Night teaching again

The evening bible school IBEO (Institut Biblique Evangélique d'Ouagadougou) term started up last week, so I've now taught 2 weeks on Ephesians. Or to be more precise, on how they can study Ephesians for themselves. We're using a system where they do detailed observations of the text (encouraged by marked homework tasks), especially for one passage each in particular. There will also be a word study in that passage, and the final exam - they preach on that passage (each has a different passage). They will share copies of their work, and the sermon will be judged by their peers as well as me. There should also be time to go into detail on some of the text in class once I've gotten done explaining this completely-new way of studying the Bible and preparing sermons.

Lately the 5 local churches in Ouagadougou have lost temporarily or permanently their previous pastors due to a number of factors, so it's our students (key leaders in the churches) that will have to take up more preaching and teaching roles.

My electricity bill foils thief

My electricity bill seems large for one person, but it has a lot to do with something I've kept up from Benin days: security lights outside on all night. The idea of the one above the gate was to help with that area, especially when friends' cars are parked outside, and often ends up the "streetlamp" for our area when the lamp doesn't light down the corner.

It earned its keep last Saturday when apparently a thief fleeing from further up the road trying to keep to dark spots couldn't find one near my place and jumped the wall opposite instead to hide - unfortunately for him at the time the shopowner diagonal to me was turning after locking up and saw him do it. There was a hue and cry, a bang on the gate for my guard Philippe to come with his torch and machete, and eventually a trapped thief was handed over to the gendarmes that came when called. Returning home an evening later in the week I saw gendarmes posted both sides of local major roads and my guard thinks it's because of our scare. Philippe says all the local guards had already expressed gratitude for my light - and now are even more congratulatory, attibuting the theif's capture to my security arrangements!

Kill a ghecko - gain eternal rewards?

Reading one of the books in our libray says that M taught that gheckos (what they call the little lizards found behind hanging pictures, curtains, towels) are to be killed: you gain 100 virtues as a reward if killed with one blow, less if with 2 blows, less if with 3.

I admit they're annoying, but there must be a minimum of 5 I see regularly in the house and others I hear - I startle them when opening a curtain or adjusting a picture and they scuttle away, and no-one likes cleaning up the small messes they make each day - but I was told they help keep mosquitos down, and my landlord's suggestion of poison made me imagine small bodies rotting in the heat in some hideyhole hard to get rid of them. Maybe I'm just too squeamish to attack them and gain the "100 virtues".