The days go by very fast here because things take longer to do, so your day can fill up pretty fast! We are slowly learning our way around our area of the city as we walk to buy food or use the cyber café. Things are becoming more familiar each day and I think our bodies are adjusting little by little to the heat. We are also learning what to cook and how much to cook to feed the three of us; although Jamie finishes off anything Carleigh and I don’t eat! Our diet basically consists of pasta, baguettes and fruit. We don’t have easy access to much else, or rather, we don’t know how to cook most of the things we have access to…..so we eat what we can for now! It’s a fun learning experience! [Although I must admit, I have been craving Oreos…..what I would do for an Oreo right now!] Anyways, things are going well!
On Saturday we did laundry for the first time since arriving! And by laundry I mean a bucket with water and soap and your own hands scrubbing away at your clothes! Christi-Anne, the lady who owns the building we live in, came up while we were washing our clothes. [We were on the roof of our building, as it is finished like a deck!] She offered to do our laundry for us because apparently it is too hard of a task for white people! We kindly declined and told her that we were tough Canadians learning to live the Beninese way! Although I must admit, when we finally finished an hour and a half later my hands were feeling kind of raw and sore! However, I really didn’t mind – it brought back good memories from when I lived in Kenya!
On Sunday we attended church again, but this time I did not have someone to translate the service for me! You see, there are two people at the front of the church for the whole service; one person speaks in French, the other translates what was said into Fong [local dialect]. Adding a third person to the mix to translate into English would get a bit messy! Jamie translated what he could of the service so I had the gist of what was going on. My favourite part of the service is the offering time. There are three wooden stands with boxes on them at the front of the church; one is labelled ‘tithe’, one ‘offering’ and the other ‘for church construction.’ Instead of baskets being passed down each row, everyone walks up to the front and drops their money into the appropriate box. Row by row, the entire church comes to the front to make their offering, including all the children who sit at the back of the church during the service. While this is happening, the traditional choir is leading the congregation in a song which involves people dancing and singing up a storm! Everyone is moving with smiles on their faces and joy radiating from their bodies! The offering processional, if you will, only takes about 5 minutes. For at least another 10 minutes the church is filled with a kind of passion, joy and praise that I can’t describe! Energy is bursting out the seams as people freely worship the God they love!
Sunday afternoon we attended our first practice with the existing team. It was a wonderful time! Hearing the familiar music from ‘In the Light’ or ‘Liquid’ and watching the people who I trained last year practicing their parts brought joy to my heart! It is so exciting and incredible that there is already a group of people here in Cotonou who know about DRIME and want to be a part of it! When we left last June there were 9 people who we had trained in the dramas. At this practice there were around 25 people there!! We had the chance to speak with them individually and hear why they joined the team; a chance to get to know them a little better. The individuals I talked with told me why they enjoyed the DRIME ministry and why they think it is effective. If I didn’t already believe in this ministry I definitely would after talking with them! I’m looking forward to this coming Sunday when we will be with them again! I left practice that afternoon very excited for what God is going to do through DRIME Benin!
Random Fact: I didn’t think I was scared of cockroaches – besides being gross, I never thought they were too bad. However, things change when a cockroach suddenly appears where it should not be [like the kitchen cupboard] and when it charges at you, heading right for where your hand is currently placed! I am happy to report the cockroach will not be a problem again as I had Jamie and Carleigh take care of it! Yuck!
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