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E-mail from Monica [December 2006]

[Some of the personal information in Monica's message has been edited before publication - webmaster]

...an accident on 30th September left me unable to walk unaided until now. After enjoying a sponsored bike ride two weeks before, I fell from my bicyle whem I was confronted by a dog and my brakes failed. This gave me 24 hours in hospital and a lot of pain [due to a broken pelvic ramus]; this has now abated [praise be], allowing me to sit at my desk in reasonable comfort. I am grateful to friends and neighbours who were concerned enough to do my shopping and clothes washing, clean my flat, run errands and bring me flowers. The enforced break from my usual activities has made me try and get my life in perspective. I've been involved with the Residents' Association , the Marlborough Choral Society, the Parochial Church Council [I am the Missionary Secretary], and I help run a house group. Also, I made weekly visits to see Marian and David [sister and brother]. All this has meant I have neglected work I need to do on Bassari language materials. I wish I had more energy for this [or someone to share the chores!]; I'll have to prioritise better in order to do the things that really matter.

The great event of my year was the January visit to West Africa. After a few days sharing a kitchen in the Accra Guest House with a long-time friend, Dr. Tony Naden, we presented papers at a linguistic conference at the University of Ghana. I then travelled to Lome [Togo] with Honorine Poidi. The next day I had a taxi ride of over 200 miles north to Kara with a new friend; there I stayed with Sheila, my former co-worker. We had a wonderful time together. Next day we travelled to Bassar for the dedication of the first books of the Old Testament to be published in the Bassari language, a joyful five hour celebration in the big Catholic church. I spent a few days with my old friends, translator Samuel Nabine and his dear wife; then it was off, over the border to Ghana, to stay with Marj Crouch and Pat Herbert in Tamale. From there I was able to travel with members of the Ghana Institute of Linguistics [GIL] headquarters staff to Kpandai to visit the Bassari Literacy Project staff and women's development groups in Kpandai and Buya, plus other friends; a truly wonderful experience. The GIL staf were not able to stay more than a couple of days, so all too soon we were back in Tamale, ready for the next event. This was a trip to a remote village in northern Ghana for the dedication of the Koma New Testament. I have many pictures of this on my computer and hope to be able to sort them out and display them on a screen some day. Then it was time to go to Accra to catch the 'plane home. It was amazing to see how all the parts of my journey dovetailed together - thank you to those who prayed for this.

Best wishes to you over the Christmas and the new Year,

Yours

Monica.

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