Thoughts of Guinea: from my home coast
Hello my friends,
So here is the much anticipated second half of a short trip's long summary.
This one is a bit choppy and heavy, I wrote it shortly after returning and I
have chosen not to re-edit it... it is a lot of just my raw heart. More and
more I am realizing that I am not a normal person, I do not deal with things
normally and this is OK because I am not called to a normal life. Whatever
normal means.
--Prison--
I have seen extreme poverty, held dying children and have witnessed lives
that have changed my perspective forever. However, last Saturday was the
first time I have ever witnessed the pure oppression and inhumanity that
crushed souls beneath it's heal. We were invited to a prison with
International Prison Ministries. I was concerned it would be more of a field
trip, but with the assurance that the prisoners loved to see new faces and
enjoyed even short visits we agreed to go, led by Jean Baptist who does this
every week at the same prison.
Picture a 12x12 room, a large dungeon status wooden door, damp cement floor
and walls, one small window, no plumbing and several dozen men with little
more than a mat on the floor to their name. Really, try to get your mind to
wrap around the smell and heat and darkness and then see each one of those
men, many innocent simply waiting to be seen by the judge… some have been
waiting for five years.
Jean Baptist ushered me in and I was so overwhelmed I almost lost it, but
then I would just look into the eyes of one man and ask how he was doing.
Just one at a time I could take their hands and talk to them, when I looked
at the room as a whole I couldn't handle it. The gratefulness and fading
humanity I saw in their eyes made me want to stay so badly and talk with
them longer, but there were about a dozen of chambers just like this one so
each visit was always cut short. Some of these men go months without seeing
a new face. And in order to stay for longer than a few minutes you must be
locked in with them... so I left that to the men who do just that every
Saturday.
I cried my self to sleep thinking about these men the other night. It is
just so much. I see their hands reaching, their eyes flickering with hope
and their voices solemn with the burdens of the hell that is their world.
Then there were the Christian brothers who had more hope and faith and love
than I see in the cozy pews of America. This is something that will take me
a long time to process, right now I think I am actually rather shut down to
it all… I don't have the emotional capacity for it. The reality that there
are still humans locked in there even though I am in my sunny seaside
apartment makes me sort of freak out.
--Conclusion--
This trip really brought me full circle from my last time in Africa. Though
they were fully different countries, I was always reminded of experiences
last summer. In one week I have seen absolute joy and absolute misery and
the love of God leaking into all of it. Where so much of what I have seen
before is cold religion and legalism, I was able to just see love. That is
what its all about, a Love strong enough to penetrate the souls of condemned
men and bring hope into the eyes of a widow. I haven't been alive for that
long, but the only love I have ever seen accomplish those things is the love
of Jesus. Sounds clichéish, but that is the only truth I have ever seen. The
only constant in a world that overwhelms me with despair is God's love.
With as much love as I can muster,
courtney
Showing posts with label Guinea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guinea. Show all posts
29 December 2010
22 March 2006
Home Again
---Back on my Home Coast---
Quick trip huh? Today is the first day I am feeling normal, we got worked
over there and I have been tired and a bit sick. This summary is going to
come at you in two parts, one now and one in a few days so you are not
overloaded with words all at once (yeah, I know I talk a lot). I'll catch
you up on what my week looked like than you won't hear from me till I head
to India in July. Deal? Deal.
---Guinea Pigs---
After many fascinating emails about the origin of the Guinea Pig (South
America) I can't decide if I feel smarter or not. Anyway, my friend Maria
won with an amazingly quick response! Thanks for the laughs and info about
pigs, currency and migration patterns, but Maria wins (which means I get to
ship her prize to Hong Kong). Good job!
---Life---
Darla and I stayed with Pastor Joel and his wife and fluctuating countless
others living there for the conference or something. We had a room to
ourselves, bucket shower and a fan that aided the generator in humming the
household to sleep.
The conference occupied a lot of our time, but when we were home we hung out
a lot with the ladies. About ten of the liveliest women you could imagine
cooked for everyone in the house. We would sit around two open fires topped
with huge pots filled with rice and sauce taking turns stirring, chopping,
and sifting, buttering and baby holding. They would laugh at Darla and I and
we would make their babies cry if they looked at our scary white faces for
too long.
---Conference---
Much to our relief we only had to teach for about an hour a day. Day one I
stood there in front of maybe 20 women and flopped. I just stood there
looking at women, half of whom are refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia.
These women are wives and mothers and have risked their lives and the lives
of their families to flee the horrors of a war torn nation only to start
again in a foreign land with a different language and culture. And there I
was, 23 year old twerp from San Diego about to teach them how to be
influential women.
After the initial shock I tried to get the feel for what they needed to hear
and why the heck I went to the other side of the world to do this. I was
drawn to Mary and Elizabeth's story in Luke. They were rad women who were in
tough spots but fully in God's will and they knew it. With these women as my
example I began to draw up a map of some sort through scriptures that
established each individual woman as an intentional and integral part of
God's plan.
From there we focused on what passions and visions God has given each woman.
It was so amazing to see them "get it". One woman came up to me and told me
how she had been thinking all night about her life and how God wants to use
it. Another woman told me that our teaching changed her life, she had never
been told she had a purpose or that her life had any use. Quickly I realized
that it was the simple message of love that was changing these precious
lives. I am blessed to be a witness.
I have put up some photos on http://flickr.com/photos/courtneyanne/ and
there will be more put up in the next few days... I have a lot.
Remember, if you don't want to get these fill ins on my life, you are in a
google group and you can take yourself out of it by going to the homepage
listed on the initial email you got saying you are on the list... did that
make sense? Or just email me and tell me to take you off I guess!
Much love to you, thanks for your prayers and notes of encouragement!
Your sister,
courtney
---Back on my Home Coast---
Quick trip huh? Today is the first day I am feeling normal, we got worked
over there and I have been tired and a bit sick. This summary is going to
come at you in two parts, one now and one in a few days so you are not
overloaded with words all at once (yeah, I know I talk a lot). I'll catch
you up on what my week looked like than you won't hear from me till I head
to India in July. Deal? Deal.
---Guinea Pigs---
After many fascinating emails about the origin of the Guinea Pig (South
America) I can't decide if I feel smarter or not. Anyway, my friend Maria
won with an amazingly quick response! Thanks for the laughs and info about
pigs, currency and migration patterns, but Maria wins (which means I get to
ship her prize to Hong Kong). Good job!
---Life---
Darla and I stayed with Pastor Joel and his wife and fluctuating countless
others living there for the conference or something. We had a room to
ourselves, bucket shower and a fan that aided the generator in humming the
household to sleep.
The conference occupied a lot of our time, but when we were home we hung out
a lot with the ladies. About ten of the liveliest women you could imagine
cooked for everyone in the house. We would sit around two open fires topped
with huge pots filled with rice and sauce taking turns stirring, chopping,
and sifting, buttering and baby holding. They would laugh at Darla and I and
we would make their babies cry if they looked at our scary white faces for
too long.
---Conference---
Much to our relief we only had to teach for about an hour a day. Day one I
stood there in front of maybe 20 women and flopped. I just stood there
looking at women, half of whom are refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia.
These women are wives and mothers and have risked their lives and the lives
of their families to flee the horrors of a war torn nation only to start
again in a foreign land with a different language and culture. And there I
was, 23 year old twerp from San Diego about to teach them how to be
influential women.
After the initial shock I tried to get the feel for what they needed to hear
and why the heck I went to the other side of the world to do this. I was
drawn to Mary and Elizabeth's story in Luke. They were rad women who were in
tough spots but fully in God's will and they knew it. With these women as my
example I began to draw up a map of some sort through scriptures that
established each individual woman as an intentional and integral part of
God's plan.
From there we focused on what passions and visions God has given each woman.
It was so amazing to see them "get it". One woman came up to me and told me
how she had been thinking all night about her life and how God wants to use
it. Another woman told me that our teaching changed her life, she had never
been told she had a purpose or that her life had any use. Quickly I realized
that it was the simple message of love that was changing these precious
lives. I am blessed to be a witness.
I have put up some photos on http://flickr.com/photos/courtneyanne/ and
there will be more put up in the next few days... I have a lot.
Remember, if you don't want to get these fill ins on my life, you are in a
google group and you can take yourself out of it by going to the homepage
listed on the initial email you got saying you are on the list... did that
make sense? Or just email me and tell me to take you off I guess!
Much love to you, thanks for your prayers and notes of encouragement!
Your sister,
courtney
12 March 2006
Dimanche en Guinee
Hey guys, quick note to say hi and I am alive... I feel more alive than I
have in the past few months. Conference starts tomorrow... don't really know
what to expect, but I guess that's good. The people here are beautiful and I
am so blessed to have Darla along for the ride! Pray for the rest of the
team, as they are not so accustomed to this sort of travel/lifestyle.
We just got here, so no good stories... should come soon. We have only been
offered one baby and one marriage proposal, perhaps more will come as people
see my fabulous spiritual teaching skills... right.
So much love. Thanks for writing back, it makes me smile.
Votre soeur,
courtney
Hey guys, quick note to say hi and I am alive... I feel more alive than I
have in the past few months. Conference starts tomorrow... don't really know
what to expect, but I guess that's good. The people here are beautiful and I
am so blessed to have Darla along for the ride! Pray for the rest of the
team, as they are not so accustomed to this sort of travel/lifestyle.
We just got here, so no good stories... should come soon. We have only been
offered one baby and one marriage proposal, perhaps more will come as people
see my fabulous spiritual teaching skills... right.
So much love. Thanks for writing back, it makes me smile.
Votre soeur,
courtney
9 March 2006
Guinea Go Time
Seeing as I have not packed and am leaving for the airport in 5.5 hours, I
should be frantically getting ready so I can sleep. But I don't want to. I
want to write.
I'm not super sure you are aware of this jaunt back to West Africa so let me
give you a bit of background to work with...
November 2005 The Rock Church and BFI (of which I am the director) sent out
a 40ft. container to Guinea in time for an annual pastors conference
sponsored by some of the pastors at The Rock. The idea was to provide this
conference with Bibles and various things we have that they don't, like
clothes and chalkboards. We ran short on time and had to pack the container
hastily. I had already turned down my invite, but I said that the only
reason I would go out to the conference would be to help clean up our mess.
Well, as usual opening my big mouth has life altering consequences. I am
going to Guinea, and I have a bit more on my plate than cleaning up a big
mess. Turns out I am entering into one of my life's goals about 20 years
before I expected to.
Through a series of events my dear friend Darla's and my job descriptions
have morphed from literacy teachers to the leaders and speakers at the first
annual women's conference. Awesome. No, I really think I mean that. It is
awesome, but that doesn't mean I can't be a little freaked out. I mean, I've
been to a conference... why couldn't I run one?
These past years studying politics and cultures in developing nations has
burdened my heart for the women there. Often oppressed, these women work so
hard yet tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to
humanitarian aid. What I have seen is the need for these women to understand
they were each created with a purpose and what that means in the roles and
relationships they are in. I am no advocate of oppression, but it is vital
to recognize that indoctrinating non-Western women with a Western brain will
seriously mess up their home life, social status and can easily threaten
their very lives.
I thought I would have much more experience under my belt before tackling
major international women's issues... oh well.
So please pray for Darla and the team and I that we would all just sit back,
watch what the Lord does and then follow His lead. Pray also for language
issues. Despite what I tell them, people out here think I am fluent in
French and the "West African" culture. However, I am not and everyone in
Guinea will know that right off the bat.
If you have any questions let me know, I should have Internet out there.
I do, however, have a question for you... do guinea pigs come from Guinea???
That has been bugging me for a while. First person to tell me right gets a
prize from Africa.
Your sister,
courtney brandt
Seeing as I have not packed and am leaving for the airport in 5.5 hours, I
should be frantically getting ready so I can sleep. But I don't want to. I
want to write.
I'm not super sure you are aware of this jaunt back to West Africa so let me
give you a bit of background to work with...
November 2005 The Rock Church and BFI (of which I am the director) sent out
a 40ft. container to Guinea in time for an annual pastors conference
sponsored by some of the pastors at The Rock. The idea was to provide this
conference with Bibles and various things we have that they don't, like
clothes and chalkboards. We ran short on time and had to pack the container
hastily. I had already turned down my invite, but I said that the only
reason I would go out to the conference would be to help clean up our mess.
Well, as usual opening my big mouth has life altering consequences. I am
going to Guinea, and I have a bit more on my plate than cleaning up a big
mess. Turns out I am entering into one of my life's goals about 20 years
before I expected to.
Through a series of events my dear friend Darla's and my job descriptions
have morphed from literacy teachers to the leaders and speakers at the first
annual women's conference. Awesome. No, I really think I mean that. It is
awesome, but that doesn't mean I can't be a little freaked out. I mean, I've
been to a conference... why couldn't I run one?
These past years studying politics and cultures in developing nations has
burdened my heart for the women there. Often oppressed, these women work so
hard yet tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to
humanitarian aid. What I have seen is the need for these women to understand
they were each created with a purpose and what that means in the roles and
relationships they are in. I am no advocate of oppression, but it is vital
to recognize that indoctrinating non-Western women with a Western brain will
seriously mess up their home life, social status and can easily threaten
their very lives.
I thought I would have much more experience under my belt before tackling
major international women's issues... oh well.
So please pray for Darla and the team and I that we would all just sit back,
watch what the Lord does and then follow His lead. Pray also for language
issues. Despite what I tell them, people out here think I am fluent in
French and the "West African" culture. However, I am not and everyone in
Guinea will know that right off the bat.
If you have any questions let me know, I should have Internet out there.
I do, however, have a question for you... do guinea pigs come from Guinea???
That has been bugging me for a while. First person to tell me right gets a
prize from Africa.
Your sister,
courtney brandt
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