Au Revoir Mes Copains

As of the 28^th of April it’s been 6 months since I came to the Ivory Coast! I need to take an inventory of how I’m doing in every faculty. That will take a bit of time to process. Ok so this week….

This past week has been difficult for me to be honest. First off, I had to say goodbye to both Beckie and Jamie, as they headed back to the States. I do ok with goodbyes, though it is still hard to see them go. On top of that I have been dealing with a terrible case of acid-reflux, which has seen in me the shedding of a few pounds I’m pretty sure. I could barely swallow anything for several days because my throat had become so inflamed. Finally I visited a doctor friend of mine up north an hour and she gave me some medication that “makes Tums obselete” which I will be taking twice a day for a month. Already my throat is better and I can eat well again, though my stomach is pretty sensitive so I cannot have caffeine or hot spices until I’m done with the medication at the end of May.

Other difficult things this week has been due mainly to cultural and and laguage differences. For example, in Senefo culture men are supposed to eat a LOT of food at meal times. Last night I ate 5 baked potatoes, and as I was cooking them they asked if I’d need some rice & sauce too, and maybe some spaghetti also. I said no thanks to the extra food, 5 potatoes is plenty (already a lot!). So right after I finished those, my sister Martine brings in a HUGE plate of spaghetti and hard boiled eggs and insists I eat it all. I’m talking like enough for 3 people who are hungry. I made it clear that it was a physical impossibility for me to finish that, but when I realized I was going to make a big deal out of it and start an argument (I had afterall said no thanks to more food), I just started eating it. I finished most of it suprisingly, but unfortunately it had a lot of piment (a hot spice similar to jalapenos) in it so my already sensitive stomach gave me some pain last night. This was a leson in patience I think.

One big difficulty for me has been working with Ivorians at the studio, in that they don’t know how to plan in advance. This makes is next to impossible for me to be able to be there when I need to be, and one time I got called 20 minutes before they wanted me there and I couldn’t come due to a prior commitment. This is a problem that happens a lot. I had a meeting with one of the JourneyCorps leaders Saturday, Bakary, and he is going to talk to the radio guy about this issue for me; it would be inappropriate for me to do so since he is older than me.

I’m trying to get involved at church more, so Bakary is also going to talk to the Pastors at my church for me. I want to encourage the church body to be more active in reaching out to the people in their community with the gospel. Ivorians seem very content to live-and-let-live religilously speaking, and other than the pastoral students I haven’t seen much effort to share the gospel with something more than only “lifestyle.” I want to organize a community outreach to encourage the church body in service evangelism. Maybe we together can identify a community need and meet it. We’ll find out!

Spiritually, this month has been all about putting things on the altar – as I mentioned in my last blog. It has been especially difficult doing this, and has been very much an emotional roller-coaster for me. I’ve struggled with feelings of lonliness, frustration, homesickness, jealousy, etc…a whole range of negative emotions. On the flipside, there have been times where I reveled in God with joy, thanksgiving, contentedness, and so on. I promise I’m not bipolar, I’m just a normal person, if that exists! Ok maybe a bit crazy, but thank God for his gracefulness in dealing with us crazy people. I’m just glad that I have discovered the joy of keeping a journal, because I am able to vent things that I just can’t say to anyone here. God is my councelor in much more meaningful and real ways to me these past months; He is my thread of sanity amidst an enviornment that would otherwise make me literally crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever had it on my mind to thank God for my very sanity before, but I do now…so thank you Jesus!

Oh! Before I forget, Sunday was the annual baptisim day at my church, and 54 people were baptized! It was a fun day of dancing and celebrating at the church….here’s a few photos:

CJ and I before the baptism

Balophones are a central part of celebrations here

Rockin' CJ's sunglasses (so awesome!)

Love it! Just Baptized!