surprises along the way

We know that when we travel there will be surprises. For me, some of that included what we were asked to do in Benin.

I knew from previous groups of people who have gone to Benin from our church that it's very common to be asked to preach. One man was asked to preach 8 times in a 10 day trip!

Derek preached once, so we got off easy in the preaching category. But this preaching fell in his very, very busy week of teaching 2 courses and trying to mark papers written in French.

When we were in Allada living at La Casa Grande, we went to church in town. They asked our family to come to the front to share a few words the first Sunday we were there. So we did. I read from Romans 12:1-2, one of my favourite passages this past year.

The next day, I had an invitation from the pastor's wife to speak at a gathering of women that was happening the following Saturday morning. I wondered if it would be rude to decline the offer, because I didn't really know what to talk about - they wanted input for about an hour. But after thinking about it for a day or so, I agreed to do it.

I spoke about Romans 12 and used different stories to illustrate various aspects of the passage. And I had fun! I really liked speaking in bite-sized chunks and having it translated into Fon. It gave me time to think of my next sentence. The women responded very well to the stories too, which was fun.

me with the organizing committee... one of these things is not like the others...

the women at the gathering

Romans 12:1-2 speaks of not conforming to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. I used the example of the butterfly to illustrate this - how a caterpillar grows and grows, makes a chrysalis, then emerges as a totally different creature. I talked about how my daughters and I had carefully observed each stage, and how long each stage took for a monarch butterfly in Canada.

I thought that this was an example that everyone would know about, but this wasn't the case. This was a new story! So the following week at La Casa Grande, I was asked to lead the morning devotions for 5 days. The first day I talked about this passage to them and showed pictures from my computer of the various stages of the caterpillar/chrysalis/butterfly. I also showed a short video of the butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.

Paulin asked everyone there (about 30 kids and staff) whether they had ever heard about that before. Nobody had. So it was fun to share that in this group too.

Then in Cotonou, we were asked to share the morning we went to church with Bonaventure. So once again I pulled out Romans 12:1-2 and told the story of the girls and watching a caterpillar transform.

Transform has been a good word for this trip too - it's been a good opportunity to re-orient our thinking, our prayers, ourselves. So I'm hopeful that I'll continue this transformation, just like a caterpillar/chrysalis/butterfly.

Derek writes: teaching in Benin

at the Psalms weekend course

with the students from the intro course

While Rebecca and the girls stayed at La Casa Grande children's home, I returned to Cotonou to teach at IBB, the Institute Biblique du Benin.  I began by teaching an "Introduction to the Old Testament" intensive course to their full-time students (a class of 6), which involved 30 hours of teaching time over 5 days - 3 two-hour sessions per day, Mon-Fri - which was translated into French. 

Nancy Frey, French and Benin cultural translator extraordinaire

During that week I was interviewed in the evening by a local Christian radio station to advertise for the "Psalms" course that weekend, open to current and former students of IBB as well as the broader church in Benin.

students doing group work in Psalms class

So Friday evening I began a 13-hour weekend course (2 hours on Fri. evening, 6 on Sat., and 5 on Sunday), as well as preaching for the Sunday morning service. This course was much bigger and for a wider audience. There were about 200 people registered, and the course was first translated from English into French and then into Fon, the most common traditional language in Benin.

preaching on Sunday morning

motorcycle parking lot for Psalms course

Both were powerful experiences where I learned an awful lot, and was consistently asked questions that do not come up in Canada, but are very real questions in the Beninese context. Many of them had to do with the Fon traditional voodoo practices. Some of these questions included:

* what should I do with a witch in my congregation who has killed several people through the power of witchcraft?

* is it possible for Christians to curse others like the Psalms do, because there are others who are actively cursing you?

I experienced a high respect that people give to teachers there. Some examples of this were:

* I could not carry my own books - in the twenty steps between my room and the classroom, anyone who saw you would insist on taking everything out of your hands and walking you to the classroom, whether they were students, other professors, or the administrator of BBI. They have a profound respect and appreciation for teachers, which was refreshing. :)

* I was given the gift of a bottle of water at the beginning of each session (3 times a day) to show welcome and appreciation. This is a way of showing hospitality in Benin - to offer water to guests.

* the moment I lifted a chalkboard eraser, a student would jump up to take this out of my hand and erase the board for me, leaving their notes behind

Some other differences I noticed: 

* their hunger and conviction for biblical insight. The Bible was seen as immediately relevant and directly applicable.

* there are very limited secondary resources, particularly in French

* students are not used to taking notes, but having the important things placed on the chalkboard (in full sentences). Anyone who has experienced my teaching in Canada knows that this is not really my style, so I needed to learn to adapt to their style as did they to mine...

All in all, I was struck by similarities between the Old Testament context and life as it is lived in Benin. Where for my Canadian students it is a stretch to imagine a setting where many gods are worshipped, here this is a given; "holiness" churches are very prominent, with some having rules for limiting the participation of menstruating women, wearing special white robes for religious services, etc., that appear to be taken fairly directly from Leviticus; polygamy is practiced in traditional African religious groups, in part to secure enough "manpower" to support the extended family and parents in old age. Where the OT has repeated references to people worshipping and offering sacrifices under trees and on "every high hill," here you can see charred marks under large trees from sacrifices and even signs for "sacred forests" reserved for voodoo rituals.

Where there is a temptation to write this off as superstitious or such, two final observations. First, I found it incredibly helpful to be hear in order to better understand and appreciate aspects of the OT. I wonder how African folks could help North Americans to better understand 'atonement,' or the "family stories" in Genesis, or many other things. Where for us these tend to be theoretical discussions, in Benin there is direct contact and experiential understanding of these settings.

Second, I suspect we have our own idols and 'gods' that we worship too, only in less direct ways. I wonder whether 'traditionally' (ie: repeatedly) checking my email or banking information reflects my own version of "idolatry." Stressing the importance of the individual and my OWN well-being over that of others sure provides a striking contrast to the habitual hospitality we encountered.

Much more to say, but this gives you a sense of what I was up to and where my mind went. I came away challenged, invigorated, and motivated. We are all grateful to St. Jacobs Mennonite Church for this opportunity, and BBI for its incredible welcome.

Derek

things you can buy in Benin

I think you can tell a lot about a place by the things that they have for sale. Perhaps seeing these various products will give you a peek into some aspects of life in Benin.

bissap flowers for making bissap juice

pounded and dried palm nuts for making sauce

tailor made clothing 

our talented tailor

cheap gas from Nigeria in water and pop bottles

more gas and motorcyle tires

coffins (very readily available by the side of the road 

and easily transportable via motorcycle)

baobab juice (and ginger and mango juice too)

fish

small brooms (this is the sound we heard every morning and evening, and we'll miss it)

fresh produce

fresh mangoes and watermelons

oranges that you can drink from

Jesus stickers

fabric

clothing at the market

beads

freshly killed birds

shrimp and other things at the Cotonou market 

(a crazy, crazy place, by the way, that makes the St. Jacobs market look like a lazy and quiet café. The Cotonou market is open 7 days a week, rain or shine.)

motorcycle rides (this is Eric, who works at BBI, so we didn't buy this ride, but motorcycle taxis can take you across the city for less than 50 cents)

braids :)

the whole family writes: we'll miss... we're looking forward to...

As we think about making our voyage home (we'll be home on Monday evening - hard to believe!) we talked about the things we'll miss from Benin, and the things we're looking forward to at home.

We'll miss:

* dancing and singing in church (Eden)

* the food - fresh fish with sauce and fried plantain (Derek)

* the joie de vivre of the people here, their resilience and innovation, their long salutation greetings, the music (Rebecca)

* the sound of the balain brooms in the morning and evening (Zoe)

* goats and sheep roaming the streets (Eden)

* lizards inside and outside the house (Zoe)

* motorcycle rides (Eden)

* the friends we've made here (Zoe and Eden)

* sleeping under a mosquito net and feeling like a princess (Rebecca)

* fresh pineapple, mangoes, and bananas (Derek)

* how people sing and dance (Eden)

* being called "yo-vo" (Eden)

* Group work and chores at La Casa Grande and washing the dishes (Zoe)

* chores with Dorea and La Casa Grande (Eden)

We're looking forward to: 

* seeing friends and family again (Zoe)

* my birthday in July (Eden)

* not being called "yo-vo" and having people touch my hair and my skin (Eden)

* cooler nights for sleeping (Rebecca)

* no more traveller's diarrhea :)

* not taking malaria pills anymore (Eden)

* not having people ask me if I can stay and live with them in Benin, or ask if I want to marry them (Eden)

for the love of reading

So many of you donated things for us to bring along to La Casa Grande. Thank you so much for these donations! They were very much appreciated. We brought soccer balls, skipping ropes, clothing, shoes, medical supplies, and books.

packing some of the supplies for La Casa Grande

I want to tell you more about the books, and about Paulin's dream for La Casa Grande and L'ecole Les Leaders. Paulin Bossou is the director of La Casa Grande Children's Home. He's currently on sabbatical in Canada, but we had the privilege of being with him here in Benin.

La Casa Grande is the children's home we've written about already. There are 33 children who live there. It's a very inspiring organization, because their projects help to employ many people in the town of Allada, and the projects also benefit the community. 

In 2010, they started a school on the property. The private school fees that they were paying for the children from the home were too high, and the public schools had too many strikes every year that really got in the way of learning. They dreamed of a school where children from LCG could go, as well as children from the surrounding area. Burgos Mennonite church in Spain, as well as the city of Burgos, have been very generous in their support of LCG, and the city gave funds to have the school built. 

Each year, the school has grown and there are about 140 students there this year. Next year, they project at least 200.

As the school grows, they have more dreams. 

They dream of making a paved terrace for the children to play basketball and other sports. Right now, they have their gym classes on the dirt in front of the school.

They also have a dream of creating a library with a computer lab. There is no library in the town of Allada, so this would serve the town, the school, and the children's home. 

Personally, I'm very excited about this library project. Books are a rare commodity here. We experienced that firsthand. 

We brought 110 French children's books here to support this library dream. Here is a picture of some of them:

During our 2 weeks there, I kept about 10 books in our room so that our girls could continue to practice reading in French. Some afternoons, we would use these books to entertain the little ones in our care. They loved them, and paged through the books over and over again.

After school, the older kids noticed them one day. One by one, more children came over to our porch to pore over the books. I apologized to the kids who were 12 and 13 because the books were for little kids. But that didn't seem to bother them. They read them and looked at the pictures and kept asking for more. They were hungry to read.

In their school, the students write on chalk slates, and they read from the blackboard or from their workbook. But aside from that, there are no books.

Paulin has written up a project proposal, and I'm excited to see how schools, churches, or other organizations in Canada could help make this library project possible for them. Their total budget for the project is $9000 Canadian. This includes building the structure, building desks and shelves, and buying 10 used computers for the computer lab. 

There were several books that we brought that I used in the classrooms - L'année de Zoe by Barbara Reid, which illustrates the 4 seasons in Canada (thanks, Pamela and Esme!) and showed the children a whole different world from Benin (everyone always asked if the Zoe in the book was the same Zoe from our family). Even the oldest class didn't mind that I was reading them a board book. I also used a book that showed some of Canada's geography (thanks Heather Weber!). 

As a former teacher, I know how books can open up new worlds for children, and I'd love to help the children in Allada to experience this love of reading.

the whole family writes: Ouidah, the slave port

Yesterday we went to Ouidah, Benin. It's on the coast, west of Cotonou. Ouidah tells an important, but very sad story. It was the port where slaves from all over western Africa were taken to be sold and loaded onto ships. These ships brought them to North and South America.

tree where slaves were sold

sign that's by the tree

the path the slaves had to walk down, all chained up, towards the ocean

Here are some of our reflections last evening when we came home:

Eden: Just imagining and seeing and hearing the name of the place was so sad. It was called the "port of no return." If you have a really good imagination, you shouldn’t go to that place because you would just cry and cry. Just listening to that name: the port of no return. Like you’re not going to go back to your home. It’s like me going to another country without my family. All by myself. Just imagine how you would feel in that position. And the name of that port. It’s like you’re never going to return to your family. Never going to return to your actual country. If you have a really good imagination, I don’t think you should go there.

memorial for the port of no return

close-up of pictures on the memorial

can you see the ocean?

the port of no return

 Eden: If you were in that position, you would never come back to your family. Even kids would go there without any mom or dad, not knowing anybody there.

Zoe: The ship would have been very uncomfortable and disgusting with all of those people piled in.

Eden: People there, I just feel really bad for them. Even if it was a really, really long time ago. I still feel like I’m in that position, even though I’m not. If I was, I’d be crying almost every night. I’d miss my family.

Derek: Bonaventure, our friend who took us to Ouidah, said, “Without God, it’s amazing what people can do.” People can be so mean to others. He also said, "I'm so glad I wasn't alive during that age."

Zoe: When you read these books about all of this stuff about slavery, you think that all of the people were born in America and they were treated badly. But now we actually got to see one of the places that they came from. So American wasn’t their birthplace. Most of them weren’t born in America, they have a different home and they were taken away. So that gave me a new understanding about slaves in America.

Eden: It’s actually the ocean where a long time ago people were in a big ship. It’s the same water that I touched today with a boat going to North America.

the ocean

Bonaventure and Rebecca

 Zoe: Right where I stepped might have been where a slave would have stepped, or a trader. Or both.

whose feet walked here before?

 Eden: If I would touch that road, it could still have a tiny bit of a footprint of the slaves from a long, long time ago. I could be touching what was stepped on so long ago. Nobody that I know in Canada was there at at that time.

Zoe: There was a tree that women had to walk around 7 times and men had to walk around 9 times. It was called "the tree of forgetting." They wanted the slaves to forget everything about where they came from - their families, their villages, their homes.

tree of forgetting with a monument in front

Eden: Walking around a tree 7 times wouldn’t make me forget my whole family. It’s just making them weaker. And dizzy.

Eden: Just imagine you behind them walking up to the boat. Then you look back and people are walking towards you into the boat. Probably at least 90 people were crying when they went into the boat.

Eden: Just walking around in Benin, carrying something to your house, and then you look to the side, and then you see people in chains walking into a boat, to the port of no return. Just imagine that. Then you'll know why I wanted to cry.