Our Environment

The best way I can think to describe where we live is like having a fenced in house in the middle of a campground surrounded by an animal farm. Our house is very nice & Western (less the A/C) so it is fairly comfortable, yet we live very close to nature here. Cockroaches, small rodents, bees, spiders, flies, mosquitoes, lizards and the like are frequently visiting us. We’re surrounded by many small huts, “tukals,” with many people inhabiting them, including their crying babies and radios that loudly broadcast the BBC. Chickens, goats, sheep, ducks & cows wonder freely and aimlessly. Before the sun is up we are serenaded by a symphony of roosters crowing as far as the ear can hear. It is hot & humid and will continue to be so until March. (See all pics)

A team of five (Pastor Jared, Alyssa, Brandi, Adam & Sarah) from The Next Level church in Denver, Colorado spent the last week with us and left yesterday. They were a great addition to our community environment and brought great encouragement & joy. Together we visited many churches and sat with many locals, even here in our home. Lunch time made for a crowded house, with the Theisens, the TNL team and our house help, creating a great space for cross cultural exchange. We were also able to process through many ideas with the team: what can a missional community look like, the value & challenges of short-term teams, how to deal with contrasting cultural differences, how to appropriately partner with local entrepreneurs in community development, and things like this. Perhaps the most profound experience with the team was sharing in communion together on Sunday evening. Gathered around candlelight in the warm evening hours, we participated with the global church in celebrating the body and blood of Christ. For our symbolic elements we had a left over pancake & coca cola, which some might consider sacrilegious, but it was a powerful reminder of our common bond in Christ in our daily lives and making use of what we have been given -- especially meaningful in a place lacking so many things.

Faye and I have also been developing more & deeper relationships with the people here. Even this morning Jeff and I sat with Michael Idha, brainstorming together how to appropriately grow his pumpkin muffin business and how developing an oil press can create income generation for many people, benefiting the local economy. Faye has been working hard in the kitchen with Jaclyn, our house cook, creating wonderful meals from the local goods, sharing in the joy & pain of cooking. We have also been learning the Ma’di language from Sunday, our gentle & kind gatekeeper and grounds man. And we have sat with Mark, the young pastor & head of the Ma’di Baptist Assocation, and his extended family under their mango tree surrounded by tukals, simply being together.

In the midst of all of this, we are greatly missing all of you and the little things of home, yet are comforted and warmly welcomed by the kind hearts we are surrounded by. We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday as well!