Koko, Orientation, and Tyembara

These last few days have been absolutely filled to the brim.

Sunday I went to my new church Koko for the first time. It was a service in both Tyembara (a Senefou language, actually the only Senefou language with a full translation of the Bible) and French. There was a lot of different types of worship: a worship team with singers, a bass guitar, small drum set, and a keyboard, a Bambara choir, who danced and sang, and Senefou song leaders who’d lead call and response songs. Almost the entire service was translated in both Tyembara and French except the actual message was in Tyembara only and was about AIDS and what a Christian’s response should be to the epidemic. I was introduced formally along with Jason, the other Journeyer who’ll be attending the church. At the end of the service, as is custom for anyone new or special, we stood at door and shook everyone’s hands as they left. There were about 590 people in attendance and I’m sure I shook nearly that many hands.

Yesterday and today, we’ve been having orientation with our pastors, their wives, and our host families. This program is unlike anything that’s ever been done here previously so it’s necessary to make sure everyone understands that JourneyCorps has a link with the local churches who then chooses host families for us. I am here to work with and through the church of Koko, my host family, and the community I’ll be living in, not apart from them.

Throughout orientation and going to church it has become extremely obvious how important the Tyembara is to the church community here in Korhogo. When we arrived in Korhogo a week ago, I knew a tiny amount of Dioula (both an ethnic language and the language of commerce in Côte d’Ivoire) but not one word of Tyembara. These last few days of meeting my host parents, spending time with people during orientation, and going to church Sunday have been a bit of a wake up call, most people here speak mostly Tyembara. Instead of merely hoping to better my French in the next months, I’m also hoping to learn enough Tyembara to communicate effectively.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend some time with my host mom. We left IBB campus and headed to the construction ‘magasin’ (store) that her husband Sidiké started. We went inside and I met some of her sons who now run the store and then we went to visit the house and Sidiké himself. I also met Sidiké’s older sister and some kids at the house, all probably related to them in some way. We sat in the courtyard eating popcorn sprinkled with sugar and milk powder and they tried to teach me more Tyembara and Sidiké asked me some questions about myself. I didn’t see the inside of the house or stay for too long, but it was nice to visit before I move in with them. Sidiké is very well known; he’s an elder in the church and ‘très engagé’ in the community and his store does well. So it seems that I will be living in a very unique Ivorian situation. How exactly it will differ, I am not sure, but time will tell.

Tomorrow is the last day of orientation and in the afternoon I will be leaving with my host family to go to what should be my home for the next 9 months, the same amount of a school year. A lot of the feelings I have are reminiscent of going back to school as well. I’m a little sad to leave the past three months behind, but I’m full of nervous excitement too. Nervous because there are many cultural and language barriers that I’ll have to cross every day. Excited because there are so many wonderful new things to experience and learn from and so many opportunities to love. My absolute comfort however, is that Jesus goes before me, He goes with me, He'll come behind me; I have nothing to fear. These next months will be like nothing else!!