One of the things I look forward to on these trips is eating rice and greens in the local cook shops. I grew up on the stuff in Liberia and my whole family really enjoys African food. Today I had rice and sweet-potato greens with beef!
Perez, Alexis and Csaba
After a breakfast of french baguettes and coffee, we began our first day of checking our translation of the Gospel of Luke into Bakwé. We are having it checked via Skype. The translation consultant is in Senegal and we (me and two Bakwé colleagues) are in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Amazing, the 21st century!
The first chapter has 80 verses!
I left Idaho on the 19th and arrived in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire last night, the 21st (my birthday). I was happy birthdayed by all the familiar sights, smells and sounds as I walked out of the airport and made my way to the guest house by orange taxi. Oh the smell of diesel exhaust and the friendly honking of car horns! I love it!
Spending the night in Geneva helped with the jet lag I guess; I feel pretty good. The real reason for going via Geneva was because it was almost $1,000 cheaper than going direct. Go figure! Anyhow, I’m here and ready to work. Got some groceries and worked on preparing for our translation checking session this morning. Côte d’Ivoire is 7 hours ahead of Moscow, Idaho.
Five days left until I take off for Côte d’Ivoire for about a month of good intense work with my Bakwé colleagues. This time out we are going to spend about three weeks in Abidjan. I’ll be doing Scripture checking for two weeks. When Benjamin and Scott (two young men from our home church) arrive, at the end of the month, they will be working on audio Scripture recording and setting up the computer equipment we are bringing out. Kjell (a previous consultant for the World Bank, and resident of Côte d’Ivoire for three years) will arrive the second week of September and then we all will drive to Touadji and spend about a week there. Kjell will be running a small business seminar for our volunteer literacy teachers while we all work on other important stuff.
We are praying for productivity, health, safety on the roads, and that we may be an encouragement to the saints in Bakwé land. Keep checking back here for both pictures and news updates.
My daughter, Noai, has been organizing Bakwé flashcard parties to make and laminate flashcards for our Bakwé teachers who teach Bakwé reading and writing over in Côte d’Ivoire. The turn-out has been great! Good fellowship, lively conversation and jesting, and African music! We now have almost completed the first Bakwé Reading and Writing Primer and should have ten sets of flashcards made up by the time I leave on my next trip. A big thank you to everyone who has been able to help out!
Bakwe' Mission