That’s the phrase, translated literally, that we used to use when we attended a wake or a funeral. I inadvertently said those words in English one time in America, and I was told by a dear buddy, kiddingly, that if I talked like that I would lose friends! Here in CAR, we are called to participate in a “ndoye”, or, translated literally, love. There are the viewings and the funerals and the wakes right when a person dies, but here they have a system of gathering together in a ndoye/love to again hear the story of the loved one who has gone, and to encourage those left behind. A ndoye can be a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months later. We just went to one on Sunday afternoon because we know the father but had never met the young man who had died 2 months ago. We sang and prayed and listened to a short devotional and heard about the life of the one who died. It is good for friends and family to gather around and find consolation and encouragement. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose one of our kids. May the Lord give peace and strength to Waki and his family. While we were drinking the sweet coffee and eating buns, a huge wind came up so we didn’t have a chance to visit after the service. We barely got home before it absolutely poured buckets of rain.
