#Discovery_Benin Picture Update

As promised, here are some photos from my travels to the town of Dassa-Zoume', the home of the Idaasha language project of Wycliffe Benin.  We visited many places, and what most impressed me was the community involvement with Bible translation.  The local people want to be able to read the Bible in their own language and are working toward that end.  Wycliffe Benin is really partnering and depending on the local community for support, staff, financing and promotion of reading scriptures in their own language.  Everyone we visited had some connection to the project... many were on the local translation committee, others were reviewers and translators and supporters.  One of the host families is a local pastor of a church planted by SIM mission... the children of his church recently donated the equivalent of  $20 to the cause of Bible translation!  

We toured the Notre Dame D'Arigbo, a very large Catholic church in Dassa, seating well over 3000 and shrines commemorating the sighting of Mary nearby.  From what I've read this is the largest Mary shrine in all of Africa.   

The guy on the left was the founder of this church.

The rocks and hills provide a very beautiful setting to the whole city!

The Wycliffe Benin director and his daughter ride a hippo at an NGO concentrating on environmental issues which we toured.

Prosper is the Idaasha language project manager and a trained linguist in training to become a consultant which are in short supply in our organization. 

I was able to visit each of the 3 host families of our Discoverers.  Pictured here is Micah with his host dad who is a teacher at a theological training school in Dassa.

The home of a hunter who entertained us with stories about his passion of hunting.  The buffalo (not pictured) is the most dangerous animal to the hunter...  His elephant was not on display in his home, it is at another location! There were also some live animals just outside his front door, a baboon, green monkey and some snakes and caiman (small crocodiles)