Cold Showers and Bullet Holes

The instructions next to the shower said, “One-Turn on water, Two-Turn heater knob to position 1 or 2, Three-When finished, reverse process.” But, no matter where I turned the knob, even to position 3, no hot water was produced. So as I stepped under the showerhead and endured the rush of yet another cold morning shower, I thought to myself, “Oh well, that’s Africa for you. You just can trust things like this to work here when you need them.”

Downtown Bangui

It was my first morning in Bangui, Central Africa Republic and after breakfast at the Grace Brethern Guesthouse, Al Hawthorne, Africa Director for Wycliffe Associates (WA) and I headed over to ACATBA, the national Bible translation organization for this country. The plan was to spend the day with Bertin Oundagnon-Basso, the director, learning how well his organization had survived the past eighteen months of rebel crisis and civil war. It didn’t take long, however, for casual chatting to evaporate as Bertin began explaining the realities they had experienced.

Showing the scars of the warning bullets fired at him

For those who have already forgotten that CAR has even been in a crisis, here’s a quick review: About two years ago, radical Muslim foreign militia began pouring over the Chad and Sudan borders and quickly gathering national Islamic groups together into a loose network, called SELEKA. Within months, they had toppled the current, weak, government and put in place their own leaders.  Specifically targeting Protestants and Catholics, SELEKA, led primarily by the Arab foreigners burned and looted churches, homes and businesses with accompanying killing and rape. This immediately created street clashes with non-Muslim gangs (called Anita-Balaka) looking for methods of revenge. Hundreds of people were slaughtered on the streets causing thousands to flee the country. Now with French and UN troops holding a lid on things, there seems to be an uneasy cessation of hostilities.

Bertin showing where he was pushed
up against a wall by rebel militia

All of this became very real for Bertin on March 24 last year when two different groups stormed the ACATBA compound and looted vehicles, computers and anything else they could haul away. Most sobering of all was hearing the account of SELEKA men shoving Bertin up against a wall, demanding keys to everything and giving him five minutes to deliver. They then fired two shots from an AK-47 into the wall inches from his feet to show him how serious they were.

Even more sobering was hearing that one of ACATBA’s translators himself was shot and killed by rebel militia while attempting to hide out in a hospital.

As amazing as Bertin’s account was, what was more amazing yet was to learn that despite these tragedies and difficulties, ACATBA continues on involved in every single translation project they were doing before except one which is out East, located in the heart of the SELEKA – controlled territory. To meet the men and women of ACATBA and witness their personal dedication in translating God’s Word firsthand is as moving an experience for me as any I've had on any recent trip to Africa.

In light of all that I've seen and heard this day, enduring a cold shower all of a sudden seems pretty petty.  Maybe the things that really count are working just fine here in Africa after all.