Generous Friends

Drilling a well

Each day has its highs and lows but one morning not long ago started out at a very high point. It is always an encouragement to hear from friends and family who are interested in what we are doing. Sometimes that interest spawns involvement on a personal level as it did with the 7^th and 8^th grade classes at North Country Union Junior High School in Derby, Vermont. The students have been studying Africa and recently read The Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park, the story of Salva Dut, a Lost Boy who returned to Africa after his immigration to Rochester, NY to pay it forward and build wells for tribes in the Sudan. Through various activities, the students raised $329.33 to help drill a well in Kimini. I am moved by the generosity of children helping the people in our village have access to safe water. Great job students and great job, former student and now teacher, Teresa Morrison Piette!    

 Rarely do you see a person in the village wearing eyeglasses. That was a reality that I had failed to recognize until Bev Favreau, a friend from home,

offered to send reading glasses to share with folks here. Organized like a true teacher, eyeglasses arrived arranged by strength in a well-labeled box making selection of the correct glasses simple.

What a delight it was to see the joy on the faces of men and women as one by one each held the bible and was able to read the Scriptures with newfound clarity of vision. Thanks Bev, for recognizing a need not apparent to me. You have brought joy to many people by your kindness and insight.

                                       

    

                                        

Comings and Goings

    The past few weeks have provided many opportunities to immerse myself in the daily events of life in Burkina Faso. Spending time in Bobo with the Matheny Family has given me a chance to concentrate on learning French. I am so grateful for their warm hospitality while Ruth is in The USA.

Each morning, Philip and I study for two hours with Paul, our language helper. Not only are we gaining knowledge of the language but we are also learning many things about African culture. At times , I feel I have made great strides and yet I am aware that there is so much more to learn. Looks like I’ll have to stay here a very long time!

Here are just a few of the other experiences I have had lately. We spent a week in Yako recently. I was so pleased to be with Barka and Alexis, our two sponsored children from St. Agnes Academy. I arrived just in time to deliver birthday greetings from the students in Dalton. Taking Barka and Alexis shopping for fabric to make new outfits for each of them was great fun. Pauline, the seamstress at Sheltering Wings, will make their new clothes. They could not hold back their smiles when given these gifts.

 The highlight of each day was spending time with the babies and toddlers.

We also participated in a small distribution of TOM’S shoes in a nearby village. The students were delighted with the donation of new footwear. I was delighted to meet Sr. Solange, a Sister of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

 

Another day we traveled along with the nurses to a medical clinic held regularly in Doure. Mothers were grateful to have their children examined and given the appropriate medicine.

And what would time in Burkina Faso be like without sharing a meal of TÔ with gumbo sauce, a favorite African meal?

I am grateful for each day spent with these beautiful people. Even the ones reaching 109+ degrees with frequent power cuts!

All Work and No Play....

 "All work and no play....." Well, you know how it goes. So sometimes you just need to have  a little fun.

Still taking field trips !

 Recently, we had a chance to visit the "sacred crocodiles" at the lakeside Bazoule village. The people of the village have lived harmoniously with these incredibly strong and fearsome creatures for many generations. Tradition has it that at a time when the village was facing a severe drought the women would walk in excess of 40 km in search of water. One day as the women were walking past the lake filled with crocodiles, a woman attempted to fetch water close to the crocodiles. Amazingly, she succeeded without being attacked by the crocodiles. From that day on, the women were able to draw water at the nearby lake without incident. The villagers, in gratitude to the ferocious creatures, named them the "sacred crocodiles" because their peaceful  co-existence saved them from a drought and thus saved many lives.

And we were grateful no lives were lost on the day we visited !                                    

My, what big teeth you have !

       

WHY ???????       Just because I could !

                             

What Is Normal ?

    What is normal to one person can be far from ordinary to another. "Ordinary is what you are used to.     This may not seem ordinary to you now but after time it will become ordinary."- Margaret Atwood
    No matter where we live, we bring our culture with us. It is like our skin and covers all we think and do. We may think we have risen above that but perhaps the most we can hope to do is adapt.
    Upon my arrival in Burkina Faso just over five months ago, sights, sounds and customs struck me as peculiar. I could be heard making comments about buying eggs from people on the street and questioning the safety of such a practice. Or thinking it odd that each morning women busy themselves sweeping SAND! Often I would regret that I had left my camera at home when I saw a a women balancing a huge pan of carrots on her head , each one artistically arranged  for visual pleasure.
    I have recently noticed that I rarely think of snapping photos of donkey carts, traffic jams created by sheep and goats crossing busy streets in the nation's capital or buses jammed with passengers both inside the vehicle and sharing space on the roof with luggage, motorcycles and livestock. Has all this become normal to me? Am I unconsciously adapting, assimilating to this new culture?

    Maybe so. I have eaten the  eggs without any negative gastric effects. Yet surprises still occur. Like the day Ruth hopped out of the car to dash across the street and over her shoulder said, "Buy some eggs and make sure they are not hard boiled." I simply chuckled at her humor and purchased six eggs from the girl who approached our car. Feeling quite pleased with myself, I held them for Ruth to see. "They are not hard boiled are they"? she asked. It was then that I realized she was not joking. And of course, they were " deja cuire" already cooked!!! Dinner became egg salad prepared with a plastic spoon and mixed in a black plastic bag since we were spending the night in an auberge ( hostel).
Julia Child would have been impressed with my skill in manipulating the "pastry bag".
    Every day I marvel at the richness of this culture  and still find things that aren't yet ordinary to me.

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Smiles in Kimini

“ I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for you.” Phil.1: 3-4

There are many smiles in Kimini because of the generosity of numerous friends at home and abroad. We only wish you could be present to share in the happiness your gifts have brought in this small village.

It is commonplace to see shoeless children running over sandy rock-laden paths on their way to school each morning. However, thanks to your caring, youngsters now sport new flip-flops. Even children too young to attend school gaze down at their awesome new footwear. This gives a new meaning to “Happy Feet”!

What little girl does not love putting on a new dress? Giggles filled the air on a recent morning when pillowcase dresses were distributed. Immediately, they turned to each other delighting in the designs and hues of their new “digs”.  Little boys were not left out either. Colorful shorts made the eyes of even serious boys twinkle.  No one could refrain from laughter when a 3 -year boy was handed a pair of shorts and quickly disrobed on the spot.  Pulling on his new Sponge Bob Square Pants shorts he began dancing in perfect African form.

 Word travels quickly in a small village. In no time at all women with babies tied to their backs appeared at our door. We had the privilege of handing out baby clothes, stuffed animals, blankets, caps and pens.

All this is a result of your generosity. Never underestimate the joy your gifts bring!

Root Canal and French Lessons

A frequently asked question is, "What are you doing while in Burkina Faso?'  One answer that leaps to the top of the list is, "We wait!" Waiting seems like a very passive thing requiring no energy or personal  input. Yet, I have discovered that to be far from the truth. We are wired to do, to be active, to produce. We want to see results.We desire outcomes. Some things that have speedy results at home are far from quick here. The myriad of ways we wait only increases with the amount of time I spend here and become more aware of life in this culture.

So the question becomes, " What do I do while I wait?" Having a root canal seemed like a profitable use of my time since the need presented itself shortly after my first month in Burkina Faso. No dental care is available in Kimini so that had to be put on hold until our return to the city. Some friends at home displayed some reservation about having that procedure done in Africa. Is the doctor qualified? Does the practice provide a safe, sterile environment ? The answer to all of this is , yes. My consultation visit assured me that I was in good hands. Stepping through the doors of the dental clinic, it is easy to forget you are in Africa. The office is clean, inviting and professional. Two very long appointments later, the impression was ready to be mailed to France where the permanent crown would be made.
And what did Ruth do during those lengthy appointments? You guessed it. She waited!
 France! It made me smile to think that I would soon be the owner of a" French crown!" Now if only that could in some manner help in my pursuit to become a French speaker.



The time in Ouagadougou has also allowed me to engage a tutor to learn French. Three days a week the tutor comes to our house to put me through the paces. Speaking French exclusively for 90 minutes is taxing. I am exhausted at the end of class but am encouraged to struggle onward when I realize my comprehension has increased. Sitting on the other side of the desk gives me renewed appreciation for the role of student!





Waiting can be thought of as an unproductive time or it came become an opportunity. It is all a matter of attitude.

Christmas on Another Continent

   Distance can be measured in so many ways. We can think of the kilometers that separate us from home, family and friends and I have done that. It is 9,562.93 kilometers from the United States to Burkina Faso!

   It can be measured in the customs and traditions of Christmases past. Baking cookies wrapping presents,trimming a tree, setting up a nativity scene, sharing a festive meal, singing carols and worshipping all come to mind.

Rather than dwell on what separates me this year, I choose to focus on what binds us together. I hold my family and friends at home close to my heart as I draw together with my new family in Burkina Faso. Some customs can be recreated in a new ways, traditions can be born.

 Yet the one thing that  is constant is the reason for the celebration. Christ has come into the world.
No number of kilometers can separate us from that love.