First Week Pics

Streets of Conakry

Conakry Market

Sardines

The Reception

August 21, 2012

     Today we were presented to the men of Baralande.  This is the town or neighborhood in which we live.  At first we thought we were going to go around from house to house to meet our neighbors.  Andres had coordinated with our landlord to make these introductions.  In Guinean culture you must have someone properly introduce you to make it official.  There must always be a middle person, a point of reference or contact.  This gives credibility to the stranger as they are associated with someone that is familiar and trusted.  Your contact person also determines how well you are received and accepted.  If you are associated with someone with a poor reputation then that looks badly on you.  So, we have been waiting a few days for our landlord to make time to come and introduce us.  However, when he arrived, he decided to bring all the neighbors to us.  Only it was just the men, and Jennifer and the kids basically didn’t have any part in it.

     As the elders of our community began to arrive, many of them dressed in their best outfits, we gathered the chairs on the balcony and each one began to take their seat.  Our landlord then asked Andres to make the introduction, explaining who the Edmonds were and why they were here.  The landlord then greeted us and welcomed us to his house.  Following this the eldest member of the community gave us his special greeting and welcome. 

     Up till now things were going fine.  I was a little nervous and Andres as well.  These ceremonies are very formal and follow very specific protocol.  Andres was doing his best to follow the right procedures, but he also is still relatively new to them and somewhat unsure of what to do.  Really it should have been Cees to do this for us, but seeing as he is gone in Holland the responsibility fell on Andres.  So this is where things started to get a little tense.  Andres had brought some cola nuts to give to the elders.  Cola nuts are a very symbolic gift that represents unity and harmony between people.  It is basically a peace offering.  We didn’t know how many men would show up and how many nuts are appropriate to give.  Andres asked what the right amount should be, and the landlord said it is up to the giver to decide how important the relationship is.  Well, this didn’t make things any easier as we didn’t want to offend anyone by giving them less than an appropriate amount.  Thankfully the landlord decided for us that we would give the nuts to the group of men as a collective gift, a “global offering” as he called it.  “Still,” he informed us, “if you want to do things our way, the cola nuts are always accompanied by something else.”  I asked what kind of something else, thinking maybe it would be something to drink or maybe even something to eat.  Instead, the response I got was “de l’argent,” money. 

     So now what do I do?  How much money is an appropriate gift to give with a cola nut?  And do I have enough cash to go around to all 15 guys who are sitting on my balcony?  And, does each person get the same or are the higher ranking elders supposed to get more?  Thankfully, the landlord helped us out again, indicating that it is mainly a symbolic gift and doesn’t have to be a large amount of money.  Just like our nuts, the money could be given “globally” and the men would figure out how to divide it up.  So I ran inside to see if I could find some cash.  Still wondering how much I should give, I suddenly had the brilliant idea to make it truly a symbolic donation, since these people are very big into symbolism.  I decided on giving 7 bills of 10,000 francs (about $15 total).  I then returned with my gift and presented the 7 bills as a biblical symbol of perfection, hoping that our stay in this house and our relationship with the neighbors would be perfect in friendship and in peace.  This elders nodded in approval.  And that’s how we passed our first demand for money.  Thank you Holy Spirit!

     However, we weren’t out of the woods yet.  Apparently while I was out looking for money the elders began to ask more about my role.  Would I be teaching just the missionary kids or theirs as well?  Andres had to explain that our role here was mainly to teach the missionary kids in their native language.  He also went on to elaborate that I would not be available to help with medical needs or other expectations during the week, since I was going to be so busy with the teaching—there is a huge expectation that any missionary in town is there to serve the people and help them with whatever needs they may have.  This also proved to be true as the elders then asked why we had hired workers from outside the community.  Apparently they had already seen our maid and our guard and were slightly offended we didn’t offer the jobs to people from this neighborhood.  Andres did a good job of trying to show the significant connections our helpers already have with us (for example, the fact that the guard is brother to Cees’ adopted son) but the men still didn’t seem satisfied.  They suggested maybe we could hire one of their own people to be a night guard for us since we didn’t already have one.  At this point a night guard seems rather unnecessary, but we’ll probably have to come up with something like that just to appease the community.

     Finally, after a little more talk the local imam closed by praying for us and giving us a blessing and a benediction.  My sense is that we will have to be extremely careful not to offend our neighbors.  This whole reception showed me how ceremonially religious these people are, one wrong move and we might be ostracized or kicked out for good.  All the same, I was glad to finally be officially introduced, and to begin praying for great change in our neighborhood and in these people’s hearts.

    A quick story to finish today’s recap:  having been formally introduced, I had the chance this afternoon to talk to some of the young girls that get their water from our backyard.  I asked if I could take their picture, but as I turned around to get the camera the girls all ran off, only to return moments later dressed in their best outfits.  They were so excited to have their picture taken.  In this moment it was if God were speaking to me, telling me to remember outreach to the kids as the potential key to reaching these people.  The adults here may be very rigid and formal, but the children are open and ready.

“Thank you, Lord.  Please move and work in the hearts of our neighbors.  Please open up doors of ministry around us without overwhelming us with requests and demands.  Give us wisdom and sensitivity to know how to best serve this community.  May you be glorified in this place.  Amen!”

Settling in

August 19, 2012

     The past few days have been exhausting.  Thursday we set out to do two things:  buy a plan for my blackberry and get the serums we need for the typhoid vaccinations.  It took us all day just to accomplish both of those things.  Traffic in downtown Conakry was awful; it took us almost three hours just to drive 10 miles.  Andres said it is because of the Ramadan celebrations.  This is the end of the Muslim 40 days of fasting.  As such everyone is preparing for the big “fete,” the holiday celebrating the end of the fasting.  The result:  traffic jams.  Thankfully our car came equipped with a dvd player in the back seat.  This (as well as the grace of God) are the only reasons our kids stayed sane (and Jen and I too) as we sat crammed in one car for over 5 hours, all 9 of us. 

     Friday was pretty much the same story.  This time we just needed to pick up the Galvez’ car and drive to Boke.  Unfortunately their car wasn’t ready as promised, even though the mechanic said it would be ready in two days time, and he had supposedly been working on it for 10 days.  Finally around 5:30 p.m. we were able to hit the road.  Again it took us about 5 hours instead of 3, most of it just trying to get out of Conakry.  I’m starting to get the impression I need to expect unexpected delays.  All that to say, we were happy to leave the city behind.  Conakry is not a big city, but it is packed and crowded, and horribly inefficient.  It seems like we were constantly driving in circles everywhere we went.  I was glad to have someone there to help us get around; I’m still not sure I could find my way anywhere downtown, even if my life depended on it. 

     And now, we are finally at our destination…home.  The house is amazing!  Our team did such an incredible job fixing it up and decking it out with everything we need.  Nathanael and Abi were so excited about their new rooms, fully loaded with water beds, a doll house for Abi, and brand new kinex/lego sets for Nathanael.  They are thrilled.  Jen and I also feel very spoiled as we will have way more space than we’ve ever had before.  The only thing small about this house is the kitchen—apparently Guineans do most of their cooking outside.  There are still a few quirks to work out, as is typical with any rental:  a few termites to exterminate, a few leaks to fix in the roof, a few minor adjustments here and there.  Also, there’s no a/c and no hot water.  But there is electricity, powered entirely by solar panels (hurray we’re going green!) and we do have running water between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.  For Africa this is really living it up.  Other than that, we have everything we need and are working hard to get settled in as quickly as we can.   We’re excited to be here and are so thankful for God’s provision in all of the details.

     “Thank you, Lord for your goodness.  Thank you for providing this home for us.  Thanks for its ideal location.  Thank you for providing all the household goods, even unto all the gifts to the kids.  May you protect our home, Lord.  Please cast out any evil that may lurk nearby.  Please surround this place with your angels.  Fill our home with your Holy Spirit.  May this be a peaceful, joyful, happy home.  Please make this a place of rest and refuge for us and our team.  And may you use this house to build your church and establish your kingdom.  Thank you God!  Amen.”

    

     August 20, 2012

     It’s official, our new fragrance of choice is “Deep Woods.”  I’m also slightly partial to “Active”, though for the kids we’ve chosen to go with “Sensitive Skin.”  While we haven’t received too many bug bites yet, the fear of malaria is strong, and the greatest deterrent is bug spray.  As a result we have been applying regularly, particularly in the evenings and at night.  Thankfully our house has screens on all the doors and windows.  Of course, the bugs seem to find their way in anyway, but it helps.

     One of the reasons for the strong malaria risk is that it’s rainy season.  We live in an absolutely gorgeous valley, lush with green trees and rolling hills.  The official climate is tropical and our surroundings remind me of the lookout on the way to El Valle.  Our house also is located about a mile away from the main road, connected by a series of dirt paths.  This is truly a trail runner’s paradise, also perfect for mountain biking.  I plan to do plenty of both.  The only downside is the huge puddles that get left after it rains, a mosquito’s paradise.  And since it’s rainy season the puddles don’t ever go away.

     The rain here is not hard like Panama’s, but more frequent and generally of longer duration.  So far it hasn’t been as humid as Panama either, which makes the heat a little more bearable.  It’s definitely warm, and we sure miss having our air conditioners.  Abi has also developed some heat rash around her neck and cheeks.  We’re hoping and praying it goes away and that her body adjusts quickly. 

     Today we met our helpers.  Fatime is a young gal who will be doing the cooking and cleaning for us while we’re in school.  Since both of us will be busy teaching, the team thought it would be a good idea for us to have her around.  Salu is our guard/guardener.  He is half brother to Jeremiah, Cees and Corinne’s second adopted son.  Andres and Diana thought it would be helpful to have him mostly to keep visitors away while we are working.  We’ve also decided the team would use our home during the day for their language trainings and study times.  This seems to be their primary need as a constant flow of visitors keeps them really busy and is a big distraction to them.  We’re happy our home can serve as a blessing to the team and hope it will be mightily used to build God’s kingdom. 

     Speaking of this, Andres and I were able to have an interesting conversation with the man helping us to get our driver’s licenses.  He is Muslim but seemed to be struggling with the concept of having multiple wives.  In his understanding, the more wives you have the harder it is to disciple your family to true “faith.”  This is one of the ways Islam propagates itself, and one of the ways a man can earn more grace.  Andres shared with him that our God gives us unlimited grace through faith in Jesus.  The man seemed open to Christianity but reluctant to take the plunge.  We closed by praying for him, which he was pleased to accept.  “I am very happy now,” he told us as we said goodbye. 

     As I reflect on this tonight, I am hoping and believing this is just a small taste of the opportunities God is going to open up for us while we’re here.  I felt like this encounter was just a reminder of the potential that lies all around us if we are only willing to speak up and walk through these doors.  “The harvest is plentiful…” 

     “Lord, thank you for today.  Thanks for our helpers.  May they be trustworthy and faithful.  May you grant us a healthy relationship with them and reveal yourself to them as they come in and our of our homes.  Thank you for the opportunity to speak to Yonoussou this evening.  Please work in his heart and reveal your truth to him.  Please heal Abi’s rash and continue to protect our family from all manner of sicknesses and problems.  Thank you that we have been kept healthy so far.  I praise you Lord for your goodness.  Amen!”

The Voyage

August 15^th, 2012

We made it!  The trip to Guinea was pleasantly uneventful.  Lots of movie watching, ipad playing, some napping here and there, and a bag full of surprises and goodies all helped us to pass the time quickly and to keep our sanity.  We even had a nice kid zone to play at during our layover in Brussels.  Terminal T rocks!  The only minor hiccup was during the last ten minutes, as we were descending into Conakry.  True to form, Abigail waited to the last minute to go to the bathroom and ended up going in her pants.  A few tears and a change of clothes later, everything was set to right and we touched down in Guinea.

   Once on the ground our family was crammed into a bus and delivered to the immigration line.  There was a little hassle getting through the checkpoint, and we had to wait quite a while for a couple of our bags, but all six suitcases arrived and our family survived.  Finally after 30+ hours of travel, we were warmly welcomed by the Galvez to our new home country.  Praise God for answering our prayers and getting us here safely. 

     Last night was a rough night.  We kept waking up at odd hours, and somehow I ended up in the bed with the two kids, while Jen had a big bed all to herself.  Still, we were able to sleep in late and that felt good.  Today was spent mostly driving around Conakry, getting our car from the mechanic’s, going to the grocery store, and a short stop to check and send email.  We also stopped to have a late lunch at a shwarma (spelling?) joint, a Lebanese place.  Jen and I had shwarmas while the kids had hamburgers fully loaded with an egg and French fries, on the burger not off of it (apparently they go well together).  While the food was very good, the accompanying host of flies was not so good.  Andres explained that the reason for the flies was its unfortunate location across the street from the trash dump.  The kids were really disturbed by this and had a hard time eating—our kids not the Galvez’, they were totally unphased by it.  Apparently we have some adjusting to do.

     One of the big surprises is that even in Conakry there is limited electricity and it is unreliable at best.  Most homes, at least for the more wealthy population, run on two sources of power:  government electricity, and when that is unavailable, generators or solar panels.  This means there are two sets of switches and light-bulbs to every room.  When the government power is shut off, you just turn on the alternate source.  You have to be careful though of not draining the batteries.

    So, we’ve spent our first full day in Guinea.  In some ways it feels weird, and in some ways it feels totally normal.  The event that brought it all home was when we popped Dixie Chicks into the CD player, driving past African women with huge baskets on their heads, and all manner of little black kids playing half naked in the street.  This may be a big transition for us, we may stick out like sore thumbs, but for the time being, this is home. 

“Thank you, Lord, for getting us here safely.  Thank you for keeping us healthy during our travels.  Thank you for the Galvez and their kindness and generosity.  Thank you for your grace.  Please continue to watch over us and help us to make these transitions and adjustments.  Help us to learn the cultural norms quickly and easily.  Help the kids to be flexible and to adapt as well.  Bless us with your joy and peace and love, and may you be glorified in us and throughout this country.  We love you Jesus, and we praise your name!  Amen.”

August 10, 2012

     Yesterday it finally hit me:  “We’re moving.”  During staff meeting Steve organized a little farewell for me, including snacks, a small gift, and words of encouragement from the rest of the team.  Following this I walked out and realized, “I have nowhere to go.”  I had already given my keys to Abby Spencer, cleared out my office, and finished all my work.  For a while I just walked around not really sure where to go or what to do.  It was such a weird feeling.

   Later in the afternoon I was also sent off by the elders at my final elder meeting.  Again, so strange.  Then finally, at home, as we continued packing up all our things, I realized we only have 3 days left in Panama.  It seems like we’ve been waiting for this for such a long time that the day would never come. 

      Since we made this decision in February we’ve been in transition mode, slowly getting rid of things, packing up, saying goodbye.  Now we’ve finally made it.  Our fridge is empty.  Our cupboards are bare.  We even had to go out and buy a roll of toilette paper yesterday just to make it through the next three days.  Of course, there are still a handful of little things to clean up: toys and books, the tube of toothpaste, a couple pairs of remaining shoes.  Still, despite the weirdness, we’re feeling pretty good.  There was a little bit of tension this morning as Jen and I were having to balance out the weight of our luggage, deciding what needed to be left behind and what could go.  Mostly I think it’s due to the anxiety of the trip and the transition ahead.  For the most part though, we’re doing remarkably well.  Our bags are pretty much packed up.  The house is mostly clean.  We even sold the car at the last minute (PTL).  And now we’re just living out of the suitcases until Monday. 

     This week has also been good as we have been able to spend extra time with friends, hanging out one last time and saying goodbye.  It’s hard to do, and each person handles it a little differently.  Some of our friends don’t want to say goodbye.  They prefer, ‘see you later.’  The words are just too hard.  Some of them are being extra gracious, providing us with gifts and prayers of farewell.  And some just seem to be ignoring us all together.  I’ve been getting a little teary-eyed during these times, but for the most part I handle goodbyes pretty well.  I just can’t stand drawing it out.  Jen is the opposite.  It’s been extra important for her to spend lots of time with her friends.  Whenever she goes out, I never know how long she’ll be.  Even stepping outside to talk with the neighbors ends taking multiple hours, most of them during which I’m stuck in the house wondering where she is.  Leaving our community will be extra hard on her, though she’s handling it well.

     The kids too are doing great.  Nathanael is a little sad to be leaving his friends.  Abby is just excited for the plane ride.  They’ve been told we have three plane rides and we’ll be spending the night on one of them.  We’ve even packed their pajamas as carry-ons.  They’re excited about this.

So here we are, two days away from flying, everything taken care, packing up last minute things and saying goodbyes. 

“Lord, please help us in these last couple days.  Give us positive interactions with our friends and church family.  Help us to handle the differing emotions gracefully.  Prepare the way for us, and give us smooth travels we pray.  Amen!”