New Name

First Food

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See that hair Nana!

For those of you that have followed the Blog for quite some time, you will remember that when we first got to Africa, I was sad because my name is to difficult for our friends and neighbors to say, so I went nameless for a while. In February of '08 I got my first African name, Esther. That has been my most used name, although I've accumulated quite a collection Mariam, Awa, Fatimata and many others, but there is a quite persistent new name that I have now. I am BenjaminMa. Calling a women by her firstborn's name is very common here, but my first and second born children have names that are also difficult. To add to that, they don't walk with me out in the community a lot and so not everyone knows them as well as myself. I enjoy being out walking in the heat, go figure! However, EVERYONE knows Benjamin. So I am wearing proudly my new name and hope that by some miracle when we go stateside in November, I will remember to respond to my given name!!!

I would ask that you all remember my friend Agira for the next little while. She is expecting her 5th child in September, which will hasten her departure from Abidjan. I don't really know when yet, but fear she'll be moving back to Burkina in just a few short months. She's been very sick this week with asthma, and I was very worried for a few days, but she's on the mend now. Just pray that Father draws her heart and she will see and believe the Truth. Pray too that I am sensitive to the Spirit's leading as I want so badly for her to believe.

My love to all,
Heather