PEARL GOES TO AFRICA

The following story is an account of a 13 member team that visited Catel, Guinea-Bissau  in mid-February 2011. Pearl is a fictional character, but her experiences, observations, and insights are a factual compilation of the experiences of all 13 team members. The names of other characters are their true names. It was simply easier to tell the story by combining the team members into one instead of introducing 13 different characters.

Team members



Pushing the taxi

Pearl was so relieved when she arrived in Ziguinchor, Senegal, thanks to the guidance of Beryl, a seasoned missionary in West Africa. The bulk of the traveling was complete and all she and her team members had to do was take a taxi to Catel, a small village in Guinea-Bissau that she had visited once before. If only it was that simple. With Andrew, a young missionary living in Catel, Pearl and two of the others went to get a taxi. Suddenly, the four of them were engulfed by a swarm of taxi drivers who hovered around them, speaking a language that Pearl could not understand while they pointed to their cars. Clutching her purse tightly and searching wide-eyed for familiar faces, Pearl tried to resist their pull. She couldn’t believe how calm Andrew was as he negotiated a price and was relieved when they finally piled into a car. The dusty, broken seats weren’t what she would have preferred, but at least that process was over. And then they were all out of the taxi again, back in the crowd of drivers. They piled into another car with a different driver. And then they changed again. Pearl wasn’t sure what was going on. Her other teammates were as clueless as she was. All she knew is that the car didn’t look roadworthy. She could see most of its metal frame exposed as the driver bounced along the road. They had to stop at every checkpoint. And at every checkpoint they had to push their car to jump start it. Stop. Present passport. Push. Repeat. 

Through this experience, Pearl learned what it meant to “pray continually.” Only upon reflection (and once she was safely in Catel) did she realize how God had answered her prayers. And it was only the beginning.

The days were filled with a plethora of activities. Walking to and from the guesthouse, Pearl had to adjust her steps to walk so that the sandy soil would roll out of her open sandals, and she had to avoid sticks or animal dropping along the path. As she explored the village with other teammates, she constantly heard the calls of “branco” denoting her as a foreigner. And it was difficult to walk far without having children run up. Their dirty faces couldn’t hide their smiles and their eyes searched hers for a loving touch as they wiped their noses and reached their sticky hands up to her. Grasping the hands firmly, she was able to share the love of God through as simple gesture. Their hands were the same as hers, created by the same God who formed all creation.

Part of her assignment was to assist in preparing food which she soon realized was a full-time job, especially when Pearl remembered that she couldn’t run to the nearest grocery store for a bucket of fried chicken or a collection of Campbell’s soups. Rice, elbow macaroni, and bread were the staples of the team diet and Pearl was thankful when no one complained about the macaroni and cheese with salad that tasted pretty similar to the macaroni salad and lettuce they had eaten earlier that week. Even with such limited ingredients, she realized that she was still living on a more nutritious diet than the women around her who shared their rice bowl with their children, co-wives, in-laws and husband.



Construction of the new toilet

 Times away from the kitchen were filled with interactions with many different people. Joining some of the construction projects, Jon, a newly arrived missionary, taught her how to mix concrete by measuring out sand, cement, and stones and then adding water to make a soupy mixture. Her neck was soon hot from working in the direct sun and her arms felt the strain of cranking water from the well. Of course, this is what the African women do every day. They must draw water from the well to drink, wash and cook and use their hands to wash, pound rice, and work the garden. Pearl was suddenly very appreciative of her indoor plumbing.

On another day, Pearl decided to stay out of the heat and put her nursing skills to use. In the morning, she worked in the clinic with Annette, recently arrived with her husband, Jon. With no sterile room, open wounds were treated inside the church with friends peering in the windows and other clients sitting on the same flat wooden benches that served as seats in the observation corner. Unable to speak the language and unfamiliar with some tropical diseases, she tried to help as much as she was able. At times, she was glad to only have to clean out an open wound, her gloved hands gently bandaging the bleeding area. Other times, she was glad for her medical knowledge and supplies to help others have a healthier quality of life.

Some of our projects

In the afternoon, the same church building that was used as a clinic was transformed into a preschool. Her teaching instincts kicked in immediately as the children ambled into the room and sat down on the benches. They were handed crayons and paper and didn’t know what to do with either one. With gentleness and patience, she went around to the preschoolers, helped them grasp the crayon and showed them how to move it around the paper to create colored marks. After a trial run the first day, the rest of the week was spent mentoring Mario who would be teaching the preschool. He was as excited as the children about the puppet animals, and joy was evident on his face as he had the children repeat numbers and letters after him. In a short week, the children had entered into a new phase of life – formal education. And Mario began his role as an educator, a task he will perform well because God has gifted him with a love for learning and a passion for children.

Church Leaders

Mario is one of the church leaders, and one of the highlights for Pearl was seeing the growth within him and the other believers since her last trip two years prior. There is now a church council and she was thrilled to hear the testimonies of the way God is working within Tenning, Celano, Mario, Alfredo, Momodu, Gibby, Dawda and Julio who are going to be leading the church. Two years ago, it would not have been possible to turn over leadership of the church to local believers, but, with God, all things are possible and the transition has begun. Even the women are changing. Rita now helps Kinta lead worship, and Pearl was surprised by the drastic change in Binta’s eyes. The light of the Lord is now so evident on a face that was once shrouded in darkness. The Spirit of God is clearly evident in Catel.

Pearl also spent time out in the village. One afternoon she sat down and prepared food with some women. Not all of them were believers, but she was able to share a Bible story with the group and smile at them and assist them even if she could not speak their language. She realized that relationships are the essence of West African culture and an afternoon of sitting with women did just as much to share the gospel with them as a 20 minute sermon. It is through relationships that people have come to know God. In fact, it is through relationships that Jesus himself made God known to the world. And it is through relationships – 2 weeks or 20 years – that God will continue to be known. Pearl had to give up indoor plumbing and 24/7 electricity and Google and steak for a week, but God requires so much more of us than our American comforts. The Kingdom of God is worth everything we possess, even our lives. In Matthew 13:45-46 Jesus says, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”