We Found The Beach!!...And Almost Died!!

Hey all!! Yes, this is my second blog post in one day but we weren’t able to get to an internet cafe for so long so I have lots to share!! :)

On Tuesday morning, we met with the two people who have been leading the DRIME team since May. We wanted to ask them how it went and share with them what we want to see DRIME become here. Then after our meeting, one of them offered to show us how to get to the beach from our house. He said it would be about a 10 minute walk, so I put on a little bit of sunscreen and my flip flops, and off we went! Well...it was actually an HOUR long walk in the blazing hot sun!!! So yeah, flip flops were not a good idea and I got my first sunburn in Benin! For all of you who remember my huge watch tan from a couple years ago...it has resurfaced!! Haha!! I think I was the hottest I have ever been – I almost died!! :)

The people here have a word for white people – “yovo.” It is not a mean or derogatory word – it’s more of a “I’m happy to see white people” word. But it is soooo funny because most of the kids we pass will call it out to us! And then we realized that they have a song! It goes like this: “Yovo, yovo, bonsoir! Ca va bien, merci!” Which means: “White person, white person, good afternoon! I am well, thank you!” We laugh every time we hear it and wave and answer back! We’re thinking of making our own song! Haha!! Just kidding!

Another thing that has taken getting used to here, is their water and power systems. It is not uncommon to lose one of these things for a while. For example, we just got our running water back after not having any for 3 days! We have humongous buckets outside of the washroom and kitchen that we are supposed to fill every time we have running water so that we will have some when it cuts out. And last night the power would go out every 30 minutes or so and then come back on after a couple minutes. So we have candles and flashlights ready to go at a moment’s notice!! Haha!!

I have a couple more prayer requests for you guys:
o Continued health and safety
o Relief from bug bites, sunburns and blisters that one or all of us have
o Confidence for Jamie and I as we speak French and translate
o Wisdom as we choose leaders for DRIME Benin in the next few weeks

Overall, we are having a blast!! Yes, there are challenges but it definitely helps having a God who is bigger than anything, and two friends to go through everything with!

For other stories and pictures, you can check out my two teammates’ blogs:
- Janna: jannaruth.blogspot.com
- Jamie: jamieisinbenin.blogspot.com