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Togo Mission 2007with Kipuke Ministries
Day 4 the village
July 16, 2007
I have lost track of time, not wearing a watch or cell phone and not seeing TV or radio, so the computer tell me it is Monday. Bon!
Tonight we met Abi Gail. She is a young woman Esahu and Beatrice have taken under their wings. She is in her 20’s and when they first met her she was illiterate. Thru their women’s program she learned to read and write and now is learning to “do hair” in downtown Kara. Went to see her downtown today, but she wasn’t their. Probably due to the rain. The plans are for her to return to the center after she learns this trade to provide a service for the center.
Anyway, she came tonight about 9pm and she has a rash over a large part of her body, thinking we could help. It is on her neck, arms, inner legs and she complains of it being itchy and scratches frequently. Looks like Ringworm, but I have not seen it this large. Mary says she has. I brought foot ointment, but accidentally left it in Lome. We took pics and will try to make it to an internet café tomorrow to email pics to Dr Billinglsy so he can suggest treatment and then perhaps purchase the drugs locally.. It is really bad.
What did we do today? It was very rainy. If you come here Esahu is very worried that you don’t get rest, so bring an alarm clock, because he will not awaken you. Got up about 0930. Breakfast of Nescafe, French bread, Pineapple and laughing cow cheese. The pineapple here is soooo sweet! Just like the Mango.
We drove further into different villages on dirt roads better suited for a 4 wheel drive than an older Audi Sedan. Anyway there was supposed to be a yearly ceremony today, an initiation of children into womanhood. Now I don’t know all the details and we only stayed for the men’s part. There is no concept of time enough, move on to the next village. Esahu disagrees with the practice, but it is the practice and he wanted to see it.
Apparently started yesterday and only virgins can participate. They believe if a non virgin participates in this ceremony she will become struck blind. They say yesterday a girl who was pregnant crossed a rock and she should not have been present, died. “You can go up there and see the body”. Whether this is superstition or fact, the people believe it.\
Any way we drove and came to a spot where we could here the men singing and dancing and we were told they would make their way this way. In the rain a large crowd of young men, or boys with a crown of proud parents and relative encouraging them, and a crowd of on lookers waiting came. I was told the participants were drunk off of a homemade wind we saw the drinking, looked like cloudy dishwater. The boys were dancing and acting macho and virile, drums were beating, sheep horns blowing. Mothers encouraging the boys in their dance, many were in native costume and dress, powder being poured and re-poured on them, and all smiling. I was taking video and Esahu asked a young man not in the ceremony to share his umbrella with me. I then offered and allowed him to do the video taping. He enjoyed this immensely.
Oh, I left out, after breakfast and before leaving the house, Mary and I went walking. Ebu , Esaho's adopted daughter told us not to walk to far. WE DID, oops.
Anyway I took some pics of a family with their permission, and then was photographing a farm or garden just beyond it and old women started yelling at me. Mary left as this woman was talking to me.
Understand West Africans talk loudly in normal conversation and in her language and my almost non-existent French it could have been a verbal assault, who knows, she could have been “ringing me out”, but I believe she wanted me to pay her for the photograph. It vacillated between her holding my hand in a bowing fashion and making the motion to eat with the other (begging), to talking very loudly. All the time I am saying politely “I don’t have any money” trying to drawn away and Mary is half way down the hill. It was quite humorous.
Besides these things we mostly sat around and talked. Esahu told me the story over the day’s time of how he came to want to be a missionary.
He was born to a Govt. Accountant in Congo and had most of the amenities that we have her and in the USA. He was educated in Europe and lived in France. His father wanted him to become a lawyer, but he wanted to be a minister. His father was against this because ministers were poor and the father would have to take care of him and his future family. This is what the father thought.
Esau’s neighbors on either side of his home lived, in mud huts and had nothing. As a child he started stealing food from the house to give to them and then ran electricity to them from his house hiding the cable. He has a great love for people without and this is partly explained on the home page of his website in his own words. www.kipukeministries.net.
Esahu wants people to come see what is being done here. He believes if you come see, you will want to help. When you come he wants you to see as much as possible so you can understand the culture and see what needs there are. We as Americans, want to come and DO!. He wants you to see. The needs are so great. They need financial support for a truck, van, building material to finish the buildings, medicines, school supplies, salaries for teachers etc. The government allows this ministry great freedom to help the people.
We could send mission teams to complete the work on these buildings, by gaining the support from other church’s as well as our own, but the materials would have to still be purchased.
How do you tell Americans this and this needs to be done?
We feel, “let them do it their selves.” Their gov’t should do it. I met the children of a family today that were almost as dirty as the mud of their hut, bloated bellies, and malnutrition. It will not happen without our support. That’s why he wants people to come and look see. You will see things in a different light then
Esahu believes in doing what he can do NOW! If he waits on the funds to be complete, he may wait 15-20 years prior to starting. And in 15-20 years if all the money were raised, 15-20 years has passed without the people receiving help. So if he has a $100,
He uses it for the people.
Tomorrow we will awaken early and have an all day, Day
GOD BLESS
BOB
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