team. Thanks, Tim, for keeping us grounded in the Word and helping us start each day on the right track!

Rob has become known to us as the "Ice Man!" He kept the water filters going as well as equipping us every meal with ice so that the drinks can help quench our thirst in the heat we’ve experienced these two weeks. He also has been great at developing a bond with Gustav, our one driver that has helped us just about every day. Great job, Ice Man!

So what’s next for those who are left behind? It will still be a busy week for us coming up! Barb is going to be moving over to the Grace Brethren Guest House today so she is closer to Dr. Y’s clinic. She and another lady (Betty) are going to be going out every day to the clinic to help with the pharmacy in the mornings, and thereby keeping up the relationship that has been built with Mrs. Y.

Then in the afternoons, Dr. Y will be around so that Barb can help with some of the patient care and put her nursing skills to good use! So I know that she will be kept busy and I’m also sure that she will be great at sowing more seeds of the Gospel and the love of Christ in the lives of those she will interact with.

For J.P. and I, we will be traveling north this week. This morning, we will be going north about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to be with the family of David Zokwe, ICDI’s representative & government contact here in the C.A.R. Yesterday, his younger brother passed away, so the burial will be tomorrow and the wake will begin. So J.P. and I will go to be with the family for part of the day. Then our plan is to head up to Yaloké this afternoon to spend the night there. This will be a great experience for J.P., because he used to live there when he was from one to three years old. Not that he remembers much about life there, but there will be a lot of people who will be thrilled to see him after these many years. Not the least of which will be Leontine, who used to work for us. It will be great to see her reaction to seeing J.P. for the first time in over a decade!

Then on Monday, J.P. and I will be going to Pama, a village about 35 kilometers from Yaloké. This is the village that our Wooster Grace has partnered with to see both community development and spiritual development happen. The Grace Brethren pastor there, Gaston Tolozombo, will meet us at Yaloké and then show us what is happening in his region. He’s been doing a great job of revitalizing church in the area, so pray with us that we will be an encouragement to him in his work.

Because of this trip, you may not hear from us for a few days, unless Barb gets brave and tries to send something for the blog! We should return to Bangui on Wednesday, so we hope to have something to post on the blog shortly after that.

Thanks again so much for all your prayers and interest in what God is doing through our team! Keep up the prayers this week for good contacts for Barb, and safety and an effective time for J.P. and I as we travel!

With you for the nations, - Pastor Tom
Sunday, March 4

Ministry Is A Lifestyle

AIDS home care visit
I write to you today for the last time from this side of the Atlantic. It hardly seems possible that two weeks are already over. I want to take this chance to share one story with you from yesterday (Friday).

Our now dear friends, the Y's, met us at the Artisan shops in the afternoon because they really wanted to get us a small gift as a token of their appreciation. But after the shopping, Jeana, Barb, and I went home with the Y's to do some AIDS patient visits.

We only got to have two visits, but they were well worth it. The first visit is what sticks out the most in my mind. It was a middle-aged couple that both had HIV. They had been on treatment for nearly 18 months. To look at them, you would not know they have HIV. But Dr. Y said that 18 months ago they could hardly walk much of the time or come to the clinic for treatments. Dr. Y gave them a ride back to their house, where 6 children awaited them ranging from age 2 to the late teens. They treated us like royalty, busily moving about trying to find 4 chairs for all of us to sit on.

As we sat and talked with them (through Dr. Y) we realized how much hope just 18 months of anti retro viral drugs (the best drugs on the market to treat HIV right now) can offer to a family. He told us how they pushed their two oldest children very hard in school and hoped that they would be able to attend university. He said that they knew they must prepare for the future of the rest of their children because they didn't know how much of their future they would be around for. He spoke of how hard their life was, how HIV causes people to lose the little chance of making a small income that they have because it takes all their energy away. Before we left, I asked if we could pray with this couple and their family. I told Michele and Jeremy (those are their names) I would tell their story to people back home. I told them that our church would be praying for them. Please join me in doing that.

My friends, for about $25 a year a person in the Central African Republic can be treated for HIV/AIDS! I know we cannot save or help every person, but think how often we flippantly spend $25. I know I am so guilty of this. If you went to Starbucks every day for a WEEK and got the kind of drink I do, you could have helped a mother or father with HIV/AIDS for a YEAR! Does that put things in perspective? It does for me. We really do have to give up so little to make a difference in the physical life of these people! And Spiritually, do you realize that many of these people are brothers and sisters in Christ? If they are hurting, we are hurting. I plead with you to lift those affected by this disease up in prayer. The Lord is waiting for us to ask Him to help our brothers and sisters. When we return, please ask us what we've seen. Ask us what the Lord is doing here. Peoples' futures, earthly and eternal, are counting on it.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Ephesians 3:20

Laura Gibson

March 3, 2007

Jesus Loves The Little Children

At ICDI's Orphan Center

Today we had a special day spending time with orphans, both from ICDI's orphan care center and Madame Zokoe's group from Project Hope and Charity with GBIM. These children are priceless. They smile, they play, and they tease and fight with each other; they are just like any other kids you know in that respect.

We first went to ICDI's orphan care center. It isn't an orphanage. You will not find many orphanages in Africa because families do everything they can to help raise each other's children. So you will often find grandparents and aunts and uncles raising other kids besides their own. The care center is a place that the children come to get check ups by the nurse, food, clothing, help with school fees and sometimes just play with one another. It is more like a support system.

At Madam Zokoe's Orphan Group

When we got there, most of the kids were in school so there were only about 10 children there. But they were excited to see us. Zac Harley jumped right into the mix and brought a big ball out to play with all the children. Rob had some fun shapes that expanded into cloths in water. The kids loved all of it. We held them, kissed them, and played with them. The director of the orphan care center was so blessed by balls, stickers and shoes we had brought for the kids. He spoke English very well and told us how blessed He was by this and how his children needed these things very

much.

Prudence

Also, Jeana had a school bag with gifts in it for a little girl from her sponsor back at our church, Mary Lou Cross. We told the director what a blessing it would be to get to deliver it to her, so he drove us to her school to give it to her. When we arrived, we saw a beautiful little girl named Prudence with her teacher and classmates outside. When Jeana presented her with the backpack, she smiled humbly and told us how grateful she was for the gift. I don't think she has ever had so much attention on her from her classmates! What a blessing to give it to her and tell her that her sponsor back in the States loves her very much and said Happy Birthday! I think when we had to leave ICDI's center we were all sad to say goodbye.

When we arrived at Madame Zokoe's, she was about to start her Thursday afternoon Bible group with the children. There must have been at least 70 kids there! She gave us seats of honor, introduced us, and the children put on a beautiful program for us. They sang many African praise songs and danced as they sang. They walked through the Bible, they recited all the books of the Bible, and recited even more things that I couldn't quite pick up what they were reciting.

"Jordan River"

These children looked like they ranged in age from 2 to early teens. Never have I seen such a huge group of children so well mannered and so knowledgeable of the Bible! Afterwards we played a game with them that Madame Zokoe taught us called "Jordan River." We took many photos with the children too. Overall, we were just incredibly blessed by all these children and imagined what a blessing it would be to see them in heaven one day not as orphans, but as brothers and sisters in Christ. We are so thankful for Jesus and how He loves them in the here and now when they don't have the chance to know the love of earthly parents.

Tomorrow we are heading to the Pygmy village to say goodbye to them. Please pray for us as we do this. It will be hard for us as we have really started to form a bond with these people. And then in the afternoon, some of us will be going to do some AIDS home care visits. Please pray that the Spirit blesses this time and that those with AIDS feel His love through us. And then it's Saturday morning and we are leaving! It has gone so quickly, but we all have been so blessed to be here and touch the lives of Central Africans as well have them touch our lives. I am so grateful that our church values these people so much that we have had a chance to be here and invest in so many lives. We look forward to sharing with all of you in greater detail when we get back!!! Thank you for all your prayer support. It truly has been felt the whole time we have been here.

Blessings,
Laura Gibson

March 1, 2007

A Day of Small Beginnings...

Today was a different sort of day. None of our plans seemed be working out. We planned to head down to the Pygmy village early in the afternoon to show the Jesus Film and a video on animism vs. Christianity. So this group of "doing" Americans had a lot of trouble being still and waiting to go. The guys in the group had to work on the generator and VCR set up to make sure it worked for the night, the driver was needed to go and get supplies for things that weren't working, so that left the women and kids feeling rather useless.

But that was just the beginning. Because of my lack of electrical knowledge, this won't be completely precise, but I'll do my best. First, none of the converter plugs we brought would fit right with the equipment. Second, we realized that American and European VCRs are different and we had an American VCR, but a European video on Christianity vs. Animism. Not knowing this problem, the men stuck the tape in to test it out and the VCR ate it. At this point the situation was looking pretty bleak. Jeana had gone down to see how things were going and reported the situation to us women and the kids. We all looked at each other and said: "This is definitely what Satan wants. We better start praying hard."

We all prayed together that God would work out what seemed like an impossible situation: the wrong plugs, an eaten Animism tape, and the Jesus Film yet to be found in Sango. As we prayed, we thanked God that He brought us to this point, reminding us that nothing was in our control as much as we like to think it is. Sadly, I don't think we would have felt the urgency to pray if things didn't look so impossible. After we all prayed, Jeana went down to see how things were going and Tim and Rob were praying too! Tom had gone to the GBIM mission to pick up a copy of the Jesus Film in Sango that they had just called and said they had! When Tom returned, not only did He have the Jesus Film, but also the one on Animism! And I believe it was our driver Gustov who came back with plugs that would work for the generator! All of this right after we all went to the Lord and asked Him to help us in our time of need. Things seemed to be working, so we packed up and headed to the Pygmy village about 2 hours later than intended.

I get chills as I am thinking about this, friends, as this was just the beginning of God's work! We drove the hour it takes to get to the Pygmy villages. We were actually showing the video in the school yard of the neighboring Central African village because it was the best place to show it and we didn't want the Pygmy's to get harassed for "special treatment" from the "boundjou" (white people). We had not yet been able to confer with the village Chief that showing this would be OK. Another big prayer item.

We got there and He was fine with it. Answer to prayer number who knows what! As we began setting up, tons of Central African children came over watching with curiosity and excitement. I was glad to see that, but what I really wanted was some of the Pygmies to be there too. I had prayed that on the way there several times. So I looked toward their village, and I saw Sula and Dana walking towards me! These are the two little girls in the picture with me (Laura) on the first day we went to the village. They are some of the most shy, quiet girls you will meet. Usually, when other Central African kids were around, they would always stay in the background or leave. But today they came up and shook mine and Barb's hand.


I put my arm around both of them and they stood with me. All the Central African children were looking at them and they just held on tighter. I asked God to show me how to model His love for the Pygmies to those who thought of them as subhuman. You have to understand what a reversal of treatment this was. The "important" white people were showing "preferential treatment" to the Pygmy kids! This clearly baffled most of the Central African children and made them jealous. My point was not to exclude the other children, but to convey love to the Pygmies that both the Pygmies felt and the Central Africans saw.

It only gets better. We started to show the video on animism and the crowd was still pretty rowdy. Dana and Sula sat on mine and Barb's lap on a towel I had brought to sit on while we watched. Many of the small children were still watching us, not the video. I was a little concerned that it was so loud and that the teenage boys seemed more into showing off than paying attention. But then the Jesus film started, and it was almost complete silence except for a few small children. There were no two people watching as intently as little Dana and Sula. Dana sat on my lap holding and stroking my hand, while Sula sat in between me and Barb resting her arms on both of us. Barb truly played grandma as she had about five other kids piled around her.

The crowed watched intently and respectfully. When Jesus rose at the end, many of them clapped and cheered, "J-zu, J-zu!" (meaning Jesus Jesus!). There is a prayer at the end of the film for those who want to ask Christ into their hearts. There were many "amens" said at the end of that prayer. I do not know how many people asked Christ to forgive their sins or be in their life. But I know that the Spirit was working. The Gospel was heard by hundreds and the love of Christ was shown to the least of these that night.

When we returned home that night, we prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer for all those there that night. Looking back on that seemingly "useless" day in the beginning, we all said we wouldn't have traded it for the world. Here we were, a bunch of Americans who have all the material comforts and electrical commodities one could desire. But we were sitting on African soil under a beautiful African sky with two Pygmy children sitting on our laps. These children would return home to a house of branches and sticks. We all were intently watching a generator run video of the greatest news that has ever been given to mankind. My friends, we are privileged beyond measure to get to serve our God in such a way! Our God IS an awesome God.

Laura Gibson
Wednesday February 28th, 2007

"A Song From the Past." By Jeana Harley

I was preparing some things for lunch in the kitchen with a man we hired to help, Osse. Osse is a great Christian man, and he loves to sing. He began singing a song that was very familiar to me, "Blessed be the Name." The amazing thing about it was that I remembered it in Sango because our Safari of Hope team that travelled to the CAR for six weeks in 1988 sang that song in Sango along with several other songs.

When we were preparing to come here last September, I looked for the Sango words to the songs we sang, but couldn't find them among my boxes of pictures and flashcards. I was so excited to hear this song in Sango again. The two of us began singing it together in Sango. He then told me that Barb Wooler had taught him that song. Barb had traveled with us in 1988. I told Osse that. He said he was in Bata in "88 and that he remembered our team coming. We joked about me having long hair at that time. I then pulled out our team shirt from "88. (Some things you just can't part with).

He recognized the shirt and we began laughing together. I asked him if Barb taught him other songs, and he began to sing another one I knew. I quickly grabbed by journal and began writing the words to the songs down. The next day, he brought his songbook to allow me to write down other songs. I have a songbook with me that I bought here in 1988, but I guess even songs here change over time. I quickly realized in September that my songbook was outdated. Well it is almost 20 years old. Osse and I sat down and sang some of those songs together. It was neat to realize that I had met Osse 19 years ago and to meet him again now. I am learning a lot of Sango from him, and he is learning to cook "American" food from me.

Andre is also helping us with cooking and cleaning. Now before you go thinking that having hired help around the house is a luxury, let me explain a little about life here. It is sort of like camping out. You have to make do, be creative and do everything the long way from making coffee to washing dishes. Each morning Rob and I walk to the market for fresh eggs, bread, etc. This was done before 7 am. Often I had already been up preparing things for the day or prepping the kitchen. We would prepare breakfast, wash everything by hand, boil the water for a final rinse, rinse everything in boiling water, fill the water bottles with filtered water (this took 15-20 minutes some morning because the filter is very slow), plan the lunch and supper menu, make a shopping list (translating it into Sango), and pack up for the day. We didn't even get to laundry until we hired Osse because laundry is an all day affair (and sometimes into the night). We didn't arrive to our work site the first day until 11 am. We quickly realized that this wasn't going to work. So Osse and Andre are a blessing. I forgot to mention that the kitchen is smaller than most bathrooms, hotter than a sauna and lacks all resemblance of modern conveniences. I receive facials over the gas "stove" several times a day.

Anyway, Andre was also around in 1988. In September, when we were here, Andre was our cook, and I remembered him. Now I have another opportunity to see him and work with him. I taught him how to make baked French toast today. He had never made it in the oven before (by the way, there is no temperature gauge on the oven so it's always a guessing game). But I told him it was faster than on the stove when cooking for a group for people.

Everyone is doing well except for a few bouts of diarrhea here and there. Val and Zac want to say hello to everyone at church and school. They were able to present the $195 from Wooster Christian School's dime drive for medicines to Dr. Y and his wife on Friday night. They were very touched. They said it could buy parasite medicine for 975 people or could provide medicine for 50 AIDS patients. Thanks so much for bringing in those dimes and having a heart for people here. We hope to see Evidence and Juvenal, the two children our church's children's department sponsor, soon along with another girl named, Prudence that is also sponsored by someone in our church. We'll let you know when we get to visit them.

Keep praying! God is faithful and so good.

Jeana Harley

February 28, 2007

Defending the Defenseless. By Tim Harley

"Learn to do right! Seek justice! Encourage the oppressed! Defend the cause of the fatherless! Plead the case of the widow!" (Isaiah 1:17).

Tuesday we returned to the Pygmy village to help dig holes for the latrines. It was especially rewarding for me to begin this partnership because we had visited this village in September, and our hearts were touched by the desperation on their faces. Malnutrition, disease, hunger, lack of water and overall lack of hope had taken its toll on these people. It was exciting to begin their return to having hope again.

It is amazing to think what a latrine and future water well will do to improve living conditions here. Our work was difficult, using picks, spud bars and shovels; our progress was slow, but consistent. The hole we worked on was about 4 ½ feet deep when we started. The other one was about 2 ½ to 3 feet deep. The Pygmies had started both holes. When we finished for the day, the first hole was 8-8 ½ feet and the second was 5 ½ - 6 feet deep. It was great to work side by side with Gustov, our driver who is Central African, and the Pygmy men. We took turns switching holes and helping the Pygmies with their hole. Everyone jumped right in to work; our unity was awesome. We thank the Lord for the strength to endure. We worked until we ran out of drinking water.

Our work was not without challenges. Not only was the ground hard and dry, but also the people from the Central African village near by came by to see what was going on. Many just watched, but a few others were not happy that we were helping the Pygmies. Some shouted insults; others questioned why we were wasting our time and energy to help the Pygmies. Zacary and Valerie gave the Pygmy kids a soccer ball, but the villagers scoffed saying, "Why did they give this nice ball to the Pygmies? They don't know what to do with it." At the end of the day, I gave one of the Pygmy men my gloves. But soon a villager tried to take them away. I sternly intervened, and the man gave the gloves back. I thank God that we could stand up for the "least of these". The villagers consider the Pygmies almost non-human, but we see them through the eyes of Jesus. We pray for the opportunity to reach out to all the people groups here and to show them the love of Christ.

Tim Harley

February 27, 2007

"Do They Have Hopes and Dreams?" (Warning: shocking picture below!)

Today we spent most of the day out at the Pygmy villages in the beating hot African sun. Our project was to help fill a hole with dirt and to help dig their latrine hole deeper. It was at 5 ft. and needed to go down to at least 20 ft. We all took turns pitching in and helping whether it was shoveling, pull up the bucket of dirt, or using the spud bar to dig up the earth. Muscles I never knew I had hurt today. But it felt good to labor for the Lord.

But as usual, that was not the part of the day that touched me or many of the other team members the most. We had brought a big ball, some bubbles, and a Frisbee in hopes of interacting with the kids. Slowly but surely, the kids and mothers would appear from their homes into the field we were working in.

I am struggling right now how to describe them to you. This is a whole different level of poverty. I have never seen children (and adults for that matter) so malnourished, dirty, and timid. Their hair has dirt and wood shavings all through it, their bodies have open sores that have flies crawling all over them, their belly buttons have umbilical hernias, and their bellies are so swollen they look like they could burst.

They came over and sat near us and watched us work. Then Valerie and Zac, as only children can do, started up our interactions with these kids. They had bubble wands for the kids to use and showed them how to blow bubbles. With their shy little faces, they meekly reached out to try this strange looking toy. But when they did, smiles would creep onto their faces reminding us that children are the same the world over. Then we got out a huge beach ball and played a game of the "kick the ball in the circle" that 4 of the pygmy children were brave enough to join in on.

As I watched them, I couldn't help but feel hopeless about the plight of these children. Their future is so bleak. I thought of American children and how if you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they readily can tell you, "A doctor, a race car driver, a professional sports player, a teacher, a veterinarian….". They all have hopes and dreams. And I wondered, "Do Pygmy children have hopes and dreams?" Surely not the same as American kids. But I think they must. I think their dreams are probably things like not being sick, having enough food to eat, having a family, and being left alone by other Central Africans who pick on them constantly. When I thought of this, I was able to have a little more hope. Very soon, these people can have a latrine and well that can change the health of their whole village. Improving their health, will allow them to live longer and have healthier families. The hope for other Central Africans to treat them fairly is much harder a dream to fulfill. They talk down to them and make fun of them constantly. They harass them and ask us why in the world we would help these disgusting Pygmies. They say this in their presence. Whenever we are playing with the Pygmies, the other Central Africans from the village nearby try to steal the spotlight.

I don't know how to solve or work on this problem with the other villagers. But I know that while we are here, we will keep showing the love of Christ to the Pygmies without discrimination. We will do our very best to let them know these "boundjou" (white people) love them and that is because the love of Christ is flowing through us. The love of their Creator and Maker for them is the reason we do what we do. Pray that we will be able to begin conveying this hope and truth to them.

Laura Gibson

Tuesday, February 27, 2007