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Sunday, November 17, 2013

Kimini Clips

The morning of November 7th was not like any other day for me. At last, the time had come to pack the van and begin our journey to Kimini. Frequently, on our four hour trip to Bobo, the first leg of the seven  hour trip from Ouagadougou to Kimini, Ruth and I would take turns saying, "I can't believe this is finally happening."Psalm 118:24 sang within my heart,"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."And every day since then, I continue to be thankful for the wonders and new experiences that are mine each day. Although daily challenges exist , they are far outweighed by the blessings we are granted.

Our first stop after arriving in Kimini was to greet the chief who warmly welcomed us to his village. Soon we were surrounded by curious children who stood at a distance but soon sat at our feet sharing a song.

As daylight faded away,we unpacked and settled into our new home, which for now is an unused classroom, where we sleep on cots and cook on a small gas stove.We have gotten very creative in our cooking. I never knew Slim Jims could be used in SO many ways! Bedtime comes early when there is no electricity. It took me a few nights to get used to the sounds of critters sharing our abode. The flutter of bats flying overhead was a bit unnerving at first and I would pull the covers over my head. I guess you can get used to almost anything. 

Babou, a delegate of the chief and president of  the village development commission, has been instrumental in our transition to village life. His daily visits and concern for our well being are very reassuring.

Awa, a young woman from the village, stops by each day to check on us and brings us water from the nearby well.There are two wells in the village. To meet the water needs of a village you need one well for every five hundred people. The population of Kimini is about 4, 000.We are praying that in the future more wells can be drilled to meet these basic needs.

Awa has also taken on the role of language tutor. Jula, the language spoken in Kimini, is 
not for the faint of heart. A recent"field trip"to the local Shoppette provided a long list of new vocabulary words for us to learn. I am impatient to learn to communicate but realize this is no small task.

As Thanksgiving approaches this year, I do not want for things for which I am grateful. 


1 comment:

  1. What an amazing adventure! We've been working with Ruth for just over a year now, to adopt a little boy living in Ouaga. When I stumbled upon your blog, I wondered if you might know my aunt....she has been a missionary in Peru for 50 years, but I think is with the Sisters of St. Joseph too. She's moving back to serve in St. Louis next month. Her name is Mary Ann Leininger.

    I am enjoying following your shared experiences with Ruth, and will lift you all in our prayers. Cris

    (Ruth can share my email address with you, if you are interested in contacting me-- I'd love to hear from you.)

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