Skipton Baptist Church Blog

Dear all
It’s 3 something in the morning - all times before 5 in my book are indeterminate – and I’m aware that my mobile phone is ringing somewhere in the house. I crawl under the mosquito net and make it to the living room before it stops. It’s Simon, one of the Centre staff. My brain just about does ‘medical emergency’ but then what Simon is saying doesn’t fit my ‘box’. He and the pastor want me to go and see something they’ve found. Then I realise he’s used the word ‘baby’. Someone has abandoned a baby. I just about have the presence of mind to ask if ‘it’s’ alive. Simon is at my gate. 2 minutes later I’ve thrown some clothes on and joined him.
It seems that near a side entrance to the centre, a young man who’d come in to pray (the church is often open for prayer through the night), had discovered a tiny baby lying in the grass. These are nights of heavy dew and someone had hurried to find warmer clothing to wrap the baby in. He was still alive. We prayed quickly together for the baby and for his mother who had abandoned him, then the pastor and Simon left to seek medical help and advice. Eventually after being turned away by a local clinic who felt unable to cope, they were welcomed by the University clinic in the city. The appropriate authorities were informed but so far all attempts to find the mother have failed. Instead a local TV station picked up on the story and appealed for people of ‘good will’ to come forward who could offer the baby a home. The hospital was inundated! Initially they short-listed a couple of another faith. The pastor, who had gone back to the hospital with baby milk and other necessities and to see how he was, felt strongly the baby should be raised in a Christian home. After speaking to the hospital director and the bourgemeister, the process was started to make the pastor the baby’s legal guardian. Meanwhile, a couple have come forward from one of the city churches with a letter of recommendation from their pastor. They have been unable to have children themselves and it now looks as though they may well become little ‘Moise’s’ parents. He has been given a clean bill of health by the hospital and should soon be ready to go to his new home.
Needless to say, I didn’t get a lot more sleep last Thursday morning and the day turned out to be extremely busy. There was money to order for end of month salaries, electricity bills, national insurance and taxes (the routine stuff!). Debbie came round so we could work on an article she had to shrink to size and then together we spent a not inconsiderable time trying to send them via a recalcitrant server. I got home as the technician came to repair the photocopier and by 1 o’clock, Isaac – former ISTELU student - had turned up to continue his marathon trying to restore the piano at ISTELU. It was 6pm before we finished but Isaac’s determination to see the job through to completion was commendable. (I was flagging!) Unlike the piano currently at my house, this one had seen some rough treatment. On opening it up we found all sorts, including popcorn, sweet corn, bits of paper wedged between keys and to be honest, it sounded past saving! After taking out all the keys and meticulously cleaning them, then repairing a couple of keys (I love the way people here can ‘make do and mend’), we got down to the serious business of re-tuning the piano. I’m delighted with the result and had the opportunity to try it out on Monday morning, when John taught the ISTELU students ‘Venez et Célébrez’ (Come on and celebrate) during their morning prayers.
Snippets from 3 conversations to finish up with:
“The pastor has accused four women in the church of witchcraft and of plotting to kill his wife. The case may go to court. Many people are leaving the church. Maybe the best thing to do is put a big padlock on the door and close the church down. So many are hiding ‘fetishes’ and the enemy is doing anything he likes in the church.”
“Please may I have time to go home? My child has come to say I’m needed there urgently as all my son’s clothes have caught fire.”
So went two conversations early Tuesday morning. On the return of the second person, I asked how the incident had occurred, knowing that their house had recently been connected to mains electricity. “It was ‘spirits of the night’ who caused it. There was no fire nearby and the electricity is fine but my son’s clothes have all been destroyed.” Pray for the many people we meet who, like us, need to grow in their understanding of what it really means to be a Christian and know how to live out their faith here in 21st century central Africa.
And the third conversation? Kazadi and Claude, a colleague and one of the Kisongye Bible translators, deep in conversation on my verandah. I’m focused on something else but eventually some words drift through. ‘Arsenal’, ‘Chelsea’, ‘Liverpool’… Yes, they’re sharing highlights of yesterday evening’s matches and the different teams’ prospects for the Cup! “If an English team makes it to the final, I’m going to be sure to video it”, says Kazadi!
Have a good week!
Love

Bridget

Fortunately most of my life I’ve had fairly elastic job descriptions. Shortly before they left for a 3 month break in the UK, Carol and Ginny announced that they thought their dog, Nzamu, might be having puppies. She doesn’t have a good track record, as in the past her puppies have either died or she’s eaten them, so it was with considerable apprehension that I waited for the 11 October to arrive. During the night Nzamu gave birth to her pups. A first count made it 4. The last count made it 8‼ So woven into my days at the moment is the job of playing nursemaid to one ravenously hungry, but so far, caring mother of 8 black/brown Labrador pups! In case anyone can’t work it out from the photo and wonders why they’re not in a cosy basket, they’re living under a container as Nzamu refuses to have them anywhere else!

The first big storm of the rainy season caused a nearby transformer to blow, so we were a week without electricity. It’s still a bit hit and miss. Yesterday we discovered a major cable on the ground after someone had tried to steal it overnight. SNEL (the electricity board) sent out a big team, accompanied by one of the local TV station’s cameramen and reporters. To repair the damage, they turned off our power as a precaution, then forgot to turn it on again when they finished work mid-afternoon. Saturday being one of the evenings when I work with translators, we had to make do with the one solar light in the living room. It’s an ok light if you’re just relaxing but it’s not so good for detailed reading, with Bible print particularly hard to decipher. We’re making reasonable progress, although I’m told there will be one more reading before we can print out the series of 10 studies. Of the two translators, Pastor Jean (John) is quite pre-occupied with trying to get the roofing completed on the church building before the rains really set in and Guy is struggling with a job he enjoys but for which he’s not been paid for the last 4 months. It’s a common situation in both the state and private sectors and causes unending hardship to families, many of whom live below the bread line.
The new academic year at the theological college gets under way on 30 October. I’m still waiting for a timetable! The students who have re-sits will begin their exams tomorrow, Monday, so I imagine most of the students are arriving today. There will also be a new intake and various candidates have already been to sit the entrance exam. It’s too complicated to set a date for the exam, as those coming from churches over 1000 km away, can only afford to make the journey once. Candidates are therefore offered the chance to take the exam the day they come to register their application. Last year our numbers were down and we really need a bigger intake this time if the college is to continue to be viable. We have some excellent lecturers but could do with upgrading the student accommodation and improving the library. This year, we plan to put computers into the college for the first time and so encourage the students to become computer literate.

As well as teaching in the college, I’ve been asked to do some teaching in a sewing school (not sewing, I hasten to add!) The school caters for young girls and married women who’ve largely missed out on educational opportunities but want to learn skills which will help their family income and their quality of life. I’d like to take up the offer, providing it works in with my other teaching commitments. As well as teaching English, I would probably be teaching some basic baking as a way of encouraging the women to set up their own small businesses.