IMPRESSIONS.....

1. The women are all so beautifully attired.

2. The people speak so softly that you can be next to two people who are talking and it sounds like a murmur.

3. There is an incredible amount of dust. As we approach the Mission, the streets are not paved; dust is inches thick. The car stirs up a lingering cloud. You can see footprints in the dust where people have walked. It is about like our snow, it is inches deep.

4. Children in the Christian community are highly prized as they should be. The five little ones in our orphanage will not be taken out to be seen publicly until their health is improved. When they go out they will be beautiful.

5. Even though the adults eat very lightly, the children in the orphanage get three meals a day and medical care.

6. Didier told me that if they hung out a sign letting the community know that we have an orphanage there would be children on the door steps daily.

7. Lubumbashi has an unemployment rate of 80%. Yet people are smiling and appear to be very happy.

8. I was very impressed with Ethiopian Airlines. The company is very service oriented. Excellent food to the point of being overfed. In the evening, sandwiches—bread and turkey—along with drinks were available all night long.

9. At your seat, movies, music, and flight detail were available on your private screen continually.

10. At Addis Abba there were number of helpful employees available to help me as an obvious foreigner. I appreciated this so greatly as one of my greatest fears was not knowing where I was going when in the airport.

11. The people are multi-lingual. Pastor Didier told me that he converses in five languages.

12. Our guest house has no running water, electricity only when the generator is running, about two hours a day, but is very clean.

13. The Congo is a definitely a cell phone country. I see some children with them.

14. Everything including cement can be moved by bicycle; I saw three bags on one bicycle.

15. Yesterday I saw a bike loaded with bricks. The owner was walking beside the bike keeping it balanced.

16. In the division of household labor, carrying water seems to be a woman's work. This morning I sat on the porch and watched a woman trying to carry water with her left hand and keep a baby balanced on her hip with the right hand. She finally put the water down and headed home with the baby. I am sure she came back later for the water. By the way water is carried in five gallon containers so the full container will weight approximately 40 pounds.

17. I noted that in the Christian community that men left the house and went for water this morning.

18. I wondered why our well is completely enclosed in a locked brick structure. I was told that if it was not enclosed, the pump would be stolen.

Foo, Foo Tonight…

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Tuesday I left Washington D. C. at noon. We flew North to someplace along the Canadian coast and then headed in a South-Easterly direction and dropped down into Africa missing Cairo and paralleled the gulf of Suez. We stopped long enough to change planes in Addis Abba. Then we were off to Malawi which is the smallest and poorest country in Africa. I am glad that I did not have to get off the plane there.

The ride from Malawi to the Congo was little more than an hour long. As I exited the plane my eyes were searching for Pastor Didier. Pastor Didier was at the door awaiting my arrival, but was not allowed to enter the Customs area but just seeing him and knowing he was there made my heart rejoice. I knew that if he was not there I would be a lamb for at least one hungry wolf. At Customs, my passport and shot card were checked with no problems. Clearing Customs probably took all of ten minutes.

Two of my bags were military duffel bags so they had to be opened and inspected before they were released. I gave permission and Pastor Didier was there vouching for me—no problem. Didier has a way of dissolving problems with his innate honesty. He was used to wash away the official’s fears.

About 3:30 we left the airport and headed back to the Mission Station. I am in the guest house awaiting a meal of Foo Foo which Didier and his family are going to graciously share with me. It is made from the Manioc root and leaves. It is a favorite source of carbohydrates for many Africans. I am sure that I will like it. It reminded me of grits if you are familiar with that taste. It was good and filling. We had delicious chicken, a mixture of green beans and carrots, and rice. It was all very good and very satisfying.

By the way I did get a shower, what a joy after spending about twenty-seven hours on the plane. My shower consisted of taking a plastic pitcher of cold water, pouring it over my head, then body, soaping down and more cold water. It was wonderful.

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There is a well fed mouse in the house. I woke up during the night to hear something chewing on paper. I just dumped things on the floor of my room last night being to tired to unpack. I had purchased some Cliff Bars at the Folsom Costco. One of them was chewed into and the evidence was left on the floor of my room. It is 10:00 am and I need to go to the Internet Café.

I am going to post this as the access is slow: Didier will soon be back to pick me up.

Simple but Tiring

Today: I took Hannah to school which is always a delight. I walked her to her classroom and visited with her teacher for a few minutes.

Then Hannah took me to visit with her kindergarten teacher; this woman is such a delightful Christian lady. (She was Hannah’s teacher two years ago.)

Next was a stop as Starbucks, not for coffee, but to do some work on the computer which was messing up royally. (Got it taken care of.)

I needed to get my glasses adjusted before I leave the country tomorrow, got that done at Costco.

I went to a sporting goods store to buy a lantern for the orphanage so the workers will not have to work in the dark. I got a battery powered lantern which while using four D batteries is supposed to give off light for 120 hours. I bought a dozen batteries.

Received an email from Ann, she has arranged to have me picked up at the house at 9:15 am to be taken to the airport. My plane is scheduled to leave at 11:45 for Ethiopia.

I went back to the school to see Hannah and to help take of children while they are eating. It is amazing how many bottles need to be opened during one meal. As tables emptied, I sprayed them down and wiped them thoroughly.

Back to the house and rested for one hour and then off to get Hannah again. She is resting while I am finishing this.

Tonight I take my first malaria pill and weigh up bags—50 lbs in each bag.

IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE

This morning Ann, Hannah and I went to Church. (Terry was on duty at the fire department) After Church we stopped at Starbucks. Then home to take care of some items like letting the dog out for exercise, had a light lunch and off we went to a store which sells everything for $5.00 or less. Ann and Hannah purchased at least half a bushel of toys for the children in our orphanage in the Congo.

Next stop was Wal-Mart for shopping. Just as we entered the store, we were able to touch bases with a family who had just flown in from Africa with newly adopted twins from our orphanage. Josie started sharing the needs of the new orphans (5) which have just come into their new home. Ann took the phone and listened to the needs.

We went off to fill the needs of the five.

I just packed 30 pairs of undershorts, three pairs of blue jeans, four pairs of pants, nine shirts, two pairs of tennies, several sets of pajamas, five t-shirts and two sets of twin sheets.

Tomorrow I will go to a camping store and buy several battery operated lanterns with spare batteries. Josie said that the orphanage workers operate without lights.

I am so glad that Ann was there to do the shopping for the children. I felt so incompetent in that area.

I have yet to pack the twenty books for the leaders of the Church. I will put them in the duffel bag and dump toys on top of them.

I am so glad that Compassion for the Congo mission gave me an extra stipend for shipping costs.

Arrived In D. C. During The Monsoon

I had an uneventful flight from Sacramento to Washington, D. C.  Several times during the flight the crew announced that the weather was warm and humid or that it was showering lightly in the D. C. area.  When we arrived the captain announced that we were going to think that we had arrived in Seattle instead of D. C.  As I exited the plane, thunder shook the airport.  Unloading of baggage was delayed for at least two hours due to lightning virtually closing down the airport.  Ann phoned to let me know that she was about ten miles from the airport, but could hardly see due to the heavy rain and to tell me that she would be late as she was about to float off the freeway.

Eventually the warning buzzer sounded to let people know that bags were going to be on the carousel and there were my bags.  I grabbed them and went to the exit, phoned Ann and in about 15 minutes we were happily reunited and on our way to her house. 

We walked into the house to the delightful smell of some to the best chili I have ever eaten.  My son in law, Terry, is an outstanding cook; he had filled the slow cooker with the makings for dinner and it had cooked all day.

We dined then I went downstairs and rested. Traveling makes me so tired, but by about 9:00 pm I was feeling good.  Ann drew me a map showing me the way to take Hannah to her school.

I took her to school, met her teacher and will return to school at noon to help in the lunchroom.  The teachers desperately need help at noon as the children require so much help during lunch.  They eat in a large room at tables.  There are Lunchables  (sealed meals purchased from the grocery store) to be opened.  Spills to be wiped up. Children with hands up, needing permission to go to the bathroom. Tables that need to be wiped down after the children go back to class.  And then there are things on the floor to be picked up

I got lost on the way to the school so I had to apologize to the teacher.  It was raining and I missed an exit.  So after driving too many miles, I just returned home.  As I was driving I saw things that were scary. A road was completely washed out. The paving material had dropped into a sink hole.  The street was completely impassable.

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I got an email from the Congo we have five new children in the orphanage and again they are mal-nourished. That is to be expected. Between 1996 and 2000 more than 1/2 of the children did not live to see their 6th birthday. Typhoid, starvation, malaria and other easily treated problems  wiped them out.

Things I have yet to shop for: toys for orphans (2-3 year old), clothing for six month old babies, battery operated lantern for the orphanage and some twin bed sheets.

Jamie:

The first little girl in our orphanage. Just rescued from the streets.

Being held by me last Friday evening.

We had so much fun playing together.

Her very loving family plus one who wants to be adopted as a grandfather. Her sister Jordan is being held by her mother. Father is almost hidden by Jordan.

WHAT ARE YOU TAKING TO THE CONGO?

This morning I opened what was called a "sea bag" when I was in the Navy. In it I placed 24 Meals Ready to Eat or as they are better known--MREs. Next was a water purifier purchased from RE I. It is supposed to kill 99.99 per cent of all living organism in clear water. I have been told that in the bottled water which can be purchased locally in the Congo you can see floating items.

For Others: one package of balloons, a very large container of Band Aids, two bars of perfumed soap, four very large bottles of non Aspirin pain killers, children' s vitamins, one package of dried mangoes, a very large container of dry roasted peanuts.

On top of the container I placed a few Fiber One Bars to bring the total weight of the package up to 49.8 lbs. Fifty pounds is the maximum I can carry in a suitcase without paying a penalty for being overloaded.

In another bag I will pack my personal items which are necessary for more than a month of absence.

When I arrive in the Washington D. C. area I will be adding twenty books to my shipment. I will be able to give each person attending the Pastor's Conference a free book in the French Language. These books were graciously given to me by Desiring God's International Ministry.