A Growing "Good" Problem

This morning I woke up and was immediately apprehensive about going to Tabitha House.  Didn't sleep much during the night and I felt very unprepared.  On Monday I thought it would be a smart thing to just leave all of the materials there and not tote them back and forth.  It didn't dawn on me until late yesterday that I had made a bit of a goof.  In order to get a running start today, I should've cut the magazine pages up so that the women could immediately start rolling beads, but everything was at Tabitha House.  So this morning I got into the car and started praying that God would be with me.  I always have a concern in my stomach that I really can't converse with the women and that can make it difficult to get a reading on what they are thinking or feeling, plus today I didn't feel prepared.  When I walked through the door there were 27 women ready and waiting - not counting Johasakim, myself and probably15 little ones.  We went around the room and had everyone say their name since we had four new women.  And then the magic began!  I gave the devotional and we prayed.  Without a hitch and like a well-oiled machine, the women broke up into groups either cutting magazine pages, rolling  beads, making sacks for the jewelry,  sewing placemats, or putting together a prototype of a cloth necklace we are going to try.  They are so excited and anxious to learn and just have to be shown once how to do something and off they go!  The video will give you an idea of the activity and the noise level.  I sat in amazement and watched God at work.  It was fantastic.

A funny note about the placemats - when we tried to explain what they were for the women were absolutely baffled.  They usually eat on a bench or sitting on a rock, rarely at a table, so they couldn't understand the concept of what a placemat would be used for.  I'll be the first one to admit that I use placemats in the United States, but today they seemed so frivolous and I felt a bit guilty about the excess we enjoy.  Fortunately though our excess will help fund their existence so there's a positive!

It's good that there are 4 days before we meet again on Monday because most of the supplies have been wiped out and need to be replenished, we are just about out of space to hold everyone and some thought needs to be done on how to organize the room, and there needs to be some planning as we grow faster than I ever anticipated. 

The women that come to Tabitha House are of varying religions and that excites me.  It is a great opportunity to introduce Jesus Christ to those who may not know Him, and give a boost to those who do.  The African way of praying is for everyone to pray out loud all at once.  Sounds kindof like a bee-hive.  What's interesting is that women like for me to pray in English and will ask me to do that periodically.

Some of you have asked me if there is anything you can do.  There are two things that would be tremendously helpful.  First is to remember the women in your prayers.  Second is to help buy materials and the best way to do that is to send a check made out to Engage Burkina to:
3522 Hiram-Acworth Hwy
Dallas, GA 30157
and mark it "Dee Dee's Ministry Funds".  Please know that I haven't and won't ask for funds.  This is just in answer to several requests.  And as an FYI - I'm not told who sends funds unless you specifically direct that.  In other words, you won't make me feel bad if this isn't something you're interested in!

On a personal note, I LOVE ice cream - Dairy Queen's M&M Blizzard is my favorite.  Ice cream is not easy to find around here and the one place we have gone to is called Festival de Glace.  I didn't know how to get there, so it made the obession for ice cream even greater.  Last night a group of us went there and I paid very close attention to directions.  I am thrilled to say that I drove there by myself this afternoon and enjoyed two scoops of ice cream!  When it's 100 degrees, nothing tastes as good as ice cream.

Something Unexpected

I am so excited to announce that my daughter, Amber gave birth to Caroline Elizabeth Brown today.  Both are doing really well.  I really don't know how to thank so many people that have been praying for Amber and Caroline through a difficult pregnancy.  Isn't she just the sweetest little thing?

Today has been one of those difficult days of waiting - and waiting very far away!  I thought I would handle not being there for the birth better than I did.  Love is such a strong bond and I found myself wanting to be there so badly.  Her sister, Audra left Wisconsin this morning to be with Amber and I'm so thankful and proud of her for doing that.  Audra, Amber and I are the "Three Amigos"!

As a side note, today is a very important Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha.  Most everything was shut down today.  Muslims went to the temple about 9 a.m. this morning to pray and when they returned home, they slaughtered a lamb or a goat in remembrance of Abraham's faithfulness to God when He instructed him to offer his son.  Then lots of food is prepared and the rest of the day people visit from one house to another enjoying each other's company and giving gifts.  The aroma from my window this morning was incredible!

Transformation

For the last three years, Tabitha House lacked leadership and both the number of women attending and the physical status of the building had declined sharply.  As you can see from this picture, the place had become a dumping ground.  Our numbers were growing but we were quickly running out of room to seat everyone with all the junk in the back.  And we never knew from week to week what might appear in the room to clutter it even further.  John Arnold called the pastor of Sector 30 and told him it was discouraging to arrive and find the room in such a mess.  That was a call to action!  Last Friday the women got together and we cleaned out the room.

I want the women to know that I'm a partner with them and want to work along side of them.  But everytime I would pick up a shovel or a broom, one would be there to take it from me.  Finally I convinced them to let me work with them.  We were shoveling piles of Shea nuts into bags.  After about 15 minutes of shoveling I thought I was going to pass out!  But they are not even breaking a sweat.  After 2 hours of working in over 100 degrees I had to call it quits while they were still going strong.  When I left, the room looked like this:

As we were working today, the pastor came with a team to fix the window grates and door.  I noticed he was working on some kind of equipment, but didn't have any idea what it was.  He finished with it about 10 minutes before we dismissed.  He tapped my shoulder, had me come over to the piece of equipment and turned it on.  It is an air conditioner he had rigged up!!  I actually could've kissed the man!  We are in the 100's now with the hot season to come and truthfully I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to handle it. Betty told me that these things are a huge honor.  Working there is a huge honor for me. 

We had a new baby today:

Her mom came in, spread out the piece of cloth and laid the baby on the concrete floor - no crib, no padding, no mattress. I'm sure this is how she sleeps at home, but it's probably a dirt floor.  Pretty humbling, isn't it?

The paper beads we are making require a page from a magazine to be marked every 2 centimeters across the top, and for the bottom, 1 centimeter and then 2 centimeters for the remainder of the bottom of the page.  The first mark for the 1 centimeter at the bottom of the page becomes one of the ends of a triangle, and continues across the page.  Today, two of the women were watching me mark the pages and ask if they could try.  Remember that they can't read or write.  So I had them mark the 2 centimeters across the top, and then the bottom as we pointed out each centimeter on the ruler and counted them out loud.  I'm not sure that they had ever seen or used a ruler before.  They were so intent and excited on what they were doing.  After awhile they wanted to try cutting the triangles.  Using scissors is very difficult for them, because they have rarely used them before.  But before long they were cutting away.  It was a moment of triumph for both of them - something we would take totally for granted.

One other thing you might find interesting is that the homes that these women live in do not have running water.  They have a large barrel that is bolted on a frame with four wheels and a handle for pushing.  They push these large barrels to a watering place and then have to push it back home.  I would guess it's half a mile to the watering place and back.  And when they are pushing these large barrels filled with water, they usually have a baby tied on their back.  It is mind-boggling how hard the people here have to work just to survive one day to the next!

An Unexpected Outcome

Today is the day that we had to go to the police station to determine fault for the accident I was recently involved in.  Even though I knew I wasn't at fault, it would be a lie to say that I wasn't scared and physically feeling ill about what could happen.  My hope, and what I thought would be the best scenario, would be for the young man and his mom not to come and everything just be dismissed.  But there they were, waiting for our turn.  They were sitting next to a large board that had pictures of traffic accidents where people had died.  There were dead bodies with blood all over the pavement.  It was a small stuffy area and I thought I might pass out. 

What happened next is something that noone but God could have devised and put together.  We introduced ourselves to them and I noticed that the mother gave me a concerned look.  A conversation started (in French so I couldn't understand it) between Betty, Adama and the mom.  As it turns out Adama had worked with the woman's sister for a long time.  The mom was a Christian and came to know Jesus through Pastor Tomas at the Central Church where I attend with the Arnolds.  As they continued to talk they found out that they had more and more acquaintances.  The young man had his toe wrapped, and cuts on two fingers and his arm but was doing well.  That they would be so kind and compassionate was totally unexpected.

We were then called into a room to go over the accident.  Rumor had it that if you were white, you would be found at fault regardless of the circumstances and I could hardly breathe knowing what probably was ahead.  A very impressive young police officer drew the scene of the accident on a chalkboard from pictures they had taken.  For almost an hour he then talked to the young man about the foolishness of what he had done.  He did not do it in a demeaning way, but rather with facts and concern for his future safety.  He asked how old the young man was and he said "20".  The police officer said "Congratulations" and let him know that he wouldn't make it to 21 if he kept driving the way he was.  By looking at the chalkboard, there could be absolutely no doubt about how the accident happened.  Although I was relieved that proof showed he was clearly at fault, I kept waiting for another shoe to drop.  There was no other shoe, just a lesson for the young man to learn that fortunately hadn't killed him.  We were then told that we had a chance to work it out among ourselves first, and if a resolution couldnt be found then the police would make it.  We decided not to ask for them the replace the window - they would take care of their damages and we would take care of ours.  Everyone in the room was amazed that we didn't demand payment and as John said, it was a great testimony.

Who could've written such a script?  None of us, that's for sure. It was truly amazing to watch unfold.

A Really Good Day Turned Not So Good

Ever had one of those days that starts out really good and in an instant turns into a not-so-good day?  That was today!  I needed to put gas in the car and had not done it on my own before.  Susan explained the French words I would need to know and I was thrilled when I pulled away from the gas station with everything have gone like clock work.  I headed out to Tabitha House and we had a fantastic day.  We started studying the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31.  I was hoping that they could memorize verse 10 but quickly found out that the translation in Moore was difficult and they were struggling with it.  I tried to get them to stop, but they were determined and before long they all knew it.  Remember that they can't read or write and much of the Bible and it's concepts are very foreign to them.  But they are like sponges -- ready to take everything in.  After that we worked some more on the paper beads and they were able to put lacquer on the finished beads.  The video shows you how excited  they are about this project.  They make each bead with great care and are really proud of their creations.

I love being with them while they are working.  They have such a good time and have such distinct personalities.  When we finished the beads, we went to look at the garden.  On Monday we helped dig and plant a garden that will help provide food for the women and some extra income for the food that will be sold.  I was very touched because they named one of the rows the "Dee Dee row" since I had planted the starts in that row.  When I first started going to Tabitha House, the women would shake my hand, and then I would hug them.  Hugging is not a custom in this country and they weren't quite sure what to make of it.  Now they give me big bear hugs.

Meet some of our newest friends at Tabitha House:

Jacqueline

Florence

Maimounata

Zoenabo

Zoenabo

Fatou

Nemata

Rasmata

I left flying high because it had been such a successful morning.  As I was almost home that changed in a matter of a moment.  I was making a left-hand turn on to the street that I live on.  I had stopped for on-coming traffic and had my blinker on.  I had checked all mirrors to make sure I was o.k. and just as I started to make the turn, a motorscooter came flying up on my left and smashed into the driver's door.  The glass shattered and I was covered in glass.  I saw that the moto had gone down, but the young man had moved over to a place in the shade.  As soon as I could gather up as much glass as possible that was on my lap, I got out and dumped it by the side of the road.  I went over to see if the young man was o.k. and called Betty.  She was there in a matter of minutes and was one of the most welcome sites I've ever had in my life!  Here in Burkina Faso you don't have to have a license or take lessons on how to drive a moto.  Everyone is in a hurry and wants to be first so they pass however they think is going to be the fastest.  This young man came up behind me and tried to pass me on the left even though I was stopped to turn and had my blinker on.   I guess he thought he could beat me before I turned.  His arm and toe were scraped pretty badly.  His mother came to get him and when she looked at him she said "I told you not to drive so fast!"  She took his arm, left the moto right in the middle of the road where it had skidded and left as quickly as possible.  She knew he was at fault and more than likely there are no papers for the moto and the young man did not have insurance.  The police had been called so we had to wait for them.  They surveyed the scene, put the moto in the back of their truck and told us to go to the police station on Saturday.  The really sad thing about this is that it happens all the time.  There are so many people on motos, bikes, cars and donkey carts and they all want to be the fastest.  Red lights and traffic laws mean nothing.  John came soon after Betty arrived and he had a native Burkinabae with him that helps to negotiate through these things (I'm not the first to have something like this happen and unfortunately I won't be the last).  He was very kind and told me that no matter how hard you try you can't keep people from doing stupid things like this young man had done.  John and Betty were absolutely wonderful with the situation.  They are fantastic people who take really good care of the team here in Ouagua. There are many lessons that can be learned from today but when all is said and done I want to remember the happiness of the women at the Tabitha House today and thank God for blessing that work.

A First - Giving a Lesson in French!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to give my first lesson on the "L'amour de Die pour vous est vu dans la creation" - God's love for you is seen in His creation.  Fortunately Suzanne who was translating from French to Moore (the local tribal language) understood my limited French and the lesson seemed to go well.  I asked the women if they would memorize Gen. 1:31a and if they could recite it on Monday, I would have a special surprise for them.  For most of us, memorizing a verse is an easy thing.  But these women can't read or write.  Suzanne would recite the verse and they would recite after her.  When they heard there would be a special surprise for knowing it, they really worked on it!  All during the morning you would hear them break out in reciting the verse and if someone made an error, someone from across the room would correct them. 

At the end of the lesson I asked them if they thought they were beautiful.  It was an easy answer for them - "Yes, they thought they were beautiful".  When I was talking about this with my French teacher this morning, he asked what women in the U.S. would say.  I told him that I thought most would think they were not - that they were too fat or too skinny and that would start the list of all the things they could find wrong with themselves (self included!).  Daniel said that a woman who is heavier is viewed as more beautiful here.  If a women doesn't gain weight after six months of marriage, the rumor is her husband isn't providing for her.  It makes sense in the third poorest country in the world - if you have food you gain weight and if you're starving you're thin.

I had the pictures of the women that I took on Monday printed.  I had included their names (as best I heard them).  The women were so excited about the pictures.  They talked about them the whole morning.  But at first I could see that they were giggling about something and I wondered if it were the spelling of their names.  Sure enough, that was what it was.  I didn't know how to ask Suzanne in French how to spell them correctly, so I wrote my name on the chalk board and pointed at a specific letter.  Then I went to one of their names and pointed to a specific letter and asked bien or mal (good or bad).  She understood me and was able to give me the correct spelling.  We had so much fun through the process.  Two new women joined us and I'll have to guess at the spelling until Suzanne can see it printed.  With names like Zakinatou and Ilboudo you can understand why it is a bit of a challenge.  What I admire about these women is that they are transparent - no hidden agendas.  They are kind and loving. Their day-to-day life is hard, but they seem to always be happy and ready to laugh.

Zakinatou

Ilboudo

As I was giving the lesson yesterday, two goats came in to see what was going on.  Near the end a rooster joined us for awhile.  Almost every woman had a baby that she either had sleeping tied to her back, or nursing.  I noticed that when one of the babies started to urinate, the mom would hold them over the floor.  There are no Pampers in Sector 30.  After the baby finished, the mom would take a straw hand broom and spread the puddle so that it would dry quicker.  The floor was dirty to begin with, and the women would put their babies down to play, crawl or lay on the floor.  The difference in life perspectives really hit me.  They live in mud huts with dirt floors and have no idea of germs.  There were several babies there that appeared to be malnourished.  They nursed often, but never seemed happy and were lethargic.  Hopefully we can get the moms to give those babies water with crushed moringa leaves so that they can get stronger. 

A Personal Note

On a personal note, my daughter Amber received very good news from the doctors today.  The baby she is carrying finally has a normal heart rate and the amniotic fluid has decreased.  Before I left a little over a month ago, there was a real concern that the baby was in stress and might have to be taken early.  But with medicine and prayer, the heart rate is basically converted to a normal rhythm.  Thank you for all of your prayers.  God is so good!

Tabitha Center - First Day

Tabitha Center is a place of refuge for widows and other women in Sector 30, the poorest section of the capital city Ouagadougou.  They come there several mornings a weeks to study the Bible, pray, and work on income producing projects.  With only a month of French under my belt, we interviewed and hired a translator to go with.  One young woman that was going to have a one day trial basis called last night to say that she was out of town and couldn't make it back in time.  The young woman was very kind and sweet, but her English was limited and I was concerned that it could make things more difficult.  Then not to show up was a red flag so we decided to go back and start at square one to find a translator.  In the meantime, I had committed to being at Tabitha Center this morning.  I decided to go by myself and give it a whirl.  As I was praying last night about the day, I had a realization that I could do this without a translator if need be.  I would write out my lessons in French and have my French teacher check them for me and work on the pronunciation.  It would be a good way of pushing me harder to learn and converse in French.

The drive to Tabitha Center is like driving anywhere in Burkina Faso.  Traffic is usually insane and the roads, both paved and dirt, are bumpy.  I took some videos on my way in this morning just to give you and idea:

The directions to get there went something like this:  Take Charles de Galle to the dead-end circle and turn left.  Go to the light where the blue and white gas station is on the right and make a left.  Go until the road dead-ends and turn right on the path.  Go down to the large electrical wires and turn left.  Go to the first set of two electrical wires and turn left.  You'll go down a very narrow path until you come to Tabitha Center. This is a video of pulling up to Tabitha Center and the children that run to the car in excitement of visitors.

Fortunately for me, Jehojakim from Aceddes was there for part of the morning.  He speaks some English and we were able to cover a great deal of information.  I brought out a suitcase full of items that came from the States, including a solar charger, pillow case dresses, seeds for peanuts, carrots, tomatoes and melons, and toothbrushes and toothpaste.  After that we went to the room where the women were gathered. What I was quickly reminded of is that you don't have to speak the same language to communicate.  We had so much fun!  They had an absolute blast going through the pillow cases dresses and choosing several for their daughters:

I took their pictures and wrote down their names so I can memorize them faster. There are more women that could  not make it today, so I'll add them as they come. 

Odette

Asseta

Zeste

Iasette

Tabita

Atena

Centia

Madolin

Suzanne

We arranged for me to come on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8 a.m. - Noon and teach a Bible class and work on an income-producing activity.  I'll also come on Saturdays from 9 a.m. - noon and teach personal hygiene and sanitation.  As the garden is planted, I'll try to make it out more often to help with that.

I was overcome with emotion when I left this morning.  When I asked what I could do to help, the reply was "your presence here is enough".  I kind of wanted to pull a Moses and say "wait a minute - you don't understand! It's just me, nothing special, nothing earth shattering".  But I can't help but believe that I'm here for a purpose, and I'm ready to get going!

This last picture is one of the things that drew me back here after the visit in the Spring - the children.  There were several today that are not in this picture that were definitely not feeling well.  One little baby was sitting on the dirty floor when I came in.  She had flies all around her, and especially around her mouth where there was a sore.  Please pray for all these little ones and the women at the Tabitha Center.  

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