Churchgoers…

It shouldn’t go unsaid that we’ve got a lot of praise to give about our friends coming to church lately.

Mary comes every Sunday morning to our house and tells us to call her before we go down. Abuba’s kids have long gone with us. Laudina finally is coming with her kids. Davitica comes now and then. Pattie goes to get Pasca, the witchdoctor and the rainmaker before every service.

And this week, little Monica came with us. We walked by the house and her mom told us she’d get her ready to go with us. That whole relationship is amazing, because at first Ebiong wanted nothing to do with us. But now she’s one of our best friends and doesn’t miss an opportunity to greet us as she goes by or sit and have fun with us. She’s the one who leaves Baby Kim when she goes to the river. The one who laid out after our fugitive chicken and came up with only feathers—and a huge grin.

Anyway, she stripped Monica right there and gave her a bath. Probably the first time I’ve seen Monica truly clean, if it was only for a second. (She cried the whole time, as if afraid and unaccustomed to the water. We lovingly call her Stinky.) Anyway, she came and clung to either Kim or I the entire time, not quite certain of her surroundings and refusing to go to Sunday school, opting instead for the comfort of Kim’s lap.

The funniest/worst moment was when Martin was doing a play. Kim was in it, so she left Monica alone in her chair. She was happy as could be—maybe a bit anxious—until Martin closed the doors of the church. She absolutely freaked out and started screaming bloody murder. Poor Jen picked her up, only to heighten the screams. What a nice feeling it was to come to her comfort and have her wrap her little arms around me so tightly. Poor thing!

Anyway, praise God for all of our friends he’s bringing to church. And let’s pray that Ebiong and Abuba, like Laudina, start following their children to church.