04/15/2020
THE ROBE - The photo is of LaNelle and me wearing a hand woven traditional African robe and LaNelle is wearing a hand woven panya made in the western region of Ivory Coast. One of the highest honors you can experience in Africa is to be gifted with one of these special robes from a village. It symbolizes respect and means you are accepted as one of them. They make "much-a-do" about presenting them. The whole village turns out for the occasion. Village leaders normally robe men and respected women robe the ladies. The crowd cheers, claps, and normally there is singing and dancing that follows. They give you a tribal name and always say, "Now, this is your village. Our home is your home." We have been given many over the years. I even have some white ones which allow me to sit on their village council. Tribes have specific designs sewn on the robes. The designe on this robe could typically represent a Yacouba, Gueré, Wobé,Niamboa, or other regional tribes.
The threads are made of cotton, usually spun by a little boy, on an African designed spinning wheel. The threads are then dyed and woven on a homemade loom. It is labor intensive from start to finish.
The whole village normally pitches in to purchase a robe when they want to honor a special guest or authority. A person would have to work many days to pay for one individually so it requires a group effort.
It is a humbling experience to be honored in such a way when we realize the sacrifice. Villagers are poor. The money may be offered by men who work for a daily wage of only $3 or women who sell vegetables or peanuts on a roadside stand in the middle of nowhere. But when we see the undenyable love. joy, and heart with which it has been given, it cannot be refused.
The African people will always hold a great portion of mine and LaNelle's heart. We are so blessed to have our lives so enriched and entangled with theirs. LaNelle and I have given a third of our life to the people of Ivory Coast...and, we will continue to do what we can to share the Love of Christ with them until the Lord calls us home. J&L
