Day 54 - January 6th

We visited the village of Mayos and got to see the school in session. I got to talk to the teachers of the upper and lower classes. The older class is studying Geometry! Jenn got the older class to show off their English comprehension – they are learning the body parts associated with the senses, so we saw tongues, and pointing at eyes and ears and nose and skin! (Anyone thinking of that song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” yet?)
In the lower class, we were greeted with a load “Good Morning Madam!” It was one of the few times I wouldn’t mind being called Madam, lol. They were very curious about us, and so we didn’t stay too long, because we were a big distraction from her starting their day. :-) As we walked away, we heard their tuneful morning song…what a great way to get everyone’s attention and get them on task!

My time there made me a little wistful for a larger classroom setting, even though I LOVE working one on one with the Conrod kiddos.
We also saw the small baby, Ndawe, for whom I have previously asked for prayers. He is still VERY small, though we are praising God for some weight gain! Please continue to pray for him.
We later visited the village of Lossou, and we saw some and got to visit a family who just recently celebrated the arrival of twins! They were so small and cute, and looking good! Then we visited Annabella’s family (Jenn’s Baka baby), and spent some time encouraging them in the faith, and praying for a sick family member while also sharing the gospel with her. It really gave me a picture into the life of the Baka as we sat in their leaf hut home, where Annabella was born. The contrast of opportunity based on where one is born was very apparent to me. We all need to remember to be thankful for our opportunities, and remember that they are GREAT blessings.

In the afternoon, we all went on a crazy jungle trek with Nathan leading the way! This is a before shot.
Even the grandparents on the team came! We started on our way, and were promptly in a swamp of undetermined depth, with haphazard boards placed as a makeshift bridge. I had a walking stick, but my balance failed me, and within ten minutes, I found myself STUCK up to my left knee in mud. I tried to remain calm, but my muscles missed that memo, and by the time Nathan extracted my leg and shoe, my legs felt like rubber. But I pushed on, as did we all, and we got out of the swamp soon enough. Then I went into my hiking mode (THANKS Wilderness Trail – and by the way, this trek cured any Trailnesia I might have had…) and I did well, though the trails are not maintained like Westerners might expect them to be. Nature is allowed to do its thing, and we humans work around it, rather than forcing it to our preference. It was cool, and I saw beautiful flowers, interesting vines and other plants, and even saw a cocoon! We headed back as it started to get toward sunset, but I had forgotten how it gets darker in the trees than out of the forest, so it seemed later than it was. We all made it out safely, even in going through the swamp again, and several of the Baka said to Nathan, “Nathan, the foreigners are muddy, your kids are muddy, but you are not muddy!” I think he just laughed and answered with the equivalent of a “Yep!” But, indeed, even after getting me out of the mud, he was not muddy at all. And we had wondered before our going at his shorts, flops, and short sleeves, as we geared up against bugs and brambles in long sleeves and pants. I guess the joke was on us, though I didn’t mind since I avoided the bugs successfully! But I was SUPER thankful for my hot shower when we returned, as thankful as after my Wilderness Trail four day hikes! And I slept like a rock!
And this is after!