Another Journey

How long can a 900 km train journey take? Well in Gabon, by train, it's supposed to take 12 hours. However, when I travelled from Libreville to Franceville recently it took 18 – an amazing average of 50 km (30 miles)/hour! Is this the world's slowest train? Well, I suspect there may be greater snails somewhere, but it hardly bears thinking about. Apparently, however, I got a good deal. Other people who have travelled recently tell me their train took over 30 hours! Maybe the new president will put pressure on the train company to improve their service. Or even better, maybe he'll have a road built (which in itself would pressurise the train company to improve). We can but hope. Anyway, having survived the train journey I was pleasantly surprised when my truck started up at the first attempt (after seven weeks absence I was expecting a flat battery) and after accomplishing the necessary tasks in Franceville (bank, paying electicity bill, shopping – but who has gobbled up all the gas bottles, there were none to be found. Hopefully the one I have at home will last till my next visit) I was happy to head for Léconi. It was good to arrive home and good to find Pip (my dog) waiting for me with a welcoming wagging tail. Not so good was to find my house in darkness. -Because I had no electricity and the person who was supposed to be watching the house evidently hadn't come by to turn the solar lights on. Hmm, how often has this been happening. Nonetheless I am so grateful I do have a solar panel, which meant I could still turn some light on once I got inside. Then, after a 300m torch-lit stroll to my mains meter I doscovered it had simply sprung the breaker – a frequent event if there is a rumble of thunder or a flash of lightning, though why my house-watcher hadn't put it back is an open question.

The downside of coming home after a prolonged absence is the deep accummulation of dust, spiders' webs and evidence of other uninvited guests but it was too late to think of dealing with any of that that evening. Hence the next day was largely lost to cleaning, unpacking and tidying. It's good now to be beginning to get my brain back into work, though I need to sit down tomorrow and pray through the priorities I should be setting for the months ahead- how much time to give to exegesis/translation preparation and organising workshops to do the actual translation (which passages and with whom), to linguistics (I've a long list of issues to research after the workshop in Cameroon), to language learning (my ability in spoken Latege still leaves a lot to be desired), to literacy – producing new materials, starting pilot classes?, to supporting the church annexes in the outlying villages (do I simply chauffeur others to preach and teach, preach myself, teach children?), to the church women's group here in Léconi. to preaching here and elsewhere, to teaching New Testament Greek at the Assemblies of God night school in Franceville, to training the mission/evangelism committee at the Alliance church here in Léconi, to Bible studies with individuals or small groups, to admin and reports (mercifully GOM require few of these), to communicating with friends and supporters ..... (how many hours are there in a week?)