A Blessed Day

From my perspective, today was an all-around success. This morning included a productive morning of work for the different projects. The mobility team spent the morning fitting an electric trike for a new client named Malijua. He has very limited mobility, able to move his arms and legs but not strong enough to support himself. He stopped by on Friday to test out a very rough fitting of his seat and controls, and today the team redesigned the seat to fit his preferences and needs.

The education group also had a good experience with a new technique in their classroom. Today they tried using stations at different places in the room that focused on literacy, numeracy, and free-time activities. Groups of 3-5 students then rotated around to the different stations. This model worked well and the students were very well behaved.

Mike also got to do some biodiesel work as well. He spent the morning roasting and pressing Jatropha nuts to extract oil from them. Although it was slow going, he eventually reached a point where he was pressing cakes that came out dry and squeezing out a fair amount of oil.

After lunch, we had an excellent discussion on one of the articles we read for the trip, The Theology of Consumption or the Consumption of Theology. This article was discussing the effects of consumerism on American culture. It was very interesting to discuss the rather vast influence that consumption and advertising has on those of us who live in United States. A quote that summarizes this article well is that much of the world "consumes to survive" while we border on "surviving to consume." While these types of discussions often end in feeling overwhelmed and guilty, I was actually encouraged by some of the things we discussed. We may not be able to change industries or cultures as a whole, but we can have an influence on our local spheres and groups. Just simply being aware of the strong influence of consumeristic messages acting upon us is the first step to changing our habits. Simple steps such as generous giving or thinking twice about what we "need" can make a worthwhile difference in our lives.

I (Jon) believe this discussion was especially encouraging for me because I have been trying to understand exactly what to do with this experience once I return to the States. I still have two years of school left before I can consider the possibility of coming back or becoming involved in a company. This gave me some beginning points for changing my own habits. I have realized that I need a whole lot less to be "comfortable" than I thought I did before. By limiting the amount of things I consume or by choosing the products I buy more carefully, I can begin to change my attitudes and habits for the rest of my life. Not all responses will be the same, but this seems feasible for me.


After our discussion, most of the team embarked on an epic hike with the Walsh family. We piled into their car and drove several kilometers down the road before we set off across the countryside. After getting slightly lost in the maze of large boulders along our way, several Burkinabe young adults managed to point us in the right direction. It was kind of like being in the middle of The Swiss Family Robinson film. We crossed several creeks, bushwacked our way down a small path through dense undergrowth and eventually emerged in a small slice of paradise complete with a waterfall splashing into a large pool. If you haven't noticed yet, our team loves waterfalls. After picking our way around the pool, which was rumored to contain crocodiles, we arrived at its base and several of us climbed up into the waterfall. It was so refreshing and exciting to stand under the pounding surge of water after our long trek in.

To cap off the evening, we had a beatiful hike back out to our vehicle through awesome countryside filled with small ridges on the edge of the plain. I loved having the chance to look out across the plain as we topped one of the rocky mesas. No towering buildings to be seen or jet streams in the sky. As we arrived back at the Mission Station, the entire sky turned a pinkish orange hue. It was a wonderful capstone to the beginning of our day of rest.

Tonight we are relaxing, watching a movie and making homemade doughnuts. It's seems weird to think that we will be leaving Mahadaga in 4 days! I have been both challenged and encouraged by my experience here. Not only has it given me a glimpse into a new perspective on life, but I have also found that I somewhat enjoy living here. Even though I miss some things from home, I am definitely enjoying my time here.