Attieke is a staple food for people living in the south of the Cote d'Ivoire made from- -manioc (cassava) laboriously pounded, and then fermented.
After four and a half years in Cote d'Ivoire, my family and I returned to the UK, challenged to think of new ventures. We lived at the Hopital Protestant de Dabou (HPD) which had been founded in 1968 by British Methodist missionaries and the Ivorian Methodist Church.
The HPD has traversed painful moments with loss of confidence and integrity and with deteriorating equipment and dwindling resources. Several staff display typical signs of 'burnout' dealing with AIDS, malaria, and TB.
Positive attitudes stood out in stark relief: the devotion of several to God despite the endless struggles: the devotion to people abandoned by their closest family and 'friends': the care of the mobile team to individuals living in remote villages. Some of the 'ordinary' members of the churches and their 'young' people lived out a deep commitment to God, daily trusting Him for enough food to eat, and the means to raise and educate their families. Here was our greatest source of human encouragement - to see individuals, whether educated or illiterate, catch a vision and enthusiasm for themselves and contribute to the spiritual growth and awareness of people around them while they themselves grew in their knowledge and understanding of God, was thrilling.
Boubou is used to describe the long robe worn by men and women, usually from the more Islamic parts of Frenchspeaking West Africa. Many people from Mali and Burkina Faso found work in agro-industrial plantations around Dabou such as Palm Oil, Rubber and Bananas. Today there are younger adults of Sahel origin but born in Cote d'Ivoire. Two families left our 'ministry' in Dabou, to settle in Mali, where they are endeavouring to serve their churches, families and friends. It is our hope and prayer that God will lead us in discerning the best way to continue to support and develop this work.
Just as the apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to entrust eternal truths to those who would also teach others (2 Timothy 2:2), so The Navigators invest in people today.This one on one ministry is not quick, but it is deep and it lasts.
Dr Watson is studying for a Masters degree in Health Promotion Science and plans to return with the Navigators this time to Mali.
The HPD has traversed painful moments with loss of confidence and integrity and with deteriorating equipment and dwindling resources. Several staff display typical signs of 'burnout' dealing with AIDS, malaria, and TB.
Positive attitudes stood out in stark relief: the devotion of several to God despite the endless struggles: the devotion to people abandoned by their closest family and 'friends': the care of the mobile team to individuals living in remote villages. Some of the 'ordinary' members of the churches and their 'young' people lived out a deep commitment to God, daily trusting Him for enough food to eat, and the means to raise and educate their families. Here was our greatest source of human encouragement - to see individuals, whether educated or illiterate, catch a vision and enthusiasm for themselves and contribute to the spiritual growth and awareness of people around them while they themselves grew in their knowledge and understanding of God, was thrilling.
Boubou is used to describe the long robe worn by men and women, usually from the more Islamic parts of Frenchspeaking West Africa. Many people from Mali and Burkina Faso found work in agro-industrial plantations around Dabou such as Palm Oil, Rubber and Bananas. Today there are younger adults of Sahel origin but born in Cote d'Ivoire. Two families left our 'ministry' in Dabou, to settle in Mali, where they are endeavouring to serve their churches, families and friends. It is our hope and prayer that God will lead us in discerning the best way to continue to support and develop this work.
Just as the apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to entrust eternal truths to those who would also teach others (2 Timothy 2:2), so The Navigators invest in people today.This one on one ministry is not quick, but it is deep and it lasts.
Dr Watson is studying for a Masters degree in Health Promotion Science and plans to return with the Navigators this time to Mali.
