Tuesday, February 2, 2016

It's All Who You Know

In a relational culture, it is all about who you know.  It is considered rude to not greet people as you pass them in the village and people you know you should go through the slew of greetings.  How did you sleep? How are you? How do you feel? How is your family? The greetings can go on and on. When we stop and take the time to greet people, we find we get treated nicer.  When we go into a store, we greet the employee(s). After going through greetings, we usually find exactly what we need a whole lot quicker than we would have without greeting.

With not having a personal car we have made many connections with public transportation drivers.  Sharif and Agustu are two drivers that have become friends of ours. At least one of them always finds us in either the Sao Domingo or Ziguinchor garage (garage is like going to a bus terminal, but we pick up cars instead of buses). Many times, I, Karen, have been in the Ziguinchor garage getting harassed by men when Sharif comes up, gives me a big hug and then doesn't leave my side until I am sitting in the car that will take me to Sao Domingo.  One time a man would not stop talking to me so Sharif told him to get away from his ‘wife’ or he would call my real husband.  That man ran away so fast, I never even saw which way he went.  

Agustu is a driver of a smaller car that seats seven.  We made connection with him through Sharif, who drives a big car that seats closer to 30, we use him to haul materials needed for the new clinic that is being built. Agustu has become our personal driver that we call and he will come to our house and take us directly to Ziguinchor.  We don’t always use him, but when we have a lot of bags we call him.  It is so known that he is our driver that other drivers, when they see us, will say, “These are Agustu’s people.”  Agustu has become not only our driver, but our friend.  He has taken us to his house so we could meet his family.  If we call him to pick us up and then realize we forgot something, he will drive us to pick it up.  He doesn’t just drop us off to pick it up but he will go to purchase it to make sure we get a good price.  Agustu is also the driver that took us to the hospital when Lydia was sick.  When the guards at the border questioned why we weren’t getting out of the car, Agustu explained to them about Lydia and got us through quicker than ever before.  Once we arrived to the hospital (the second hospital we attempted, the first one said they don’t do eyes), he waited at the car with our other kids so that Michael could go into the ER with us.  He never once questioned us anxiously, or demanded that they go.  He said he would wait however long it took so that Michael could be there with us.  After it was decided that Lydia would be admitted, Agustu then took Michael and the kids to the hotel.  He also told Michael that no matter what he wanted to be the one to take us back to Catel so that he could know Lydia was okay.  Agustu is more than a driver for us, he is our friend.  


These relationships are not only because of us, but because of missionaries that have been here before us.  It was Sharif that drove us to Catel that very first day we came, we only continued the relationship.  That is very true for many of our relationships here.  We have made new ones, but we have also carried on old ones.  We are very thankful for the many missionaries that have served before us here in Catel. Through life we can often be deceived that our choices only affect ourselves, don’t believe that. We see the effects every day from the choices others before us have made.  We are blessed by the people that came before us. If you are reading this and are one of those people that served before us, thank you. 

Isaiah pretending to be the driver's helper for this car.  
We don't have any pictures of Sharif or Agustu to post, but we have this picture of Isaiah.  Here the driver's helper rides in the back of the car.  He watches for people that need a ride and gets them in a seat.  The helper is also who you pay when riding transportation.  If the car fills completely with no space inside for the helper, he then stands outside the car holding on to the ladder that goes to the roof of the vehicle.  Our kids are always begging to stand outside on a car. On our way into Ziguinchor one day, Isaiah made friends with the helper and at a stop Isaiah jumped up on the back and started pretending to be the helper. 

Life is about relationship, in fact that is what Jesus came to teach us. It was not about God's rules, although they are important, but instead our relationship with God. As you go about your relationships today, whether old or new, do not forget how you treat others affects more than just yourself. In fact it may have a lasting effect on those who come after you. We hope you are blessed today as we have been by those we know here in West Africa.




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