<Spoiler Alert!> In the unlikely event that you have not yet attended your 2014 Regional Convention, be aware that this blog post will make reference to said convention, and will almost certainly reveal some details regarding said convention. If you wish to remain blissfully ignorant of such details, you may wish to skip this post for now.
That being said, we just had the pleasure of attending our first regional assembly here in Bobo. (Yes, I called it an assembly. In French, conventions are called assemblées, so that's just what we are calling it now). This was possibly the smallest regional/ district assembly we have ever been to, with a peak attendance of 684. Being in a nice rented amphitheater with A/C, nice seats, and modern looks, we could almost forget that we were in Africa. At least, until the power went out! Which seemed to happen regularly during the videos, including the drama. As you can imagine, every time the power interrupted a video, there was a collective groan from the audience. But, even worse, the brothers in charge of A/V had to go into frantic mode to determine if they could get the power back on, and, once they did, to reset every one of the 12 TVs placed throughout the facility.
2 newly baptized sisters with the only baptized deaf brother in Bobo
On the subject of videos, we have to mention our appreciation for the videos that were provided for ASL. Here in Bobo we have a sign language group, and they had a section with their own TV at the assembly. They averaged 35 in attendance, well over half being studies or visits. We were able to see their TV during the whole program, and really enjoyed seeing how they had the whole program in sign language. The local brothers only did a little bit of interpreting. It was great for us, and we don't even understand ASL, can only imagine how it touched all of the deaf attendees!
Now, back to the hearing section.... the visiting speaker was a member of the branch committee in Benin (our branch). We actually got to have dinner with him, a very nice and humble brother. He can also give a little encouragement to all of us who are learning a language: he and his wife have been in Benin for 18 years and still haven't mastered French, and don't speak a word of the local language Fon. Clearly, they weren't sent here because of their fluency in the local languages (speaking English and German before), rather because of their spiritual qualities. That's a nice reminder anytime we feel like we just aren't managing the language; while language is important, it's not the most important thing!
True, we could "almost" forget that we were in Africa... but there were always small reminders. Things like the stage brothers sometimes forgetting to adjust mics, and the hand painted signs for the Friday drama. Mostly, just a reflection of the different culture here: a laid-back attitude, and not worrying about every little thing. The thought is "it will work out", and it usually does. Of course, we are coming from a very detail oriented culture, so it's impossible for us to be so laid-back. But, at the end of the day, who do you think is less stressed? Again, a nice lesson, not everything has to be done exactly how we are accustomed to!
Finally, the exciting part! We were very privileged to have 9 invitees attend! One was Alisa's study who was there all 3 days, the others were mostly studies who came for just one session, and even 1 guy that we had just met on Wednesday and told about the assembly, and he came for 2 sessions. Interestingly, 4 out 5 were of Muslim background, and several were practicing Muslims. Even though they usually are slow to change, they are coming into the truth too. The fields truly are white for harvesting!!!
Once the assembly was all over, we got to enjoy the new video... in French! Of course, none of the releases were available here in English. So, we have watched the video twice in French, and so far not once in English. Even still, it's the best video yet! While the publications in French aren't ideal for us, they are already benefitting those in the territory. One of our studies is a father and husband, and appreciated the counsel in the Good News brochure that he is responsible for teaching his family. So, I made sure to get him the new family brochure, and he has already started reading it together with his wife!
Issouf, who walked an hour to attend the assembly
Edith was there all 3 days
Charles is a Liberian refugee who loves the Bible
Orokia rode her bicycle to the assembly 2 days
Zekaria happens to also be our tailor (he made the orange and the blue suits)
Deneba is also a tailor, and seems ready to accept the truth (her little girl is also really cute)
