Miss Togo & Tete's Church

Many people warned us that this post would be "sleepy." (i.e. boring). Lome is a relatively small capital city in a developing country: there are no movie theaters, malls, or boulevards to stroll down.

Not that lacking these things equates boredom. I just think you have to look a little harder.

If this weekend is any indication of our 2 years here, I don't think we'll be itching for new experiences. Perhaps just a bit of normalcy. But that's what we have our little bubble of a house for.

Saturday night was the Maritime Region pageant to select the contestant for the ultimate prize: Miss Togo. 10 girls competed in the competition and the winner will ultimately be one of Togo's most well known and important people for the year. Crazy, but true.

We got dressed up for the occasion, as we got the tickets as US representatives, and were glad we did because we saw women in gowns at this thing. The ushers took one look at us and walked us to the front by the judges (we were the only white people there until the French embassy people showed up).

Suddenly cameras were flashing in our faces and bright lights from the local TV stations burned down on us. My nervous laughter threatened to make an appearance as I tried to... what?... smile?...pretend they're not there?...fake a conversation with Joey?... I opted with trying to keep a straight face, but for those of you who know me well, you can guess that didn't go well.

Anyway, the pageant proceeded with the typical gown section, bathing suit dance and musical acts. The coolest part was the Traditional Dance section, where each girl had to wear a traditional costume and perform the dance or music that went along with it. Super cool.

After Miss Maritime was crowned, Joey shook hands with the Chinese Ambassador and we were off to get some sleep in preparation for church on Sunday.

One of Joey's local employees is also a pastor at a church in Lome. We were schooled in training that religion is hugely important to Africans. They will come right out and ask you if you are Christian. If you say No, they assume you're Muslim or something else. You can't be what many of us Americans say we are: "Oh, I'm not really anything..." or "I'm more spiritual than religious." Your religion is considered to be part of who you are, your culture, and your family here.

Since we both grew up culturally Christian more than anything, that is what we tell people. This, however, lead to many an invitation to church. So we accepted when we found out that Tete was the pastor at a church on the outskirts of town.

We drove beyond the paved roads where plaster walls changed to thatch and real Togolese life seemed to begin. The church was surrounded by a clean white wall that stood out amongst the dust everywhere. Its walls were made from thin reeds, its roof was tin. A woman came to escort us in and, once again, usher us to the front row.

Inside the church was sweet and cared for. Bright blue fabric hung on the front wall and there were streamers of fabric hung from the ceiling. The reeds proved to allow a nice breeze to enter inside. Women and children were on one side of the church, men on the other. Women were mostly in traditional fabrics and dresses. We were introduced as newcomers and breathed a sigh of relief that there wasn't more to it than that. (So we thought).

A 3 hour service commenced. Tons of singing in Ewe. And, surprisingly enough to me, they weren't good singers at all. (Yes, I imagined amazing gospel music... not so much). However, the bongos and dancing made up for it. We were on our feet probably half the time, clapping and marveling at this little girl who danced her little heart out any time the drums started up.

I couldn't understand much of it, despite being in French occasionally, but it was a treat to experience. The kids were the best part. They just STARED at us. One little girl came up and crawled into Joey's lap. Her friend came to sit on mine but was too shy at the last minute. One little boy kept running up to us, waving, and then running away.

Admittedly, 3 hours was just a wee bit too long for me. And just when I thought the pastor was wrapping things up, he called us forward, in front of everyone, and proceeded to tell his church how happy he was to have a boss from the US who is a Christian. He asked everyone to please come forward to greet us and pray for us. Around 100 people lined up to shake our hands. The women didn't look Joey in the eye, nor the men in mine, as is custom.

I think the people who warned us about boredom didn't leave their houses much. It might not be easy or pretty around here, but it's no snoozer.