Today we went to the Butebi village to meet the locals and start work on the medical clinic. At first, the people were shy and distant. They watched us inquisitively from afar and it was only after our translators, Winnie and John, encouraged them in their native tongue that they came to say hello. The children were the first to approach, mainly because of our cameras and the offer of “fannan” (pictures). They were intrigued to see themselves on our digital screens and excitement quickly spread throughout the village. Harry was eager to start getting work done and was quite useful. The hired workers were distant with him at first but, as time grew on, began to respect him as a leader and companion. Ed, Dennis, and Harry began working on the building while Stephanie, Annette, Lila, and Sue were rapidly becoming very popular with the villagers and children. John and Winnie answered all of our questions about the culture and customs and we were intrigued with all we learned.
Sue was planning on leading a women’s Bible study later in the week so we split into two groups and began walking down the winding dirt road to meet the villagers and invite the women. The people we met were welcoming and all promised to attend the Bible study. They were all very grateful of why we were here and soon we had a huge procession of running, skipping children following behind us. Some locals invited us into their homes and we were treated like royalty. They offered us their only stools or benches to sit on and would kneel on the ground themselves. It was humbling and inspiring to be greeted with such excitement and respect. Stephanie even got a short ride in Pastor Willison’s (of the Butebi Baptist church) fishing boat while the rest waved from the shore with the children.
Although the progress on the construction was sluggish at first, we got a lot done in our first day. A few of the walls were coming along nicely and the builders were beginning to connect. The relationships we were making with the people, even our own translators, were growing in leaps and bounds. We promised the children we’d be back tomorrow. As evening approached and rain began to fall once again, we left for the hotel.
Tomorrow the women will be going to a different village, Gema, where we will also have a Bible study and the men will go back to the Butebi village to resume construction on the soon-to-be medical clinic. We hope to increase the work done to the building and intensify our bond with the people as we continue sharing our faith and expressing God’s love for these beautiful people.
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