Here are a few things I loved about our month in Cote d’Ivoire!
- Playing soccer and hanging out with the kids in our apartment complex
- Getting to know my teammates better and laughing hysterically at some of our ridiculous conversations
- Going on runs through the neighborhood with a few of my teammates and laughing about how weird we look. I only saw one local going for a run this entire month. Not only are we white, which already draws loads of attention anytime we walk anywhere, but we were running in the heat of the day, so we turn a lot of heads, and it was just funny to see people’s reactions.
- Going to church with our hosts and feeling so welcomed and loved and also getting to see how people worship God in Cote d’Ivoire – they have big dance parties!
- Unexpected large amounts of free time where I was able to spend more time with the Lord, read books, chat with my teammates, walk to the market, work out, and so much more. And it was so much easier without access to WiFi in our apartment!
- The fresh fruit juices you could buy for $0.85 on the side of the street – orange, pineapple, grapefruit – all DELICIOUS!
- Hanging out with our wonderful hosts, who don’t speak a lot of English but were so kind to us. Even on days we didn’t do ministry, they took us to the markets, took us to church, introduced us to their friends, and came over for French/English lessons!
- Spending time doing children’s ministry and also Muslim trucker ministry. It was amazing to see the courage and commitment of the local ministries here to share the gospel and the hope of Jesus with the people in their communities. It’s so cool to know these ministries don’t just stop when we leave, but they’ve already been established for many years and will continue long after we are gone – God just blessed us by allowing us to partake for a short time in what he is doing. Thanks God!
