19 August 2005

#5?

The countdown has begun, less than a month and I will once again find
myself in a series of airplanes that promise to return me to my home
coast. But lets not rush the matter. The last couple of days I've been
more content being here than I could have ever expected. All the
missionaries are gone and I once again find myself in front of a
laptop in an office writing proposals and meeting with various NGO
people in the city.

Even though it is not yet time for a proper summary, I will give you a
little one.

As often as I can I try to get out of Ouagadougou, the abundance of
smog and lack of a horizon is to blame. If I happen to be in Ouaga I
am here in my corner by the entrance of the office listening to the
kids who seem to get great joy out of watching me from afar, only to
yell "nasada" so I look and wave back at them.

When I am not here I am out in the villages with mission teams who
come to plant trees, paint schools, distribute grain and throw kids
around. I enjoy all of the above, but also like to wander off into the
bush to pray until I am almost lost and getting strange looks from the
old men on bicycles and children herding livestock . One week I was at
a teen camp. I had a chance to lead worship a few times… mostly in
English, but I can rock a few French and Moore songs now.

Basically my world has been rocked. I don't think I will see all the
ways until I am home for a while, so that should be interesting.
Oh, you know those mental lists everyone has of things they want to do
before they die? Well, I wrote mine down a few years ago and this time
next week I will be able to die just that much happier. I may not be
able to email for a while as I will be in a hot sticky bus for a long,
long time. But it will be worth it. Be praying for my friend Rosalie
and I, that God will guide our travels, find us places to stay and
people to pray with. If I could show you how excited I am I would. But
I can't.

I can tell you that it slightly weirds out Burkinabes when you jump
around and squeal about going somewhere that doesn't seem like the end
of the world to them.

Huh, yet another cultural idiom.

Did I tell you that whistling here is only for men? Yeah, found that
one out the hard way.

On my way,
Courtney