Togo 8/15/07

8/15/07

Happy Birthday Kevin, sorry no birthday call this year.

10am I have spent much of the morning working on the floor of the clinic. The noise of the crowd can be very disorienting. With at least three different languages being spoken it is amazing how much communication actually occurs. I have learned a few French and Ewe phrases which help in basic exchanges. However, when the conversation gets much past formalities, I'm pretty well lost.
The Togoleese seem to realize that we will be leaving soon. Pastor Evie has joked that he is going to fly back to America with me. He wants to sit on my lap on the plane.
I am concerned about the women's conference later today. Some of the women are going and at least one of them seems to be itching for a fight. I will be really surprised if something doesn't set her off. Those who will travel this afternoon are meeting to formulate a message to deliver to the women's conference. They are going under so many conditions though, I pray that they will actually have a chance to deliver their message.

5:30 Today ended up being a very rewarding day. There were many children at the clinic today and they were younger in age as well. They also seemed to be more aggressive than in previous days - hitting and kicking each other. Maybe it is just a few that are sticking out like a sore thumb. Today, even more than other days the children responded very well to music - especially songs with clapping and motions. I am amazed at how quickly they have been able to pick up the words, especially since it cannot be much more than babble to them.
After we returned from lunch, we found that the situation int he clinic had gone downhill quickly. A combination of medicine shortage and line jumping had led to a huge backlog. With 1/2 the team, including Dr. Nancy en route to Ghana, this was a problem. Through an interpreter I was able to find out the source of hte problem and we went out to get more medicine. We also had to get security to reset the chairs for the people who were waiting to see the doctor since most of their chairs had been moved to the pharmacy line. After about 45 minutes and a fresh supply of medicine, order was restored.
As the day drew to a close, we ran out of ideas and energy for the children's ministry. Once we packed that up one of the older Togoleese girls took control and got the children organized and singing. It was a small, quiet group at first, but it soon grew to include nearly all of the children. They sang many songs for us, mostly in English including Blessed Be, Allelu-Allelu, Lord, I Lift Your Name on High, and Let it Be. It was a really wonderful sight to behold. I really felt like I had left them with something that would last longer than any material gift that I could have brought.
The ladies are still not back from Ghana, but I think we all expected that. Some people on the team think that we are bing lied to about times and distances, but I am really coming to believe that our hosts have very little concept of distance or time. I prefer to think that this is the case, anyway. I hope that these issues with time to do not translate into difficulty getting to our plane on time. There is not another flight out of Togo for three days. I am really starting to look forward to the comforts of home, and talking with Robyn and my family and friends again.

11pm Tonight we had an opportunity to finally sit, relax, debrief, and enjoy each other's company. In turn each of us had a chance to talk about the best parts of the trip and about our learnings. Many of the women who traveled to Ghana spoke of that was the highlight of their trip. We also talked about how we had fallen short in two important areas: prayer and cultural sensitivity.
Oh, right, the women all returned safely and with great joy. As it turns out, the distances and times were about what what was promised. Since they were meeting with the bishop there was considerable pomp and circumstance. But they were able to deliver a powerful message, even those with a fear of public speaking.
After tonight's meeting I feel very affirmed. I was thanked for my pastoral presence and my pleasant attitude. One person told me that I have patience and wisdom beyond my years. When i mentioned how I had learned that the things which happen in life but seem to be random are actually a part of God's plan, John said that I had the outline for a good sermon there and that he would like for me to preach that at Peace sometime.