Mission Accomplished

I had two big goals for this trip in West Africa. One was briefly mentioned in the last post: to listen. Serving as a bridge between the church on two continents, I wanted to hear the stories of people not like me, which happened naturally with no effort on my part.

The other goal was simply to enjoy Africa. Because our work is with families in crisis, so many of the stories we tell are full of tragedies. (See the last post, for example.) We don't want this country to be known for its hardships but for the greater story of its friendship and laughter. 

To enjoy Africa and to listen to their stories: both of these hopes were realized with no effort on my part. Both are the natural overflow of life there, and I am thrilled to get to share them with you....

Titus brought his own fun with this portable ping-pong set that can turn any table into a tournament.

Here he is playing with our language teacher, who has been a close friend since 2014. 

When visiting with the friend pictured below I said, "If the whole trip was for this one afternoon, it was worth it."  Even stuck with extra days in the capital, it wasn't enough. 

We left wishing for more time to visit friends.

We ate as many mangoes as we possibly could.

Anne's actual words were, "Can we move here and eat riz gras at this restaurant every day?"

Daniel had friends cheering for him as he read his book in Braille.

If we boiled the trip down to a chance for me to listen and to enjoy Africa, then the whole story can be said in two words: Mission Accomplished.