The Bonbons

 Today we want to do something a little different on our blog.  We want to highlight a couple from our home fellowship who have loved and mentored us for many years.  We first met the "Bonbons"—Mary and Dan (not their real names) when we were newlyweds.  Mary was one of the first people we met when we were looking around for a place to attend on Sundays.  I think she hooked us when, upon returning the next week, she remembered us.  Mary’s excellent memory for people and backgrounds is something that has always impressed us and has long been a blessing to our home fellowship.

"Mary Bonbon" with our youngest

Within a handful of weeks of arriving, we ended up in a small group with the Bonbons.  The small group was for people interested in studying about the good news crossing cultures.  It was an unlikely, but great little small group.  Most of the group were decades younger than the Bonbons, people without kids and still figuring out where God was leading us.  Still the Bonbons, empty-nesters nearing retirement, walked with us.They would regularly come to our little apartment to meet, sharing their wisdom, but also happy to listen to our thoughts and engage in our enthusiasm.  You see the Bonbons have a heart for the nations—a fire that burns for places yet reached.  And it is a fire that they have encouraged many, many others to catch.

When we joined up with our organization, it was Mary and Dan whom we asked to help prepare us.  For several months, they were our mentors as we read books together, discussed and prayed about the days ahead when we would go to Africa.  When we first left for Chad, they were there sending us with their prayers and blessings.  Since that time, any time we have come back, they were there to support us, always available to talk, ask thoughtful questions, and debrief with us.  

I think it was on our return from our first term that we began to realize that we were not the only ones who benefited from the love and care of the Bonbons, but nearly all the world partners of our fellowship were encouraged by them and shown hospitality.  Many, many partners were blessed to stay at the "Bonbon Bungalow"—a small apartment attached to their house where people could have their own place, but also be blessed by frequent meals and fellowship with them.  Our oldest daughter practiced walking her first steps in the Bonbon Bungalow.

Enjoying their sweet hospitality when back in the States

Through the years, the Bonbons, have continued to love and connect and pray with us and so many world partners, responding to our updates and faithfully sending updates of their family and of the fellowship there. But now they are going on travels of their own.  At the end of this year they will be moving to a retirement community down in Pennsylvania.  

Our home fellowship will mourn their loss.  We will mourn it too.  It’s hard to think of our home fellowship in the same way, without the Bonbons around.  We hope that if we ever found ourselves in the States long-term, we could take up the Bonbons’ mantle wherever we were—having an eye for who is new, who needs a friend and connection, being willing to open our home and lives and invite people in, and with that same passion and fire to get people thinking of those who have never heard the good news.. They may seem like small things, but they make a huge difference, and if no one is doing them, then the whole group suffers.  So we hope that others will be inspired by the Bonbons’ sweet example to be the welcoming face to newcomers, as well as connectors to those afar.

Our daughter at "Bonbon Bungalow"

Our loss is going to be someone else’s gain.  The Bonbons may be moving, but we know they are taking that same heart to where they are going. God is simply sending them to a new place to serve him and bring that same fire for growth, maturity, and hope for the far-flung places of the world to the new place they will live.  

Mary and Dan, you’re off to a new adventure—a new field for sowing and reaping.  May the Lord bless you both.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful that it seems like there were fewer deaths on the near by island hit by the cyclone than some of the previous dire estimates. We are thankful that some of our friends there have had great opportunities to share truth and hope to that hurting population. We are also thankful that slowly relief has been coming, along with some restored water and electricity (though many are still without). We had several opportunities to celebrate this past week— with island brothers and sisters, our colleagues and with islanders. Island brothers and sisters also had a celebration of their own. It has been fun to sing the 4 holiday songs that are now in the local language. What joyous news: Unto us a child is born!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Continue to pray for the nearby island that was devastated by the cyclone. It will take years for them to recover. In the short-term, pray that people can get the food, water and shelter they need, as well as deal with the trauma of the experience. Pray also that this desperate situation would not further devolve into violence and crime. Some expats are evacuating, but some of our friends are staying, pray that they would be encouraged and have a good holiday with their kids this week despite the circumstances. Pray for us to find the right balance of celebrating with our kids and also sharing time with islanders. Pray for Ma Imani as she travels with her daughter to seek medical care for both of them. The islands are also ramping up for parliament elections in January— the campaigning season has begun. Pray for good leadership, good governance, and for fair elections.

Neighboring Disaster

 Every year we get word of cyclones. They don’t usually come right over us. They usually are just in the general area. Almost always they end up giving us a day or two of some heavier rain and wind. Sometimes we haven’t paid attention to the weather reports and only learn after the fact that a spat of bad weather was actually from a cyclone.

The rain coming down on Clove Island

This time was a bit different. As I said, usually the paths of cyclones don’t come directly at us. And usually if they get close, they have weakened significantly before they get here. This time, we had neither reassurance.

So a few days ahead of time, we knew a cyclone was coming, but our island is small and minor changes in the cyclone’s path can make a big difference. So we started praying for it to weaken and the path to change.

Our guest waits for a break

Our friends on a neighboring island in our region (also potentially in the storm’s path) reached out to us with concern. Their island was preparing for the storm and had closed schools a day ahead of time so everyone could get ready.  That didn’t happen here. Most Clove Islanders were pretty nonchalant about it. Over the years they have heard rumors of enough cyclones without it amounting to much, that they won’t seem to realize that this could be bad. On the morning of the cyclone, we had someone show up at our house in the morning to visit us like it was a normal slightly-rainy day. We thought we might have him with us for the duration of the storm, but he ended up getting on his way to family before the winds started picking up.  

Ultimately, the cyclone did weaken some and it didn’t hit Clove Island directly. We spent the day inside and we had some intense winds and rain. But from around Clove Island we have only heard stories of minor flooding, some downed trees, and some tin sheets that weren’t properly secured flying off of some roofs.

The neighbor island was not as fortunate. They were hit directly by the cyclone. They spend the storm in their homes or in shelters, watching the extreme winds tear apart houses and lift off roofs. In a handful of hours, thousands of homes were destroyed. Those that were most vulnerable are the hardest hit— the poor, the people without legal papers, the ones living in shacks and shanty-towns.  Clove Island has had life go back to normal, but our neighbor island is a disaster zone.

Earlier in the week, blue skies

It could have been here, if the path of the storm had been different.  We are thankful, but it is a bittersweet thankfulness when we hear the stories of our neighbors. Life there will not recover for a long time. God have mercy.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful that Clove Island was spared from the worst of the cyclone. We are also thankful to have had some contact with our friends on the neighbor island— and know that they are safe.  Our friends’ baby was born safely at 34 weeks and in good health.  Mom is recovering well too.  Muki and Mtsa continue to come and Mtsa continues to show signs of genuine heart change.  We are still really enjoying our kids being home—we just finished reading The Lord of the Rings together!  There has been no more trouble (at the moment) for our sister on the small island.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for the neighboring island.  News from the neighboring island is still coming in and the extent of devastation only seems to be growing.  Many have lost loved ones.  Many are injured.  A great many have lost their homes completely.  Moreover, no one knows what the coming days may hold.  Will the government and aid groups be able to help?  Will there be lawlessness?  Riots?  Disease?  All seem like possibilities, but we are praying for peace and cooperation from all parties.  This week we will have some holiday parties for both brothers and sisters, and our English students.  May it be an opportunity to shine brightly and give people hope. 

Better Separate?

The Clove Island capital area spans several villages— to get to any of these villages it is the same taxi fare of less than a dollar per person. We’ve never owned a car on the island, partially because the taxi system is easy to use and relatively inexpensive. But while several villages feel close to us, because we are in the center of the circle, it doesn’t mean individual villages are close to each other.

Tom at a ceremony for a small English program

When we think about our island brothers and sisters in the capital area, the biggest two concentrations are in a town to the east of the capital and in a town west of the capital. For almost two years, these individuals have been committed to being together every Sunday. But it has started getting difficult. For us, we can get to either of them with the same low taxi fare, although sometimes taxis refuse to pick you up when you tell them where you’re going because they are on the outer edges of that fare. So we may have to wait, but inevitably, a taxi will come willing to take us to our destination.  But our brothers and sisters end up having to catch two taxis (and pay two fares)—one to the capital and then another to the neighboring town. This might not seem like such a big deal, but times have been hard on island families and the extra expense adds up (especially with those with kids having to pay per person). Also there is the time involved— taxis are notoriously hard to find on Sunday afternoons and that is when they are usually heading home after meeting together. The hardship of the travel has been draining on the group, with each not excited when the gathering is in the opposite location. This has prompted them to wrestle with the idea of separating and being two smaller groups each Sunday in their two towns.

Small program, but they like big gatherings!

There was an African brother on the islands who once shared with us his vision of what could happen on the islands— a big building, with a band, good music and a huge congregation meeting every Sunday. As he described it, it sounded a lot like what you see in his home country, where big gatherings are seen as a good thing. Islanders like big gatherings too. The more the merrier!

There is no saying that such big gatherings won’t someday be a reality on the islands, but it seems unlikely in the near future. So our vision has always been about lots of small groups of islanders meeting in their own villages, most likely in people’s homes, hopefully in every village and impacting their communities. So for us, this splitting of the group seems like it could be a good thing— encouraging people to be more focused in their own towns and making it easier for people to come faithfully each week. But it comes with trepidation, are they big enough to keep going if they separate?  Will each location still have the critical mass to make their meetings feel alive and vibrant? Will they lose their sense of community by separating?

As a family, we prefer being together than separated

That’s where prayer comes in. Praying that they know when and how to meet as a big group and when to separate and that in either case their community would thrive and grow. Because ultimately, whether the groups are big or small, the hope is that there would be a true sense of community, of caring for one another and encouraging each other in prayer, study, and growing in the truth. May we all have such communities!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful that our pregnant colleague is getting quality care in mainland Africa— they found that she had malaria, dengue and a bacterial infection all at the same time. She will most likely still give birth early, but thankfully she is now in a place that can care for both her and the baby whenever that happens.  We had a good first week with all our kids at home with some good family time. Mtsa has told Tom that he has accepted the good news and repented of his old ways. We rejoice in this decision. Please pray that it would be proven genuine by a changed life and continuing desire to learn and grow.

PRAYRS REQUESTED
Different health concerns have been depleting the numbers at gatherings. Pray for healing for all of those suffering and for wisdom for those traveling for treatment. Pray that gatherings would continue to happen and for a clear way forward for the groups in 2025. Our island sister on the small island has had a new threat from a religious teacher from a different village— pray for peace and protection for her and her children and for a change of heart in this man. We have some ideas for celebrating the holidays, pray for us as we talk and invite people to celebrate with us. It is really hot and humid. Pray for stamina and energy during the hot season.

Thoughts on Thankfulness

 Thanksgiving week!  A time to give thanks.  It is wonderful to get together with family and friends and stop for a moment and give thanks for the many things God has done for us.  We wanted to share just a few lessons we have been learning about thankfulness.

Thankful to have our kids back on the island

The first thoughts come from little children.  During the orientation of the new team members, we spent part of our time (when we weren’t leading sessions) watching little kids—babies and toddlers.  It brought us back to when our kids were that age.  We remember encouraging our kids to pray by just asking them to say what they were thankful for…Our 4-year old would begin, “Thank you God, for mommy and daddy, and my toys.”  But then, having run out of ideas started looking around the room.  “Thank you God for the couch and the windows.  Thank you for the floors and the ceiling…” and on and on they would go.  And really it’s not wrong to be thankful for such things, but it shows perhaps a simplicity and thoughtlessness.   But how often are our prayers much the same.  We don’t know what to be thankful for because we haven’t given it much thought. When called on to give thanks, I often find myself searching around through the things “right in front of me” for which I could be thankful.  

Thankful for homeschool science experiments!

The place we were staying for the orientation had a large room where the children would run around and play.  In the middle of the room was a square pillar with decorative corners sticking out just at a toddler’s head height—perfectly positioned for an injury.  One night the kids were spinning around and around until they were dizzy and stumbling off or falling to the ground with lots of giggles.  One of them nearly collided with one of the corners of that pillar.  When we saw that almost happen, one of the adults simply went and stood by the pillar, putting their body between its pointy corners and the children.  The kids went on spinning and laughing, oblivious to the simple act that was protecting them from a very nasty bump on the head.  And we wondered how often God might do this very thing for us, without us ever knowing.  The car we never saw speed by, the uneven steps that could have resulted in a bad fall, the words misspoken that might have ruined a relationship, the email never sent that could have caused problems at work.  The list goes on and on.  How many times does God do things to help and protect us that we never even realize?  How can we even be thankful for those things we don’t see.  And yet, we should be.

The other thought about thanksgiving concerns suffering.  This one is tough, because when it is happening to us, we tend not to be very thankful.  No, we struggle to be thankful for our own sufferings.  But we are beginning to see that, at least after the fact, there has usually been something to be thankful for in the struggle.  We can look back and see how adversity was teaching us humility, or patience, or dependence.  We see that we are stronger because of what we’ve gone through and can give thanks.  

Thankful for decorating for Christmas

Last week, one of our island sisters was in court for her refusal to be quiet.  We did not know what would happen.  Her two nights in detention could have become 6 months.  We didn’t know.  But even in the midst of this suffering there was much to be thankful for.  Her spirit did not waver.  She was not afraid.  And she had numerous opportunities to share the hope that she has, even in prison.  So even as we prayed for in the midst of these struggles—we could be thankful!

It’s not always the case.  Sometimes things still happen which we don’t understand.  We fail to see any good that has come of it.  What do we do then?  And that’s our final thought on thanksgiving.  That even in the things we don’t understand at all, there is something that God will use, because at the end of all things, He can be trusted and He is good.  When we don’t feel thankful.  When we don’t understand.  We will hold onto that one thing.  He is good.  He is good.  Thank God that He is good.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are very thankful for God’s provision in getting our kids home— for them finishing their terms at school well and for the people that helped them through their connections. We are so thankful that our island sister on the small island had so many opportunities to share her hope and joy during her court ordeal and ultimately, we are thankful that she was not given a prison sentence, but was released with a fine to pay and told not to share publicly for 6 months.  We are thankful for the island brothers and sisters who came around to encourage her and pray for her. We are thankful that everything came together for our colleagues on the big island to get to mainland Africa in an emergency medical evacuation. We are thankful that we got to celebrate Thanksgiving with the medical team and all our kids.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for our colleagues (a family living on the big island). They were evacuated to mainland Africa, after the wife contracted malaria while 7 months pregnant, causing her to go into premature labor. They were not given a good prognosis if they stayed on the islands, now we pray for her full recovery and for a healthy delivery. Pray for our time with all our kids home.  Pray that we could have good times as a family and also some one-on-one time to hear our kids hearts and walk alongside them. Pray for several island sisters who are suffering from different health concerns that will require special care off-island. Pray for healing! Pray for wisdom of the best way to celebrate Christmas this year for us personally, but also for the island brothers and sisters.

Long Haul

 It feels like we are in a time of innovation on the islands.  We know of several new ideas floating around among our friends and colleagues on the islands— new business ideas, new ideas for reaching out, and new projects for engagement.   We are hearing about new people from new places (and certainly with new ideas) expressing interest in coming to the islands.  We are writing requests for new workers who might be interested in branching into new areas, helping us to grow, change and innovate. It’s exciting to think of all that might happen in the coming years if these things come together!

A big tree on small island-- it started as a seed

But what do we say to the prospective workers? to those who are eager and want to jump right in and see things happen?  We want new workers who have a vision for the future. We’d love to see new projects and ventures.  But we also know that new things on the islands take time.  

We were excited to be a part of the orientation of five new workers this past week.  These men and women are excited and eager.  They have new ideas and will push our teams into new areas of work and connection.  But they are also eager to listen and learn from the veteran workers leading sessions for their orientation.  As orientation went on, we noticed a theme emerging.  It was not planned.  It just seemed to happen.  Whether it was a session about language learning, team building or simply a veteran member given a devotion about their story, their struggles, their triumphs, the theme returned again and again.

Sometimes things take a really long time.
You need to have a long-haul mentality.
Don’t get discouraged. Don’t give up. Pray a lot!
It’s more of a marathon than a sprint.
Progress might be slow but keep it up.

These were the sentiments we heard shared again and again with the new team of workers.  Whether it was language learning, relationships, or starting a business, new workers need to know that it could take time. They need a long haul mentality. They may need to come to the islands and just learn the ropes and make connections for a couple years. They may need to first work in an area that isn’t where their passion or excitement lies.  They will need to be patient and humble. They will need to pray a lot and be sure this is the direction God wants them to go in.

Current best boat option

As an example of this, take our friends’ boat project.  He’s been hoping to provide safe and reliable travel between the small island and the other two islands—it has been an idea for a long time. It has been an active plan for years. The timeline has gotten delayed and plans have had to be completely scrapped and restarted several times. Sometimes the delays have been because of the government, sometimes banks, sometimes business partners, sometimes pandemics and global economics. There is a still a plan, but when will it become a reality? It’s still hard to say. These friends have been on the islands for many years, they know the culture and understand a lot of the bureaucracy. They have connections that have helped streamline things and still it has been a long and painfully slow process, and we are still waiting to see it successfully started.  It could be easy to give up hope.  But we encourage our friend and encourage our new people to hold onto hope. There is the chance for them to start something new.  Don’t get discouraged, don’t give up. Let’s pray! Even marathons have a finish line!

At one point doing the orientation, a worker who has been on the small island for over 24 years, shared about some of the things she had felt God leading her to when she was much younger, only to have her life and work go in a different direction for many years. It might have seemed to many as if those prayers had been unanswered—like the door had closed.   She thought the same at times, but was encouraged to persevere.  Now she could tell these new people, her prayers had become a reality, some 20 years after the initial prompting.  That’s endurance.  And as she let us know with a broad smile on her face, they were answers worth waiting for.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The new workers on the small island had a week staying with local families and it went well and they are all happily settled into their own homes now. Our sister on the small island was under threat of having her house torn down and being completely excluded from her village community, but on the appointed day, no one showed up and the next day a group that included some of the main instigators came to invite her involvement in a community project! This was a huge and encouraging answer to prayer for her and all of us who were praying for her. We have some visitors passing through the islands and we are thankful that they made it safely to our island (including a much nicer boat trip from the small island than we had). It has been encouraging to interact with them.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for the new team as they settle into their first week of living in their new neighborhoods and starting what will become their normal weekly schedule of language learning, relationship building and team life. Pray that they would develop good and healthy habit and routines. The drama for our sister on the small island continues. Just today, she was called in by the military police on charges that she posted a video talking about what she believes on the internet. She will be held in custody overnight and there will be a hearing tomorrow morning. Pray for her kids and her to not fear but to stay strong and encouraged. Our older kids are going into finals week and then have to pack up and clean their dorm rooms before traveling to the islands Friday night into Saturday. Pray for their travel and energy/stress levels—we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with them on Sunday. May we be thankful and rejoice in all the blessing of this past year!

There's got to be a Better Way

 I looked around the boat.  Everyone was soaked to the bone—including the boat driver.  Everyone looked miserable.  Then I looked outside the boat.  It was a beautiful day.  The ocean was wavy, but not overly so.  A steady but gentle wind was blowing (blowing a continual spray into the boat—soaking us), but I imagine it would have been perfect for sailing.  The island looked beautiful, green and lush.  I thought about how I’d been out on boats in weather like this and called it vacation.  How could it be such a beautiful day for boating and yet such a miserable experience for us?  I sat in the boat, cramped, wet, dreary and downcast thinking: “There’s got to be a better way.”

Waiting for our boat back home to Clove

And we know there is.  We have a friend, an ex-pat, working hard to start a boat business that would transport people from island to island in a reliable, safer, more comfortable manner.  He’s convinced that if such a service were offered, islanders would flock to it and we’re convinced of it too.  We're sure there are plenty of people who would be eager to travel in this way, even if it meant paying a little more for a seat.  Such services exist in lots of other countries. Why not here?

But that’s the part that gets to us.  Why not here?  Islanders have tried but different boat ventures but they can’t seem to make them last.  Why not? Surely, we weren’t the only people in the boat thinking, “There’s got to be a better way!”???

The boats loading up on the small island

C.S. Lewis once said, “We are half-hearted creatures…like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Perhaps we’re taking Lewis out of context, but what is striking to us is not how easily people are pleased, but how easily they are appeased—how much misery they are willing to accept.  If the boat gets us from point A to point B, no matter how awful the journey, we take it.

Where does such a mind set come from?  Years and years of dysfunctional government and systems?  Yes.  A fatalistic worldview supported by religion?  Yes.  A life that is generally full of suffering, difficulty and discomfort that makes islanders numb to such things?  Yes.  Poverty that makes them feel powerless? Yes. Spiritual blindness?  Yes.  Hearts lacking hope?  Yes.  A deadness inside, that discourages the idea of the possibility of change? Yes.    There’s got to be a better way!  Yes.

Back on Clove, very wet

So we sat in the boat, miserable, wet, cold, uncomfortable.  The Lord’s beautiful creation was all around us, a beautiful day full of hope and promise, but we could not see it.  We couldn’t even open our eyes because of the spray.  Most of us were cowered with our eyes shut.

What a picture of the world we live in.  What an illustration of island life.  There’s got to be a better way!  There is a better way.  But will they ever see it?  We sat in the boat, with the Lord’s beautiful creation all around us.  One day they will see it.  One day they will rise above the spray and have hope and joy.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our time leading the orientation for the new team on the small island went well. We are excited for this team. They were welcomed to their village and are now staying with local families for the week!  We made it safely back to Clove Island (though very wet). It was a day later than planned because of canceled boats on Sunday, but our colleague allowed us to stay at her house for the unexpected extra night. Ma Imani said her leg pain has been less this past week.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for the team on the small island— pray for their transition to the heat, for their week staying with local families, for their local language learning and for their acceptance into their new communities. It is an intense first few weeks, so pray that they stay healthy and can sleep/rest well. Pray for our island sister from the small island, who after her court victory, is facing a new obstacle with the village elders. They say that they plan on confronting her this coming Friday and if they don’t like her answers to their questions that they will tear down her house. They have also said no one is allowed to visit her and she isn’t allowed to visit with anyone in the village. Pray for this sister to continue to stand strong. She believes something big will happen on Friday, pray for light to shine in the darkness, for protection for her and her kids and for fear to not take root in her heart. Our older kids have just two weeks left in this school term— pray for stress-free days with a good balance of rest as they finish normal classes and term projects this week.

Kids Learning Language

Our kids were babies when they came to the islands, and the assumption was that they would just learn the local language from growing up here. The idea was that they wouldn’t even have to be formally taught, they would just absorb it. But after watching our family and other families on the islands, we realize that it doesn’t usually work like that.

As little ones, it’s true that our kids learned to respond to the basic commands and greetings that they were bombarded with by local adults. But then, like all island kids, they started local preschool at the age of 3, and at school it was French only, no local language. So throughout elementary school, while we may have wanted our kids’ local language to grow, it didn’t seem fair to push it when going to school in French was challenging and we were needing to help them understand French grammar and vocabulary for their school assignments.

Practicing local language while playing cards

We have good friends whose children are growing up learning 4 languages at once and it is wonderful to see them in action.  The parents seamlessly and almost unconsciously weave different languages into their conversations with their children.  They mix prayers and songs in different languages into their daily life.  The children do not resist this or point out to their parents that they are speaking a different language.  Their parents don’t scold when the children respond in a different language, but the ambiance of language learning seems to naturally permeate all their interactions.  It requires an intense intentionality that to be honest wasn’t even on our radar when our kids were little. We were even advised back in French language school to make sure to speak English at home with our kids, but now we question that advice and wonder if we could have created a more multilingual home and realize that we could have helped our kids more in those early years.

Not that our kids haven’t learned at all. By the time our oldest’s French was good, she wanted to know the local language more and understood a lot, though she usually had to respond in French (which with an educated islander will quickly just move the whole conversation into French).She joined our team day language times and put some of the grammar and vocabulary she needed to understand and speak more. Our older son followed a similar path of becoming interested in the local language once his French was solid.

Our youngest is a different person. He had hearing loss as a young child (which was corrected), so we think he got used to lots of incomprehensible sounds going on around him. So he was content to just let it go on around him without him understanding.  It meant French at school was harder and maybe gave him the idea that he isn’t good at language (a lie that often gets in the way of language learning). He has finished local elementary school now and only doing homeschool, so doesn’t have that stress of having to function in French everyday. So we have started doing local language as part of home school.

Waiting to take boat to small island

We pray that our kids would enjoy the local language, that a natural curiosity would grow and they’d want to know and understand. For our son, we are trying to nurture that curiosity. We focus on vocabulary that interests him (animals, sports, playing). We turn the lessons into games and role plays where he can repeat a few phrases and be silly or argumentative in the local language. We focus on the situations that he encounters a lot, and we do language study in small doses in hopes that his aversion to language learning and fatigue from learning French don’t erect walls that will make it harder the next time.

Language learning is often a slow and long journey, but as we shared in a blog a couple weeks ago, there is an island proverb “slowly, slowly isn’t a handicap.” For our family, language learning has been a long, slow journey, but we remind ourselves that going slowly doesn’t mean we aren’t getting anywhere.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The women’s gathering went well, though we were missing a few people. We started a study of Ruth that was well received. We made it safely to the small island, after traveling by boat. There were several delays, but the ocean was calm, for which we are thankful. The new team has arrived safely with all their bags and are now on the small island and we have finished their first day of orientation! Our teammate’s first week working in the hospital went well.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for us as we lead this orientation for the rest of this week, as well as helping with childcare.  Pray for the stamina of the new workers as they adjust to the heat, new language and lots of meetings (with three of them just coming from 3 weeks of the larger organization’s orientation). May we have wisdom as to how to use the time well, when to speed up, when to slow down, and when to stop. Pray for the little kids on this new team as they grow up surrounded by several languages. Pray for our return travel back to Clove next weekend. Pray for our son to love the local language! Pray for Ma Imani who has had knee/leg problems for several months and is looking into traveling for medical treatment- pray for healing and that the logistics of being away from her kids and getting the care she needs would come together soon.