Here we are, writing our first article from Benin! We have known for two and a half years that we would come here and have been preparing, praying and longing for this day to come. Now it is here at last! Thank you to each of you who have helped to make this possible. As we write this article, we have been here only 10 days, but we already have plenty to write about.

Jason:
Our flight here was amazingly uneventful and smooth. We actually landed early in Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. All seven of our bags came through, and we were not even stopped for a bag search in customs. Praise the Lord! Michée Badé was waiting for us at the airport, and he and Jules Agbodza, the Benin Mission Secretary and Treasurer, took us to the mission guesthouse where we are staying for 12 nights. Since one of our primary goals here is to build solid relationships with the mission leaders, we are grateful that we have been able to stay so close to the mission headquarters.

Pastor Paul Baka, the mission President, and his wife have been very hospitable to us. They have invited us to their home on multiple occasions, kindly sharing wisdom and insights along with fellowship. We are here to help the church and work in partnership with the pastors and administrators who are here already, and we thank God that He has helped us get such a good start.

Maggi:
Those of you who have travelled to Africa know the wall of heat and the mingled smell of smoke and spices that hits you as you exit the plane. As I deplaned, I was struck by a thought: This place is going to feel like home someday. This is our new country, and to our kids it will feel more like home than anywhere else.

About 24 hours later, we went to our first prayer meeting in a French- and Fon-speaking church. I sat there with the kids, understanding practically nothing. Then the speaker had everyone pair up to pray a blessing on each other. Seeing a lady who was sitting by herself, I walked over and gestured an invitation to pray with me. She nodded and we held hands. She prayed a blessing on me in French, and then I prayed for her in English. Her short prayer of benediction felt like an anointing for service. I found a sister in Christ in my new home.

Jason:
“On our way to look for a car for you to buy, I need to visit somebody,” Michée told me. “There is a lady we need to pray for who is demon-possessed.” Thankfully, Michée has much experience with these matters, and I was grateful for the opportunity to join him.
We found the woman lying on the floor in great pain. Apparently, her mother-in-law does not like her and wants her to leave her son. One night in a dream, the woman saw her mother-in-law coming to her and hitting her on the chest. She has had pain and difficulty breathing ever since. We had a season of intense prayer, and the woman’s pain left, and she fell into a deep sleep. Since then, Michée has prayed for many other people, including a few others who were possessed by demons.

So, we have already been involved in ministry here, although not all of it as exciting as praying for the demon-possessed. I have had the opportunity to preach three times in a local church. On Sabbath in that church, a lady asked Maggi and me to pray for her. We gladly did so, but it seems something was lacking in our prayers. We have seen that Michée has definitely been called into prayer ministry, and we long for the day when our prayers for others will be more effectual. We have so much to learn, but Lord willing, we are already learning the lessons God has for us.

Maggi:
“Sing! Sing, or I will flog you!” The 15-year-old girl leading out in the children’s Sabbath School class was animated. I know I must have looked horrified, but I tried to appear calm and encouraged Reuben to sing. The man in charge who tapped kids on the head with a bamboo stick when they got out of line added authenticity to the threats.

Being an elementary school teacher myself, this is the biggest culture shock I have experienced since coming to Benin. In Africa, raising children is a community affair, and anyone can and will discipline anyone else’s kids. This will be one of the challenges of raising kids here. I believe the Sabbath School teachers are doing their best to give the kids a good experience, but I think I will not be leaving my kids alone there for quite a while. This experience reminded me that we are in a different culture, and things are done differently here. Some of those things are very good, and some I would rather avoid. Like our children being flogged in Sabbath School, or anywhere else for that matter.

Jason:
I’d like to tell you about two of my newest heroes. Michée Badé has been a tremendous blessing to us. Being an African and an AFM missionary, he has given us key insights into life here in Benin and has greatly smoothed our entry. He has taken time away from his family to be here for us as long as we need him, and we can hardly imagine what things would have been like without him. He has helped us know how to dress, act and even eat in order to give least offense, and we are so grateful for his help and advice. Thank you to each of you who support the Badé family. Your gifts have also helped us in these first days.

My wife is the second new hero of my life. Back in Tanzania more than 10 years ago, Maggi attracted me by the way she treated my African friends. She was so happy and genuinely interested and loving. Here in Benin, I am freshly reminded about her wonderful traits, as Maggi shines like a star. She has taken well to the local food and clothing and interacts with everyone she meets. She spent several hours alone in the largest market in the city and came out smiling, having learned some French and gotten good deals on clothes and towels. I am more convinced than ever that I have a wonderful wife, and I am so grateful I married her!

Maggi:
I don’t know if I really deserve being called a hero, but going alone to the big market in Cotonou felt like a real feat. The market is both outside and inside, with thousands of small stalls selling everything from fried critters of all kinds to jewelry. I was dropped off in the beer section, so with a few words of French and lots of gesturing, I found my way to the used clothes section. I was prepared to bargain, but the prices were already so low that I hardly felt the need. The ladies selling skirts were happy to show me all their piles, holding up one after another for me to consider. To try them on was a piece of cake, I just pulled them on over the one I was wearing.“C’est bon!” (“It’s nice!”) they would say. I made several purchases.

It was an exhilarating feeling to be on my very first shopping spree in Benin! I was alone in the big market yet able to understand and make myself understood—just barely. Communication is so limited when most of it is body language.

On the street right outside the mission office, a lady sells French bread. I have bought from her several times but never thought to ask her name. I regretted that when I was in the market and recognized her ahead of me.

That evening when I went to buy bread again, she asked me my name, and I was able to tell her that I had seen her that morning in the big market. She smiled, appreciating that I had recognized her. Now I know her name, Mirei, and I look forward to meeting her again next time we come to stay at the mission guesthouse. By then, I will know enough French to tell her more of why we are here.

Jason:
God has blessed our first days here in so many ways. We have had a few inconveniences and will likely experience more culture shock in the future, but we already feel like we have come home. Compared to the experiences many of our friends have gone through during their first days in the mission field, we have been mercifully sheltered. We thank God for this, realizing that maybe this is all we can handle at this point! Whatever the case, we are happy, healthy and, in Jesus Christ, holy.

Our conviction is stronger than ever that God has truly called us to work in Benin. As we see opportunities for ministry already arising and sense the Lord binding our hearts to the people around us, we are convinced that we are where He wants us to be. Our hearts are drawn out to the people we see, and we long for the day we can communicate more freely with them. We look forward to sharing the joy of salvation with those who do not know it and being used by Jesus to fill heaven. Thank you for your support and prayers! They are working!

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