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.