Benin Bulletin #10
“Bonjour Bénin”
October 20, 2017
Prayer
Requests
1)
Flight to Benin – Praise the Lord for a great flight from Canada to
Benin and that we made our connections and all our baggage arrived with us.
2)
New house – Praise the Lord for our new house! The house had a few issues upon arrival but
all of those have since been resolved and we are very comfortable in our new
place.
3) Diane’s
surgery – Praise the Lord that my mother-in-law Diane finally received her hip
surgery and is recovering well.
4) Nursing
Delay – Pray for Kathleen as she is having to delay her start time at the
clinic here in Parakou because there is no nurse in country to give her a
proper orientation. The nurse arrives
next month so pray that Kathleen find things to do while she is waiting.
5)
SIM Project Coordination/French – Pray for me (Graham) as I find my way
in this new role of Project Coordination.
There is much to learn and everything is new so it’s a bit overwhelming
at times. I’m struggling in my French at
the moment too so pray that I’ll find time to work on it during the week.
6)
Vehicle – We have “reserved” a vehicle in Cotonou and it is currently
going through the process of getting registered in the country. Please pray that this process will go quickly
and smoothly and that we’ll be able to get it transported up to Parakou so we
can start using it.
7)
Residence permits – Our visas expire at the end of November so we will
need to go down to Cotonou to apply for residence permits next month. Please pray that this process will go
smoothly and that we’ll have all the documents needed to receive 1 year
residence permits here in Benin.
Introduction
Greetings everyone from Parakou,
Benin! Wow, it feels great to actually
be writing a “Benin Bulletin” in Benin!
In all honesty, it’s felt more like “Canadian Catch-up” than a Benin
Bulletin but it’s great that we have finally arrived. The weather has been as expected. HOT.
Surprisingly though, not too hot.
Maybe I’ve just gotten used to the heat but I’ve found the morning and
evenings bearable. The afternoon is the
tough time of the day. I guess that’s
why “siestas” are so popular here. The
SIM office closes from 12:30pm – 3pm for lunch and siesta. For those who are unfamiliar with the word
siesta this is basically just an afternoon nap.
Some might think that this means we are being lazy but it’s nice to be
indoors near a fan during the hottest part of the day. In fact, you’d probably be less productive
without it! And because of the siesta
the work days are longer. The SIM office
doesn’t close until 6:30pm so the 1.5-hour siesta is covered by the later close
time. So, it all works out in the wash
to a typical work day back home. Unless
you are one of those unfortunate souls working 12-hour shifts! :-) Anyway, I have many things I need to share
with you this month so let me get right to it.
Our
Flight
For me (Graham) leaving New Brunswick for
Africa for the first time was very different than leaving Alberta. Back in 2004 when I left Edmonton for my
first trip to Botswana my Dad dropped me off at the terminal and left. In my mind, there was nothing wrong with
that. The flight was very early and I
was completely capable of checking in and getting to my gate by myself. In fact, I’d say having people there with me
never crossed my mind. Then the day came
where Kathleen and I left Fredericton.
This was a very different experience.
Almost the entire town of Geary showed up, many of whom were from Geary
Baptist Church. In some ways, it was
overwhelming. To be honest though, I
wouldn’t change a thing mainly because I feel it was exactly what Kathleen and
her family needed. And that stuck out as
a major difference to me. It’s not just
me leaving anymore. It’s US.
So, after leaving in true New Brunswick
style, we headed to Paris, France. Kathleen had been to France before so the idea
of heading out in the city wasn’t high on her priority list. However, it was US now. So, she relented and, as tired as we were, we
headed into the city for an adventure.
Wow, and an adventure it was. In
fact, it was almost a mistake on our part.
Have any of you ever used public transit in Paris? To be kind, it’s confusing. All I wanted to do was see the Eiffel Tower
and go back to the airport. This took
MANY trains. Mostly because trains
seemed to just randomly stop and tell you they weren’t going any further. However, this turned out in our favour in the
end. As we were trying to figure out how
to get from one train to another I managed to lead us out of the station and
into the city instead. Whoops. The Lord was kind to us though as where we
ended up getting lead to was Notre Dame!
So, without even realizing it, we got the chance to visit the Notre Dame
Cathedral! Thank you Lord! Eventually, after much experimentation, we
arrived at the Eiffel Tower. It was
worth the trip. We didn’t stay long
though because we were worried we’d get lost heading back to the airport. However, we managed to make it back without
many issues and arrived in plenty of time to catch our next flight to Cotonou,
Benin!
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| Riding the Paris underground like pros! (We blame jet lag for our failures) |
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| Our surprise visit to Notre Dame |
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| The Eiffel Tower in all it's glory |
When we arrived in Cotonou the heat and
humidity was immediately felt as soon as we got out of the plane. I had been told about the “punch in the face”
feeling of this but you don’t really know it until you experience it
first-hand. However, once we got into
the terminal we were met with more luxury than I was expecting. The terminal had excellent air conditioning,
and get this, free wifi! It doesn’t get
much better than that! SIM had organized
a porter to help us with our bags as well so the luxury just kept coming! Immigration was a breeze and all our bags
arrived so I don’t think our airport visit could have went better. Thanks to everyone who was praying! We could tell you were!
Lee Phillips, the SIM personnel coordinator
here, picked us up from the airport and took us to the SIM guesthouse in
Cotonou. This was a welcome stop as both
Kathleen and I were very overdue for a shower and some sleep. The next day we hit the road for Parakou.
Overall, the trip was fine. For a person arriving in Africa for the first
time this may have been more shocking.
There is a lot of traffic on the road, mostly consisting of
motorcycles. There are also potholes and
such on the road so it’s difficult at times to simply drive in a straight
line. Lee did an excellent job at
driving and after a quick stop for lunch along the way we arrived in Parakou about
6 hours later.
New
House
Our first introduction to our new house was
quite comical. When we arrived at the
SIM compound in Parakou, Lee led us to our new place. He explained that the house had just been
re-wired so one of the firs things I wanted to do was turn on a light and see
how well the electricity was working.
Well, when I turned on the first light I came across, there was a large
spark and the lightbulb shattered into pieces.
My first response was, “Fireworks!” and we all cheered. Thankfully, that was the only electrical
issues we came across. Well, one of the
ceiling fans wouldn’t work but we had someone come and fix it without any
issue. In summary, we’ve been very happy
with the house SIM has supplied for us.
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| Our new house (the house on the right) on the SIM Benin southern compound in Parakou, Benin |
Groceries
One thing I wasn’t sure about upon arrival
in Parakou is exactly how we would get our groceries. Unfortunately, there isn’t really anything
that resembles a typical grocery store you’d find in Canada. Thankfully though there are two stores we’ve
found here that are pretty good for canned, frozen and dry things. For fresh fruits and vegetables, you
basically have no choice but to go to the market. This can get a little confusing with the
language barrier and the bartering system but I think Kathleen has done an
excellent job in that department. We
also have a lady that comes and sells fruit and vegetables at the compound
every Friday so that saves us a trip to the market. We are able to buy bread close by that
Kathleen and I enjoy so we are starting to figure out where we get things and
at what price. We also have a house
helper, Julianne, who has been a great help to Kathleen. Kathleen and Julianne have really bonded and
Julianne has gone and bought things on our behalf because she said she can get
a better price on things because white people often have to pay more for things
here. Kathleen even asked her if she
could call her “Mama” which Julianne was hesitant to accept. When Kathleen explained, “Well, you just take
such good care of us!” Julianne seemed to really appreciate that. In summary, we seem to be doing ok in the
food department. I do miss poutine
though. :-)
Date
Night
Staying on the subject of food for a
moment, Kathleen and I were thrilled to find a great restaurant within walking
distance from the compound. It’s called
“Restaurant Al Amir” and if you search for it on Google be sure to take a look
at the reviews. You should find some
familiar faces! :-) Having a place that
Kathleen and I can go to for date night so nearby is a real blessing. Oh, we also found a place in town that has
gelato (Italian ice cream for those who don’t know). This is something Kathleen and I both enjoy
so we are glad we have a few “treats” that we’ve found here in town already.
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| Date night is better with pizza |
Football
Match
For those following us on Facebook you may
have already seen some photos of Kathleen and I at a football game here in Parakou. My understanding was that it was a team from
Parakou playing another team from a nearby town called N’Dali. Now, Benin is split up into 12 “départements”. The department that Parakou and N’Dali are in
is called Borgou. The game we went to
was the final game for the championship of Borgou. Or something like that. :-) Anyway, whatever the reason for the match, it
was great. The fans were very energetic
and in the end Parakou won! Lots of
trophies and medals were given out at the end.
We even got to experience some first-class VIP service. When the game went into overtime and then
eventually penalty kicks, we were invited onto the field to watch. When the trophies and medals were given out
we were able to mingle a bit with the players on the field. Some fans even took their pictures with
us. It was a great experience.
 |
| Can you spot the SIM missionaries? |
Trans
World Radio
We have had the privilege of meeting some
Trans World Radio (TWR) missionaries who live here in Parakou. Their names are Garth and Fiona Kennedy and
they are from South Africa. They have
been in Benin for over 10 years so they have a wealth of knowledge about the
area. Kathleen and I get along really
well with them. I have a special place
in my heart for southern Africa so meeting people from that part of the world
here has been great. TWR has a large
plot of land just outside of Parakou where their radio station is located. We got a tour of the place and Garth showed
us how the large antenna works to send Christian radio to people in Benin and
beyond. The Kennedy’s also showed us
their “lake cabin” where we stayed for a night.
Garth has literally built a lake on their property. Water runs in and out of the lake so it stays
quite clean and they let other missionaries use it as an oasis when they are feeling
tired. It was great to meet such great
people here to learn from and have fun with as well.
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| The lake at Trans World Radio |
Zémidjan
In Benin, the most common form of transport
is by motorcycle taxi, or as the locals call it, a Zémidjan (or simply Zem). Kathleen and I do not have a vehicle yet
(more on that later) so we are getting around town by Zems. It’s quite simple actual. You wave down a Zem driver, which are easy to
tell apart from just regular motorcycles because of their green and yellow shirts. Once the Zem has stopped in front of you, you
tell there where you would like to go and then barter the price of the
trip. Kathleen and I have paid anywhere
between 100 Central African Francs (CFAs) and 400 CFAs (about 20-90 cents Canadian)
to ride a Zem which is great because it’s so affordable. However, there are times when we would like
to have a vehicle to carry larger things, or simply be able to travel together
in the same vehicle so please pray our vehicle will be ready soon.
Vehicle
Last month I was able to “reserve” a car in
Cotonou. The process in buying a car has
been very different here than to any of my past experience. SIM has a trusted person they know that they
contact when they want to buy a vehicle.
Kathleen and I had decided we would like to get a Toyota Rav4, so Lee
contacted their guy in Cotonou to look out for one. It just so happened a boat full of new cars
had arrived in Cotonou that very day. He
texted some pictures of two Rav 4’s they had that had just come off the boats,
one with manual transmission and one with automatic. Automatic transmissions are more difficult to
repair so the manual is what we decided on.
Lee sent some money to the man to reserve it and he has now begun the
paperwork process to register the vehicle in the country. After that we will pay for the car in total
and then either go and pick it up, or have it delivered by someone to
Parakou. The last thing I heard was that
the registration process was going to take about another 3 weeks. Please pray that the paperwork process goes
smoothly and that Kathleen and I soon be more independent with our own
vehicle. Oh, and also pray for Kathleen
as this will be her first car with manual transmission! :-)
On the
Lighter Side
I realize this letter is getting a bit long
but I have two quick stories I’d like to tell you that I thought were quite
humorous. In September Kathleen and I
had been attending a church across the street from the SIM compound. None of the other missionaries attend this
church but we decided to go because we were able to walk to it from where we
lived. On our third visit, something
unexpected happened at the end of the service.
The service is a mixture of French and one of the local languages here
in Benin called “Bariba”. I was having a
lot of trouble following the service with the constant switches of languages so
eventually my mind started to wander to other things. The Lord decided to give me a tap on my
shoulder, quite literally. Suddenly, a
man tapped me on my shoulder and handed me a microphone. I was lost.
What was I supposed to do? I
asked the man, who seemed to know English, and he told me I was supposed to
pray. I asked him, “In which
language?” He didn’t answer me so I
looked quickly at Kathleen, hoping she would save me. She didn’t, so I just started praying in
English. I can’t remember exactly what I
said but it was a very simple prayer. It
didn’t really matter anyway because once I started speaking I could tell the
microphone wasn’t working anyway. After
I finished praying I handed the mic to the man and I began to hear people
talking amongst themselves in the crowd.
Someone handed the man another microphone and he started walking towards
me. Was I going to have to pray
again?! Mercifully, the pastor said that
the prayer had already be done so he just moved along with the service. I’m not sure I’ll be invited to preach at
this church anytime soon.
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| On the right side of the church above the choir it says "Pray without ceasing". Little did I know this was actually enforced at this particular church. |
Last week we had the opportunity to visit
one of the SIM projects in the village of Djougou about 1.5 hours outside of
Parakou. The project is translating the
Bible into one of the local languages here called “Yom”. When we arrived, I had the chance to meet
Dorothy Forsberg (she goes by Dodi) who has been a missionary here in Benin
since 1977. She speaks fluent Yom and
English so she was able to explain a lot about the project to me while I was
there. One thing that I noticed when I
first met Dodi is that she was missing her left hand. Not wanting to embarrass her I refrained from
asking her about it. Before I continue I
need to explain one thing. Here in Benin
the left hand is considered a “dirty” hand.
It is considered disrespectful to hand someone something with your left
hand or to receive something with your left hand. As Dodi and I were talking, I handed her
something with my left hand. I quickly
apologized and said that I’m still learning not to use my left hand. Dodi smiled and raised her left arm and
proudly said, “I’ve never had that problem here!” Dodi was born without her left hand which
seems like something I should pity her for, but I found myself feeling the
opposite. God knew a long time ago that
Dodi would be a Bible translator in Benin.
What better person to send to Benin than a woman who was born with only
a “clean” hand. Those God calls he also
equips. And in my mind, Dodi has
everything she needs. This becomes all
the more obvious when I found out that the Yom Bible is only about 2 years away
from being finished. I actually found
myself get a little emotional when I realized that Dodi, a woman who has been
working on this Bible and among the Yom people for decades, will see them
receive Bibles in her lifetime. Too
often I have heard about people who work in Bible translation who pass away before
they see the finished product. Perhaps
this was more in the past before computers and the internet and such, but I
still found it so encouraging to see that Dodi will be able to see the fruit of
her labour. Praise God!
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| Dodi with the rest of the Yom Bible translation team. |
Diane’s
Surgery
I’ve talked a lot about Benin so it’s only
fitting that I end back in Canada.
Kathleen’s mother has been fighting hip pain for about 1.5 years. While we were in Canada we heard the good
news that her surgery had been booked for September 19th. I’m pleased to report that Diane’s surgery
went very well and she had had a great recovery thus far. Thank you for your prayers for her. It’s good to see her walking without pain!
Conclusion
Well this letter has been a long one so I’m
going to wrap it up quickly. Thank you
to all of you unsung heroes who pray and financially support Kathleen and
I. We would not be on this adventure
without you. Until next time!
Blessings,
Graham & Kathleen <><
SIM Contact Info:
SIM Canada
10 Huntingdale Blvd.
Scarborough, Ontario
M1W 2S5
Canada
Tel: 1-800-294-6918
E-mail: info@sim.ca
(Our missionary number is 024460)
The opinions expressed in this letter are our
own opinions. They are not necessarily the opinions or views of Serving In
Mission (SIM).
