Engaging in Immersion

The team -- getting ready to launch into our families!

The end of the three-month integration period has arrived. Friday will bring our departure into families in various towns and villages. We’ve been placed by two’s into each area. This is so that we will not be completely isolated; yet, there will be enough space between us to cause us to embrace our new environments. It won’t be without some challenges, awkwardness, and thoughts like: “What am I doing here? What should I be doing in the family?” … But at the same time there will be plenty of happiness, receiving a new family. I am being placed in Niakaramandougou, a small town north of Bouake, two hours by bus. Lina is also going to live there. We’ll be in separate families, but the same church family. So, I imagine that we’ll see one another at least a few times a week.

The church family in Niakara, standing in their new church building

The old church building in Niakara -- isn't it sweet?

Unfortunately I don’t have time to give more details about this upcoming change. But, know that I am very excited about this next step into a family. I would appreciate your prayers as I go through this transition. The next time I have internet will probably be the first week of January, when I come back to Bouake for a week of rest and processing with the rest of the team. Looking forward to giving updates at that point!

Until then, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!!!

As I said in an email update to some of you, I thank God for each and every one of you, who make it possible for me to be here. I pray that you would experience God’s peace this season, and that the things of this world would look shallow in comparison to the deep treasure we have in Christ.

Friday Night Life

This past Friday, Rod took the girls – and only the girls – out to the bush to shoot guns and star gaze. Yes, it’s true. We left around 5 PM in the Landcruiser, Rod in the driver’s seat and ten girls packed in everywhere else. Dinner stayed warm and somewhat untouched along the route – though the smell of rice and curry made us all hungry. A hefty telescope, two shotguns, and plastic mats were strapped onto the roof. We arrived out by this incredible rock quarry just before dark. But, that didn’t stop Rod from loading the shotgun and allowing all of us girls to take a couple of shots. Our target was a large rock in the lake. Life-threatening? Maybe. But by some miracle, no animals, people, or any other living species were injured in the process.

Meanwhile, Tricia began making tea and Jess got the meal together. We had two pots, and therefore two groups (one around each pot), and we ate communally. Aside from our choice to use spoons, we were close in form to eating like Ivorians often eat (see photo below). We were in the bush, away from the city, under a blanket of stars. Therefore, we relied on a few flashlights to see our food and all the translucent bugs that felt like eating curry too. But it turned out they’d stick to the rice and we ended up eating them, accidentally. Fresh pineapple, peanuts, onions, bell peppers, and other condiments trounced any bug flavor. We all ate our fill and then some.

Rod established the telescope on a more or less flat piece of rock and set the scope first on Jupiter. We saw the beautiful planet with two stripes and four of her moons. Then we moved up in the sky to Plateaus and found a magnificent view of star upon star. To the naked eye Plateaus appeared to be but a handful of stars. Through the telescope, however, there were tens if not hundreds in view. Slowly, mister moon in all his fullness strolled into the night sky. I could have stayed on that rock all night, questioning the moon.

“The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim His handiwork…night to night reveals knowledge…” Psalm 19:1

So yes, it was a lovely evening. All of us girls enjoyed feeling a bit “dangerous” with guns (Jess’ new phrase is “I am dangerous!”). We also felt completely small and humbled by the night sky.

On our way back, I rode on the roof of the Landcruiser with Lina, Carina, and the telescope. We dodged so many branches and occasionally got whipped by small ones that seemed to jump out of nowhere. But along the way also we managed to dream up a future voyage around Europe, and then maybe the U.S. too. Someday down the road, maybe I’ll get to travel around with my sweet German friends.

Okay, the night didn’t end there. We arrived home at 10ish and braced ourselves for a surprise. You see, a couple of weeks ago the girls pranked the boys while they were out of town, and we knew they had been planning revenge. (I don’t feel far removed from college!) When we walked into the living room, the guys were hanging out as “normal”. We knew better than that. We dropped off the bags and pots we carried in and walked down the girls’ corridor, only to see a giant snake body coming out of our bathroom. Gross!! But it was completely still and it didn’t take us long to determine that the thing was dead. We walked toward it with squeals and a bit of fright. Then the boys came running down the hall and grabbed the snake’s body, only to swing it back and forth at us. We all turned around and ran. It turned out to be a black cobra, probably 2 meters in length. It had been found and killed on campus that afternoon. (And since then, two others just like it have been killed – so that’s three consecutive days in a row!)

We could deal with the dead snake. Our bedroom doors were still locked (as we had left them) and we breathed a sigh of relief. The guys couldn’t touch our rooms…. or could they? Carina opened our door and screamed. It looked like a storm had gone through there. Our mattresses were stolen, our bed frames stood on their ends, and clothes and other things were just everywhere. The guys had outsmarted us and found a master key to all the rooms. They had all kinds of fun disarranging everything. It was like a broken puzzle that needed to be put back together. Even our shower curtains were missing, and our toilet paper too! Oh my, what a disaster. As you can imagine, there were plenty of laughs and screams. They guys had gotten us back – and they did a good job.

That night we slept without our mattresses, but instead on couch cushions. As Carina and I finally crawled into bed at about midnight in our somewhat put-back-together room, we laughed about everything that happened that night. We were wired. Since all the boys were asleep, we snuck down their hallway and into their bathroom with the intention of getting them back. But they guys had prepared to be repaid by hiding all of their toiletries in their bedrooms. We ended up using an old thing of toothpaste to write, “watch out” on their mirror. Nothing has happened yet in the area of payback, but we all know that the prank war has officially begun…

In Niakara - Believers coming together to roof the church

Neem: The Toothbrush Tree

This morning the team and I did a little trekking. We marched through tall grasses, sloshed through soggy rice fields, crossed a stream on a creaky footbridge, and rested in the shade of a mango tree. Rod took us on this hike through the bush to give us a lesson in West African trees and birds. There’s no better classroom for this kind of lesson than outside, making the topic tangible. 

I just want to say one thing: God’s creation is phenomenal. He is Artists of artists, Scientists of scientists, and Gardener of gardeners. There are unbelievable properties to many different plants and trees around here, and Ivorians have clearly tapped into these resources. I know that I’ve barely scratched the surface in learning about how different trees are used here. But, what I know already excites the nature-loving, natural-remedy-providing side of me. 

The Neem tree is used for teeth cleaning; just cut off a little twig and chew on it for a bit. (I checked and there’s actually neem in my natural toothpaste! It’s good stuff.) There are countless mango, coconut, avocado, citrus, and cashew trees around here too. They’re growing everywhere – but most of them flourish during the dry season. (I can hardly wait!) The Baobab tree is a symbol of Africa. It is one of the hardiest, most resilient trees around here. Hack away at it and it’ll survive, heal, and keep growing. There are numerous palm trees as well. One of my favorite sauces to eat with rice is made with fresh-pressed palm oil. Many other leaves, roots, and barks are harvested for cooking. The Moringa tree has leaves that are dried out then crushed up into a powder, taken for it’s herbal and medicinal properties. 

Knowing the plants and trees is important for life here in Cote d’Ivoire. My learning has just begun! 

The Coulibalys

9 family members + 1 new house + 1 foreign guest = One Happy Family. 

Returning to L’Ecole Baptist after a week-long stay with an Ivorian family was bitter-sweet. I didn’t want to say good-bye to the family, but I was excited to see my teammates and trade stories about our new experiences. My host-dad and sister, Lea, dropped me off with a jar of pure honey, a new pagne, and my backpack full of dirty clothes. The honey and pagne were gifts from them. Gifts of grace; I certainly didn’t think I deserved them. They were the ones who blessed me so much. They opened up their home, their lives, and their hearts to me, a stranger. They were patient with me as I fumbled through French. They were generous toward me and fed me like a queen. They were caring in every sense of the word. And yet, they were the ones giving me gifts at my departure. This past week was an initial stay with an Ivorian family, giving me a preview or foretaste of what is to come for nine full months! And, I am all the more excited about what lies ahead.

A few words to describe life at the Coulibaly’s…togetherness, hard work, communal living, laughter, delicious food, simple joy, in-the-moment-living.

There were ten people under the roof of one house when I was there. Five of us girls shared one bedroom, three boys another, and our parents in another. I slept under a green mosquito net on a bed with Simon, my sister who is just one year older than me. The other three girls, Lea (18), Yira (14), and Helen (14) sprawled out on floor mats. The boys were younger. Emmanual (11), David (8) and Onj (4) were typical little guys, who loved to wrestle, climb trees, eat as much as they could, and play with sticks and toy guns. Little Onj was my buddy. He was home throughout the day with mom, Simon, and me when the rest of the family was at work or school. He called me tanti and would sit on my lap to snuggle every chance he could. When he wasn’t sleepy and snuggly, he’d be showing off and acted like a little comedian. His knew how to get his way with humor, “innocence,” or a big smile. Mom would threaten to punish him when he disobeyed, but rarely followed through with it. His very first day of school – ever – was on my last day with the family. So, I got to see him off with a brand new bear backpack and shiny water bottle. He couldn’t have been more thrilled. Mom felt the same.

Most of my day was spent sitting on a little stool in the outdoor “kitchen,” which is essentially made up of two small charcoal ovens and several metal pots. For women in Cote d’Ivoire, the majority of their time is spent preparing meals. Everything is made from scratch. My sister Simon was also home throughout the day. It was a rare moment that I wasn’t with her. We cut vegetables, stirred rice, and mixed a combination of things into the different sauces. She taught me how to make a variety of typical meals, such as rice with a peanut sauce, fried plantains with eggplant sauce, and attieke with smoked fish. Fish was the meat of choice in my family, so I had it in nearly every meal, including a few breakfasts. It was usually mixed into the sauces, served over rice. And, for my first couple of meals, I also had crab! It was my first experience eating the entire crab, shell, legs, and all. Once I got over the initial apprehension, it was delectable.

My host dad teaches at a school that is equivalent to a middle school in the States. He’s a math teacher there. I was able to shadow him at school one day and sit in the back of his class. All the students got a kick out of having a white girl sit in their class. It was very similar to class in the States. But the cement floors, simple tables, green chalkboard, and hot outdoor air distinguished it a bit.

My notebook and pen became my greatest aid throughout the week, as French bombarded me! Without writing words down they would flee my mind just seconds later. So I’d ask my family to speak slowly and often spell things out for me. They were patient and kind. By God’s grace, I was able to communicate the basics throughout the week.

Most importantly, I learned that I don’t have to be fluent in French to build authentic relationships with Ivorians. It’s more a matter of simply being together and offering a helping hand. It’s a matter of putting aside my personal comforts and individualism and joining the routine of my family. It’s a matter of sitting and listening and smiling and being. The Coulibaly’s cared for me and showed me undeserved hospitality. The demonstrated love towards me, because they, too, know the deep love of God. My heart overflowed with joy when the family read from the Bible together Friday evening. Jesus is their Savoir, too. While there are many things that may differentiate us because of our cultures and languages and experiences, one thing remains the same: we are all sinners saved by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. That, my friends, is all that really matters.

One Week, Ivorian Style

Quick update: All is well with me here in Cote d'Ivoire. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and the love that you've sent my way. I am always encouraged to hear from friends and family back at home. 

From November 1st through the 8th, I'll be living with an Ivorian family! This week-long stay is part of integration. It'll give me a taste of life in a family here before I move into one for 9 months. Oh, I am so excited about these adventures ahead. I will write more soon.

(Lately I've been quite tired by the increase in French hearing and speaking. My team only speaks French at our meal times now, among many other times throughout the day. Let's just say that I'm mentally and physically wiped out by the end of the day! But it's the kind of tired that is nice and satisfying. That being said, I will try to make more time for writing updates. So much to be said!)

Praises and Requests

Praises and Thanksgivings:

• Team/Community – I am so thankful for my team. Each one of us has a very different background, but Christ unites us together! It is a huge blessing to have other Americans, Germans, and Ivorians living together in community. It’s sometimes challenging to learn and love through our differences, but it is also exciting and rewarding.
• Leadership/Mentorship – God’s graciously given me wonderful leaders who have had years of experience on the missions field, love young adults, and treasure Jesus above everything else.
• Ivorian culture – I thoroughly enjoy the people and way of life here in Cote d’Ivoire. I can hardly wait to live with a host family in another month or two.

Prayer Requests:

• Language learning – Learning conversational French is one of my top priorities right now so that I can start communicating more freely with Ivorians. Pray specifically that I would overcome all fear and discomfort of speaking the little French that I know, so that I can learn through my mistakes.
• Strength/Rest/Health – With all the stress of learning a new language and culture, I easily become tired—mentally and physically. Pray that my strength would come from the Lord and that He would sustain my physical health.
• Friendships – Please continue to pray for authentic friendships to develop. I am hoping for a close friend or two for mutual understanding and encouragement.