After the funeral, I visited Benga-Nkelete to encourage the prayer group members who just started to cut a field. I took an ax to help chop down trees. The Ekonda and Batwa were amazed a doctor did manual labor. I wanted to show them farm work was not inferior to other work, as they believed. As I worked and sweated alongside my Batwa brothers, I learned about their culture and customs. Slowly, I built up a level of trust with them. I have already received so much from this slow process of "give and take." I believe that it is essential for them to see a white man - a missionary - on an equal plane, willing to share in their sufferings and joy.
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