January 25, 2007 by Beth.

I feel like we are on a roller coaster sometimes with the ups and downs that have plagued this strike. One day there is good news, the next falls apart, then we’re back up again.

Not long after I wrote yesterday we had a message on the radio saying that people were dancing in the streets in a neighborhood between us and town. Word was that a new prime minister had been named and it was someone that was approved of by the unions and the people in general. He was said to have been in the government in the past but was ousted when he tried to clean up corruption. You could almost hear the jubilation as news made its way down the street…first a ways away, then louder and louder. Soon cars were driving by honking their horns and people were laughing and shouting right outside. They all said that it’s finished, the strike is over, we have a new prime minister.

Could it be that easy? The news was definitely good and a huge step in the right direction, but would things just go that simply? We had to wonder. Still it was hard not to get wrapped up in the hope and joy that was evident on each face. Maybe our lives can be different? Maybe we can afford to eat again. And hour later the lights came on at what had to be the closest we’ve been to full force in weeks!! And it stayed on all night. Even if it wasn’t all right, life just felt really good. I think everyone’s stress level dropped about 10 notches.

I’m not going to speculate on where this is going. I wish that I could report that the strike is totally finished, we have a new prime minister that will change the country for the better and life is going to go on as before but better. Maybe I still just want to bask in the hope. Word has it now that the strike will not officially end until there is a new constitution in place. That makes sense as, like I said, so many promises have come and gone. People want to SEE a difference, not just hear it. So by all means, keep praying!! But for this morning, as I sit and listen to vehicles back out on the road (Tim even went out today to try and find some of his leaders) I’m thankful that in this crazy, sinful, and often evil world, there is a God who keeps ALL His promises. And just as I am a visitor here in Guinea, I am a visitor here on this earth, just passing through on my way to a much better place.

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January 25, 2007 by Beth.

Well, yesterday marked the beginning of week 3 of the country wide strike here in Guinea. Most things continue to be at a stop and few vehicles are on the road - a far cry from the normally three-deep-on-a-two-lane-road we usually have to battle daily around here. Much has happened since I last wrote but things keep changing so quickly it’s hard to keep up.

Monday was bad. It was really the worst day in terms of negative activity going on. I’ll let the news report cover it for me…if you haven’t already seen the article you can read about it at:  http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/764468a80976126c9f361b39f005d019.htm . Honestly it was the first time we started wondering if we might really have to up and leave for a while. Should things continue in that direction it would only get worse. Tim’s bag is packed behind me as I write and I have my list of things ready to grab should I need to. A call to Tim and Heidi revealed that things had turned extremely sour in Siguiri where they are working, in the upper northeast part of the country. The Peace Corps was ready to evacuate their people and the Nortons were considering heading to Bamako (Mali, just north of Guinea) as well.

Then yesterday morning came and we all waited anxiously for news. The mission community here in Conakry all have short range radios on which we can communicate which makes it excellent in crisis situations. Since we have missionaries all over the city each can call in and report what they are seeing in their neighborhood. We’ve often heard calls come in such as,” There’s a mob of people outside my door gathering garbage to burn…” “Military trucks just passed our house firing guns into the air…” “Gunfire being heard in our neighborhood.” The daughter of one missionary family works at the US embassy so we were also getting regular updates on where they were at and what was happening in that area of town. In this way we can be prepared for whenever the embassy should happen to begin evacuating their non-essential personnel. The photo I sent last time was sent from a CMA missionary who just recently started a radio station and who is continuing to head to work each morning. So we have really been able to keep pretty well on top of things. And with the internet now news is just a click away.

So it was like breathing fresh air yesterday when the first message from our mission radio was that there was to be a “day off of striking” that day as negotiations started. The Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) was planning to send a delegation to meet and try and help resolve issues in Guinea. Guinea is quite an important player in this part of the world. As you’ve probably read, much of the world’s bauxite comes from this country, and that affects parts of the world outside Africa. Also, we are surrounded by countries that have been troubled by unrest for over a decade and are now trying to get back on their feet. What would war here do to countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia where you have a generation that grew up with guns in their hands? Another call to Tim and Heidi indicated that the same was happening their way as well. All had been quiet that day. They had heard that missionaries in Kankan were staying put so they were hanging on as well. We agreed, however, that should ANYTHING look threatening that they would leave immediately for Bamako.

So a large WHOOP when out when the announcement came and shortly after that we started getting messages about what stores were opening up for a short time to give people a chance to restock on some food supplies. Some were even speculating that the strike could be over by today! Out we went. The streets had some cars but we made it to the store in record time with little traffic on the road. I think everyones spirits were lifted as people set out to shop, visit friends and just get out of the house! We all wondered where this would head. But we had doubts even with this good news as: 1) so far we’d heard no indication that either side was ready to compromise, and 2) strikes in the past have led to promises never kept. We could only watch and see.

This morning I found the following on the net: http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2007-01-25-voa6.cfm. It is exciting news but it’s hard to get too excited until we get the feel of what people think of all this. Is this a promise that will be kept? Do people trust it? I’m sure we’ll hear more today and see where we are headed. The situation is critical at this point. The price of rice has skyrocketed to over three times what it was before the strike, IF you can find it. And before the strike people considered it almost beyond their means. The economy is, in essence, at a halt. There is little meat to be found in stores anymore and the electricity is a joke (we’re probably running at about 50 volts instead of 220!)

Prayers are obvious! If this is truly a compromise and a promise kept maybe we can get through this without any more dying or injured. If so it would indeed be the hand of God just from looking at this from the eyes of the people here. Pray that things stay calm and that today brings real good news for the Guineans!!

Thanks for your unending prayers and your many words of encouragement and support!! I can’t believe our internet has kept going through all this!! That has been a huge blessing and we are thankful daily!! God be with you and God be with this country!

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