A Day #2

(No.2 in the occasional ‘Day in the Life’ series…)
Day #1 was here 

I usually aim to achieve one thing per day - sometimes with a potential bonus second or third thing if I’m feeling ambitious. That’s due to the general unpredictability and spontaneity of life here, plus most things just take a lot more time to get done…

Term ended at the Bible school last week so today my targets were:

1. Get long overdue rent money from the bank (it’s been complicated…). 
2. Take even a small step forward in the frustrating quest for some outstanding paperwork for driving. 
3. Read a bit of my current book on contextualization. 

No adventures or baptisms or sermons on the menu today then - missionary life often isn’t all that glamorous!

Lots of bananas coming on the tree.

8.30am Got to be honest, only just getting up… I’ve discovered that I need at least a good hour’s more sleep here than I used to - ideally 9 hours. And last night I slept terribly due to a mosquito harassing me, something scuttling around in the room (mouse? cockroach?), and next-door’s dog barking incessantly for what felt like an extraordinary length of time. Plus the usual cockerel / call-to-prayer double whammy before dawn. With having just finished term, I allowed myself a lie-in.

10.30am After spending some quiet time with Father and breakfast etc, I go to the bank (4th time in a week) to achieve target no.1. Thank God - success. I won’t bore you with the story, but suffice it to say: “free cash withdrawals” at ATMs back home has really come to mean something quite remarkable! Continue to visit / placate the landlady who’s shown admirable patience.

Back home, Mama returns from the market. Much to the amusement of Mama and Claris (friend and Mama’s faithful assistant for domestic work), I attempt to carry a big bucket full of food sacks on my head African-style - all the way from the gate to the back of the house.

12pm Make a couple of phone calls regarding target no. 2 above. Tiny steps forward… Again - it’s complicated. I’m not sure how this will sound to Western ears but it’s one of those areas where if you simply go with, “The law says this so that’s simply what you do”, then… well, nothing would really get done! For better or worse, lots of things are rather more grey here. I’m trying to be wise and beyond reproach and I’m resisting frequent offers of going ‘the back way’ to sort out required paperwork… It’s complicated!

1.30pm After lunch (bread with marmite followed by a grapefruit), I spend a bit of time chatting with Mama, stroking Rufus (a bit calmer than sometimes now in the heat of the day), and thanking Uncle Modou (neighbouring handy-man) for some work he’s done attaching mosquito nets to vents of a new outdoor loo block. Shame to hear from Mama that some of her plantains were stolen from the tree overnight.

I also see that Claris sadly had to bring her young daughter with her to the house today (instead of to school) as she’s unwell. Normally bubbly and cheeky, she just lay on the sofa all day. The doctor said yesterday it’s malaria, though they didn’t do a test - lots of fevers and illnesses are ascribed to ‘malaria’ since it’s so common. The medicine she was given doesn’t look particularly great. I’ll send a photo of it to a medic friend and ask. Really I want to find a way to get her a blood test and properly diagnosed. These things here rely on knowing people. Thankfully I know a few. Many people aren’t so fortunate.

2.30pm I read a chapter of my book (target no. 3) - successful day! Thank you, Lord. Stimulating and thought-provoking stuff on the Apostle Paul’s nuanced approach to culture - affirming, relativizing, confronting and transforming culture…

3.30pm It’s hot. Time for a nap.

4.30pm Mama wakes me up to pay a workman who’s fixed her gas hobs - only 2 of them have worked for months. The hobs, I mean, not workmen - though having said that… Cooking every day for 5 hungry lads on 2 hobs is made a lot easier with 1 or 2 more! A slightly awkward exchange ensued when I knew his suggested price was a rip-off. I was confident enough to call his bluff, and had Mama and Claris within earshot backing me up. Eventually he very reluctantly agreed to a more reasonable price. It’s crazy - a drawn-out and emotional interchange over 200 Dalasis (about £3.50). Yet here that means you’re talking in terms of a day’s wages.

5pm I can’t help but find it very amusing when someone comes to the gate, sees little puppy Rufus (now 9 weeks) by my side, and stands there terrified, refusing to enter! That just happened with one of my students - it added some extra contrition to her apology for missing an exam! We agreed she’d sit it tomorrow. She nervously retreated, keeping a careful eye on Rufus...

5.30pm A planning committee meeting about an upcoming children’s outreach day, where participants from recent children’s workers training will have a chance to put their training into practice. A productive and encouraging time - venue, rough timings, theme and Bible story agreed. Could be anywhere between 50 and 150 kids of all ages!

7pm Beef Domoda for dinner - classic Gambian dish in a peanuty-tomatoey sauce. Delicious. Followed by the usual selection of fresh fruit - mangoes, pineapples, melons…

[Shortly after getting dark, the power comes back on having been off all day. Hooray!]

8.30pm Team and I decide to watch a film. They opt for something a bit lighter than the usual Band of Brothers (so good) - this time, The Prince of Egypt: that old combo of brilliant animation, powerfully moving biblical narrative and a generous dose of Disney-esque heresy.

10pm Sadly a pint glass (for water only here!) with Martin Luther’s head on gets knocked over by an excited Gappie. To be honest, I’m surprised it took this long for any of my crockery to get broken! I’m sure Luther wouldn’t have minded the association with the Apostle Paul’s words - “I am being poured out like a drink offering” (Philippians 2:17).

And so to bed. Thank you, Father, for:

• Your power and your faithful redeeming love;
• Targets met, other productive moments, and lessons learned;
• People to speak to about Claris’ daughter;
• Mama’s labour, laughter and love;
• Rufus and fun.

Consider the Birds

Jesus wants us to be birdwatchers.

CRINGE! Really?? As if the image of cardigans (actually now redeemed by the hipsters, come to think of it) and socks and sandals (will that be next?!) wasn’t enough. But Jesus is pretty clear: “Look at the birds of the air” (Matthew 6:26). Or again, “Consider the ravens” (Luke 12:24) / “two sparrows” (Matthew 10:28).

Surely I’m ignoring the context. Jesus doesn’t actually want us intentionally to look at birds, right?! Well... wrong, I think!

It’s not that we have to make it a hobby. Or invest in crazy expensive cameras and go hiding in camouflage in the woods. But as Jesus was teaching he often picked up on everyday goings-on to illustrate important points about the good news of his kingdom. And 1st Century Palestine wasn’t the only place that has birds around - unless we live in Outer Mongolia and only see the very occasional eagle, we probably see some of the birds of the air that God created pretty frequently. And it can’t be a bad idea to actually do what Jesus says and “consider” the things he tells us to consider - like how our Father in heaven takes care of the birds, and how if we’re of much greater value to him (which Jesus says we are), then what confidence we can have that he’ll take care of us (Luke 12:24). Or how a couple of sparrows are worth next to nothing, “yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care” (Matthew 10:29) - so we don’t need to be afraid. Our Father cares for us infinitely more than the birds.

Anyway, I’m not particularly going to expand on Jesus’ teaching in this area right now. I just thought I’d say that to preface a few nice photos of birds! Because here in the Gambia the birdlife really is quite something. I’m honestly not an ornithologist, but I was once here with a rather keen birder on a short-term trip and, I must admit, his enthusiasm did rub off on me just a little. Whereas before I just hadn’t particularly taken notice of all the life whizzing around in the air and on the branches over my head, I began to notice just how varied and colourful and harmonious and beautiful it is! So I’m definitely an admirer, let’s put it that way.

Tourists actually come to the Gambia from all over the world simply to look at birds. It’s a bit of a hot-spot for migrating birds, apparently due to its location. The River Gambia is the first significant area of water and greenery that huge numbers of migrating birds from north to south spot after they cross the vast Sahara Desert just north of us. So, I’m told, lots of these birds swoop down to enjoy some vegetation before carrying on their epic journeys. Then - don’t ask me why - there are lots of other colourful and interesting birds the rest of the time anyway.

Not having endless hours to go bird-watching, and not having any kit beyond a basic pair of bino’s, it’s hard to get decent photos. Normally I see things as I glance up from my desk when I hear an unfamiliar birdsong, or as I’m just walking from A to B. And then they usually fly off before you can photograph it. So a few of the pictures below are my own, but I’m largely indebted to others’ shots from the internet. I promise I've seen them all!

Here are some of God’s works of art that I’ve seen in the last few months...

YELLOW-CROWNED GONOLEK: Males and females perform an intriguing duet as they call to each other. ©Wikimedia

RED-BILLED FIREFINCH: This tiny beauty is often with her friends hopping around on the ground. She can lose her bearings though and end up in the chicken pen or inside the house! 

PIED KINGFISHER: There are lots of spots to watch these pros at work fishing.

HAMMERKOP: Dutch for Hammer-Head? Must be the shark's distant relative... ©Wikimedia

PURPLE GLOSSY STARLING: stunning metallic colours. ©Freestock images

HOODED VULTURE: Not the most elegant... But they do an important job - God's bin men.  They're everywhere (this is my compound wall), and are often reminiscent of that great Jungle Book scene - "So what d'you wanna do?"

GOLIATH HERON: I couldn't believe how big he was when he took off! ©Freestock images

(WESTERN) RED-BILLED HORNBILL: Remember Zazu from the Lion King...?

BEAUTIFUL SUNBIRD: Enough said. Often appears in the garden.

SPLENDID SUNBIRD: My favourite of them all. Sure is splendid! Would you dare dress like that?!

“Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.  He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them - he remains faithful for ever.” (Psalm 146:5-6)

A Day #1

It’s been lovely to have a number of visitors in the Gambia recently on “short-term mission” trips of various kinds. They often ask something like, “So what does a typical day look like for you out here?”

Well, call it privileged or exciting or unsettling or exhausting, but there’s not really such a thing! Most days are different and often involve unique and new experiences. I try to establish a rough pattern to most weeks, and the 3 terms of the Bible School year give a broad structure to the year. But within that there’s a lot of variety day to day.

So I thought it might be interesting to share the odd day every now and then. I’ll try to pick days that have some interesting moments, but in other ways are just fairly run-of-the-mill days.

Here was today (Tuesday 1 March 2016)…

—

7am  Rise (after snoozing since the cockerel’s alarm call) / quiet time with Father / clean up puppy’s overnight ‘gifts’…

8.30am  Convene with other facilitators at a week-long children’s workers training event that SOW (Servants of the Word) is hosting. Discover that the leader left his bag in a taxi the night before which had his laptop, passport, cash and credit cards in… No chance of it being handed in.

9am  Whizz back home to collect laptop and whip up a powerpoint presentation to replace lost one.

10am-1pm  Help lead children’s workers training for 30 pastors and children’s workers - covering things like communication skills (introductions / illustrations / application / body language / choosing one main point), the uniqueness and preciousness of the Bible, plus lots of fun and games!

1pm  Collect lunch prepared by a SOW colleague’s friend: Chicken Yassa - a classic Gambian dish with rice, lots of onions and a lot of spice!
Meet with Pastor Steven and others to come up with a plan to deal with the lost valuables.

2pm-4pm  More training. Beginning to flag a bit in the heat of the day. I often have a nap at this time of day but can’t today!

4pm  Take visiting children’s workers’ trainer to British Embassy re. lost passport. Told by security guard (with zero sympathy) to come back in the morning.

4.30pm  Drop guy off to get a taxi back to where he’s staying. Get pulled over by a nearby policeman for not fully coming off the road when dropping off my passenger. After checking my ID he says he should give me a “summons” - to go to court for my offence! I stay calm, pray continually, try to sound respectful but reasonable and patient… I’m thankful that previous experiences have taught me he’s most likely bluffing to tease some cash out of a slightly frightened foreigner. After a pretty unnerving few minutes, he lets me go. It’s been a hot and slightly stressful day! “Father, please get me home.”

4.45pm  Home. Grab swimmers. Go to cool off in the sea.

5pm  In the beautiful sea. Aaahhh…. Thank you, Father!

6pm  Back home. Play with crazy puppy. Shower.

7pm  Pastor arrives whom I’d invited for dinner. Have a lovely chat and then enjoy dinner with the Gap Team. Mama’s delicious cooking, as usual. On the menu - Chicken Yassa! This time, a bit less spice and more (i.e. some) vegetables. Followed by lovely fresh fruit - pineapples, mangoes, watermelon, oranges…

9pm  Lovely pray together with the pastor before he leaves.

9.30pm  Card game with the Gap Team, before heading to bed. Thankfully, it’s beginning to cool down to sub-30˚s!