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Benin
Steve Shawn
LLEN
^ B.P. 03 2022^Cotonou Republic ofBenin
West Africa
775
Steve, Shawn, Tori, Clark
RISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP PrayerNewsletter
January 1993
As I sit in front ofthe computer
trying to put into words what
my heart is feeling, I reflect on
th e days at Auburn Universitywhen Shawn and I first met
with Herb Works, CMF
left fo r California and the fear,
doubt, and excitement tha t we
experienced.
Family members questioned as
did many close friends. But,
^ then again I have
''i the same. Is this
me, Lord, arid, if
I hav e known the
r answer to this
^ong: it wasGod s desire t ha t
—;—— ' I continue tore bowls fo r c j c
move f o rwa rd fo r
H im . A nd n ow the
affirmation of doing what He
asked has begun, as we serve
in Africa among
the unreached. | , . ^ ~
At th e local market, a Beninoise child displays bowls fo rsa le
friends, and, no, i t does not get
easier. However, the presence
of God is always with us .
And, YES, I am excited. It is so
much fu n to sho w Shawn
things that she had only seen
in pictures ...
to watch Tori speak French tohe r f r i can f r ie nd s.. .
and to finally have Clark out of
diapers
I have shared briefly what i t
feels like to actually begin work
in Africa. The r e s t o f th is
newslet ter is lef t to respond tomany of the letters received
requesting ADay in th e Life,from the perspective ofShawn
a nd o u r i nt er n Michae l Plank
Director ofRecruitment. My
mind re turns to the t ime I sa t
down with my father to share
my future desire to be a
missionary, and I can still hear
my brother laugh andsay,
Africa Are you crazyV
My memories continue as I
think of standing in the pulpitofmy home church (for 18
years) in Tennessee. I spoke toa full Sunday night crowd of
600 people who had watched
me grow up and heard the
rumor tha t Steve Allen was
taking his family to Africa.
I will never forget the day we
Scared? Yes. The
responsibility isa t t im e s mo re
t han I can
handle, but God
c ont in u es t o
provide strength
fo r each new day.
Yes, I miss
family. We have
passed our second
Christmas away
from family and
gilt, .s
A new creature in Christ: This recent baptismal service wa s
held in Allada, one hour north of Cotonou.
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Shawn Allen Speaks:
The answer to the question
What is a typical day in your
lifer'is, . . .THERE IS NO
S U C H THING
No, we don't have two-hour
devotions and prayer time
followed by family worship and
doc tr in a l d i scu ss ion s ove rbacon and eggs each morning,
beginning a t 5 a.m.
Yes, we do have certain
scheduled events on a daily or
weekly basis. However,
counting on those events tobegin or end a t certain times,
or to even happen at all, only
l ea d s t o f r us tr at io n
Ins tead, we focus on the activi
ty or relat ionship at hand. Welook to the present and not the
future. And, for the most part,
we just do what we do best ~ gowith the flow - a n d l ea rn a t
each step along th e way.
WIT
The following may be a guide
for you the next time you ask
that question: You know it is atypical day in the life ofamissionary family (at least this
missionary family) when...
... The jeep breaks down, th e
part can't be found in the coun
try, and th e mechanic says hecan make the part and fix it in
two days (He actually did it )
... They spend every day for aweek around the clock nursing
a brand new puppy ~ future
guard dog -- to health becauseh e was b om to a mother who
carried th e deadly parvo virus.
(H e survived )
... They have a houseful of
guests, it is pouring down rain,the doorbell keeps ringing, th e
new puppy has three accidentsin the house .
... They receive five guests
during lunch hour
who are happy
just to sit and
I w t h the f milye a t
Cotonou, Benin, West Africa: downtown traffic clogs th es t reets here, too. i
... The boy next
door asks for
money to go
swimming, a man
from church
wants a keyboard
from the U.S.A.,
ano ther w a n t s
taxi fare, another
w a n t s a loan to
buy a sewing
machine, and on
th e way home
fi-om church th e
t a xi d r iv e r t ri es to
overcharge them
because h e t hi nk s
they are tourists .
... The wife plugs
the t r ans fo rmer
into th e power
s tr ip and the
power strip into
the wall (should
be the other wayhe f e ti sh market section of Dank>To-Pa is in th e largestoutdoor ma r ke t in West Afr ica . Here, those who followm a o o r marKCt m wes t Air ica t ie re m ose w n o i o u o w r a n c i n c r
traditional rel • ; ii come and purchase a sacrifice to offer to UrouilQ^ Causinga godor spirit. a slight electrical
explosion in th e kitchen that
melts down the power strip.
... The Jeep won't start, the
husband is a t a conference in
another country, the wife walks
with both kids t o f ind a taxi,
wait s 40 minu te s, then has to
cram nine people into a ca r for
four t h a t h as no brakes
... The wife opens her lesson
plans for Monday home schoolonly to find out that they are toobserve the changing leaves of
fall, visit a lumber yard, and
f ind a c o n st r uc t io n s i t e to see a
f r amed house . None of those
things exists here.
... They put up a six-foot feltChr i s tmas t ree a n d t hi nk i t is
the greatest thing they haveseen in years (Thanks, Nana )
... A motorcyclist rims into
their Jeep, begins yelling at
and blaming them in Fon, and
attracts a crowd of over 100
people. (I drove away when Ifound out he wasn 't hur t. )
... While on a recent trip north,
a herd ofarmy ants (1,000+)
almost carried of f the camp at
three in the morning.
No, it is not constant chaos
either, and we love the
challenges of each new day.
I wil l leave you with this poem.-R ead i t with a smile and
remember: We really do love
being i n t he center of God's will
for o u r l ives .
Life is easier than you thinkall you have to do is,Accept th e impossible
do without the indispensable
B e a r the intolerable
A N D
Be able to smile at anything. A u t h o r U n k n o w n
I promise, we are still smiling
Steve, Shawn, Tori, and Clark
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We will now let Michael Plank,
our intern fo r three months,
give you his perspective of th e
missionary's life. We lovedhaving him here. Michael was
a huge help during this initial
adjustment period for our
family.
Mi c h a e l P l a n k
Commen t s
To say that living on the
mission f ie ld fo r three months
has reshaped my perspectives
would certainly be an
unders t a t ement
I suppose i t 's easy for
Americans to picture
missionaries in Africa hving inm ud an d t ha tch hu t s in th e
jungle, dodging exotic tropical
animals, and trying to preach
th e gospel to warring,
uncivi l ized nat ives B u t I am
pleased to report to you thatciviUzation is indeed present
he re. Mis s iona r ies a re n ot in
danger of doing without food(even though it's different) or o f
being roasted over a village
campfire
Growing up in a minister's
family I came to beHeve that
there were certain days
exclusively set aside tobombard the preacher's home.
I've now had t o expand that
theory to include missionaries
as well. Have you ever had one
of those days when Satan
blasts you from every angle
with little problems until you
reach a point sometime in early
evening when you feel l ike you
could laugh, cry, and become
violent a ll a t th e s ame t ime ?
Well this is one of his key
strategies on the mission field.
Shawn's poem truly sums it up.You mus t l e ar n to shun t h a t
violent urge, set the tea rs
aside and laugh at anything
Yes, every family has one of
those days occasionally, but
there is so much more g oo d to
Michael Plank, Clark , Shawn, S t eve , and Tori .
focus on. In fact,
inconvenience a t
th e time may welltu rn ou t to be a
blessing later . I t' s
si tuat ion and to
se e h ow ( jo d Michael Plank, <
worked through
it . Even i f the
circumstances simply make a
great story later on it seems
wor t h it
I can't express how wonderful
this experience has been forme. It was perfect timing for asabbatical in Africa just beforegraduate school. I had so much
opportunity to read and tostudy, leam a new language,
observe and l eam from another
culture very different from our
own, witness cross-cultural
ministry, adjust to an animistic
society understand how amission organization operates,
make fr iends with Africans and
be spiritually filled by theirenthusiasm for Christ .
I have so many interesting
s to r ie s t o share. In case I
forget remind me to tell youabout these things when I see
you
my first night in Africa in the
wrong country, th e Python
Temple, staying with anational family, the soccer riot,
meeting with th e kings of
Abomey and Savalou, Fish
Fish Fish , the fetish/Christian
combination funeral, the
village lady at Paoungnin, th e
African Army Ant invasion, our
safari trip north, free Beninoise
wha le meat
... I could go on and on. But
that will keep me going for
quite some time
Going back to an American
congregationwill be
an
adjustment for me. This past
Sunday, I sat on a wooden
bench in a concrete building
listening to a sermon in Fon
and French, watched mothers
breas tfeed t h e i r babies - asbongos accompanied the choirand saw a goat run around thepulpit.
By the t ime you receive this I llbe back on a padded pew
listening to piano and organ
music someplace where there ismuch less of a threa t of animal
invasion. The church service
will be different, but I pray the
people will not be. I hope that I
find the same love and zeal forthe Lord there as is so evident
in Ben in
I want to personally thank each
one of y ou who have supported
me financially, written letters,
and prayed for me ~ especiallythe prayer I can think of
several days when I would lookat my watch , count back s ix
hour s to se e wha t t ime i t was
i n th e U.S., figure out where
certain individuals were, and
know everything would be allright because that was the time
of day they were praying for
In closing, I would like to share
with you a quote I received in ale t ter f rom a f r ie n d wh il e in
Africa. And when you're having
one of those days, remember
th is
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Live in the present,
and make e ac h momen t so
wonderful
it will be worth remembering,
That s wha t I ve done. And i f
good memories are truly
valuable then I am returning
home a wealthy man.
Michael Plank
T h is i s t h e n ew You th
Ce n t er i n Co t o nou
t h a t S t ev e w o r k s wi t h
a s an ou t r e a c h to th e
young people in th e
area . G to r)
Emmanuel , the
Center s d i recto r ;
Pastor Lucianne,Foyer Evangelique
Church; Tin-Tin;
Michelle Arnet , SIM
missionary; Pastor
Foley, AglaEvange lique Church;
Br i a n Mi t t on an d so n
Jona than SIM
missionary; and Steve
Al l en .
Cla r k an d Tin-T in
(Aliens house helper )wash c lo thes o u t b ac k
i n t he washing
mach i n e .
Chr is ti an Mi s si ona ry f e l l owsh ip
P .O .BOX 5 0 10 2 0
INDIANAPOLIS IN 46250-6020
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
F I SS ION SERV ICES
EDITORIAL DEPT
P 0 BOX 2 4 2 7
KNGXVILLE TN 3 7 9 0 1
iiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiitiitti
Nonprofit Organization
U S Postage
Permit No 2976
Indianapolis Indiana
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Benin
Steve Shawn
A L L E N
B.P. 85
Savalou, Benin
West Africa
77r
Steve,
Shawn,
Clark,
Tori
CHRISTIAN M SS ON RY FELLOWSHIP PrayerNewsUtter
July 1993
hallenges of
ommuriicating
h r i s t s
ompassion in aross
u l t u r a l
o n t e x t
C fo r yourself if you and someo f o u r M e n d s h e r e C
eye-to-eye
1. What causes appendicitis?(a ) Internal malfunctions.
(b) High humidity.
(c ) Seeds in tomatoes and
c u c u m b e r s .
2. Which child gets the
birthright if twin boys are bomin the first pregnancy?
(a ) Neither, you wait fo r next
b o r n son .
(b ) The one who comes out first.
(c ) The one who comes out
second .
3. What causes miscarriages?(a) Jogging.
(b ) Cats.(c ) Coca-Cola.
4. When fiiends get togetherthey:
(a ) t al k much and e a t off
individual plates with forks.(b) eat with fingers of findividual plates.
(c) al l eat from same bowl using
fingers and don't say a word.
5. Shaking with or using thel e f t h a n d t o offer food is :
(a ) a way to honor someone.(b) okay for lefties.
6. When a wife has a problemwith her in-laws,
(a) she consults a witch doctor.
(b) she grins and bears it .(c ) her mother mediates a
so lu t ion .
7. W h en a re funerals held?
(a) Doesn't matter.
(b) First day after the death.
(c) Fridays.
8. At what age is a childconsidered independent?
(a ) 21
(b ) 15
0 2
Church picnic for Easte r .
9. Who is responsible foreducating children?
(a ) Father.
(b) State.
(c) Oldest sibling.
10. Who pays for a wedding?(a ) Family of th e bride.
(b) The couple getting married.(c) The groom.
(b) asked to return the goods.(c) stripped and beaten to deathby those who catch him.
14. What happens when a babyc r i e s i n c h u r c h ?
(a ) Everyone ignores it .
(b ) The mother soothes the
child .
(c) People reprimand them o t h e r a n d s h o w h e r out .
15. Who a s k s t h e f at h er for his
daughter's hand inmarriage?(a ) The groom to be.
(b) Bride and groom together.(c) A delegation of family andfriends of the groom without
the groom.
16. Very old people are:(a) wise.
(b) rich.
(c)sorcerers.
17. An acceptable reason fornot wearing earrings is:
(a ) you forgot.
(b) they didn't match.(c) a family member died.
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S t e v e n e xt t o a t e r m i t e m o u n d
18. Why do children of
Christian couples die?(a) They were naughty.
(b) They were sick.
(c) Their parents argued toom u c h
EXTRA CREDIT:
19 . C l a r k t h i n k s a ll b l ac k
people speak which languages?
(a) English & French.(b) Fon & English.
(c) French & Fon.
20. What was the average timefo r a r r i v a l o f 1 9 9 2 s C h r i s t m a s
packages?
(a ) Six weeks.
(b ) Three months .
(c) Don't know yet Most have
s t i l l n o t a r r i v e d
So how did you fair? Did you
suc C eed? This is only asamphng of the many things
we have seen, heard, and
learned this past year. If
something caught your
interest, write us and ask
about it. We promptly answer
a ll letters
7/93
Praises: We praise God for• all we have learned.
• the miraculous change for th e
good i n our house in Savalou.
• caring supporters.
• a productive and memorable
f irs t year in Benin.
Prayer for:
• language learning ofF o n / M a h i
• developing new friendships in
Savalou and Logbo.
• th e beginning of school andthat we can effectively show
o u r l ov e f or o t h e r s m i d s t t h e
c u l t u r a l confusions.
C you soon, Lord Bless
A Tc
L a F a m i l l e ALLEN
/
P.S. In case you haven't
guessed, th e answer to al l th e
above is C.
A,
SUPERCiRaiifi-
This b r i n ^ new life to the phrase pumping gas
S a f e f r o m t h o s e m e a n m a l a ri a
mosquitoes
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Steve Shawn
LLEN
445 Cedar Lane
Fayetteville, GA 30214
404-487-9459 Steve,
Shawn,Clark,
Tori
775
HRISTI N MISSION RY FELXOWSHIP Prayer NewsUtter
October 1993
It s 4 a.m., the cock crows. The
rain has fallen all night, and
water continues to drip from
the holes in the t in roof into thea s so r tmen t o f bowls se t a round
the room. Mama blinks and
moans as she rolls off her mat
and reaches for t he lante rn .
There are mats and peoplescattered over the dir t floor,mostly old women and children
~ her children and those of
poorer family members.
Through the curtain and into
th e adjoining room, th e men
are also sleeping: her husband,a few of his friends, and several
other men of various ages whoare all related to her is some
fashion.
Quietly she rouses her four
oldest daughters and moves tothe yard to draw their bath
water from the well. As theytake turns taking a cold dipba th , t he o ther s star t the fires.
Mama must prepare the l it tle
cakes and peanut butter sticks
to sell a t her s tand before she
begins cooking the day s meals
for her family.
Each girl has a job to do. One
grinds tomatoes into paste on acement slab using a large rock;another shells peanuts and
grinds t hem in the mor ta r; still
ano the r t end s the f ires and
mixes thebatter
for the cakes;
the last shells and grinds
sesame seeds for th e day s
s uce
Meanwhile, Mama puts on her
ointments and charms
designated to protect her and
bring her good luck. She makes
s ur e t he o thers have done the
s me
These women from our village aredancing in a voodoo ceremony.
As the sun rises, they know
they must rapidly finish then-preparations since the familymust eat and begin th e day s
work .
Papa and the older children
walk t he t hr ee miles to th e
fields of yams, pimento, cotton,and peanuts to tend th e chores
there while the young children
(ages 7 and under) stay withMama while she sells food a t
her s tand
The 5- to 7-year-olds watch
after the younger children in
addition to sweeping the
compound with a handheld
straw broom. It is their job toclear out all trash and debris
from last night s storm. Then,
all the children feed the
chickens and goats and retire
to their play near Mama.
In th e heat of the day, th e
entire family returns to the
h ou se to awai t lunch. A few of
the girls and Mama set to work
once more. They peel the yams
(large potato-type roots the sizeof a man s lower leg), boil them,
then pound them in the mor ta r
with heavy poles (20 pounds
each). The sound o f t he three
girls pounding the yams is
rhythmic and steady like abeating drum. The yams
rapidly take on th e consistencyof playdough.
Meanwhile, the other girls
make a sauce out o foil,
tomatoes, onions, sesame, and
pimento. The meal i s ready and
eaten in si lence by the family.
Each one takes a ball of yam
about the size of a softball,
pulls off a piece, forms it into a
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scoop, and dips it into the bowlo f s a u c e
a
s
This man is playing drums fo r avoodoo ceremony, too.
After lunch, Papa goes to check
h is f e ti sh sacr i f ice a r e a t h a t i s
n e x t to t h e house. H e m a ke s
th e appropriate sacrifices
according to what th e local
witch doctor h a s decided t h e
spirits want.
Today it s a chicken cut up in aparticular way and set in the
a r e a w i t h v a r i o u s t r i n k e t s o f
m e t a l a n d h e r b s a n d b r o k e n
pottery. This careful attention
to detail gives Papa assurance
that he will remain healthy,
-have many children, and-his
fields will produce good crops.
Papa cannot help but th ink of
his neighbor whose daughters
recently fell deathly ill. He
must not have been so careful,fo r obviously the spirits were
not pleased, Papa remarks
u n d e r h is b re a th H e m a k es a
m e n t a l note to avoid h i s
neighbor s famdy until he is
sure that the spirits are onceagain appeased. Papa knows
t h a t associa t ions like th is
might also bring th e wrath of
the spirits upon him and hi s
h o u s e h o l d
Mama s back aches. At age 35 ,
her 13 pregnancies have taken
their toll on her . Of those 13,
only six children are still living;yet she considers herself
fortunate. She is pregnant
again and due in one month. Asshe pops another piece of
charcoal-type rock in herm o u t h to curb h e r c o n s t a n t
craving to eat dir t, she thinksa b o u t w h a t th e witch doctor
s a i d
You wil l have twins , he
confided. Furthermore theyhave been chosen by the spirits
to e n t e r t h e s a c r e d coven.
Twins mean great blessings
will fall upon the family as they
are considered to be living goodl u c k charms. And to b e ch osen
by th e spirits is a great honor,but there are strange stirrings
of pain in her heart. She willhave to give her twins to the
coven when th e spirits decide
i t s t ime.
Recently, she observed th e
coven s fes tiva l o f dedicat ion.
This t i m e i t h a d been a
six-year-old girl being
dedicated. Oh, how sad she felt
to see th e anguish
on t h a t mother s
face a s h er
daughter was
decora ted w i t h
cloth, beads,
shells, and paint,
then le d away to
be s c a r r e d a n d
ta t tooed.
Her thoughts
t u r n t o t he se
questionsthat
s e e m t o c om e s o
often now. If the
spirits are
supposed to know what s best
for us then why are they so
greedy, never satisfied, and
always causing nothing but
pain and strife?
She al lows h e r m i n d to w a n d e r
as she gathers th e clothes and
d r a w s t h e w a t e r for t h e w a s h
These are questions she never
dares to voice. Yetcertainlythere must be a better way, she
t h i n k s to herself .
As Mama and her daughters
bend over the huge basins toscrub and wring the clothes
that will eventually be hung onth e bushes and rocks to dry in
the hot sun. Mama feels tired.S h e t hi nk s o f h e r h u sb a nd a n d
other men in the house as they
sleep, longing for a rest herself.
She yearns fo r a friend t o sha re
her questions with and she
sighs. Things do not change
much in her village, so she
consoles h e r s e l f s o m ew h a t w i th
the reminder that the spirits
have always found favor with
her husband. She is a lucky
Upon finishing th e laundry forher large family, Mama sends
her daughters to collect wood
for th e evening fires and to th e
market fo r vegetables. She also
calls th e young boys to once
again sweep t he d ir t in the
compound. When the girls
return, they al l prepare the
evening mea l in much th e same
m a n ne r a s before.
O u r n ew h om e i n S a v a l o u
As night falls, blinking lantern
lights are scattered against them o u n t a i n s i d e a n d across t h e
valley; the compound fills with
visitors. Mama enjoys th ecompany and gossips and
laughs her deep contagious
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laughter. Papa plays checkers
and bolle with the men; the
children run and sing in the
cool night air. The talk is ofschool that will begin againsoon, then turns to t he l at es t o f
topic of interest.
They begin to talk about the
newyouos (white-skinnedpeople) in town.
They know our language.
They asked me to help them.
They eat yams and sauce.They wear clothes like us.They sure know a lo t aboutus.
They ask a lot ofquestions... . a n d o n a n d o n t h e c o m m e n t s
and stories go.
Mama has almost fallen asleepwhen she hears something that
makes her ear s perk up. Theysa y they have come to teach
a b o u t God 's love. T h a t is it
T h a t is w h a t s h e h a s been
looking for and missing: LOVE.Then, fo r a moment, she
wonders what the spirits think
ofthe yovos. But, she decidesthat she doesn 't care what theythink. She is going to find outa b o u t (ood 's love .
Coveting your prayers in the
task,
L a F a m i l l e A l l e n
Steve, Shawn, Tori, and Clark
Allen
P r a y e r R e q u e s t s
F o r :
• People's hearts here to be
pricked and curiosity arousedenough to want to discover
m o r e a b o u t t h i s G o d o f Love.
• U s to i n s t i l l a v i s i o n o f
teaching the Fon/Matti in th e
hearts of people in th e USA —possibly even to recruit people
to join our work here.
• Renewal of our spirits and
bodies during furlough
P r a i s e s
• F o r a successful move.
• That we are se tt led in ,
healthy, and love it here.• For an encouraging s tar t on
language and culture learning.• T h a t we have all found
f r ie nds her e.
T h e s e two m e n a r e S t e v e s
language helpers.
P l e a s e N o t e
Our address and phone number
from November 11993-February 5,1994:
445 C e d a r LaneFayetteville, OA 30214
4 0 4 4 8 7 9 4 5 9
If you would like our travel andspeaking schedule, please
contact u s a t t h e above
a d d r e s s .
Our breakfast lady: she brings usAfr ican mush every day.