Being a kid in the CAR

We arrived back in Berberati around 4:00 this afternoon, after another bumpy trip. But we all did great and I am feeling much better. And we only had one flat on the way here. Actually, the first and only one!

I want to say a special greeting to all the students from the Wooster Christian School who are following our blog. Thank you for your interest in our trip and for praying for us.

Life in the CAR for children is not the same as in the U.S. Everywhere we go we see kids of all ages working. They help their Moms carry water and firewood, and they work on their family gardens. Here is a picture of a little girl we met at the station where we were staying. She was carrying wood for her family.



Notice that she is not the only one helping. Notice also that she is carrying a little doll that was more than likely made outside the CAR. Kids here are also like kids in the U.S. in the sense that they like to play. Kids everywhere love to play, but kids here in this country don't have much time to play. They have to learn to survive early on, and they have to make their contribution to the family.

It's rare to see a child with a doll like the one we see in this picture, but that doesn't mean that they don't know how to play. They build these toy cars with sticks and strings, like the one you see me playing with on the next picture.



Kids here in the CAR, more than anything, need hope. They need to know that somebody cares for them. The schools in this country don't work, the possibilities of them going to school are very slim. Girls especially are given to marriage at a very early age. They need all the help they can have and you can start helping by praying for them every day. Pray that they will find Jesus, first of all, because it is only through Christ that they can have hope.

Tomorrow we will leave early to Bayanga, the Pygmy country. I will not be able to do pictures from there, but will try to send e-mail updates to our blogs. We will be back on Thrusday. We will be on the roads all day tomorrow.

Please, keep praying. We are all healthy. We miss all of you. Thank you everyone who has left comments on this blog. Unfortunately, I don't have time to respond to your message, but I am reading them, and they are very encouraging. Wish more people were leaving messages, though!

Pastor Ivanildo Trindade
P.S. Sorry for the typos, I am on a tight schedule here.