It's been so exciting since we've been here in Sambouya. Sambouya village is right next to the school campus, and Pastor Joshua and his family live right next to the village as well. We've been staying at the center temporarily since we got here, at the guesthouse, which is awesome. If you ever want to come out and visit us, your accommodations will be pretty nice! In the guesthouse there are beds with mattresses, the living room area is very open and large, there is a kitchen and a gas stove, and there are bathrooms! You don't have to squat to use the toilet, and the faucet and shower do work, even if the water only comes out in a trickle and it's REALLY cold. Because it is rainy season now and the water tank outside is large, we don't have to ration our water that much like we do during the dry season.
So THIS, is Guinea in a way I have never seen or experienced before. I am completely amazed at how God has done all these things in such a short period of time. We peeked into the classrooms, kids' dormitories, chapel, and some other buildings the other day. I can't believe at all the work that has been done. Pastor Joshua has such a vision that they're planning on starting the middle school and high school buildings this year.
As for the surroundings, it is very lush and green around here. The campus is surrounded by trees, bushes, and reddish dirt covers the ground in patches. We were told that as it changes from rainy to dry season, the green begins to disappear.
The other day we visited Bilingkoro, the village we will be staying in. I have to admit, in some ways we would like to stay in the guesthouse because the other teacher will be living there and it is nicer than we thought it would be. However, Shannon and I would like to try and live in the village so we can interact with the villagers and get to know them as well. If we live at the guesthouse, which is right on campus, we would rarely interact with people in the villages unless we walk there. Bilingkoro is about a 15 minute walk from the school. It's a little hilly on the way and there is a red dirt path wide enough for cars to get through that you can travel on to get there. People in the villages are very friendly, and you'll hear shouted greetings of "Inike! Tanante!", which mean hello in Maninka. It was funny when we were going through the village the other day and ended up having a crowd of about 30 children following us all the way through. Here it is uncommon to see a "tubab" or white man, so we're quite a sight to see.
Our new home is cozy. It needs a lot of cleaning because there are lots of cobwebs and dust around, but there are three small rooms, a stove, a sink, and a bathroom that we can use. The villagers are very friendly here. There will be a generator in our new home so that we can actually use some electricity for a couple hours at night when we come home from teaching. Plus, we will be able to take a shower and wash dishes and such as long as there is water in our water tank.
So far life is pretty relaxed. We went to the market today for some groceries (we'll describe it more later), and hooked up a solar panel on the guesthouse so that we can turn on a few lights at night. The weather has been relatively mild, probably only up into the mid-eighties, but we know that won't last long. Orientation has been fruitful and there is a lot for us to learn and remember. J.J., the other teacher from Korea, is great and we have been spending a lot of time with the Kim family and playing with the kids.
This coming week we'll start preparing for school as the kids are showing up on the 17th. Please pray for their safety(many travel two days to get here) and our preparation. Also, are bags have still not arrived and we don't know if or when they will come. Fortunately, Pastor J. and Sara have put together a survival kit to get us through a couple weeks, as well as things left behind by previous missionaries that we can use. (We'll let you know if we need some things sent, but we're fine for now)
Hopefully we'll update often and write less! We hope and pray that all is well with all of you back home! God Bless!
Love,
Shannon and Carol
4 comments:
Sounds like a great start! looking forward to hearing more!!! ...especially about the markets! And please let me know if you need anything sent!
I totally want to visit you guys there! It sounds like a palace.
:)
I miss you both and am praying for you every second I have. I hope your bags arrive soon!
hi guys, it's great to hear you are doing well. We miss you very much. We are praying for you.
ahhhhh carol! i'm so sad that i didnt have a chance to talk to you before u and shannon left! i lost my cell phone during the that week u guys were getting ready to leave. but i miss u two terribly! i'm praying for your safety and no worries...i'll be sending some yummy goodies soon! hehe =) love u guys TONS!
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