Missionaries-in-Training

Wednesday we experienced life in Bangui as a missionary. In the morning, Maurice gave Zac, Jeana, and me, a short walking tour of Bangui so we could learn more about the city and the culture. (He’s an employee of ICDI, and is our guide/translator for everything we do.) During our walk, we were also able to see the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s just across the river!

While we were on our tour, Barb went to the central market with Sue Peters. For Barb, this was definitely a great learning experience about the African culture. The Africans have a different mindset on how to display and sell meat. She said she’ll no longer complain about shopping at Wal-mart after seeing what she saw in the market. She’s actually looking forward to shopping there again. :)

For lunch, we met with Dr. Paul and Sue Yalipende. They have an amazing story about how God has protected through many dangerous situations throughout their lives. It was also encouraging to hear how they help the Africans here in Bangui. Jeana, Barb, and Zac, had met them on previous trips, so they especially enjoyed catching up, and talking about life in America.

We also spent time at the United States Ambassador’s house with other missionaries here in Bangui. The Ambassador allows U.S. citizens to go to his house and swim, which is very beneficial because of the heat here. When we first arrived at the pool, the guards handed Jeana and Barb permission slips to let their children, who were under the age of 16, swim in the pool. Apparently they thought I was Barb’s daughter and not yet 16! I’ve now started calling her “mom” and she’s calling me “daughter.” We even joked about our team only having two families…the Harleys and the Teaches. :)

Wednesday night, we went to a prayer meeting for the missionaries here. It was a neat experience because the meeting was not exclusive to the Grace Brethren missionaries. We were able to meet Wycliffe Bible translators, too.

This is a great example of the body of Christ working together to give God glory and reach the people of Bangui. We even felt a little “star-struck” at this meeting, too. All year, we’ve been praying for the GBIM missionaries (from the booklet they publish), and now we met some of them! Instead of only praying for them, we can now pray with them for the work they do here. Looking at the picture, from left to right, the missionaries are: Kathleen (Wycliffe), Camille & Larry Robbins (Wycliffe), Janet Varner (GBIM), Tom & Sue Peters (ICDI), and Heidi Sisson (GBIM).

Zac ended the day, by leading team time. He read from 1 Samuel 20, and talked about the similarities between Jonathan and Jesus. Jonathan, as David’s friend, told him, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.” Jesus, being an even better friend than any human can be, also tells us, “I’ll do anything for you. I’ll even die for you on a cross.” Hearing Zac talk about what he learned from the Bible was encouraging and a blessing.

We enjoyed learning about the culture, and all of the fellowship we had with the missionaries today. We understand life in Bangui a little bit better now.

Thanks for your prayers!

Heidi- on behalf of the team

[Blogger's note: Just in case you're wondering, not every missionary or even short-termers get to swim at the Ambassador's house. I for one have been to Bangui a couple of times and haven't had the honor yet. But again, I am not a citizen yet. I have to say, though, that the last time I was there I did go inside the Embassy with my Brazilian passport and was received very well. Life in Bangui is very hard and every missionary deserves a break. I am glad our team got to enjoy the clean and blue waters of the Ambassador's pool].