Yovoes!!!!

If you try to walk anywhere in Benin, and you are caucasion, you will frequently hear children shouting, "Yovo! Yovo!" and waving to you, even running out to wave at the Mercy Ship vehicles when they recognize them! Equivalent to the spanish "gringo" (or white person), they even have a song they sing about us. They chant: "Yovo! Yovo! Bonjour! (bon-joo) Bonsoi! (bon-swah) Sabe! (saw-vah) Sabe bien! (saw-vah bee-en) Merci! (mare-see)." It's basically saying, "White person! White person! [Who only knows how to say] Good morning! Good afternoon! How are you? I'm fine! Thank you!" And it's basically the truth for many of us!!!

The translators tell us that sometimes they use yovoes as a threat when their children are misbehaving. "You better obey me or the yovoes will get you!" ...Something like the boogy man!!! (Of course, these statements are sooooo helpful when we have to give them care on the ward!!! They scream when we come anywhere near them!!!) One mom was even threatening her young child with us yovoes while in the ward when the nurse was trying to win them over so that she could give simple care without the child screaming in terror and running the other direction! Mom would just laugh!!! Not helpful in the least!

Other times, the nurse's given name is simply replaced by "Yovo!" or "my nurse!" One poor little boy was admitted yesterday afternoon with cataracts in both eyes. His vision was severely limited but he was not entirely blind. The admissions nurses had to poke him twice to draw blood for testing before surgery. He sat in his bed VERY mad at yovoes and scowling at us with his arms crossed over his little chest... just NOT a very pleased little man! Well, I had another child playing with blocks on the floor and we eventually got him over there playing with us and no longer mad at yovoes. He decided that we could be tolerated--even with all of our hugs and tickling. This morning, the OR nurse came in and put drops in his eyes to prepare him for the surgery. He screamed bloody murder! When he sat back up, his little arms were crossed tightly, his eyes were shooting daggers a mile-a-minute, and the evil scowl on his face was back x10!!!! He was NOT happy with the yovoes. Well, he went to surgery soon after and came back an hour or two later with screened goggles on his eyes, one eye covered with gauze. He can see through the screen on one eye but not the other until the dressings are removed over the next few days. Mom held his arms down so that he didn't pull off the protective goggles and sat rocking and comforting him, but all I could hear was him sobbing, "Yovoes! Yovoes! Yovoes! Yovoes!...." over and over and over!!! Poor kid's traumatized for life!!! ...But it was so very cute, too!!! Poor kid...he's too young to understand an explanation but I hope that when he can see clearly again, he'll understand that the yovoes helped him. Honestly, ... we're not here just to torture innocent children!!! It really is all for his benefit!

Isn't that like us with God, though? We get mad and scream and cry and it feels like all our heavenly Father's doing is sitting there restricting us and allowing things that He could stop from happening. In reality, He is offering endless and boundless love and comfort, allowing the hard things and painful things in order to heal us and make us better than we previously were. It is definitely not fun to be going through it, but later, after we've healed, we can see how those difficult things benefitted us and that it really wasn't meant to destroy us or damage us. It was all for our good. How good is our heavenly Father to allow us to go through difficult things, to hold us and comfort us throughout that time, and to coordinate all those things, good and bad, for our healing and betterment! And all simply because He loves us!

Many times, I really struggle to accept that God loves me and even likes me! Several mornings ago, He pointed out a verse in 1 John where He says that "God is love." Not "God has love" but that He "IS love." God cannot ever stop loving us because He IS love. It's Him. It's Who He is! And more than that, He gave His beloved Son to die so that I might be adopted as His child! Not only did He love me enough to create me. He also chose me--adopted me--to belong to Him and not just as a servant or cheap labor, but as a favored and well-loved child! And everyone who believes in Jesus Christ dying for our sins becomes that favored and well loved child! And even more than that, He actually likes to hear from His children...to just sit and enjoy the quiet with them...to hear their problems and concerns...and to hear their gratitude for what He has done...to hear their requests on behalf of others...to hear their laughter and see their enjoyment of life...all of it! He LOVES you! Wow! The God in control of everything from the farthest star and planet in its revolution to the deepest molecule in the sea, reaches out and cares about every detail of my life, all of it! And He hears and listens when I speak! Now that is a God to trust and love! Any sacrifice or difficult periods in my life are well worth accepting when it comes from this God out of His boundless and never-ending love! What a mighty, good God we serve!!!

Hallelujah? AMEN! Amen? HALLELUJAH! (A taste of African church!!! Hee, Hee!)