As you can tell, we do have very limited internet access. So we will all try and blog as much as we can, but it will be more like a trickle than a waterfall 
All of us have arrived safely in Abidjan –the few bags which were delayed arrived 24 hours later. We were late leaving Paris due to a refueling strike, but that was the only hitch in an otherwise pleasant 2-leg international trip that took up Friday & Saturday. We were whisked through passport control & customs, and delivered to the hotel, where a band and dancing greeted our arrival. We promptly checked in, ate some pizza (!) and retired.
Sunday was an opportunity to worship in Dabou, west of Abidjan, on the grounds of the Methodist Hospital. Churches and villages lined a square underneath canopies that shaded the seating areas. In the middle of the square grew one small tree, a sapling really. It was a perfect symbol of Bishop Janice Riggle Huie’s sermon, drawn from the opening of 1 Peter: a focus on Jesus Christ as the source of our robust, all-encompassing LIVING hope. After we heard from her, we received communion and the clergy were invited to help distribute the elements. For many of us this was the highlight of truly incredible worship. If you were at Annual Conference this May, you have a taste of what it was like! We also heard from Bishop Benjamin Boni (the resident bishop of CI) and others. After worship, we were driven to the nearest village and shared a meal in the home of a former Minister of Construction. His well-built home included a wall around the whole house at least 10 feet high
We had lunch with a number of our Ivorian counterparts. Meals so far have been very consistent. The standard includes an early “vegetable” course, which has peas, grated carrots, beets, sometimes hardboiled eggs, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, all with a kind of creamy vinaigrette sauce which varies depending on who cooked it. The second course is more of the meat, the most common being fish and chicken prepared in various ways (including fish served whole!). So this is what we have been having for both lunch and dinner for the past two days. It is a hearty meal and I personally haven’t grown tired of it yet. A reminder that we take our “variety” for granted–that is a luxury unshared by this part of the world, at least. If I can get some pics downloaded, then I will post some of a meal soon.
After lunch we made our way out of the compound, past many Ivorian villagers & children playing in the rain-washed street, and back to the bus. A little bit of downtime once we were at the hotel, and we were back at the table again, this time at Jubile church–”First Methodist Cote d’Ivoire” as one of the team called it. The Women’s Fellowship had provided dinner and entertainment in the form of two excellent women’s choirs who could dance as well as they could sing, and a fashion show of traditional Southern Ivorian dress. After returning to the hotel, I went to bed (but not before a few minutes of sink laundry!).
Today, Monday, was a day of training. We returned to Jubile church after breakfast at the hotel to learn more about each of our sites. We will be distributing in 5 districts, usually in pairs (each team of six will be present at 3 distribution locations in their assigned district). We met with Methodist coordinators from each of these districts and heard more about specifics. We also tried out a net (again, pictures soon!) and in general learned a lot more about both this specific campaign and what it means for the future. I am particularly excited about the impact this partnership model will have for the next 50 years of health delivery! A brief side trip to a small shopping district in Cocody (the neighborhood in which Jubile is located) preceded an excellent lunch at a new restaurant. I particularly enjoyed the fish kabob!
Late in the afternoon we drove the Le Plateau, which is the financial & administrative district of Abidjan and out of town to Grand Bassam, which is a beachfront community (32km east of Abidjan) known for its resorts and shopping. Grand Bassam was the colonial capital until mosquitos and malaria drove the French to move to Abidjan. Its church is 100 years old.
Our only opportunity to buy things for our families was uncomfortable for many of us since we are not used to the pressure to buy things (and then figure out how to barter!). A few times a hand was placed on my shoulder to…encourage…me not to leave the front of the stall. I was thankful for our Ivorian hosts and the accompanying soldiers to keep things under control and give me a little peace of mind. But a few gifts were bought hurridly and then we packed back on the bus to return to Jubile again for dinner.
Tonight we heard a final report from the day’s meetings with all the delivery partners: the church, the Ministry of Health, and the NGOs. We are very excited about tomorrow–the thought of giving away all of these nets in 5 short days is tremendous. More reflections will be posted by team members tomorrow, I am sure.
Before I close, I’d like to share the refrain from one of the songs we sang Sunday morning: Jesus sauve aujord’hui! Or, “Jesus saves today!” From our homes to places across the globe, let us proclaim that our living God is still at the age-old work of healing, reconciling, making new, and breaking through all obstacles so that we might indeed be fully alive in God’s Kingdom. Jesus saves today!