Second day in La Mé

  La Mé, Cote D'Ivoire
Thursday, February 1, 2007

I didn't sleep too well last night. I didn't dare turn the air conditioning off it would have been much too hot and the mosquitoes would have congregated, but at the same time the air was blowing right toward me on the bed. Finally I pulled my winter jacket (to be used in France during the last part of this trip) out of the suitcase and I used it as a short blanket, which made it possible to sleep a bit better.

We got together at 9:00 the next morning. The latest issue of our French magazine Bonnes Nouvelles had just arrived and we were happy to distribute them. I gave Bible Study to the whole group, except for a few who had to work, on the topic of Revelation 17:14, about how Christians must be "called, and chosen, and faithful" each of those terms being crucial and needing careful understanding. Then I met individually with the four people desiring baptism, plus a fifth a woman who hadn't been able to come the previous day. After visiting with them and discussing the topic, I felt there were significant enough lacks in their understanding of repentance and faith, that I gave them all some passages to study with Paul's help and said I would try my best to come back in April and meet with them again, and would hope to baptize them at that time.

This took until about 12:00. Paul and his brother Michel and I discussed the hall being built. They had a proper plan and blueprint done (Michel had been up much of the night working on it) and I agreed with their plan. My agreement was needed since they were requesting assistance from the Church to construct. We were all happy with the ultimate plan for a hall 20 meters by 10 meters, built of concrete block with a corrugated tin roof. They believe they will have it done by the time I return to see the in April, God willing.

Paul and his other brother Félix packed and prepared for their trip to Cotonou which would start that evening. One of the church ladies had prepared lunch for me: a quarter of a small local chicken with some fried manioc (or cassava) chips. I was very touched at this gesture. These are very poor people. They eat meat perhaps once a month on average. This much chicken would have cost at least a dollar which they are happy to make for a full day's work. Yet here they were, wishing to give it to me. I would have preferred that they eat it. But I couldn't say no either, so I ask Paul to share it with me, which after some hesitation he did. They were small portions, but meant a great deal to them and to me, and more importantly I believe to our Creator. This was very like the widow's mite, they were giving all they had.

Paul, Félix, Marcel and I drove back into Abidjan. On the way they pointed out to me one of the four sites where toxic waste had been illegally dumped a few months back. Someone from Europe paid someone else to dispose of it, and rather than do it the legal, safe and expensive way, that second someone paid a third someone just to pour it in the local garbage dumps. Several people died from the exposure to it, hundreds became ill, and as was to be expected it became a huge scandal in a country already suffering from a civil war.

There were huge shovels and graders on site to clean out the contaminated dirt. Another side effect became apparent when were drove through the center of Abidjan near the huge market at Adjamé. Since the main landfill area had to be closed due to contamination there was nowhere else to dump the tons of garbage produced every day in a city the size of Abidjan. So certain city streets right in the center of town were selected and made into makeshift waste sites. We drove passed piles of garbage fuming from small fires that never went out since more fuel was constantly being added. There were numbers of miserable children poking through the stinking piles looking for something to either eat or sell. In the heat and the dense traffic the effect was overwhelming. As if things weren't hard enough for them in Abidjan, now they have to deal with this mess as well.

I wanted to take photos to document this desperate state of affairs, but felt that the mood of many people being what I perceived it to be (drivers in a near state of gridlock were constantly honking, shouting, and gesturing angrily at each other), a photographer likely wouldn't be welcome. I left my cameras in their cases.

Arriving at the hotel was like entering another world. I have moved to the Novotel to have Internet access and a room that didn't smell of mold. It's overpriced, but I'll only be here one night and need the Internet access and the rest.

Paul and Felix came to the hotel and we said goodbye as they left for bus station and I started on other work, hoping for an early night and a good night's sleep.