Togo Day 3

8/11/07

Book of Common Prayer - Proper 13
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleans and defend your Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness, through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

7:40am
Morning got off to another rough start. Again this morning the shower had only one knob. This sprayed COLD water, but only sometimes. The pressure came and went, came and went, then finally went, just as I got all soaped up. Not to worry tough. I finished my "shower" with water from the single faucet in the sink.

Missing Robyn :-( especially today.

11:15pm
Another long day in the bus. We visited 2 churches today. The first was in Pastor Guidi's hometown in Ghana. We were supposed to go there last night. Apparently they had thousands of people there waiting to welcome us. This morning's crowd was quite a bit smaller. Again we were welcomed with drums and singing and dancing. But this time when Pastor Guidi did the introductions, he spoke about how hard John works and how grateful they are that God had raise up a new assistant "Pastor David!" That was strange to hear. I had never considered myself to be an answer to prayer before. For the rest of the journey all of the Togoleese have been calling me "Pastor David."
In that town we also had a chance to meet the village chief. He wore a bright print draped on his body like a toga. He also held a staff with a huge gold something on the top, which was our cue that this was someone important that we should be introduced to. He was not a Christian, but he and the village elders came out to offer greetings to us just the same.
As it came time to leave the village we were presented with gifts of coconuts, bananas, soy beans and pears. We gave some gifts in return: perfume, purses, a soccer ball, and other children's items. As we were pulling away, we brought out of the bus a box of empty water bottles, hoping that someone would dispose of them. But the children of the village seized upon them and fought one another viciously for them. I'm not sure why they were so valuable. I have not seen any Africans drinking out of these bottles. Maybe it was just that the Americans had them. But this was a real reminder of the importance of dispersing gifts through the proper channels.
At the next church we met pastors from many places. They were having a retreat there. This church was in a more urban area and had audio amplification, a keyboard, drumset - the works! Our reception there was especially warm. During one of the songs Pastor Peter took me out front and taught me "African Dancing." It looks a little like the chicken dance. I think that the other David got it on video, but I am assured that I danced well. I suppose that there is a first time for everything!
When it came time to leave, we were once again presented with gifts. This time there were more bananas, coconuts, and also a live goat. The goat really upset some people in the group. It rode the whole way back to Lome' (another 10 hours or so) on the roof of the bus.
By now it was almost 1:30 and we stopped at a restaurant to eat. It is hard to believe that in just two days I have come to regard pop as a special treat. One woman cooked for our group of more than 20 people in a little tiny kitchen. The service was slow, but the food was very good.
Looking back, I think I made a mistake at lunch. One of the local missionaries in training came up to me and said, "May I have your email address? I would like to be your friend." What I gave him my email. What I have found out since is that these relationships tend to foster dependency and should be avoided. I guess you live and learn.
After lunch it was time to begin our return to Lome'. along the way a flat tire gave us a chance to mingle with some more locals. We gave the children a playground ball and were back on our way.
Border crossing this time was much easier and took only 1 hour. We traveled a little further to a major city between Lome' and the border, Parliament. Here we bough dinner and got the tire fixed. As we were waiting on the tire, I got a small taste of home. Gideon and Pastor Frank called me into an electronic shop where they were watching WWE. Gideon know John Cena, "He is a very strong fighter." I took their picture in front of the TV. It is one of my favorite shots so far. I explained to them that I have seen one of these shows live and that these are actors - the violence is not real. It was a special treat, and it made me think of Robyn, especially on our day!
I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. I'm willing to bet that it will be another long day.