Some things I really like about Frigi

Do you have those people that you just really like to be around? They make you think or laugh or smile inside? Our mason, Frigi, is one of those people.

He has been a friend to our teammates for several years – I think even since they arrived in Soulemania -but we have only really gotten to know him in the past 2 years that he has been working on our house. Of course, for much for much of the first year, I didn’t see him much, as Jim was here building and I was in Niaya with the kids. But starting a little over a year ago, I began to get to know him as I spent more and more time at the house. And the more I am around him, the more things that I find I like about him. Here are just a few of my favorites.

1.
I love to hear him answer when I call. Whether I am asking him if he knows where Jim is or if he is thirsty or hungry or if he needs something, whenever I call – “Mr. Frigi?”, he answers with, “Oui, Madame” in this great singsong kind of voice. A few months ago, he started calling me mom – because I take care of him, he says. That always makes me smile.

2.
I love how much he wants to please Jim and do a good job for him. He likes all of the guys on the team and works hard to please them, but I think there is added pressure because Jim used to be a mason and he wants very much for Jim to approve of his work.

3.
I love how every day he comes and thanks me for the lunch meal and for taking good care of him while he is here in the village working (he lives in another village where our teammates live but comes up for several days at a time.)

4.
I love how patient he is. When he finishes work, he takes a bucket of water and soap and goes out to a little enclosure in the back yard and bathes before going to the hut of our friend where he sleeps. One afternoon, he came to ask where his bucket was. I was busy on the porch with about 20 patients and told him I would get it for him in a few minutes. I got distracted and probably 30 – 40 minutes later I saw him sitting quietly on the porch with all of the patients, just waiting for me to take the time to help him. I felt horrible. I said, Why didn’t you remind me? Well, Madame, he said, you were busy and my needs aren’t as important so I can wait. I wanted to squish his guts! (For all you non-Andersons out there, squishing someone's guts is a good thing.)

5.
I love how he takes care of his wife. He hires workers to go to her farm so she doesn’t have to do that. He says he doesn’t believe that men should beat their wives and that they should help out at home because the women have a lot of work to do. . . that’s almost unheard of in a village guy – even among some American guys. ;^) And he loves to take gifts home for his family. Usually we take him home – so he likes to stop off and buy her some fire wood (the kind that burns quickly so she can cook as fast as all the other women and not be made fun of) and he likes to stop and buy peanuts and crackers for his kids. If our boys are with us, and they shoot a bushfowl, that becomes another gift. Once he bought a big fish and we put it at his feet in a bag, but the truck broke down and by the time we arrived at his house- it was smelling very ripe!!!

6.
I love to see him loitering in front of our house after a full day of work and a bath, in hopes that the boys (who have usually gone hunting) will bring him some “beef”. IF it gets late, he says, “If the twins come back with something, can they bring it up to me??? “ And they always do.

7.
I love that he is such a great person to ask cultural questions to. Since he does not live in our village, he has a different perspective than our friends here. So I can ask him questions and be assured that he will really think over the answer. Sometimes he is hesitant – wanting to make sure he does not offend us. He tries to be honest. He will say – Madame, I really don’t know the price of this or that. I want to be straight with my answer for you.

8.
I love his politeness. If he coughs or sneezes, he always says “pardon.” He apologizes for being late or for causing any trouble for you – whether real or imagined.

The one thing that makes me sad is that he does not know the Jesus road yet. But we are praying for that. In the mean time, we look forward to his visits. His work here is almost finished, and we will miss him a lot.