Cliff

Meet Cliff Meninga, or Cowboy George, as we nicknamed him on our outreach last weekend. Cliff is a young single man who teaches in the remote village of Chiili. Lauren, Dena, and I taught children's classes there on Saturday and Sunday, and Cliff served as our translator. The children obviously adore him--everywhere he goes, one of them comes up to take his hand or sit on his lap.

There are just six teachers at Chiili, and Cliff is the only single teacher. He leads a lonely life, living far away from his family and girlfriend. His "apartment" consists of one room sandwiched between the dorm rooms for boys and girls. He has no electricity or running water and cooks all his meals over an open fire next to the dorm. I asked him how he spends his evenings. His reply was, "I read and study my Bible, and I pray."

Our weekend outreach was a welcome time for Cliff to enjoy some fun and fellowship. As you can see in the photo above, we introduced him to s'mores. Dena Moore had read on our blog about making s'mores for Obrien and Victor, so she thoughtfully stuck the needed ingredients in her luggage. Cliff had never roasted a marshmallow--or even eaten one--and he seemed to enjoy the experience.