Little KimmiePie…

For weeks, we’d been reminding our neighbor, Ebiong, to call us when she had her baby. And she didn’t. We had to find out 12 hours later when they stopped us on the way to church.
So, when it came time for the little one’s naming ceremony yesterday, she made sure we’d been called.
They named her Kim, after my roommate, which is always special. I found out yesterday about another kid named after me in the neighboring village. Hilarious how that works.
Anyway, this is little Kim and her mom Ebiong. In the naming ceremony, they smear mom with oil, then the baby with oil, then do all sorts of weird animism things to shoo away evil spirits and ask for the ancestors blessings.

Like any local custom, it also involves the local brew of “white beer.” This is little Monica, the new Kim’s older sister, tipping back with the help of her grandmother. Nothing quite like seeing a two-year-old totter around after drinking beer. I can’t wait until the power of the Gospel pushes the beer out of here.