Month one was full of ups and downs, and my team and I learned a ton about each other, living in community, living in African villages, African culture…the list could go on! And although there were many special moments and memories, one of the best is captured in the video below. Our ministry hosts, Monica and Jonas, own a heap of land in Dieouzon, Cote d’Ivoire, Africa. They are using the land to build a primary school, church and clinic, so essentially it will be a “centre” as they call it.
Before we left for our final village, Monica gifted each of us with matching outfits to be worn for a ceremony. We didn’t fully comprehend what she meant by ‘ceremony’, but we were excited nonetheless. When we arrived in Dieouzon, we walked up to their land where construction had recently begun on the primary school. They walked us through their vision for the land and where the church and clinic would be placed.
We were then informed that the entire Centre would be named after Team Haven. So, Haven Centre will be the name of a Centre in remote village in Cote d’Ivoire, Africa. How cool is that??! Next thing we knew, the men working on the primary school brought over a small tub of cement and we were to lay the cornerstone of the church….
But they didn’t stop there, once the cornerstone was laid and prayed over, they announced the primary school had 6 classrooms and an administration office….and each classroom will carry our individual names. To know that Emily Cate will be the name of the 3rd classroom down from the administration office in this school, is an incredible honor. Such a humbling experience.
Please check out the video below to see snapshots of the ceremony!!
Thank you for your continued support and prayers!! I love y’all!
In Christ,
Emily Cate
