June 10 - Fixing The Screen Door

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Matthew 10:07 p.m.: This morning we were able to fix screens on the missionary kid school classroom door and window. The screens are to protect the kids from mosquitoes. We are thankful to be able to help with these practical projects to save Glenn time. This afternoon we had the honor of interviewing 6 students from the Center. They were: Tamba from Guinea, Pierre from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Antoine from Congo Braazaville, Tanpo from Burkina Faso, Anselme from Benin and Lare from Togo. Each one of the students told us how they came to faith in Jesus and how God called them to come and study at the Center. They also testified as to how their training at the Center has made a profound impact on their lives and how they are being equipped to plant churches and teach God’s Word. It was a great honor to hear of God’s faithfulness in their lives. Many of them come from animistic/pagan backgrounds. Tamba from Guinea learned about the saving grace of Jesus through a Liberian who came and taught them. Pierre from the Democratic Republic of Congo was committed to pagan gods at birth. Not long after, a Christian came into his mother’s life and taught her the powerful, freeing grace of Jesus Christ. Amen! Only God knows what He will do with these men after their training at the Center is completed—but the possibilities are exciting! We pray that all of French-speaking West Africa will come to faith in our awesome God!

The Fluegges left for Burkina Faso at 12 noon. It was sad to say goodbye to them. It was also quite strange that the short termers—us—were waving goodbye to the long-termers—the Fluegges. In just 6 days we were able to develop a wonderful friendship with all of them. God has placed them in our hearts and we love them all! Hopefully they will be able to come to Topsfield one day to meet the OSLC family! Glenn will be back with Bill, Brian and me on Thursday.

One of the projects Glenn asked us to do is to paint the lines for a basketball court.. There is an old tennis court next to the Fluegge’s home that Glenn put a hoop at the one end. We will paint the lines on one end of the court so Samuel Fluegge can teach his Togolese friends basketball. Bob and Kyle Uhlig emailed us the measurements today for the court—so thank you Uhlig men! You are helping start a basketball craze in Togo! We also learned that the Celtics are up 2 games and it was 100 degrees at home today! Together we’re sharing the heat!

June 9 - Men At Work

*More promotional work. As soon as we got back from the weaver, we went right to work on the DVD and brochure. We roughed out the brochure for the CLET staff to review, reviewed photo and video materials, and composed the DVD outline. We are now taking more photos of the CLET campus and beginning to interview the faculty and students. This will take us well past 6pm, which isn’t unusual for us. With the longer lunch breaks, work usually continues into the cooler hours of the evening.

We will be on our own for the next few days since Glenn is taking Susan and the children to Ouagadougou for them to fly home to California for 7 weeks. We plan on fixing screen doors, lights, and fans at their home and at CLET. We’ll also be continuing our interviews and work at the Center with the help of another American missionary who works in DaPaong. Her name is Valerie Stonebreaker.

June 9 - Student Taking a Final Exam - Future Pastor

June 9 - Customs in Togo

June 9, 200 Bill, 4:00 p.m. : Going to see the weaver this morning was very interesting. I rode in the back of the pick up and bounced around a bit. Half of the ride was through bumpy dirt streets in downtown Dapaong and half through smoother faster country roads to the village. Trash litters the city, but the country is quite clean. People remain friendly, but there are the occasional teenagers and street toughs who don’t seem too welcoming. Susan says that Dapaong has changed a lot since they first came.

Gangs have begun to move in. Girls are wearing pants. And the city is growing. Almost whenever Susan goes to town now, she hears a few people call her “yoo-hoo”. It means “white dog” and is similar to calling somebody [ the N word] in the US. It’s very upsetting to her. Even so, she says that the vast majority of Togolese want white people here. They bring money and to discourage that would be detrimental to their own employment. Even so, Dapaong is a far cry from a tourist destination.

*Polygamy in Togo. Susan also explained that when a man takes multiple wives in Togo, it’s usually for the purpose of raising children to work on the farm. Children usually nurse for 2-3 years and marriage relations are forbidden from the time the woman is pregnant until the child is weaned. Hence, if a man wants more than one child a year, he needs to have more than one wife. But, it’s less common now than it used to be.

This is an issue that the Lutheran church has discussed here and their approach is to allow men who become Christians after taking multiple wives to keep their wives. But, if they want to become pastors, they are strongly encouraged to discontinue relations with all but their first wife. I’ll have to ask Glenn for more details.

June 9 - The Weaver

June 9, 2008 Brian 1:30 p.m.: This morning, we saw Africa. The real Africa. We were Africans. Susan Fluegge, along with Francois (Frans-wah) our cook, took us to a cloth weaver. We have been looking forward to this since we came. We are off the beaten path, to say the least now, this place was off the path that is off the path.



Families here live in compounds. Small rounds mud huts with grass roofs, in more or less of a circle, with a wall connecting the huts. The center of this is a common area, where cooking, eating etc. takes place. We drove (more like 4 wheeled) through some fields and down a small path, and parked near on compound. This compound had 2 egresses, and we were able to walk, essentially, through their living room. There were 2 bulls, a dog, chickens of course (they are everywhere) and the family. Not the type of thing one usually sees in a living room! We walked down a trail, and into a second compound, where there were more kids, chickens (of course) a crippled man who sat on the ground, and the weaver.



The weaver sat under a 5 foot high shelter, made of sticks. He sat on the edge of a hole, with his feet in the hole. He had an elaborate system of branches that each had a function in the total rig that is his loom, with 2 strings hanging down that he controlled with his feet. The cotton thread was strung out to a rock so that it was taught and able to be fed as needed to the weaver. This weaver is a farmer as well, and grew the cotton that the Paña I bought is made from. The Paña is about 3’X4’, and takes about 4 days to make. Obviously, this does not include the labor to grow the cotton. The Paña cost about $12.



This afternoon, we are at the center working more on the brochure that we are going to produce. We are meeting with Pastor Glenn right now, and taking some pictures of the campus.

June 9 - Videos, and Dinner

Photo: Interviewing Pastor Souk




Photo: Interviewing Dr Dongo

June 9 9:24 p.m. Matthew: What an awesome Monday we had--thank you all for your continued prayers and love! Brian and Bill captured most of the day in their blog entries.

Our video interviews with the professors went very well. With the amount of promotional material that the Center needs--a brochure to recruit African students to come train to be pastors, a DVD to promote the Center's work to USA churches, and a brochure that promotes the Center to USA churches--we will need the help of many OSLC Graphic Designers and DVD producers in the days to come!

We've been thanking God every night during our prayer time (which is on the roof) that He would allow us to promote this awesome theological school so that more pastors may be trained so that more people may come to saving faith in Jesus in French-speaking West Africa! Awesome! We just returned from a wonderful dinner with the Fluegges and Valerie Stonebreaker. Susan and the children are leaving tomorrow and we will miss them! They have been gifts to us and we hope we have been a blessing to them. God is doing great things through their entire family here--the children are missionaries too--all 5 of them!

Please continue praying for us as there's much to do in our 6 remaining days. We 3 amigos work very well together and enjoy one another as we partner in this amazing work--so your prayers are being answered! By the way--one of the nicknames Bill has received during our trip thus far is 'Beaker.' Can you guess why? Love and prayers from across the Atlantic where the drums beat loud and the sun shines bright! (but none of us are too sunburned which is great!)

June 8 - Photo - Ops

We were thinking of you all throughout the day, and what might be happening in church. Hope you liked the Mission Moment!
 
Well, Bill already calls me ‘Hemingway’ for my long blog entries ( I can’t help it!) So I better sign off. Good afternoon from Dapaong, Togo, Africa. (where am I?)
 

June 8 - Lollipops

We passed out candy to the kids, and when we were done, I asked Pastor Glenn to ask if we missed anyone. Quickly, a member in broken English said, ‘Yeah, the adults!’ I reopened the bag, and stand back! They love candy!

June 8 - Worship, Lesson and Parachute Games

After the service, Matthew spoke to Pastor Glenn, who interpreted and spoke to the Pastor in training, who translated French to Moba, and taught to the kids. Its great to hear a question in English, like, “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” have it translated twice, a child answers, translated twice again, and hear “To save us from our sins!” The work the church has done here is saving people, that’s the great commission. After a short lesson, we unpacked the parachute that Matthew brought. The kids had a great time, as well as the adults.

June 8 - Bonjour !

I have mentioned before, everything here is formal. We met the leaders, shook hands, “Bonjour, Enchante” (Hello, nice to meet you) then Pastor Glenn ‘presented’ us, and we did it again. There are so many cultural differences here. Even Pastor Glenn was tired when we got home, citing that there is rarely a moment when something is familiar, that you don’t have to think…”don’t eat with your left hand, don’t cross your legs, always wave with your right hand, etc”, that you are constantly thinking and being keenly aware not to offend.

June 8 - Service at the church in Nano

Later in the service, the women slowly came out of their seats, youngest first it appeared, and danced. Not just arbitrary, but not too in sync. Slowly shuffle your feet, and shake it! When the older women danced, the men danced. Never at the same time, always separately. We were formally presented to the congregation, and gave a donation as a sign of our appreciation of the lunch they were planning for us. They were very grateful.

June 8 - Church Service at Nano

As the service progressed, every bench was full! Pastor Glenn sat next to me, and although he does not speak fluent Moba, he has studied it, and could tell me some of what they were saying. (e.g. Apostles Creed). Other moments were somewhat the same. We knew when the offering took place, for example. Each row, starting with the chorus, then women (Men and women are on different sides of the church) then me, would clap and sing as they went to a wooden box on a stand to tithe.

June 8 - In The Church Service

We had the only car at church. Several mopeds, but most walked. The service began late because, well, no parishioners had showed up yet. They are busy in the fields during this, the beginning of the rainy season. The music consisted of a large drum, and a set of …other drums. Wow! The chorus is loud! And the music was really great. I am not sure what they singing, but the tune is in my head. They are not fooling around!

June 8 - On The Way To Church in Nano

June 8th Brian – Today we worshipped in a village called Nano (Nah-no). Traffic was good, not too many goats or animals to avoid. The ride through Dapaong and Nano is interesting, but looks almost the same everywhere. Huts, shacks and people (women and children) working in the fields. Even places that look remote, are not. There seems to be people everywhere…in the fields, on the roads etc. Universally, they are extremely friendly, at least to us. They wave, and children sing a song that Pastor Glenn interpreted as, “White man, white man, good evening. White man, white man how are you. White man we are fine” Always with a laugh or smile, and a wave.

June 8 Missions Moment

*There is a photo of Bill and Brian with the Fluegge family. God is using us to encourage this dear family and we are so honored. They have been lonely and our prayers have been that we be a cup of cool water to them. We love them!

June 8 Missions Moment

Matthew with Dr. Dongo, Center president and Pastor Joseph--President of the Lutheran Church of Congo Brazzaville.

June 8 Missions Moment

*There is a photo where I am explaining the brochure outline for the center—this brochure will be in French and will be used to recruit students from Africa to come and attend. We will need the help of our OSLC graphic designers upon returning!

June 8 Missions Moment

*There are photos of the Center campus, the city of Dapaong where we are staying and the landscape around Dapaong

June 8 Missions Moment

*There is a photo of the team with the faculty at the Center—we will begin interviewing them on Monday, June 9.

June 8 Missions Moment

*There is a photo where Brian, Bill and Glenn Fluegge are presenting the OSLC gifts to the professors. The second photo shows the professors praying prayers of thanks to God for these gifts.

June 8 Missions Moment

*There are 2 ‘men at work’ photos—Brian helping Glenn Fluegge work on his truck and Brian and Bill helping change lights at the Fluegge home. We are so thankful to be able to help with their home projects to practically show the love of Jesus to them.

June 8 Missions Moment

*There is a photo of our team with the 16 students from the Center—they are from 6 countries—Guinea, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Congo Brazzaville and Democratic Republic of Congo. This coming week we will teach and interview the students, and have the honor of praying for them and encouraging them.

June 8 Missions Moment

*There are 3 photos of Togo people—children, a woman storekeeper and older woman. Please share that the harvest field is great here—50% of the people profess Christianity but often blend their beliefs with animistic practices; 25% are Muslim and 25% are animist or tribal. The life expectancy is only 52 years old—so the time is now to reach these dear ones with the Gospel

The Home Of An Extended Family

One extended family lives together in this cluster of homes.

A View Of The City of Dapaong

The Home Where The Team Is Stayng

This is the home where the team is staying -- not far from the Fluegge's residence.

June 7 - Trip To The Market

Saturday, June 7th, 2008 – BRIAN--Last night (Friday night) we spent some time under the amazing African sky on the roof. It is a flat roof with a railing, like a patio. Pastor Glenn came over and we talked until the wee hours with the sound of drums in the distance. Pastor claims it is a signal at a ceremony, in this case, a funeral. The funeral happens to be for a friend of the man who owns the house we are in. He came back for a few days to attend his friends ceremony. Mr. Bouk is a very nice man, who’s English is a lot better than our French. Daily we hear the chanting of Muslims at the Mosque a couple miles away. There are few trees to deaden the sound, so it travels over during their 5 prayer times a day. Anyway… Pastor Ron Mudge who was a professor here, and Pastor Fred Reinhardt, who OSLC supports with our prayers and finances, will be here in few days. Pastor Glenn’s family is heading to California, so we will have time to discuss many things. I am looking forward to all I can learn.

Saturday morning, we headed to the market with Pastor’s wife, Susan, and their baby, Eliana. The market is huge, and packed with vendors. We weaved our way through people selling beans and vegetables, farm implements, hardware, radios, fish (they looked days old, with flies all over them. Yuk) The people LOVE the little white baby, as well as the white adults. We got a taste today of what being famous would be like. We were stared at, followed and when we stopped, a crowd gathered. We bought a lot of cloth from one vendor that Susan likes, so we were there for 20 minutes or so with a crowd. I am sure we made the vendors’ day as we bought about 10 pieces. Mine were 5000 Franc, or $10. It will cost about another 5000 Franc to have them tailored this afternoon.

I took a picture of a group of the cutest little kids on a ‘platform’. I waved and smiled, and the next thing I knew, they were tugging at my shirt. I sat down and showed them the picture. I took another picture, and showed them. They thought that was just the greatest thing, to see themselves in my box (camera). I took so many pictures of each child and then showed them, and the excitement and the crowd grew. We got the approval and smiles of the African adults nearby. Taking pictures otherwise is risky. We cannot just snap a picture of any African that we think looks like a good shot. Some want money, and some believe that their spirit is captured when a picture is taken.

We just had lunch at the Fluegge’s, and we are going out tonight. I thought I might lose a few pounds here, but the food is sooooooo good! The Fluegges have a cook and a guard as well. Hopefully the constant sweating will help. The days are hot hot hot, but the nights are so cool, I sleep with the window open only, no A/C or even fan. Today is 95deg (but it’s a dry heat!).

June 7 - Visiting with the Fluegges And A Trip To The Market

Saturday, June 7th, 2008 – Bill

Last night we enjoyed a late-hour “evening fellowship” session with Glenn, covering topics from the sacrament of baptism and the difficulty Africans have with accepting it, spiritual warfare among Christians and pagans with the Moba tribe, and contemporary worship in America. Apart from his wife, Glenn doesn’t have the opportunity to sit on a roof contemplating these theological issues with other like-minded people so it is good for us to be here. We are learning a lot from each other.

We also spent some time talking about the dependency Africans have on foreign aid and the balance between weaning them away from this dependency without making them feel abandoned. It’s a real struggle for American missionaries who come to Africa to make a difference. They (we) come to help, but help must be provided in a way that does not hinder the long-term advancement of the church in a culturally accepted and sustainable manner.

This morning, Sue and Eliana took us to the market. This is definitely the place to be on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Hundreds of people are at the market selling goods for everyday living. Food, clothing, cooking utensils, moped fuel, and a small amount of packaged/processed goods. Brian, Matthew and I did purchase some of the beautiful cloth that we will bring to the tailor later this afternoon. Susan helped us negotiate and we appreciated the opportunity to engage local people in the marketplace. Brian played pied-piper to the children who flocked to him once he started taking pictures.

June 7 - Plans For Sunday Services

The CLET Grounds




Togo landscape tour with the Fluegge kids

Saturday, June 7th, 2008--Matthew 9:40 p.m.

Hello family and friends! We have had a wonderful 'cultural' day here in Dapaong--exploring the market, visiting the tailor and fellowshiping/encouraging the Fluegee family. Here's what our tomorrow--Sunday, June 8-should look like. We are going with Glenn to a village church in Nano, Togo. It's about an hour drive from Dapaong. We will lead a special children's education time at the service. After the worship service they will host a feast with cultural dancing. The worship service will go from 9 a.m. until about 12 noon and then the feast and celebration will be after that. So when we are feasting--you will be starting worship services at OSLC since we are 4 hours ahead of you. We are so thankful for your love and prayers. God has given us great unity as a team! We are so thankful for one another and all of you. We are humbled that He is using us to bring His Word and love to these dear ones in Togo.

June 6 - Visiting With The Fluegge Family

A picture of Bill with Eliana Fluegge

June 6 - Bill Makes a Photo of Professors at CLET

Friday, June 6th, 2008 Bill: We spent most of the morning meeting with the faculty of the center discussing their vision for promoting the Center. They have some dedicated and thoughtful staff who really care about training pastors through excellent theological education. I was quite struck by how they shared their vision for West African church leaders to know the hearts and minds of the Center’s leadership.

In Africa, knowledge isn’t valued in and of itself. The value of knowledge in Africa is determined by who gives it. So, in order for church leaders throughout Africa to send their future leaders to CLET, they need to know the hearts and minds of the men to whom they are entrusting their students.

This is very difficult to do without a large enough budget to send recruiting staff to visit church leaders so it must be done through DVDs and print brochures. But, like any educational institution, the graduates of a program are the biggest indication of success – and more of them are needed to grow the African church and be ambassadors of the Center. Thus, our primary task in this trip is to provide materials that will provide such a connection in the absence of direct physical introductions.

June 6 - Students in the Library at CLET

We also interviewed the President of the Lutheran church of the Congo. We were blessed that the goats were quiet during our interview. The Pastor has three people that have passed their entrance exam as well every other requirement to attend the Center, but financial support for their education has stopped short of the funds needed for the trip to and from the Center. We are praying for The Lord to help them find the means.

Tomorrow (Saturday), we are going to the market. It should be quite an experience. We drove through and made a stop so we got a glimpse of what we are in for, and we have been told of a couple special stops to the weaver and a tailor, who will make darshikis (African shirts) for us.