Interview by letter
A girl named Audra sent us a letter asking what it is like being missionaries. Here is our response:
Dear Audra,
Thank you for writing us, and I'll be glad to answer your questions:
> Where in Africa do you work?We work in Burkina Faso, which is in the Middle of West Africa. Burkina Faso is a country, and we live in the capital city, called Ouagadougou. You would pronounce this as wa-ga-doo-goo. But because of the funny way it is spelled, a lot of English speakers make the mistake of saying Oh-wa-ga-doo-goo. Ou in French makes the W sound.
The government here speaks French, but there are over 36 languages here in Burkina Faso, many of which don't have the Bible in their language.
> What do you do in Africa?
> What is your job?
Our job is to do whatever we can to get God's Word translated into these languages so these people can learn about Him and put their faith in Jesus.
Specifically, I train people to use computer software that helps the Bible translators to do the work of Bible Translation. For example, there are funny looking letters in these languages that you don't have on your computer keyboard. These people need to type them to write God's Word, so I install special software that changes the keys to make these special characters show up on the page.
> Have you ever been a missionary somewheres else?
We were in Mali, the country to the north for 12 years before, and we worked with the Fulani people. During that time we were able to finish the translation of the New Testament into their language. I still do some translation on the Old Testament for one month a year.
> What is the worst thing about being a missionary?
The absolute worst thing about being a missionary so far away is missing our parents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and some friends. We have friends here too, but next week is Thanksgiving, and we won't be eating turkey with family.
> What is the best thing?
I'll give you two answers here because it is difficult to give only one. One of the best things, of course, is seeing people receive God's word for the very first time. That is what motivates us and keeps us going all the time.
Another best thing is just living in Africa. We have been here a long time and there are a lot of things we are used to that we miss when we are in the US. Examples:
- We never have to run to the store for a gallon of milk. We buy a 50 lb. bag of powdered milk and can mix a quart of milk in only about 40 seconds.
- We buy material and have a tailor custom make our clothes. For a nice button-down dress shirt, the tailor only charges about $3 to sew it.
- We ride around on motorcycles. There are about 10 motorcycles or mopeds here for every car.
> Thank you for helping me. Tooteloo!
Hey, I didn't know you spoke French! Did you know that Tooteloo actually comes from a poor pronunciation of the French: toute-à-l'heure which means "see you later"
Blessings,
Mr. Doug Higby