This morning I ate the leftover Camembert (on a roll) that I had not finished at dinner the night before. Camembert is good any time of the day.

Paul was right on time, in fact a few minutes early, arriving just before 9:30 with Kramoco a driver we've used before and what was probably the same Peugeot 405 we used last time for day use around Abidjan. The first stop was a pharmacy not far from the hotel. I needed to refill a prescription for antibiotics I’ve been taking for a low grade infection I have in one leg. The initial prescription had run its course, but the infection was not quite gone. So via e-mail my doctor suggested I try to get some additional antibiotics and gave me a list of three that would work. They had one of the three at the pharmacy, German-made which is good, and no one asked about any paperwork. The situation with medication is pretty easy going in Africa. If you’ve got the money, you can buy pretty much whatever you like. And the medications are almost all generics of what we might buy in the West so they’re cheap. A 10 day course of doxycycline cost the equivalent of five dollars.

We put twenty dollars’ worth of gas in the car for the day, and also stopped at a market to put together a little care package for the group would visit in La Mé: instant coffee, powdered milk, some instant chocolate drink for the children (and probably the adults) and a big bag of sugar, the latter would cause the most joy. Mostly we eat way to much sugar in the West, it’s in so much of the food we eat, but here it’s a rare treat.

We drove on through the traffic and out of Abidjan toward Alepé. We were stopped at the gauntlet checkpoint, where a policeman politely introduced himself with a crisp salute, and verified the papers of the car and Kramoco only. There was no shakedown.

About an hour after leaving the hotel we arrived in La Mé. We drove to our usual parking area and walked the rest of the way to the little split bamboo structure where services are held. The little congregation here is now composed almost entirely of one extended family, though there are a few new people that have begun attending. Others have moved out of La Mé, like Elise who is now with her husband in Abidjan.

Sadly our visit together was rather tense this time. There are family frictions, and at least one attitude is not what it should be. I won’t go into all the details but there was resentment, a sense of entitlement, and lack of self-control among other things. I’m struck by how alike human beings are everywhere in the world. I’ve dealt with similar situations in Europe and in the States as well, and it’s always challenging. I did what I could to give counsel and encourage.

One mother asked for prayers for her three children. The parents worked hard to put them through school; they all graduated from high school and trade schools after that, a significant achievement for all involved. But they cannot find jobs; the employment market is very difficult on almost the whole continent. Any readers who are willing, your prayers would be appreciated for Josiane (nursing auxiliary), for Christian (primary education), and for Annela (hair dresser).

We spent several hours together, I tried to encourage as much as I could, these are very trying circumstances. Before we left, the ladies served us lunch, it’s required by local custom, and they always have something for us. This time it was fish, fried potatoes, rice and the viscous green sauce they like so much and which I don’t think you could get past my lips for any amount of money, as well as some tomato and onion sauce. I stuck to the potatoes and the tomato-onion sauce and a bottle of tonic water. It was getting really hot by the time we said goodbye all around, and until next time. 

A member I baptized among the first in this country, who stayed with our previous association came by to say hello. We’ve done our best to keep up good relations in spite of the unscrupulous behavior of the delegate working here from Cameroon. Local members on both sides have done their best and relations are still friendly.

After saying goodbye, we regained the car, turned the air-con on high and dried out as we drove back to Abidjan. Our next stop was at Kilometer point 17 on a particular road outside of town. We stopped at the home of Michel and his family. He has a good job which has enabled him to buy a plot of ground, and build not only an apartment for his family but three others which he is now renting out. His plan is to ultimately build a large house for his family on the ground where we sat in the shade and talked. The children served us soft drinks and beer; I was sweating enough already so I skipped the beer.

They also served some food, aloco (fried bananas) boiled eggs and a little sauce. We had just eaten not long before so I just had some aloco to be polite, and left the protein to others. Other people drifted in as we talked. Paul was on the phone with different people, some in Man – planning for next few days, and some local who wanted to meet me. Several have been attending services with Michel and asking him questions about the Bible. One man, named Wilfried, had many questions he wanted to ask me. Another young man who is a newly qualified sailor in the merchant marine also listened. He had just completed his first voyage around the shoulder of Africa and through the straits of Gibraltar to Algiers. He was understandably quite excited by it all.

As we started to discuss the Bible, Kramoco moved off. He’s Muslim, and while not allergic to hearing about Christianity, he has his limits.

Here are some of Wilfried’s questions:

• Why do some Christians keep Saturday and some Sunday? (I explained the whole story of proto-Catholics not wanting to keep the same days as the Jews, the misunderstanding the day Jesus was resurrected).
• What are true Christian holiday? (I explained the origins of the most popular traditional Christian holidays, how they’re not in the Bible, and how they actually mask important truths. We also went through the list of what God calls in the Bible: "my Feasts.")
• Some Christian preachers wear various sacred vestments. Is that acceptable? (I explained that such things are not mentioned for New Testament ministry, and that we don’t practice such things.)
• There are so many titles that Christian leaders use for themselves: Bishop, Apostle Prophet, etc. What do you think about that? (I explained that different functions are mentioned in the Bible with gifts given by God to those who fulfill them. We ordain men elders or ministers and give them titles based on what they actually do. A pastor cares for a congregation for example.
• Is the OT valid? Are all OT laws valid? (I explained the different kinds of laws given in the Old Testament, that some are still in force as confirmed by Jesus and the Apostles, and that some were only intended to be temporary until the Messiah came and until the temple was destroyed. We read and discussed Hebrews 9:10 among other passages).
• A Muslim friend told me that the Bible says Mohammad is a prophet of God, is that true? (I explained that Mohammad wasn’t born until about the year 570, close to 500 years after the Bible was completed, so no, he’s not mentioned at all in the Bible. I also told him that Islam claims to accept Jesus, but only as a prophet, not the Son of God, which of course is far from sufficient.)  

I gave the listeners cards with the url for the French Life Hope and Truth site, and told them how to use the search function and how to write in questions if they couldn’t find answers. They all said they had access to the Internet, so they can continue studying and asking questions. As the sun neared the horizon, we wrapped up. I thanked Michel and his wife; we shook hands all around and said “until next time.”

Kramoco drove us through the slow heavy traffic of Abidjan’s rush hour. We agreed to meet tomorrow at 07:00 for the departure toward Man. It will be a long day on the road.

I had dinner outside with a view overlooking the lagoon and the business center of Abidjan across the water. The view in the twilight was quite beautiful. Twilight is a good time in Africa, the low light hides much of the pollution and squalor and makes it look quite romantic and prosperous.