The one hour and 20 minute drive included an unplanned visit to the neighboring country of Benin. Brett missed a turn -- the Togo hinderlands are lacking in signage. Upon arrival we learned from Dajaa, a leader of the church, that everyone else (~20 members) had gone to a Kabiye festival instead of church. (Here is would be a Titans game!) He had come alone to the "building" to pray and meditate. The "building" incidentally was a shady spot under a gigantic tree. "Pews" consisted of long (unpadded!) poles about 5 inches in diameter. They sat upon a rock or a larger piece of wood set on end.
After another one hour plus trip, we were back in Kara for lunch at one of the few restaurants Brett and April eat at. Excellent pizza and spaghetti.
At 4 p.m. things really got wild! Brett and April hosted the team church assembly. Four missionary families with 12-13 children, all under 10 or 11. We went to bed tired.
Impressions so far
*Many Togolese are poor by our standards but are not necessarily unhappy
*Brett and I talked about the chances of the people breaking the cycle of poverty. It seems like a tall mountain to climb. With only a 53% adult literacy rate, it's like climbing without any boots on. All the more reason they need Jesus. He gives them hope for the future and comfort for the present.
Good night
P.S. An addendum to my journal. Some statistics from UNICEF:
* GNI per capita $350
* Life expectancy at birth(males) 56 years
More later
Corban, April, and Joy sit on a "pew."
Dajaa, Brett, and me.
The road to Tchipko becomes the "bike path" to Tchipko.
No comments:
Post a Comment