Allen Steve Shawn 1993 Benin

8/12/2019 Allen Steve Shawn 1993 Benin

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/allen-steve-shawn-1993-benin 1/9

Benin

Steve Shawn

LLEN

^ B.P. 03 2022^Cotonou Republic ofBenin

West Africa

775

Steve, Shawn, Tori, Clark

RISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP PrayerNewsletter

January 1993

As I sit in front ofthe computer

trying to put into words what

my heart is feeling, I reflect on

th e days at Auburn Universitywhen Shawn and I first met

with Herb Works, CMF

left fo r California and the fear,

doubt, and excitement tha t we

experienced.

Family members questioned as

did many close friends. But,

^ then again I have

''i the same. Is this

me, Lord, arid, if

I hav e known the

r answer to this

^ong: it wasGod s desire t ha t

—;—— ' I continue tore bowls fo r c j c

move f o rwa rd fo r

H im . A nd n ow the

affirmation of doing what He

asked has begun, as we serve

in Africa among

the unreached. | , . ^ ~

At th e local market, a Beninoise child displays bowls fo rsa le

friends, and, no, i t does not get

easier. However, the presence

of God is always with us .

And, YES, I am excited. It is so

much fu n to sho w Shawn

things that she had only seen

in pictures ...

to watch Tori speak French tohe r f r i can f r ie nd s.. .

and to finally have Clark out of

diapers

I have shared briefly what i t

feels like to actually begin work

in Africa. The r e s t o f th is

newslet ter is lef t to respond tomany of the letters received

requesting ADay in th e Life,from the perspective ofShawn

a nd o u r i nt er n Michae l Plank

Director ofRecruitment. My

mind re turns to the t ime I sa t

down with my father to share

my future desire to be a

missionary, and I can still hear

my brother laugh andsay,

Africa Are you crazyV

My memories continue as I

think of standing in the pulpitofmy home church (for 18

years) in Tennessee. I spoke toa full Sunday night crowd of

600 people who had watched

me grow up and heard the

rumor tha t Steve Allen was

taking his family to Africa.

I will never forget the day we

Scared? Yes. The

responsibility isa t t im e s mo re

t han I can

handle, but God

c ont in u es t o

provide strength

fo r each new day.

Yes, I miss

family. We have

passed our second

Christmas away

from family and

gilt, .s

A new creature in Christ: This recent baptismal service wa s

held in Allada, one hour north of Cotonou.



Shawn Allen Speaks:

The answer to the question

What is a typical day in your

lifer'is, . . .THERE IS NO

S U C H THING

No, we don't have two-hour

devotions and prayer time

followed by family worship and

doc tr in a l d i scu ss ion s ove rbacon and eggs each morning,

beginning a t 5 a.m.

Yes, we do have certain

scheduled events on a daily or

weekly basis. However,

counting on those events tobegin or end a t certain times,

or to even happen at all, only

l ea d s t o f r us tr at io n

Ins tead, we focus on the activi

ty or relat ionship at hand. Welook to the present and not the

future. And, for the most part,

we just do what we do best ~ gowith the flow - a n d l ea rn a t

each step along th e way.

WIT

The following may be a guide

for you the next time you ask

that question: You know it is atypical day in the life ofamissionary family (at least this

missionary family) when...

... The jeep breaks down, th e

part can't be found in the coun

try, and th e mechanic says hecan make the part and fix it in

two days (He actually did it )

... They spend every day for aweek around the clock nursing

a brand new puppy ~ future

guard dog -- to health becauseh e was b om to a mother who

carried th e deadly parvo virus.

(H e survived )

... They have a houseful of

guests, it is pouring down rain,the doorbell keeps ringing, th e

new puppy has three accidentsin the house .

... They receive five guests

during lunch hour

who are happy

just to sit and

I w t h the f milye a t

Cotonou, Benin, West Africa: downtown traffic clogs th es t reets here, too. i

... The boy next

door asks for

money to go

swimming, a man

from church

wants a keyboard

from the U.S.A.,

ano ther w a n t s

taxi fare, another

w a n t s a loan to

buy a sewing

machine, and on

th e way home

fi-om church th e

t a xi d r iv e r t ri es to

overcharge them

because h e t hi nk s

they are tourists .

... The wife plugs

the t r ans fo rmer

into th e power

s tr ip and the

power strip into

the wall (should

be the other wayhe f e ti sh market section of Dank>To-Pa is in th e largestoutdoor ma r ke t in West Afr ica . Here, those who followm a o o r marKCt m wes t Air ica t ie re m ose w n o i o u o w r a n c i n c r

traditional rel • ; ii come and purchase a sacrifice to offer to UrouilQ^ Causinga godor spirit. a slight electrical

explosion in th e kitchen that

melts down the power strip.

... The Jeep won't start, the

husband is a t a conference in

another country, the wife walks

with both kids t o f ind a taxi,

wait s 40 minu te s, then has to

cram nine people into a ca r for

four t h a t h as no brakes

... The wife opens her lesson

plans for Monday home schoolonly to find out that they are toobserve the changing leaves of

fall, visit a lumber yard, and

f ind a c o n st r uc t io n s i t e to see a

f r amed house . None of those

things exists here.

... They put up a six-foot feltChr i s tmas t ree a n d t hi nk i t is

the greatest thing they haveseen in years (Thanks, Nana )

... A motorcyclist rims into

their Jeep, begins yelling at

and blaming them in Fon, and

attracts a crowd of over 100

people. (I drove away when Ifound out he wasn 't hur t. )

... While on a recent trip north,

a herd ofarmy ants (1,000+)

almost carried of f the camp at

three in the morning.

No, it is not constant chaos

either, and we love the

challenges of each new day.

I wil l leave you with this poem.-R ead i t with a smile and

remember: We really do love

being i n t he center of God's will

for o u r l ives .

Life is easier than you thinkall you have to do is,Accept th e impossible

do without the indispensable

B e a r the intolerable

A N D

Be able to smile at anything. A u t h o r U n k n o w n

I promise, we are still smiling

Steve, Shawn, Tori, and Clark



We will now let Michael Plank,

our intern fo r three months,

give you his perspective of th e

missionary's life. We lovedhaving him here. Michael was

a huge help during this initial

adjustment period for our

family.

Mi c h a e l P l a n k

Commen t s

To say that living on the

mission f ie ld fo r three months

has reshaped my perspectives

would certainly be an

unders t a t ement

I suppose i t 's easy for

Americans to picture

missionaries in Africa hving inm ud an d t ha tch hu t s in th e

jungle, dodging exotic tropical

animals, and trying to preach

th e gospel to warring,

uncivi l ized nat ives B u t I am

pleased to report to you thatciviUzation is indeed present

he re. Mis s iona r ies a re n ot in

danger of doing without food(even though it's different) or o f

being roasted over a village

campfire

Growing up in a minister's

family I came to beHeve that

there were certain days

exclusively set aside tobombard the preacher's home.

I've now had t o expand that

theory to include missionaries

as well. Have you ever had one

of those days when Satan

blasts you from every angle

with little problems until you

reach a point sometime in early

evening when you feel l ike you

could laugh, cry, and become

violent a ll a t th e s ame t ime ?

Well this is one of his key

strategies on the mission field.

Shawn's poem truly sums it up.You mus t l e ar n to shun t h a t

violent urge, set the tea rs

aside and laugh at anything

Yes, every family has one of

those days occasionally, but

there is so much more g oo d to

Michael Plank, Clark , Shawn, S t eve , and Tori .

focus on. In fact,

inconvenience a t

th e time may welltu rn ou t to be a

blessing later . I t' s

si tuat ion and to

se e h ow ( jo d Michael Plank, <

worked through

it . Even i f the

circumstances simply make a

great story later on it seems

wor t h it

I can't express how wonderful

this experience has been forme. It was perfect timing for asabbatical in Africa just beforegraduate school. I had so much

opportunity to read and tostudy, leam a new language,

observe and l eam from another

culture very different from our

own, witness cross-cultural

ministry, adjust to an animistic

society understand how amission organization operates,

make fr iends with Africans and

be spiritually filled by theirenthusiasm for Christ .

I have so many interesting

s to r ie s t o share. In case I

forget remind me to tell youabout these things when I see

you

my first night in Africa in the

wrong country, th e Python

Temple, staying with anational family, the soccer riot,

meeting with th e kings of

Abomey and Savalou, Fish

Fish Fish , the fetish/Christian

combination funeral, the

village lady at Paoungnin, th e

African Army Ant invasion, our

safari trip north, free Beninoise

wha le meat

... I could go on and on. But

that will keep me going for

quite some time

Going back to an American

congregationwill be

an

adjustment for me. This past

Sunday, I sat on a wooden

bench in a concrete building

listening to a sermon in Fon

and French, watched mothers

breas tfeed t h e i r babies - asbongos accompanied the choirand saw a goat run around thepulpit.

By the t ime you receive this I llbe back on a padded pew

listening to piano and organ

music someplace where there ismuch less of a threa t of animal

invasion. The church service

will be different, but I pray the

people will not be. I hope that I

find the same love and zeal forthe Lord there as is so evident

in Ben in

I want to personally thank each

one of y ou who have supported

me financially, written letters,

and prayed for me ~ especiallythe prayer I can think of

several days when I would lookat my watch , count back s ix

hour s to se e wha t t ime i t was

i n th e U.S., figure out where

certain individuals were, and

know everything would be allright because that was the time

of day they were praying for

In closing, I would like to share

with you a quote I received in ale t ter f rom a f r ie n d wh il e in

Africa. And when you're having

one of those days, remember

th is



Live in the present,

and make e ac h momen t so

wonderful

it will be worth remembering,

That s wha t I ve done. And i f

good memories are truly

valuable then I am returning

home a wealthy man.

Michael Plank

T h is i s t h e n ew You th

Ce n t er i n Co t o nou

t h a t S t ev e w o r k s wi t h

a s an ou t r e a c h to th e

young people in th e

area . G to r)

Emmanuel , the

Center s d i recto r ;

Pastor Lucianne,Foyer Evangelique

Church; Tin-Tin;

Michelle Arnet , SIM

missionary; Pastor

Foley, AglaEvange lique Church;

Br i a n Mi t t on an d so n

Jona than SIM

missionary; and Steve

Al l en .

Cla r k an d Tin-T in

(Aliens house helper )wash c lo thes o u t b ac k

i n t he washing

mach i n e .

Chr is ti an Mi s si ona ry f e l l owsh ip

P .O .BOX 5 0 10 2 0

INDIANAPOLIS IN 46250-6020

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

F I SS ION SERV ICES

EDITORIAL DEPT

P 0 BOX 2 4 2 7

KNGXVILLE TN 3 7 9 0 1

iiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiitiitti

Nonprofit Organization

U S Postage

Permit No 2976

Indianapolis Indiana



Benin

Steve Shawn

A L L E N

B.P. 85

Savalou, Benin

West Africa

77r

Steve,

Shawn,

Clark,

Tori

CHRISTIAN M SS ON RY FELLOWSHIP PrayerNewsUtter

July 1993

hallenges of

ommuriicating

h r i s t s

ompassion in aross

u l t u r a l

o n t e x t

C fo r yourself if you and someo f o u r M e n d s h e r e C

eye-to-eye

1. What causes appendicitis?(a ) Internal malfunctions.

(b) High humidity.

(c ) Seeds in tomatoes and

c u c u m b e r s .

2. Which child gets the

birthright if twin boys are bomin the first pregnancy?

(a ) Neither, you wait fo r next

b o r n son .

(b ) The one who comes out first.

(c ) The one who comes out

second .

3. What causes miscarriages?(a) Jogging.

(b ) Cats.(c ) Coca-Cola.

4. When fiiends get togetherthey:

(a ) t al k much and e a t off

individual plates with forks.(b) eat with fingers of findividual plates.

(c) al l eat from same bowl using

fingers and don't say a word.

5. Shaking with or using thel e f t h a n d t o offer food is :

(a ) a way to honor someone.(b) okay for lefties.

6. When a wife has a problemwith her in-laws,

(a) she consults a witch doctor.

(b) she grins and bears it .(c ) her mother mediates a

so lu t ion .

7. W h en a re funerals held?

(a) Doesn't matter.

(b) First day after the death.

(c) Fridays.

8. At what age is a childconsidered independent?

(a ) 21

(b ) 15

0 2

Church picnic for Easte r .

9. Who is responsible foreducating children?

(a ) Father.

(b) State.

(c) Oldest sibling.

10. Who pays for a wedding?(a ) Family of th e bride.

(b) The couple getting married.(c) The groom.

(b) asked to return the goods.(c) stripped and beaten to deathby those who catch him.

14. What happens when a babyc r i e s i n c h u r c h ?

(a ) Everyone ignores it .

(b ) The mother soothes the

child .

(c) People reprimand them o t h e r a n d s h o w h e r out .

15. Who a s k s t h e f at h er for his

daughter's hand inmarriage?(a ) The groom to be.

(b) Bride and groom together.(c) A delegation of family andfriends of the groom without

the groom.

16. Very old people are:(a) wise.

(b) rich.

(c)sorcerers.

17. An acceptable reason fornot wearing earrings is:

(a ) you forgot.

(b) they didn't match.(c) a family member died.



S t e v e n e xt t o a t e r m i t e m o u n d

18. Why do children of

Christian couples die?(a) They were naughty.

(b) They were sick.

(c) Their parents argued toom u c h

EXTRA CREDIT:

19 . C l a r k t h i n k s a ll b l ac k

people speak which languages?

(a) English & French.(b) Fon & English.

(c) French & Fon.

20. What was the average timefo r a r r i v a l o f 1 9 9 2 s C h r i s t m a s

packages?

(a ) Six weeks.

(b ) Three months .

(c) Don't know yet Most have

s t i l l n o t a r r i v e d

So how did you fair? Did you

suc C eed? This is only asamphng of the many things

we have seen, heard, and

learned this past year. If

something caught your

interest, write us and ask

about it. We promptly answer

a ll letters

7/93

Praises: We praise God for• all we have learned.

• the miraculous change for th e

good i n our house in Savalou.

• caring supporters.

• a productive and memorable

f irs t year in Benin.

Prayer for:

• language learning ofF o n / M a h i

• developing new friendships in

Savalou and Logbo.

• th e beginning of school andthat we can effectively show

o u r l ov e f or o t h e r s m i d s t t h e

c u l t u r a l confusions.

C you soon, Lord Bless

A Tc

L a F a m i l l e ALLEN

/

P.S. In case you haven't

guessed, th e answer to al l th e

above is C.

A,

SUPERCiRaiifi-

This b r i n ^ new life to the phrase pumping gas

S a f e f r o m t h o s e m e a n m a l a ri a

mosquitoes



Steve Shawn

LLEN

445 Cedar Lane

Fayetteville, GA 30214

404-487-9459 Steve,

Shawn,Clark,

Tori

775

HRISTI N MISSION RY FELXOWSHIP Prayer NewsUtter

October 1993

It s 4 a.m., the cock crows. The

rain has fallen all night, and

water continues to drip from

the holes in the t in roof into thea s so r tmen t o f bowls se t a round

the room. Mama blinks and

moans as she rolls off her mat

and reaches for t he lante rn .

There are mats and peoplescattered over the dir t floor,mostly old women and children

~ her children and those of

poorer family members.

Through the curtain and into

th e adjoining room, th e men

are also sleeping: her husband,a few of his friends, and several

other men of various ages whoare all related to her is some

fashion.

Quietly she rouses her four

oldest daughters and moves tothe yard to draw their bath

water from the well. As theytake turns taking a cold dipba th , t he o ther s star t the fires.

Mama must prepare the l it tle

cakes and peanut butter sticks

to sell a t her s tand before she

begins cooking the day s meals

for her family.

Each girl has a job to do. One

grinds tomatoes into paste on acement slab using a large rock;another shells peanuts and

grinds t hem in the mor ta r; still

ano the r t end s the f ires and

mixes thebatter

for the cakes;

the last shells and grinds

sesame seeds for th e day s

s uce

Meanwhile, Mama puts on her

ointments and charms

designated to protect her and

bring her good luck. She makes

s ur e t he o thers have done the

s me

These women from our village aredancing in a voodoo ceremony.

As the sun rises, they know

they must rapidly finish then-preparations since the familymust eat and begin th e day s

work .

Papa and the older children

walk t he t hr ee miles to th e

fields of yams, pimento, cotton,and peanuts to tend th e chores

there while the young children

(ages 7 and under) stay withMama while she sells food a t

her s tand

The 5- to 7-year-olds watch

after the younger children in

addition to sweeping the

compound with a handheld

straw broom. It is their job toclear out all trash and debris

from last night s storm. Then,

all the children feed the

chickens and goats and retire

to their play near Mama.

In th e heat of the day, th e

entire family returns to the

h ou se to awai t lunch. A few of

the girls and Mama set to work

once more. They peel the yams

(large potato-type roots the sizeof a man s lower leg), boil them,

then pound them in the mor ta r

with heavy poles (20 pounds

each). The sound o f t he three

girls pounding the yams is

rhythmic and steady like abeating drum. The yams

rapidly take on th e consistencyof playdough.

Meanwhile, the other girls

make a sauce out o foil,

tomatoes, onions, sesame, and

pimento. The meal i s ready and

eaten in si lence by the family.

Each one takes a ball of yam

about the size of a softball,

pulls off a piece, forms it into a



scoop, and dips it into the bowlo f s a u c e

a

s

This man is playing drums fo r avoodoo ceremony, too.

After lunch, Papa goes to check

h is f e ti sh sacr i f ice a r e a t h a t i s

n e x t to t h e house. H e m a ke s

th e appropriate sacrifices

according to what th e local

witch doctor h a s decided t h e

spirits want.

Today it s a chicken cut up in aparticular way and set in the

a r e a w i t h v a r i o u s t r i n k e t s o f

m e t a l a n d h e r b s a n d b r o k e n

pottery. This careful attention

to detail gives Papa assurance

that he will remain healthy,

-have many children, and-his

fields will produce good crops.

Papa cannot help but th ink of

his neighbor whose daughters

recently fell deathly ill. He

must not have been so careful,fo r obviously the spirits were

not pleased, Papa remarks

u n d e r h is b re a th H e m a k es a

m e n t a l note to avoid h i s

neighbor s famdy until he is

sure that the spirits are onceagain appeased. Papa knows

t h a t associa t ions like th is

might also bring th e wrath of

the spirits upon him and hi s

h o u s e h o l d

Mama s back aches. At age 35 ,

her 13 pregnancies have taken

their toll on her . Of those 13,

only six children are still living;yet she considers herself

fortunate. She is pregnant

again and due in one month. Asshe pops another piece of

charcoal-type rock in herm o u t h to curb h e r c o n s t a n t

craving to eat dir t, she thinksa b o u t w h a t th e witch doctor

s a i d

You wil l have twins , he

confided. Furthermore theyhave been chosen by the spirits

to e n t e r t h e s a c r e d coven.

Twins mean great blessings

will fall upon the family as they

are considered to be living goodl u c k charms. And to b e ch osen

by th e spirits is a great honor,but there are strange stirrings

of pain in her heart. She willhave to give her twins to the

coven when th e spirits decide

i t s t ime.

Recently, she observed th e

coven s fes tiva l o f dedicat ion.

This t i m e i t h a d been a

six-year-old girl being

dedicated. Oh, how sad she felt

to see th e anguish

on t h a t mother s

face a s h er

daughter was

decora ted w i t h

cloth, beads,

shells, and paint,

then le d away to

be s c a r r e d a n d

ta t tooed.

Her thoughts

t u r n t o t he se

questionsthat

s e e m t o c om e s o

often now. If the

spirits are

supposed to know what s best

for us then why are they so

greedy, never satisfied, and

always causing nothing but

pain and strife?

She al lows h e r m i n d to w a n d e r

as she gathers th e clothes and

d r a w s t h e w a t e r for t h e w a s h

These are questions she never

dares to voice. Yetcertainlythere must be a better way, she

t h i n k s to herself .

As Mama and her daughters

bend over the huge basins toscrub and wring the clothes

that will eventually be hung onth e bushes and rocks to dry in

the hot sun. Mama feels tired.S h e t hi nk s o f h e r h u sb a nd a n d

other men in the house as they

sleep, longing for a rest herself.

She yearns fo r a friend t o sha re

her questions with and she

sighs. Things do not change

much in her village, so she

consoles h e r s e l f s o m ew h a t w i th

the reminder that the spirits

have always found favor with

her husband. She is a lucky

Upon finishing th e laundry forher large family, Mama sends

her daughters to collect wood

for th e evening fires and to th e

market fo r vegetables. She also

calls th e young boys to once

again sweep t he d ir t in the

compound. When the girls

return, they al l prepare the

evening mea l in much th e same

m a n ne r a s before.

O u r n ew h om e i n S a v a l o u

As night falls, blinking lantern

lights are scattered against them o u n t a i n s i d e a n d across t h e

valley; the compound fills with

visitors. Mama enjoys th ecompany and gossips and

laughs her deep contagious



laughter. Papa plays checkers

and bolle with the men; the

children run and sing in the

cool night air. The talk is ofschool that will begin againsoon, then turns to t he l at es t o f

topic of interest.

They begin to talk about the

newyouos (white-skinnedpeople) in town.

They know our language.

They asked me to help them.

They eat yams and sauce.They wear clothes like us.They sure know a lo t aboutus.

They ask a lot ofquestions... . a n d o n a n d o n t h e c o m m e n t s

and stories go.

Mama has almost fallen asleepwhen she hears something that

makes her ear s perk up. Theysa y they have come to teach

a b o u t God 's love. T h a t is it

T h a t is w h a t s h e h a s been

looking for and missing: LOVE.Then, fo r a moment, she

wonders what the spirits think

ofthe yovos. But, she decidesthat she doesn 't care what theythink. She is going to find outa b o u t (ood 's love .

Coveting your prayers in the

task,

L a F a m i l l e A l l e n

Steve, Shawn, Tori, and Clark

Allen

P r a y e r R e q u e s t s

F o r :

• People's hearts here to be

pricked and curiosity arousedenough to want to discover

m o r e a b o u t t h i s G o d o f Love.

• U s to i n s t i l l a v i s i o n o f

teaching the Fon/Matti in th e

hearts of people in th e USA —possibly even to recruit people

to join our work here.

• Renewal of our spirits and

bodies during furlough

P r a i s e s

• F o r a successful move.

• That we are se tt led in ,

healthy, and love it here.• For an encouraging s tar t on

language and culture learning.• T h a t we have all found

f r ie nds her e.

T h e s e two m e n a r e S t e v e s

language helpers.

P l e a s e N o t e

Our address and phone number

from November 11993-February 5,1994:

445 C e d a r LaneFayetteville, OA 30214

4 0 4 4 8 7 9 4 5 9

If you would like our travel andspeaking schedule, please

contact u s a t t h e above

a d d r e s s .

Our breakfast lady: she brings usAfr ican mush every day.

Documents

Allen Steve Shawn 1993 Benin