Monday's Drive

This is Jonathan posting for Jeff. We've arrived at the SIL Center in Kara, 250 km (might be more, feels like 1,000 km) north of Lome. Our team is accompanied by Pastor Shalom of Wuiti Baptist Church, Evangelist Samuel Avisse and Nike (yes, it sounds like that). Our driver is Mouneera, who drove our group last time.
We left Lome this morning about 10:30 after slowly moving out of the Missions Center where we've been staying and going to the bank for another money exchange. The drive is frequently interrupted by stops to pay "fees" to various "security" men along the way. That's the way it is here. Supposedly these "fees" (read: bribes) go to the mayor or the police chief to pay for the road. Somebody's not filling in those potholes! The number one traffic rule is to avoid potholes. Motorcyclists are free. Big trucks only have to be avoided by 1-1/2 inches or so. But, we must avoid the potholes. I actually saw Randy cover his eyes and duck once. There were various exclamatory remarks coming from the back two seats. Charles Ray, Dudley and I just rolled our eyes and thought, "Tourists!"
Rolled into Kara tonight tired and ready to eat. The cook at the SIL Center prepared spaghetti with meat sauce and it was good!! One of the men (initials RC) was heard to say it was better than Olive Garden and another man (CR) said it was better than he'd get at home. (But you didn't hear that from me!)
The SIL Center is partnered with Wycliff Bible Translators and they have already completed the New Testament in the Lamba language. They have a team right now working in the Lamba area and translating the Old Testament. In the morning, I'm going to be able to arrange a meeting with one of those team members to discover what they've learned about the Lamba. We have a contact in Kara, 1 km from where we are staying. Missionaries Randy and Jannet Alderman, independent Baptists, have been working in this area 20 years. They made some arrangements for us and communicated with the SIL Center cook about our American food. (Thus the better-than-Olive-Garden spaghetti!) Randy Alderman "just happened to be" at the Lome Missions Center when we arrived. The Lord is causing some "coincidences" for us that are very encouraging. One other was meeting with some Church of Christ missionaries, again they "happened to be" staying in the Lome Missions Center when we were, who told us all about the SIL Center and eased our minds about it.
And, Kathy Daniels, the Southern Baptist IMB Coordinator for West Africa just happens to be arriving here, at the SIL Center, Thursday night. So, we can talk with her about our discoveries and work among the Lamba over supper that night. She also "just happened to be" in Lome with us and we got to talk about travel arrangements and the help the Board can give us with future trips. Many "coincidences" that remind us that the Lord is really in charge!
The Internet is reliable and faster here at SIL, so we should be able to report each evening.
Thanks for your prayers! Keep it up during the next three days of being among the Lamba!
Jonathan H.