Emotions and sweaty babies!

This weekend was one of bizarre parallels. On Saturday morning I headed to our local 5 star hotel for aqua aerobics alongside a load of middle aged expat women! The ship has negotiated a good deal to allow the crew to spend free time using the pool and surroundings. It is bizarre and, I find, quite guilt ridden being in such western and luxurious environment when just outside on the dusty crowded road there are people selling whatever they can to scratch a living. I think that this has had even more of an impact on me after having seen how many disadvantaged, ill and crippled people there are who cannot even afford basic health care whilst the privileged few (including myself) decide to spend their money on luxuries like spending the day lying by a swimming pool.

What had even more of an impact after this was going to the local fishermans village church on Sunday. This church was founded by Mercy Ships during a previous field service in Togo in 1995-1996. The original building actually blew down in a storm so they are trying to rebuild. However like many buildings in Africa this is done as and when money becomes available. As a result there are 4 built walls up to window height and some pillars but that is all. The church has erected a temporary wood and tin roofed shelter which serves as the meeting place, everybody sitting on plastic chairs and with a very ancient pa system set up in one corner! No words can sufficiently describe an African church service! The African style of worship is the most enthusiastic, God praising, faithful and energetic I have seen. The worship began with just drums as accompaniment with women sitting on one side of the church and men on the other. The women started with dancing around in a circle and then the men followed suit. After that all the children from the Sunday school came in and danced too. At this point I was handed a small child who proceeded to go to sleep on my shoulder and who remained there for the whole service. I don't know who was more sweaty, her or me! The preach was interspersed with impromptu songs and bursts of praise. Luckily the preach was in English with translation so it was easy to follow. However at one point the preacher was so enthusiastic that both he and the translator (who was the church pastor) were lying on the floor - I'm not sure how well received that would be at Mosaic?! For a reserved English person, all this was a lot to take in. However the one thing that I saw in the people there was an unbridled, open and almost childlike faith despite the fact that they live in one of the poorest areas of Lome and mostly in bamboo huts. I have seen that age old adage coming in to play here that the less you have, the greater your faith and the more you rely on God.

Being here is stirring up so many emotions in me that I have never experienced before. But through it all God continues to be there through my sorrow and tears shed for all those people I see and come into contact with.