Under the Mango tree....

Some of the things that have happened in the last two weeks……..

ORPHANAGE : Went to the orphanage on Saturday and played with the children. There are 35 children there who were taken off the streets by a woman who saw a need and decided to meet it! They are all so adorable, and I actually kept their attention long enough to complete a whole puzzle before they grabbed my hands and rushed me off to look at the chickens and goats they raise. Even without talking you can communicate so much….we had a blast playing and laughing together!

Claudia my roommate showing off her picture skills!

                ZIMMY JONS: Things in Togo can be quite cheap. For under two dollars you can take a Zimmy Jon, otherwise known as motorcycles, to the market and back. These have become my new love and I ride them as much as I can! The drivers weave in and out of traffic at very high speeds and no we don’t wear helmets, but the feel of the wind in my hair and being close enough to touch the cars we’re passing is such a thrill. Last time I rode one the driver kept telling me that he loved me…oh bother…TIA (this is Africa).

FUFU: is an African dish that is made out of yams which are mashed and made into a big ball of dough. They plop the dough on your plate, cover it in sauce, and you dig in with your hands…..it’s delicious. The last time I had Fufu was at a local pastor’s house. It was all fine and dandy and I actually felt that I was mastering this new dish until I got a mouth full of bones from the fish that were in the sauce. Everyone laughed as I tried to spit out the wad of bones onto my plate.

WALKS + RUNS : Going for walks or runs outside the port we’re docked in has been a favorite for me. You meet so many interesting people and see lifestyles that are so different from what I know. The other day we came across a man named Dodgy crocheting boxers and bikini tops. I have a lot of gifts I want to bring home but not sure these will make the list;)

MANGO TREE CHURCH: Two Sundays ago I went to a small Church that met under a mango tree. They have such a passion and desire to give of everything they have, their money, their talents, time, etc, to serving the Lord! They encourage each other, pray for those who are in need, and take care of the poor among them! You see in them a desire to be the hands and feet of Christ here on earth….after all, if we are made new in Christ, our lives should be different than the rest of the world, and the way we love should show that we are loved by Jesus and changed by His love!

                There is so much happening here every day. One month has flown by and yet I feel like I’ve been here forever. Praise the Lord for the many times He’s given me grace or strength when I had none!

Zimmy Jon drivers!

Michelle after her first Zimmy Jon ride...she loved it!

 



Dodgy the crocheting man!



Street Art

Some of the things you see while walking!

some of the amazing girls I go shopping at the market with!