Just in time for Christmas

All of us journeyers have been dealing with the same question this week: What is Christmas going to be like this year?

This Christmas will definitely be a different one- probably the most different. We all have family traditions and yearly celebrations that we won't be home for. We all have people that we will miss sharing this holiday season with. It is so easy for us to think about all the things we're missing, but what about all the amazing experiences we'll get to have because we're here? Instead of thinking, "well, this is only one year, then next year I'll be home again", I need to be thinking, "wow, this is one year that I get to be in AFRICA with my little Journey Corps FAMILY!" 

This is yet another issue of comfort. Christmas plus 90 degree weather does not make sense to me, but it's our reality- and why not enjoy it! If I was home, I would probably be complaining about the rain and how cold it is! There will be many years of cold Christmas' to come, but a Christmas in the tropics, now that is not so ordinary! I get a little uncomfortable when I think that things may be a little different, but this year is meant to be different! It's going to be beautifully different and totally orchestrated by a God who cares more for me than I can begin to understand.

I can't even believe how blessed I've been with communication here. I talk to my parents on the phone almost weekly- and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg (I hope!)- I've heard the voices of the dearest people to me and seen far away faces smiling back at me through video chat! I even hear Pastor Al's Christmas sermon series through Clovis EVFree's podcast! I mean, what else could a missionary girl ask for?!

The answer: NOTHING. 

As much as I cling to the traditions of home, Christmas is not about baking cookies, sitting by the fire, watching old movies, or walking down Christmas Tree Lane all bundled up. Christmas is not about giving and receiving gifts, eating too much ham (or tamales), stockings and Santa Clause, or listening to Nat King Cole. Christmas is not about twinkling lights, singing carols, tinsel, or little elves in funny hats.

Christmas is about God's love for the very people He created and who turned away from Him. Christmas is about this Almighty Creator finding a way to bring those wandering children back to Him. Christmas is about reconciliation, redemption, and reunion with a very personal God, who sent His son to a broken world as a baby.

Christmas is about a God who loved us enough...
               to walk the earth with us,
                       to live among us,
                               to go to the cross for us,
                                        to make sure we would never be apart again.

Christmas is about LOVE.
 Unexplainable, undeserved, unrestrained LOVE.

"But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ"         -Ephesians 2:13

God has been so good. He's teaching me to trust in His plan, in His will. He takes my hand and guides me. He shows me how to follow when I'm terrified that I don't know how.

So what exactly are our plans for Christmas here in Bouake? Well... we plan on joining an all night fete with the local Baptist church in Bouake. We'll be singing, dancing, praying, and eating all Christmas Eve! Then we'll have our Village Baptiste Christmas celebration and meal. The part I'm excited for.... Christmas night, when we'll all be so worn out and stuffed with too much food, sitting around our little tree with its strange bubble lights, sharing quiet moments together and exchanging our little hand made doodads. I'm excited. This is going to be a year that we remember, not just because we were away, but because we were together.

Merry Christmas from Cote d'Ivoire! 

Thoughts on comfort and having multiple names...

Holly, Kati, and I spent our first weekend in an Ivorian home. The home of the Yeo Yeneyela family. Yeneyela and Awa spent the week before on campus at ICA with us, so I was able to get to know them and their baby boy, Solomon. To be completely truthful, I was NERVOUS! I had no idea what it would be like and there were so many questions. We had visited many courtyard before, but would their home be like that? What would their bathroom be like? What about drinking water? What about FOOD? Lots and lots of questions. So Friday afternoon, Rod drove us out to Brobo, dropped us at the Yeo house, and then he was gone.

We survived! We more than survived! Life was so relaxing and they made us so comfortable in their home. The 3 of us shared a room at the end of a short hall, which had a queen sized mattress on the ground and a mosquito net hanging above it. A mosquito net! I've been here for almost 2 months and that was my first mosquito net.

When we arrived, Awa greeted us with a big smile and open arms. Yeneyela took us for une promenade through town. We stopped and greeted at so many houses along the way, and my french slowly deteriorated the more houses we visited. Brobo is spread out and village-like compared to Bouake. Yeneyela and Marius (a close family friend and former student) showed us that almost every house was in some stage of preparing atteche- which is a staple food in Cote d'Ivoire made from manioc. When we returned (2 1/2 hours  later!) Awa had a snack ready for us: aloco (fried plantains) and an omelet! Then I occupied Solomon for awhile, cut onions and tomatoes, made passion fruit juice, and experienced bathing from a bucket!
Bathrooms here are not about comfort, which- I think- is a high priority in the States. At home, you relax in the bathroom- here it's all utilitarian, it's strickly necessity. The bathroom was inside, which I was thankful for. Many courtyards we've seen, there are rooms outside with a hole in the ground. There was even a toilet- it didn't flush, but it was a toilet!

Dinner: AGOUTI! We ate rat- a giant rat with onions and tomatoes and noodles! I tried to get away with taking a small piece of the meat, but Awa just put another larger peice on my plate! It wasn't too bad in all actuality... just had a funny after taste. After dinner, we all sat and watched a John Wayne film dubbed over in French- it was wonderful!

The next day was filled with more visiting- including a lengthy stop at the village Chief's courtyard. The chief was a woman! I was shocked- totally counter cultural! She had a very "official" demeanor toward us. She gave us all Baoule names- Kati, Holly and I were all given the name Affoue, which means "saturday". Yep, we were named after the day of the week. I am quickly becoming a woman of many names. In Baoule: Affoue; in Dyula: Sarata; and to the French speakers, I'm still Naomi (but pronounced now-me). Culturally speaking, I feel so honored to be given a traditional name- they are sharing a familiarity with me. Sometimes, though, I look forward to phone calls from my parents and my name not sounding weird.

The Chief and the 3 Affoue's

Kati pounding palm nuts

Over the next few days, we fell into life with them. It was simplistic and wonderful! We ate more food that we were unsure about by the looks of it, but it was all pretty tasty. Yeneyela was given a copy of our CD, "Take These Feet" and would blast it from the household stereo. It was a strange feeling- hearing our music projected in an African courtyard! We spent time with the local church youth at a prayer meeting and I was so encouraged by their hunger for God and knowledge of Him. Yeneyela took us on his moto into the bush to see his garden. It was an adventure to say the least. We got lost and scraped up by low hanging branches, but it was so much fun! On Sunday, we went with the Yeos to their little church- which was actually an unfinished cement block building. It had a tin roof attached with wiring and 5 wooden benches. It made me think about how excessive our church buildings can be at home. There is so much debate on what color the carpet should be and other trivial things, when this group of 15 believers are worshiping and dancing barefoot on a dirt floor. Their offering of worship was genuine and simple, but fervent and powerful. Rod spoke in french at the little chuch on John 9 and what it means to be blind. I found it to be an incredibly fitting message for me to hear in this little place and I was thankful that God gave understanding despite the language barriers.

Rod took us home after the service, back to our walled in village, back to pancake and scrambles eggs for Sunday lunch, back to our little America. It's difficult finding a balance. I loved living with the Yeos for a weekend, I loved experiencing life with them. BUT I was tired! We all were. It was nice to be back in our own rooms and free to speak english with eachother. It was nice to be comfortable. However, I'm learning that God needs to be my comfort zone, not speaking english, or my own bed sheets, or baked potatoes for dinner, or pictures from home. All those things are able to be lost, but God is not. He is the steady, constant, perfect thing.

There are mare thoughts that follow this, but should be saved for another day, since I've apparently started writing a novel. So this is to be continued...

The Last Two Weeks

There is really no way for me to sum up the last 2 weeks, so here are some moments that stick out!

Experienced my first Snow Day! All Journey Corps events were canceled one morning and paper snow flakes were everywhere telling us to go back to bed and enjoy a day off. It was an incredible blessing! Thanks to Beckie for her late night stealth work in the dorm.

The Betheden dorm is officially decorated and ready for Christmas! We have a tree, fitted with ornaments and lights that we found in the basement- it's a beauty!

Our Christmas Tree lighting celebration!

Time is an interesting thing here. I feel like it has lost a lot of its meaning. Coming here I had "1 year" burned in my brain. Well in the first few weeks, time was crawling by and our days were incredibly long. Now the days still feel long and full, but the weeks fly by. I can't even think of this year as one unit of measuring my time here- it's too overwhelming to think that way. It's one day at a time here! Everyday is full of new discoveries and knowledge. New ways of seeing God. 

Rod took us into town one night after dinner. It was a quiet night on the streets of Bouake. We stopped and greeted in a Muslim courtyard where only Dyula was spoken. I only understand the standard greetings in Dyula, so beyond the first 2 minutes I'm totally lost. While sitting there, we heard a bunch of clanging bells and a huge group of young people entered the courtyard dancing and singing. They were bringing blessings! It was wonderful! All of them (20-25 people in all) sat and sang and talked with us. There is a lot of hope in this place. It was beautiful.

My new favorite thing here: walking in Le Compement! It's a village-y type area right across from our campus. Most of the people who live there are from Mali, Burkina, and Ghana. Everyone speaks Dyula- so I've been learning a lot more! People just love it when you come and say hello and sit with them. It's something that would seem awkward to do in America, but here it is a way of building relationship and showing respect. Making lots of new friends! Please pray for these relationships!

Second favorite thing here: walking "en brusse"! Talk about freedom! Rod took us for a walk into the wilderness and explained which plants and trees are helpful in the bush. I'll tell you what, there aren't many that don't have some purpose! It was great!

Finished Shadow of the Almighty, Jim Elliot's autobiography. It was amazing. So now I'm on to the rest of the stack that I've pulled from our lovely campus library, next one being.... [drum roll please]... These Strange Ashes, by Elisabeth Elliot. What can I say? I just can't get enough of this woman's story! This one, however, is about the year she spent in the west jungle of Ecuador as a single woman ministering to the Colorado indians. I'm really loving the missionary biographies! Any suggestions?

My dreams are wacky! Last night, I dreamt I was walking around in the African bush and then I came across Sequoia Sandwich Co. Talk about a weird mix of worlds! All I can say is that in 10 months, when my plane lands, I'm going to enjoy eating a loaded potato there.

Baked potato- Africa style! yes, that is bacon.

We are hosting the Yeo family here at ICA this week. They have an adorable little baby named Solomon. Awa, his mama, sent me away with him away one afternoon- which gave her a chance to relax. So now Solomon and I are fast friends- he's the happiest baby- always giggling, and once you start walking with him he's out like a light. This experience is redeeming my SCARY weeks in the nursery at Clovis EVFree! 

There is a lot of political craziness in Cote d'Ivoire. I've held off on writing about this mostly because I worried that the information given by international media was sensationalized and would worry people. BBC has been pretty right on as far as we know and the situation has come to a stand still of sorts. For those of you who haven't heard what is happening here, Cote d'Ivoire is the only country in the world right now with 2 presidents! If you'd like an actual account of what's happened in the last few weeks, I encourage you to read BBC's coverage of the Cote d'Ivoire elections. To put any worries at ease, we are probably in the safest place possible in Cote d'Ivoire. We are 6 hours north of Abidjan, where most of the violence has happened. Not to mention we live in a walled in compound with a whole troop of the French military! 

Spent time at the local orphanage with Kati, our lovely German friend! I had a great time singing, holding, and playing with the kids. They just want to feel loved. They just want to feel accepted and that they belong. How often we feel the same way! I felt overwhelmed with knowing how God loves them, and accepts them, and has made a place for them. For us all. I can't wait to go back- I need to. If only just to remind them that they are dearly loved by our Heavenly Father. 

Psalm 86: 11-13

"Teach me your ways, O Lord,

That I may live according to your truth!

Grant me purity of heart,

So that I may honor you.

With all my heart I will praise you,

O Lord my God.

I will give glory to your name forever,

For your love for me is very great."

P.S. I'm real excited for Christmas!

Thanksgiving in Bouake!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration we had!

The WorldVenture missionaries from all over Cote d'Ivoire were at ICA this week for their annual meeting. We all woke up extra early for a 7:30 am french class and then off to worship with the other missionaries. Thanksgiving reminds me of David's song of praise in 1 Chronicles 16: 7-36.

The missionaries shared stories of their ministries and I was just blown away by how they've committed their lives wholly to serving God in Cote d'Ivoire. There are people working in Medical missions, bible translation, and adult education/ discipleship.

The afternoon was spent cooking! Everyone was busy making green bean casserole, apple pies, potato salad, crescent rolls, creamed corn, and Beckie and I had a sweet potato adventure! (Sweet potatoes don't look or feel the same here, but they taste great!!)

Angelika decorated the basketball court with palm fronds and tropical flowers. A long line of tables was set up with enough room for 40! Talk about a feast! There was the Journey Corps group, the WorldVenture missionaries, and all of the Village Baptiste families. It was a wonderful time of gathering, eating until we could eat no more, and sharing stories.

It was impossible to ignore how much I have to be thankful for! I was nervous that it would be a difficult day to be away from home, but I feel so blessed to be able to share this day with so many wonderful people! At the end of the day, I was so FULL! Full of potatoes and full of joy. I was even passed around the Thanksgiving table back in California via my aunt's cell phone! God helped me feel connected to so many people at home and I heard many missed voices.

So here's my list of THANKFULNESS:

Unconditional love from a Wonderful Savior

Family...both far away and right here

Technology...which makes far away feel not so far

Comfort food...seriously mashed potatoes, so good

Community...Awa extending her hand as a show of friendship

The stars... in whose design I see the Mighty Creator and feel at peace

Support...I could not be here without an amazing group of people behind me

This year...full of love, growth, change, challenge, promise

And many many many other things!

Sickness, Dependency, and Touching the Moon

So a reality of being a missionary in Africa is that sickness is inevitable.

Yesterday was one of those days where my body could not do all that was required of it and so I stayed in bed for a large portion of the day. I just didn't have the energy.

This is a difficult thing for someone like me. I like to be active and engaged. I like to be with people. Instead my company was a glass of water and a book.

Angelika was so sweet and made me mashed potatoes and carrots for lunch because she knew my stomach was upset. This was a great comfort, but my stomach could barely enjoy them!

This got me thinking about dependency. When we're ill or hurting, we immediately want to be with someone who will make us feel better. I would have loved to hear a familiar voice, but the reality is that I'm in Africa and things just aren't that easy. There are hard days when you realize that all of our dependency must rest in Christ alone. Technology fails us, communication is flawed and cratered with misunderstandings, people get busy, but Christ never fails. He's the ultimate Healer and Comforter. He speaks words of love and affirmation straight to our hearts when we need it most.

Other random happenings:
I'm reading Shadow of the Almighty. Every morning I read a bit of it as I have my oatmeal. I'm in awe of how Jim Elliot sought after God. He didn't have some secret way of talking to God, some secret connection; he was merely a man. But he was a man who chased after God, who sought him in the most mundane things of life. He saw Christ in everything. I want to live my life in that way. To give myself fully to the persute of Christ and His heart.

We're into our 3rd week in Bouake and trying to figure out how to dig in and serve in the community during these few months of training. So here some exciting news: I'm joining the choir at our local church! Yup, little ole me is going to be part of an African choir! It's going to be incredibly challenging, but I'm so excited! They're going to have to teach me how to dance. The choir sings in French, Dyula, and English occasionally. So this will be a great way to learn French quickly.

Saturday a few of us went to Hotel Mon Afrik to go swimming! It was really nice, like a little oasis. We all felt pretty silly being there, being missionaries and all, but it was really nice to relax and cool off. The hotel has a deer as a pet! and guess what? I pet the pet deer! haha! I was wonderful!

Princess

I've become the resident hair cutter on our campus. I've given 3 hair cuts in the last week- it's been really fun! A few of the girls brought hair cutting scissors, so we've all been giving each other tips and practicing- haha! It's so fun to have random gifts we can share with each other!

Rod took us all to the rock quarry on Sunday night. I got to ride on top of the land rover on the way there as the sun was setting. It was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen! We were driving out into the bush, passed a small village, and then drove on through 15ft. tall grass. The sky was stormy and every color. Rod told us the history of ICA (where we're living) as we at cold pizza on the rock face. It started to sprinkle and we were worried that we would be rained out, but it cleared up as the sun went down so that we were able to lay out under the stars and sing worship. Got to ride on top on the way back also. I felt like I was flying right on the surface of the world, like I could touch the moon.

Heidi!

Rod, our fearless leader

baobab tree

Little Moments

So I've been finding it increasingly difficult to sum up what I'm doing here and how I'm feeling about it all.

There is so much "new" and then things that I've forgotten are new.

So in my effort to capture my time here, I've been journaling in moments and facts.

Here are a few little moments from my African home:

Have been able to eat an Ivoirian favorite, atteche (at-check-ay), a few times. You eat it with your hands. This has taught me:

                    1. My stomach is at war with atteche

              and 2. I don't like eating with my hands. at all!

Steph, my roommate, and I found a bunch of pictures, while cleaning out the campus library, from someones family vacation to Oregon in 1980. They are now covering our walls. I'm extremely thankful that she and I feel the same way about white walls... they need to be covered!

Finding spots on our sheets is becoming normal (this concerned me the first few nights), the mosquitoes apparently need midnight snacks. We now wear bug spray to bed.

I've had 3 hair cuts in the last week. 2 of them were meant to "fix" the first one. I'm too impulsive. Feel like Jo in Little Women when she chops her hair. Last hair cut was successful, but short!

The Nelsons, missionaries from up north, are here this week. I was struck at dinner last night as Wayne Nelson commented that the hardest part of missionary life is being apart from family. They've been here since 1986. I'm a wimp.

Washing clothes is an adventure. Accidentally put a pair of underwear in to be washed by Tenenah, a young Ivorian who works on campus. I think he was more embarrassed than I was. Now I have nightmares about laundry day.

In the mornings, I sit on the lower field and read. I can see out over the wall to the countryside. The mornings are covered in mist because it's the end of the wet season and the birds are all singing their heartsongs. I'm always struck by how beautiful it all sounds together and how God must smile at the sound. It hits me how we should be lifting our heartsongs to our Creator as well- in declaration and praise to the One who formed us in love.

Finding a lot out about how I'm made and spiritual gifts. I feel called more than ever to look into counseling teenage girls. There may be an opportunity to work with a group of girls here in Bouake who have been rescued out of prostitution and trafficking. They want to look into art therapy- and I'm thinking that theater would be really helpful in this. I'm praying that I'll be of some use.

So that's a bit of life here! I'm really enjoying the change and growth, as well as the embarrassing and funny moments. God is constant through it all. 

That's all for now.

Results of 3rd and FINAL haircut. Won't be touching it for a LONG time!

Meet Cote d'Ivoire!

Just a note: I was going to post pictures with all of this, but the internet is too slow, so I have to wait for an internet cafe! So check back in a few days to SEE the campus!

Bonjour! Je suis a Cote d'Ivoire!
I'm living at the International Christian Academy outside of Bouake, the second largest city.

The Journey Corps crew is staying in a dorm called Beth Eden. There's a girls wing and a boys wing- and a common area and kitchen in between. We all eat here for dinner. I'll do a food post in a few days.

The campus is a gorgeous 36 acres! Since this place used to be a school for MKs (missionary kids) there are classrooms, a gym, a library, many dorms, houses and apartments, 2 fields (Upper and Lower), a Chapel, basketball court, and racket ball court. I would have loved to see this place in its prime! It would be quite a sight. 10 years ago, when it was evacuated because of the war, everything grew wild and the lizards and spiders took over. The place is huge and only has about 15 Ivorians who work on the upkeep alongside Rod and Angelika now. There is also a part of the campus gated off and used by the French military and holds about 25 French officers.

For the LOST fans: this place reminds me of the Dharma Innitiative! :)

My roommate is Steph. She just recently graduated from Acadia U. with an art degree. It's been fun trying to settle in and make our room feel like home. We put pictures on the walls- its pretty homey!

An average weekday looks like this:

6.00- up and at 'em! The sun is up and already warm!
Breakfast: usually oatmeal for me. Then devotions and my own worship session with God.
8.00- group bible study begins
9.00- Class on Ivorian culture or missionary living
10.00- tea break!
10.30- French class with Beckie
12.00- lunch! usually rice and meat with sauce. (I'll post more about this later!)
2.30- West Africa Basics with Rod/ Ivorian seminar
7.00- Dinner

Some nights we have a bilingual (French and English) worship service in the library. Other nights we have small group meetings, we worship together in the common room, or watch a movie at Rod and Angelika's. Saturdays are free. I'm just starting to get into the groove of life here. Definitely a different pace. For the next 2 months we'll all be on campus learning culture basics and language and we'll continue to venture into town to practice. I'm so excited for the seminars that are scheduled to be taught by the national Ivoirians!

Oh! and I got a hair cut! it's pretty hot here, so it was kind of necessary!

That's all for now! Au revoir!

Training!

So today was day 2 of training in Littleton, CO. at the WorldVenture headquarters. Colorado is gorgeous! We can see the Rockies from our windows, but the sad part is we haven't had much time to just go outside. Our days are filled with seminars and lecture, which have been great and overwhelming at the same time.

WorldVenture's lobby

Sunday, after two fairly short flights, I arrived in Colorado. I found my way to the baggage claim and somehow managed to carry all my belongings (i'm convinced God gave me momentary super human strength!). I found 2 of my fellow journeyer and we caught a shuttle to the headquarters. We found Jason there and the other 6 journeyers arrived a few hours later.

This was such a surreal experience- just meeting everyone! Every 10 minutes or so (without fail) you would hear one of us saying, "I can't believe we're actually here!". It felt like we were in a dream. This adventure that we had all been looking forward to was actually beginning.

Our kitchen area

The conference room we've been living in

Monday morning we started bright and early and jumped straight into orientation. Lectures and tours and talks galore, on culture, rest, and personality tests! I have to admit, Monday was difficult for me. I felt so overwhelmed! I kept thinking, "What am I getting myself into?!" Here we are, 10 strangers, who will eventually be a close community and source of support, but we are just trying to get to know each other. Such a surreal day. Monday felt like an eternity! I was really struggling with missing the familiar, which I know will be a struggle at different times over the next year.

Roommate CJ and my stuff exploded!

Today was different- and I'm so thankful! I felt calmed and a peace about where we were going. Our lectures today were on heavier matters: culture shock, spiritual warfare, conflict, moral purity, language, and the President of WorldVenture came to talk with us, but somehow it all felt assuring. We're all getting to know each other and I'm really looking forward to serving with these awesome people. Everyone is different, but there are so many similarities. We're spending a lot of time figuring out how God made us, our personalities, how we respond to stress, what fills us up... the list goes on and on. Today was really just fun! BUT we were all anxious to get outside. Keeping 10 adventurous young people in a conference room for hours on end made us all a little loopy. Tonight we got to take the train into Denver and have dinner and our last big dose of American culture. There was a lot of laughter as we were all able to let loose and enjoy/brave the cold weather! The wind was FREEZING- I mean, we all packed for tropical climate! Now we're all gathered in our little living room area watching The Prince of Egypt.

note: all the laptops! haha!

There's one more day here in Denver and then we all get on a plane for Cote d'Ivoire!

Jessica (left), Journey Corps Coordinator, and Jason

Steph and Holly