Beading and Bible Study

Last weekend, the Niakara youth girls were so happy to have their friend Jessica Willman back in town. Jess and her husband Steve were two Journeyers who lived in Niakara for 9 months last year, just before I moved there. They lived on the church property with the pastor’s family and were loved by everyone around. Still to this day I can walk through Niakara and hear kids call out “Yili!” which is Jess’ Ivorian name. After their host family time ended, the Willmans moved over to Benin where they now work with a Christian Radio Station. But we were privileged to have them come back for a visit!

Since Jess was in town the weekend of our Girls Group, we asked her to share with us about her transition to Benin and what God has been teaching her. All of us could relate to her story about the struggle of serving and loving those who are hard to love. We were reminded that God has blessed us and loves us immensely; therefore we ought to love others without expecting anything in return.

Bathing Elephants

Early on in the month, we made a looooonng road trip. I was picked up in my little town, Niakaramandougou (to give you the full name) and eventually made it as far north as Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. But along the way, we (the entire Journey Corps team) stopped at an animal game park called Nazinga. We spent a couple of days there. Aside from lots of just hanging out as a team, we took a few rides out into the park in search of elephants, antelope, warthogs, and whatever else we could find. It was very humbling to see God's handiwork in His creation. West Africa has landscaping and creatures that are completely different from North America, including one of the largest animals on our planet. To see elephants up close and personal was unbelievable. There was a small lake just behind our cabins where the elephants came to bathe in the hottest time of the day. I enjoyed observing their movements, interactions, and noises as they submerged themselves in water to cool off and play.

Family, as of late.

Oh I wish I could tell you how much I am beginning to love my family. Now, I can't say that I love every aspect of my living situations, but my family, I truly adore. Here are some pictures from the past months. You'll notice how my baby brother Ebenezer is growing like a weed. Now that he's 9 months, he has gotten to the "object permanence" stage, which means he knows mom still exists when she's not in view. That makes him less interested in me and more fussy when he's not with mom. Sad. But, I'll get over it. He's still so stinkin' adorable. 

Lovin' the hammock, at least for 5 seconds.

The two other boys, Sammy and Alfonce, are also growing and are just as sweet and goofy as ever. They loved having a visit from their older girl cousin, pictured on the left.

My sisters and I have been bonding so much more, thanks to advancements in French that have widened our conversation topics, as well as opened the door for me to be a little sassy with them once in awhile. 

I finally got up the courage to have my hair braided. I really didn't want to for so long because they girls told me it would hurt so bad. Well thankfully they were wrong. I had Lina and the other Journeyer girls who came to Niakara for a visit go first. After they made it out without a major headache, I gave Affou permission to do mine too. My sister Suzanne exclaimed, "Emily, you are beautiful! You are African now!"

This disgusting creature was killed about 20 yards from the front porch of our house. I'm thankful I only saw it after it was decapitated. However, the body was still squirming around and it's muscles responded to every touch. All of my sisters wanted me to touch it so I had to prove I could be courageous. Now, even though the thing was dead, it's movement didn't make it easy to touch! We had a young guy cook it up for us. I can wholeheartedly say that viper is very tasty.

Another yummy surprise: termites. It took more mental energy to NOT think about the fact I was eating the bugs that had swarmed our porch light the night before. But all in all, I give termites a thumbs up. They taste a lot like onion chips.

One of my favorite scenes ever. Can't remember if I've already posted a picture of baby-in-a-bucket, but here you go. It's genius. Remind me to do this with my kids someday.

Grow. Be made new.

I imagine that spring is arriving and being welcomed with smiles on your side of world. May the passing winter and gradual signs of warmth and plant life and greenness reflect the beauty of our God. He is on a mission to create new life in us, too. I hope this season brings you happiness in the real, true, and lasting life that has been made possible to you through Jesus.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 

While I’m certainly not experiencing the same signs of spring in Cote d’Ivoire, I can say that my March has been marked by growth. I’ve crossed the 6-month mark and I can say that I’m beginning to love being here. The frustrations of language learning and culture stress are lessening, and I can see many authentic relationships forming. My Ivorian family is incredible; praise God for placing me with them. Having five sisters around my age is one of the sweetest gifts. They are hilarious, servant-hearted, studious, friendly, helpful, and caring. Each one of them shares faith in Jesus. It’s a huge grace to learn more about Him through their lives.

I’m finding that, now that I’m more comfortable living within the context of an Ivorian family within Niakara, God is restoring my vision for being here. So much of my time is spent learning and receiving that sometimes I wonder what difference I’m making here. But I have to remember that walking with Jesus in this context brings His light to those around me. In my small city of Niakara, very few people know Jesus and there is a lot of spiritual darkness. I really think that the next 6 months there will have a strong focus on discipling teenage girls. Last week, my teammate Lina and I led our monthly Bible study with 15 girls at church. And, through my involvement in a sports class at the high school and weekly visits to a hair salon, I’ve met many other teenage girls who have yet to know the hope of Christ.

Please pray specifically for my friendships with Odile and Awa, two girls who give themselves to man after man and search for happiness in empty pleasures. They are both interested in my life and are open to friendship. Odile is in the same sports class at school and Awa works at the hair salon with my sister. Pray that they might come to know Jesus, the One who can satisfy their hunger and thirst.

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Jesus (Matthew 28:11-30)

Girls' Monthly Bible Study

Lina and I are continuing a monthly girls’ gathering with our friends from the youth group. There are about twenty girls ages 15 -22 who are come regularly. We’re beginning a study through Ephesians – talking about the Gospel and learning what it means to be God’s beloved. Our prayer is that these girls would grow in their understanding of Truth and be changed as they personally encounter Jesus. Lina and I trade off leading the message and discussion time in French, and there is one girl who translates into Senoufo for the girls who don’t understand French very well.

In addition to the Bible study, we try to do some fun activity. So far we have been making bracelets together to sell in the market. There are always lively discussions happening as we make the bracelets. These girls love to talk about anything and everything – a universal characteristic of girls, huh? We’ve been able to sell some of the bracelets in the market and are starting to make a profit. We are using the money to buy Bibles, both in French and in Senoufo, as well as buy more beads to continue the process.

Would you please pray for these girls? Pray that Lina and I would have lots of time with them outside of the girls group once a month. Pray that our relationships would deepen. Pray that we’d be able to have conversations with them about Christ, sin, hardships, and joys…both during the gathering and every day in between. Pray that we’d all grow closer to God as we also grow closer as sisters in Christ.

Learning to Walk in Freedom

God brought me on a journey through the book of Galatians when I was with my family. One of the major themes of the book is freedom in Christ. I’ve been asking myself, what does it mean to be free? When I am not free (or feeling free), what inhibits it? Though there are so many lovely things about living with a family, I also struggle on a daily basis to walk in freedom and trust in Jesus moment by moment. Sometimes the physical discomfort of sharing a hot, disordered, dusty room with five other girls overwhelms me. Other times the food bothers me, especially when it’s the same thing again and again. And, on a daily basis, I seem to fight guilt of sitting and resting when everyone else seems to be working.

Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Why, I ask myself, do I submit myself to a yoke of slavery again and again? My yokes of slavery include complaints, discontentment, and people-pleasing. These things steal my joy in God and block freedom.

What does it mean to be free? Freedom comes through Jesus and him alone. The Holy Spirit does a work in us that helps us believe in the Gospel and then walk in freedom. Freedom comes when I see my sin – my complaints, grumblings, selfishness, fear of man – and lay them down at the cross in repentance. When I realize that God loves me so much that He died for me, freedom floods in. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoptions as sons.” Galatians 4:4

It is easier said than done to walk in the freedom that Jesus has made available to us through his death and resurrection. In this life on earth we’re in a constant battle against our sinful, weak flesh. Paul says, “walk in the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” Galatians 5:16-17

I recently read that the main work of a Christian is to believe the Gospel. That, I believe, is what it means to walk in the Spirit. The Spirit helps us to believe the Gospel, rest in God’s work, and walk in freedom. When I’m in my family and battling guilt, I have to remember that guilt is not from God. My acceptance comes from God and not from people around me. God’s acceptance of me is permanent. Or, when I’m battling discontentment and wanting to complain, I have to ask God for help in believing that He has met my deepest need of all – reconciliation with Him – so I’m free to serve my family by living as they live.

It’s not simple to walk in freedom. But God is pleased when, in our failures, we trust in Him. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Galatians 1:3-5

Family Life

The rat we ate for dinner one afternoon

Being part of an Ivorian family is an unbelievable experience. In fact, it’s hard to sit down and write about what it’s actually like, living day to day with my family here. The last 6 weeks in Niakara deepened my relationships with each person in the family. I care about each one. And, I’m feeling cared for by them in fresh ways. 

My sisters and I at the annual church youth conference

My sister Affou affectionately calls me toubabou – white person – when she wants to tease me or grab my attention. She also calls me by my Senoufo name, Katchinnin. But the most common name I here from her is Emi. My sister Kinafou is convinced that I’m going to go back to the States as an Ivorian woman who speaks French, Senoufo, and Dioula, and who prepares the typical cuisine of rice and sauce, kabato, and foutou with perfection. Her positivity makes me smile. Assetou, my sister who works at the hair salon, is a little closed-off but is letting her guard down more and more. She laughed so hard when I squealed at the dead rat on our table that she was in the process of preparing for lunch. “No, I don’t want to touch it!” I exclaimed. “Why not? Are you afraid of it?!” She teased as she swung it around by it’s nasty tail. Yes, I was afraid of it. But once prepared, that rat was surprisingly delicious. Suzanne is my most sensitive sister who demonstrates to me what is means to be faithful in prayer. She is on her knees countless times each day bringing burdens, praises, and requests before the Lord. Last week, one of Suzanne’s childhood friends unexpectedly died. Seeing her grieve wasn’t easy, but being there through that time brought us closer together too. And last but not least, Rachel. She helped me learn how to cook over the fire as I experimented making pancakes for the family. And, just last week when I decided to make spaghetti, she helped in the process of cutting vegetables and preparing the noodles. Since I’m a novice when it comes to cooking the way they cook here, her willingness to help without being asked made things turn out 10x better.

Stirring Kabato on the fire

My parents and little brothers are also amazing. Mom spends most of her days at the garden. She cultivates several different vegetables and herbs there. Dad is a salesman who sells natural health care products. And, the little boys are just adorable. They are also more well behaved than the average kids around here. Sammy, the oldest, is starting to learn French in school and likes practicing his phrases with me. Alfonce is a character. You can tell just from the pictures that he’s a goofball and loves to show off a little bit. He doesn’t speak French but loves to come up to me and say, “Emi,” and then mumble a bunch of little things. And Ebenezer, or “Ebey,” is the happiest baby. Last week he was sick with a cold, but still had a constant smile on his face. Everyone who meets him falls in love immediately.

Sammy and Alfonce, enjoying "American spaghetti" for the first time ever

Lina's new baby sister, who is also named Lina :)