Final Notes about Cote d'Ivoire

A followup Beaumont Enterprise story is available here:
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/southeast_texans_help_to_net_disease_in_africa_11-25-2008.html

You can view my Cote d'Ivoire photo album at
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055775&l=5f9c3&id=3003527

Photos and more are available at http://umns.umc.org and http://www.txcumc.org

Thanks for everyone who followed along with the blog, on Twitter and Facebook, and said prayers or sent words of encouragement! May our Thanksgiving celebrations this week make us truly thankful and extravagantly generous.

Worship

Well kids, the word of the day is “worship.” Why?

Find out at http://www.txcumcmedia.org/africablog/?p=154

And I hope you have read all the posts, not just mine, on the conference blog page, not to mention the wonderful other bloggers listed on the blogroll. Merci beaucoup!

Que c'est la nouvelle?

What is the news? This question is the first one asked upon arriving in a village, especially for an official visit to the chief or the church. It’s apparently protocol for “What are you doing here? What’s your business?”

Read more at http://www.txcumcmedia.org/africablog/?p=129

Hope

Two stories from today: one from the Catholic hospital in Alepe, the other about our Gendarmie (national police) guard who accompanies us everywhere we go.

Read more at http://www.txcumcmedia.org/africablog/?p=126

Simplicity

Simplicity is not a choice here, not for the vast majority of the people I’ve met. One of the team members shared last night about going into a home to see the nets we’ve been distributing all week actually being used. This was a four room house, with each room smaller than the hotel room we’re staying in here. A family was sleeping in each room; 17 total people living in the house.

Read more at http://www.txcumcmedia.org/africablog/?p=85

Beaumont Enterprise article

Here's a link to the article about the trip from the Beaumont Enterprise:

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/ent-life/net_gains_give_life_in_africa_11-07-2008.html

Priorities

...It's not that I don't like football; but is that really what our highest priority ought to be? I couldn't help but think of the contrast between the Friday Night Lights and what is going on here this week in Cote d'Ivoire.

Read more at http://www.txcumcmedia.org/africablog/?p=79

Travel Update

There's a travel update posted on http://www.txcumcmedia.org/africablog/?p=60 and some nice pictures as well (including one of me!). Please find out about how the past few days have gone, and excuse the lack of posting--it should be more regular from here on out!

Juxtaposition

It’s one of my favorite 25-cent words: juxtaposition: what happens when you place two things side by side. You can’t escape it in Cote d’Ivoire.

Read more at http://www.txcumcmedia.org/africablog/?p=57

Leaving, on a jet plane...

Well, the team has assembled (loosely) in front of our gate at Intergalactic Airport Houston. I can’t speak for the rest of them...

Read more at http://www.txcumcmedia.org/africablog/?p=35