Dear Friends and Family,
I think most of you know that I've been planning to go to Africa for quite some time. Well, the time has finally arrived. I leave on Jan. 30 for Benin. I am incredibly excited (currently coupled with the feeling of stress that comes with trying to get everything in place for going out of the country for a year and also the feelings that come with leaving the people you love). For those of you who don't know, Benin is a tiny sliver of a country sandwiched between Nigeria and Togo, in the region that someone recently described to me as "the Armpit of Africa". I'm sure I'll find some better descriptive words once I'm there :). I still don't know many details yet, but here are some things I do (and don't) know:
I will be working at least part of the time at a clinic in Gohomey. (Don't even try to find it on the map, it's too small of a place. If you do want a general idea, look for Lokossa, the regional capital. I'm not sure quite how far that is from Gohomey or the town/village I'll be staying in, but it's in the general area. Another town nearby that you may see on the map is Dogbo. I think I'll be about 3 hours NW of Cotonou.) I also don't really know what I'll be doing at the clinic, but I hope to accomplish two vague goals there- one, learn a lot from the people running the clinic and the people coming to the clinic for help and two, be of some sort of help. Although I'm unsure of all that this clinic does, I'm most interested in their programs/services dealings with HIV/AIDS. Besides providing medical services, I think they do some home care, prevention education, and run an orphanage. Interestingly, this clinic is funded at least in part by a German organization and there are two Germans who work there. So, while I'm learning French (the official language) and Aja (one of the tribal languages), at least I'll have some way to communicate. (For those of you who speak German, there is a website I found with information, pictures, and video about the clinic (and other projects in Africa funded by this organization)... or at least I think it's the clinic I'm going to- how many German-run clinics can there be in the village of Gohomey, Benin, a place that isn't on the map and doesn't have street names? If you don't speak German, you can try to navigate until you find some pictures.
www.kampf-gegen-aids.de/scripts/index.cfm?FuseAction=page.content&s_kurzname=Projekte&naviID=22
On the days I'm not at the clinic, I may be workingwith a pastor who does "community health" ...what specifically that entails, I don't know yet. As far as housing, I really have no clue. That will be worked out after I get there, so I'll let you know. (Initially, I'm staying with the Broyles, a missionary family who is my contact there and is setting this up for me).
If you're wondering when I'm coming back, I can't give you a definite answer on that either. Surprisingly, it was much cheaper for me to buy a one-way ticket to Benin, so my return is extremely flexible. Let's just hope I have money left to buy a ticket back :). What I have in mind at this point is to leave Benin sometime shortly before Christmas. I'm hoping to return via Romania (to see my parents) and end up in Chicago at the beginning of Jan. 2006. However, this plan could always change. If after 6 months, I feel like my time there is done, I could always return then. At this point I don't plan on staying longer than the 11 months (but I can't really predict the future or God's plans).
As far as my goals for this sabbatical, I had forwarded some of you the letter I wrote when I was seeking out possibilities in Africa. For those of you I didn't send it to and for those of you who have just as bad a memory as me, here is a part of it that describes why I want to go to Africa:
One of my main reasons for this sabbatical is for personal and spiritual growth. I want this to be a time in which my relationship with God becomes deeper, more intimate, and more real. I know that God can do that wherever we are, but sometimes he uses a time of obscurity and aloneness. (For example, with Paul; he went away to Arabia for a prolonged time of obscurity and aloneness.) I would like time away from the stress of teaching, away from the many demands on my time (even from good things), away from the comforts Im used to, and away from the materialism that daily entices me, in hopes of better hearing and seeing and knowing God- a time for God to revive my heart. The other main reason for this sabbatical is Africa itself. Africa has been on my mind ever since I was in college, maybe even before that. I spent a month in Ethiopia teaching English during college and loved my time there. Before moving to Chicago, I envisioned myself in Africa for the long term. However, I now also feel very drawn (by many of the same things that draw me to Africa) to urban America. So, Ill leave future plans to God (also a side reason for this sabbatical- to seek Gods direction for my future). I want to use this year to serve the poor (God calls us to serve the fatherless and the widows)- and learn from the poor. I also want to learn about another culture, learn another language, travel, and expand my view of this world.
So, dear friends and family, I have a couple requests of you. One, for those of you who pray, please pray for me throughout the year. (If you would like specific requests let me know). Two, for those of you who love me, please keep in touch. :) I don't know yet what my e-mail situation will be like. I will at least be able to e-mail occasionally. If e-mail isn't a viable option, please write me snail mail (and even if I do have e-mail more regularly, it's always fun to get real mail). At this point I don't know yet what my address will be [it might be simply my name, the name of the clinic (Centre de Sante de Gohomey), the name of the village (Gohomey) and Benin ... but I'll let you know when I know]. My third request is for those of you who read and this request is more immediate: I'm planning on bringing as many books as I can possibly fit. But since that's not that many, I would just like to bring the best of the best. So, if you could give me your top recommendations (top 5 or top-however-many-you-can-narrow-it-down-to), I would REALLY appreciate it. I'm especially interested in books on God and spiritual formation, Africa, AIDS, poverty, as well as some good fiction. Here's the catch: If you could possibly e-mail me your recommendations by this weekend, I would REALLY appreciate it, because I also need time to find and buy the books (hopefully used) and pack them as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
My dear friends and family, I love you all and look forward to sharing with you what's happening during this sabbatical year (which I feel incredibly priviledged to be able to take). I also look forward to hearing what goes on in your lives throughout this year. My prayer to God for all of you is found in Numbers 6:24-26: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
Blessings, Chrischona
