Joyeux Noël!

Janet, Jolie, Christian and Martha had done some lovely designs at our house for you all, to wish you a very blessed and happy Christmas and a happy new year. These girls, as well as many other children, touch our lives daily in our mission compound of Foulaya.

As a household without children, we feel blessed to have them in our lives. Yes, sometimes they come at the most unexpected of times, usually asking “Aunty, we want to play!” or “Aunty, can I have the toys to play with?” and yes, like children anywhere in the world, there are conflicts to break up and resolve.  But, like any loving parent, when Foulaya is empty, we miss them, their voices, even the crying! They give life to our environment, together with the cats! Our Ivorian colleague with six children of her own recently said: “When a child is born in Africa, it is difficult to say “that’s MY child” because the child belongs to the environment, the community in which he or she grows up in. Everyone has a responsibility towards influencing the child.” Another Zambian friend said to Sarah before leaving for Guinea “Be prepared to give people a smile, it shows love.”  And at Birmingham airport, when embarking on the first leg of her flight to Guinea, the final words of Sharon, Sarah’s sister were, “Go and LOVE the people.” All of these quotations, from women who love God, inspire us to live out Christ on a daily basis, not just with those of high position but also the littlest and lowliest, and to give them our respect and love. And it’s the perfect time to remember Jesus, as little and lowly, but who was visited by adults – from shepherds, to three Wise Men who travelled a long distance and the heavenly hosts – to honour Him.

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2012 to you all.

Kittens dispatched!

We had to say goodbye to our six kittens before leaving Conakry, a very emotional time, but they had already spent over two months with their mother and needed dispatching. Rowan had become very thin, an extremely attentive mother who was also feeding big boy Benoit! Shame on him! On returning from Conakry, Rowan has regained some weight and looks much healthier.

Sonia's encouraging visit and a time of relaxation

As mentioned a few blogs ago, Sarah had travelled to Conakry to welcome Sonia from TAB Baptist in Wolverhampton, to Guinea. Sonia, responsible for mission liaison at TAB, had seen us during our home assignment visit and was particularly touched by what Eric had to say on the value of rest. She felt touched to come and visit us here, to see at first-hand the reality of life on the mission field. She has been a huge encouragement and support for us, praying with and for us, following us in our various ministries and cooking delicious food for us! And it’s clear to see that despite the language barriers, she herself had made an impression on the hearts of Guineans close to us. By God’s grace, we’ll look forward to seeing you again next year Sonia!

Trip to the islands

Eric and I profited from dropping off Sonia in Conakry to travel to the islands off Conakry, known as the Iles de Los (Islands of Idols, as the Portuguese had named them hundreds of years ago). It was a wedding present from the Mission Philafricaine Conakry team two years ago that we had not yet used. There are six islands in the group; we stayed on Kassa, the one nearest to Conakry, after a ride in a motorised pirogue that lasts for 30mins. The people who live here, mainly of the Susu group, are predominately fishermen. The British had control of the islands but handed them over to France in 1904. Hopefully the next time, we’ll take a visit to the island of Fortoba, where slaves were kept in apparently excellent climatic conditions, which enabled the authorities to better prepare them for the market. Descendants on Fotoba hold British names such as Wright. Kassa is a beautiful island rich in bauxite that the French exploited for many years. One can still see the remains of the mines, the rich reddy-brown earth dotted around. 

We had an enormously relaxing time and enjoyed the cuisine (barbequed fish and calamari with chips and fried plantains and salad!) and gained two bodyguards, Leon and Leanne, the dogs belonging to the resort, Le Bamana where we stayed, who followed us to the beach and back. Well worth a visit! We thank God for his protection during all these long journeys.

Marks & Spencer starts new delivery service

For my birthday, Eric and I travelled to the capital of the Forest Region, N’Zérekoré for a day off, as well as a bite to eat. Sarah spotted 'the' lorry that she usually sees in downtown Macenta but has never had the chance to take a photo of it. Finally, after travelling 2 hours, Eric captured it to show you the proof that Marks and Spencers are now in West Africa...