A few stories

So I have been a little sick so I have more time to write blogs :) Now that I am publishing this though, I am well again! I thought I would write another one that has more to do with what is going on this last month. So much has happen all along the way that I didn’t have time to write about too. So here goes. The whole team got together in Bouaké this last week, after at least 3 weeks in our families. It was a time of sharing, celebration and a little rest too. Everyone’s situation is a little different but each will grow in their placements. I think I will share stories from Tiepogovogo though. Some of these happened to others and some to me.

Each paragraph is a new story.

One of the first believers in Tiepogovogo had a grain silo. After harvest, it was full to the brim. One day he woke up to find that there was nothing in the silo. All of that season’s work and labor was gone, he and his family had nothing. Someone was not happy that he was a Christian and had taken it to get at the family. But when the church heard about it, they all came together and gave this man some of their harvest. When it was all said and done he had more than he had had before. The person who took the harvest was ashamed and amazed and became a believer himself, if I remember right. This happened many years ago but it is one of their favorite stories.

When I first went to Tiepogovogo, all of the people wanted to make me as comfortable as possible. At every turn I would say, no this is good the way it is, no I want to live like you, I want to eat like you. Even Glen (a well known long-term missionary here) before he left said, she is not complicated she is simple she doesn’t need a lot, she wants to live like you. Still they tried. My host mom gave me 6 meals the first day (not an exaggeration). I said I can’t eat that much, really it’s ok. They offered to have someone sleep in my house with me incase I was afraid, I said no really it’s ok, I’m not afraid. They talked about buying sugar, coffee, tea, candy and all sorts of things, and I thought I would actually love to cut these things out of my diet and said no really it’s ok. One day there was a little fight between two dogs right outside the door and everyone jumped away from the door and my host mom closed the door. I just sat there and after it was all done they said weren’t you afraid, I said no I know dogs it’s ok. Time and again, I had peace or was content with the way things are, so they gave me a new name. My name is Narigaden, it means always content and even my Journey corps friends will tell you, that is not of myself, it has to be from God and it is. The day they gave me that name I was sick also, but the joy of the Lord was my strength, that day especially, but I did go rest for the rest of the day.

My host mother was with child when I first moved in. I was impressed with her. She still fetched firewood and put it on her head, still got water and so many things that require strength. Well four days after I arrived I came to her house for breakfast. I greeted everyone there, and there were quite a few, but I didn’t think anything of it. Then someone said in French something to the effect of you didn’t notice! Maari had her baby! I thought oh! I looked at her, she had a flat belly but other than that she looked normal and she was up and smiling. So I went in to see the baby. Oh what a tiny precious thing she was. She looked light skinned and wrinkly but that is normal for very new babies. Maari handed her to me. I just sat and looked at her for a while, said some prayers over her silently. All of the women came by to see her and Maari. As they trickled in and saw me with the baby, they teased me that it was my baby, I just smiled and laughed with them. When they had all left. Maari, who just hours before had given birth started to sweep her house! I was amazed but alarmed at the same time. I jumped up said something she didn’t understand, gently took the broom and started sweeping. She didn’t mind and unlike most times she let me do it. I was glad to see though that she stayed home and rested with the baby the whole day. That was the day I met Jimonga (the baby girl) and the day I saw how very strong Maari is.

There was a woman in Tiepogovogo who was very very old. They don’t really keep track of such things but all of her grandchildren seemed to think she was 90-100 years old. I think she has 15-20 grandchildren. Some of them I have gotten to know over my first three weeks there. Well she passed away my second week there. I had only met her once. She stayed in her house all the time because her health was not well. She was a Christian, so the church had a grand Christian funeral for her. They had a generator and lights, even a massive sound system that could be heard miles around. We stayed up all night for the funeral. There was singing (very good funeral songs about heaven and security in Christ btw), there was dancing (but not in celebration, more for comfort I think), there were people from all of the neighboring villages, and the good news was preached many times. At least two people became Christians that night too. Everyone wore their very best clothes. Some people slept, some went home to sleep some (me included). In the morning we all came back together. We all looked at the body, sang some more, there was more preaching, there was more weeping and then she was buried. The whole funeral was in her courtyard (which is all open) and the grave they dug for her was maybe five feet from her house (they don’t have any lines to worry about so why not). Well that very night there was another funeral: the non-christian one. If possible there were even more people there for this one. In a town of a hundred there were maybe 500 people that night. As Christians we weren’t suppose to stay up all night for that one. So I went to bed. This one was even crazier though. There were four ballophone bands, people everywhere and nobody had a good night of sleep. It was very interesting. Since then I have found out that all of those people knew her (impressive) and that funerals are the very most important event here for many reasons.

I’m sure I could find some more stories to share, but I will save them for later. Thanks for reading!