No More Anonymity

photo credit: Sandy Francis

I don't know why but in the last week my comment box has had a plethora of spam comments, most of them  benign but some are offensive. Since I moderate all comments, this saved my blog from having them posted all over the place but my email box has been flooded with them. So...I am not allowing anonymous comments anymore, since that is the avenue the spammers use. Can you still post comments? Yes. But now you must identify yourself using either your own URL, AIM or OpenID. If you have an ID with Google (think gmail), Yahoo, Blogger, Flickr, MySpace, AOL, or WordPress then you already have an OpenID and you can find out what it is by clicking HERE. I'm sorry for the inconvenience but I really would not look good if I pulled all my hair out and this was the alternative. Many of you already know me and prefer to send me comments via facebook or email, and that's fine too.

The Christmas season is the time of year when I get the most interaction with our national staff, even though David sees many of them several times a week. In addition to the Christmas worship service we do together for people who work at the airport (see photo above of David and some of the other guys singing!), we also have an annual Christmas meal together with Congolese food. I really like the fact that we work with our nationals to do the Christmas outreach event because besides sharing the gospel with others, it reminds all of our MAF staff that we are in ministry together.

Remember this? Last September we paid the local vet to spay our kitten, Lily. She nearly died afterward of complications. I suspected pneumonia.

We are about 95% sure that our SPAYED kittie is pregnant. We just went through this less than a year ago with her mama, Piper, and all the symptoms are the same. I was there for Lily's surgery and SAW the vet remove SOMETHING, but obviously it wasn't what he thought it was...

...anybody want a kitten?

We are having a wonderful time visiting with Josh! We had a nice, relaxing family Christmas with devotions and gifts and homemade treats and a ham dinner. I am working on a new post but might not have it up by tomorrow. I'm still getting used to our new computer (Christmas gift, yaay!) and our internet has been unpredictable. Pray for our water situation. We are out again, so tomorrow morning David will have to drive the truck to haul water for the third time this week. When we moved here the water was great and we never ran low. We have no idea why suddenly it's off most of the time.

Something Better

African daisy photo credit: Jon Sullivan, www.public-domain-image.com

Someone sent a link to me for an article about sacrifice. When I read it, I cried. It just is not your typical write up or sermon about sacrifices where we are either told that we aren't willing enough to make sacrifices, that we don't make enough sacrifices, or that we should minimalize sacrifices we have made because we are somehow holier if we do not admit that serving God can sometimes be hard. Jesus came here prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, his very life, for people who weren't even grateful, and He told us that following Him meant taking up a cross. I don't know about you but that sounds hard.

The writer, Rachel Pieh Jones, is not whining or bitter about sacrifices, but she is honest. She points out that a sacrifice is giving up something precious for something better down the road, and that if we deny the reality of the sacrifice, we cheapen the reward. If have ever loved a missionary or been one, her article, "Why I Will Not Say I Never Made A Sacrifice" is well worth the time.

Some days are hard here. I have only been overseas two years and I have lost three relatives and had to miss their funerals, I've missed the birth of my nephew, missed holidays and birthdays with loved ones, sent a son off to college 6,000 miles away, and missed my daughter's first day of school because I was across the ocean having surgery. The separation from my family and friends IS a sacrifice. The lack of water (none here for the last few days and right now we are out) and electricity and law and order ARE sacrifices. That's not whining. That's reality. Do I ever want to tell God the price is too high? Honestly, there have been a few moments when I did. But what if God had said that when He had to decide whether or not He would sacrifice his Son for me? What if Jesus had said it?

Some days though, I get a glimpse of that "something better" and I am in awe that He would use me here. It happened today during our annual Christmas outreach at the airport where my husband works with the rest of our MAF guys. We were all sitting in the hangar. A crowd was gathered to hear how and why Jesus came to earth, a choir was singing traditional praises to God in Lingala, and in the background, I could see one of our pilots taking off in an MAF plane. Other days it's a hug from an orphan, or a warm greeting from a vendor, or a laugh shared with someone. It could be a conversation about God with my guard or a report of lives given to Christ or a life saved. Some days it's just an amazing sunrise while I'm having coffee with God, as if He put on the whole show just for me.

We are incredibly grateful to be here. I won't deny there are sacrifices. But there is also "something better."

I'm not on the "A-list."

My portion of this post will be short today because other things are getting priority this week. Our son, Josh is back for a visit after a year's absence and we are relishing every minute. We've really enjoyed doing things together as a family again, talking and catching up, and just basking in his glow (kidding, but we ARE very happy just to have him around).

We love our new home and all its little quirks, but we have not been enjoying the regular flooding we've been experiencing every time it rains. Since this is rainy season, we are talking about several floods a week in our basement. One area is just for storage. Another area was a laundry room until David rerouted the plumbing and wiring for me and moved the machines up so I wouldn't have to go down steps in the dark or in the rain. But one room is for our guards to keep their stuff in and to have a place that is theirs. Here's a picture of the water line from the flooding. It's over two feet high.







Part of the problem was trash (coke bottles, motor oil, broken dishes, old soccer ball, etc) that had washed down into our drainage system. A huge part of the problem, though was our neighbor's yard. This drainage ditch runs through several yards, the entire length of our backyard, and drops off into a ravine that feeds the nearby river. When it works properly, those concrete slabs are over the culvert, rain water drains into pipes like the one in this photo and travels out of the yard. But in our yard, instead of water going into the pipes, sand is washing out of them and water is flooding the yard and the basement.

Matthew came over and the guys started prying up the concrete and found that our culvert was filled 12 inches deep with sand that had washed down from the neighbor's yard! So the neighbor is getting a new retaining wall and repairing his side of the problem. An unexpected blessing with that is that one of our guards is skilled in concrete work and masonry and will get the job, so his family will have a little extra money this month.




I wanted to write something inspirational for Christmas but haven't been able to get my brain to switch to creative mode. My friend Shawn Lantz wrote a piece about the birth of the King for her blog that I think is well worth reading. She makes several good points, one of which is that the shepherds who received the birth announcement would not have made society's "A-list" and those who would have at the time were unaware of the birth of Christ. I will never make the "A-list" by society's standards either, but because Jesus humbled Himself and came as a baby for me, I am now a daughter of the King! Check out Shawn's article, "A Foolish Birth Announcement."

Hurting for Newtown

Remembering (Photo credit: Puzzler4879 (Thank You for 500K Views))

I just don't even have words adequate or appropriate for what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut yesterday. This did not happen in a country at war, such as Congo, at least not on the surface. I have no doubt there is a spiritual war. Our country needs Jesus, just as DRC does.

When I saw the news last night, I cried. For those moms and dads, those kids, that community, the father of the shooter who lost a son under such awful circumstances, and my nation. I went to David and told him what happened and the news was so horrible and stunning that he asked me if I was sure it really happened and wasn't some sort of sick social media rumor. I'm still crying. I don't know how anyone can not be heartbroken and grieving over this.

Today I am still alternating between shocked and crying. I can't even imagine how much worse it must be for those immediately affected, those who lost loved ones or suffered injuries.

And yet, I am thankful that my heart is broken. The alternative is far worse. I would rather mourn with those who mourn, as painful as it is, than be desensitized or unable to feel compassion, love, or mercy.

I am thankful and encouraged to see so many responding so quickly to offer whatever they can to comfort and help. It gives me hope.

I am thankful for teachers who acted quickly to protect children.

I am thankful that as a Christian I can go boldy in prayer to my Father in behalf of others, knowing that He loves them and that this did not catch Him by surprise.

Praying for comfort and healing, and for hearts to turn to God who loves them and wants them to know it. Father, please pour your mercy and grace on the families in Newtown and help them in their time of need.

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

Cool Lingala Beans!

Lord's Prayer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I've mentioned in the past that my friend Christine's husband pastors a Congolese church here, and that she leads a Bible study for the women twice a month in her home. She invited me to be part of that long ago and I really enjoy being able to help in whatever way I can, even if it's just serving snacks and answering the door. Most of the women know French but a few do not speak it well. The dominant language is Lingala, so much of the time I sit listening but not comprehending. I have a special place in my heart for the women of this country and I often wish I knew Lingala so I could better communicate with them.

Now I am getting an opportunity to help Christine more, be involved with many of the same women that come to her Bible study group, AND learn Lingala! Some of the women wanted to learn English so Christine is teaching them and invited me to come. I can help them with pronunciation and since I speak French, I can also help the ladies by explaining to them what some of their strange new English words mean in French or by giving them the English word when they give me a French word. They in turn teach me the Lingala words and correct my pronunciation.

Lingala (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Over ten million people speak Lingala as either their primary or secondary language. Lingala is spoken in Democratic Republic of Congo, the Congo Republic, Angola, and Central African Republic.





I don't know how long it will take me to learn Lingala on a proficient level, nor where it might take me in the future or how God might use it. I do know I am excited about this opportunity to learn the language and to build relationships with these women and help them reach their goal to learn English.

Dirty Jobs: Kinshasa

crosstown traffic (Photo credit: FredR)

People in Kinshasa make their living in varied and resourceful ways. By far one of the toughest jobs I see people doing on a daily basis is the job of the pus pus. If Mike Rowe came to Kinshasa to film an episode of “Dirty Jobs,” he might very well spend a day with a pus pus. In Lingala, “kopusa” means, “to push”, and a “pus pus” (poos poos) is a cart with two wheels and handles on both ends. For a fee, a man with a pus pus will come and transport items for you from one place to another. If it fits in the cart or can be tied to it, they will haul it. It’s a hot, hard, dirty, and dangerous job. Nine months out of the year the temperature averages upper nineties by midday. There are a lot of hills in Kinshasa, and very few sidewalks, so these guys are forced to push their carts in the streets. They can’t go very quickly and traffic is terrible. I have seen one get hit by a car and the driver just kept on going.

What sorts of things ride around town in a pus pus? Some cargo we have seen:

Garbage
Scrap iron
Pieces of a car
Tires
Lumber
Firewood
Bags of cement
Gravel
Furniture
Plants/flowers
Jugs of water
Sheets of tin
Live chickens and goats
A live adult cow (our favorite thus far)

The pus pus is a vital service in a city with a poor infrastructure. I have never seen a U-Haul or a moving van here. You can pay a neighborhood company for basic trash service. The company in our new neighborhood is called VDT or Vie Décente pour Tous (Decent Life for All). For ten dollars, they will give me eight flimsy garbage sacks. If your trash won’t fit into their bags, they won’t take it. Each week they send a tiny flat bed truck which is kind of like a modified three wheeler to collect everyone’s full bags. Where it goes, nobody knows, but if you can't burn it or bury it, that's your only option for trash removal. There are city trash receptacles, but they are few and far between and when the trash gets hauled from them in the big trucks, no one I have asked knows where it goes. There is a small river near my house, lined on both sides with garbage. There are mounds of garbage at the bottom of my hill. Mounds of garbage line the river banks we pass as we drive through the city. I am always hoping that none of that garbage is mine.

Remember this? That was our back porch the day we moved in. There was also stuff about the yard like shower stalls, plumbing parts, and old garbage from the previous tenants. I remember being tired and overwhelmed already with the unpacking, not having water pumped into the house yet, not being able to use a stove, and the work on the house we still had to do and then I saw this and just wanted to cry.

As of this week, my porch looks like this!
(Kudos to my amazing husband who came home exhausted every day and then worked on the big plumbing leak, the outlet with 400 volts, and ran new plumbing and wiring so I could have my washer and dryer close at hand!)

Where did all our garbage go? 

I would bet that even this gentleman doesn't know its final destination. We had to hire him to bring his pus pus cart and haul the big stuff away. I’m sure he thought I was crazy when I went out to shake his hand and say hello, and crazier still when I asked if I could take his picture. It was probably a good thing that I stopped myself short of calling him my hero. 

We paid someone to take the yuck from our home and make it clean. Today I am thankful for a Savior who takes my sin as far as the east is from the west and cleanses my heart. Please say a prayer for all the men and boys in Congo who push the pus pus carts, for their safety and for them to come to know the One who can take their “garbage” and sin away and give them clean hearts.

Mistaken for a Tomato

Tomatoes (Photo credit: burgundavia)

Saturday I was invited to a "spa night." Every few months a group of us expat ladies will grab our plastic tubs and favorite nail polish and gather for a little pampering at my friend Christine's house. Christine always lights candles, makes a pretty display of all her scrubbies, soaps, lotions, etc, and heats tubs of water. We soak our feet, chit chat, polish our nails, and just enjoy some time to relax and unwind. Feet take a real beating here, and so can your sanity, so we sort of help both areas at the same time. We always have such a good time that we all agree to have "spa nights" more frequently, but everyone has different family dynamics, ministries, and obligations so it is hard to find time when we are all available.

A couple of days later I was talking to our guard, Leopold, when I felt something hit my toe. I looked down and the chicken was going to town trying to eat my toes. I shooed her away. She came back, pecking determinedly. Leopold shooed her away. Again she returned. As I shuffled from foot to foot while trying to finish our conversation, he finally grinned and said "She thinks your toes are tomatoes." I can honestly say I had never before been mistaken for a tomato, and it struck me funny.

We say and hear a lot of things here that we don't think anything about, but in a "first-world" setting, would sound bizarre. Here are a few more examples:

"Turn off the hot water heater BEFORE you turn on the a/c or you'll overload the voltage regulator."

"Don't turn your car lights on before it gets really dark or you'll get pulled over for impersonating a celebrity." (This really did happen to a friend of mine.)

Lily in hiding!

"Don't let your kitten out of the yard. If you do someone will eat it."

"We don't have school Friday because there's supposed to be a riot."

"I'm pretty sure I have worms."

"I got electrocuted today." "Again?" "Yeah."

"How did you get that bruise on your shoulder?" "I walked into a door knob." (Houses here have ridiculously high door knobs.)


More quotes from Congo: Give Me Back My Ziplock Bag

What's Happening?

English: Bunia, Ituri, RDC (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We had a crazy rain storm last night. Water was coming down faster than it could drain out of the yard so we soon had water up to the bottom of our jeep, in the laundry room, and in the room our guards use. Our internet was knocked out by lightning and won't be back until at least Monday, so I'm at a friend's house, drinking her tea and enjoying her air-conditioning while I borrow her internet. Woohoo! Let's hear it for friends!

In Make a Difference Today! I wrote about an opportunity to help MAF send vaccines for children in the Democratic Republic of Congo for Giving Tuesday. We surpassed our goal of 100,000 vaccines! If you click HERE you can view a thank you video that features two of our team members from here in Kinshasa.

I wanted to give you an update on what is going on in the east and how it might be affecting MAF staff. If you haven't seen the news about Goma and the rest of east DRC recently, you can check my posts Days of Evil and The Media May Ignore Congo but Christians Cannot. Here is the latest update from the MAF website:

Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo — 11-29-2012 — MAF pilots in Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, report that things feel relatively “normal” in this eastern DRC town, despite insecurity in other parts of the region.

Bunia is located some 325 miles north of Goma, the city of one million inhabitants that was taken over by the M23 rebel group last week.

Though many NGOs have evacuated their staff in the region, the three MAF pilots in Bunia are conducting their usual flights for church, mission, and humanitarian organizations. Some of those flights this week included delivery of medicines and medical personnel, transport of a Bible translator and a medical patient, and conveyance of church workers to an area where they are conducting outreach activities. 

Amid riots last week, MAF relocated its families (including children) to Kampala, Uganda, on Tuesday, Nov. 20, leaving three pilots in Bunia to provide flights for those in need.

Last weekend, the people of Bunia celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the CECA 20/Africa Inland Mission church in the DRC. Thousands gathered at the city stadium for a lively time of worship and celebration. Many from outside of Bunia were in town to attend.

Here are some more recent articles:

Britain suspends Rwandan aid on DR Congo rebel support

M23 Rebels delay pullout

Please continue to pray for peace and healing for this volatile region.

The Media May Ignore Congo but Christians Cannot

Christians praying in Goma, DR of Congo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After I posted "Days of Evil" I received several emails from friends who read my blog, each stating that they had seen little to nothing about what is going on in Goma and the rest of east Democratic Republic of Congo. They were surprised, and said that my little blog with its links to news articles was their best source of information about current events here. That, my friends, disappoints and saddens me. How can people pray and help if they don't even know about the need? Those of us who know are responsible for getting the word out to those of us who do not know.

Concurrent with the emails I received, a friend gave me a link to an article, Why The World Is Ignoring Congo War. The author, Vava Tampa, is a native of Congo. Here is one disturbing item I read in his article:

"The wars in that country have claimed nearly the same number of lives as having a 9/11 every single day for 360 days, the genocide that struck Rwanda in 1994, the ethnic cleansing that overwhelmed Bosnia in the mid-1990s, the genocide that took place in Darfur, the number of people killed in the great tsunami that struck Asia in 2004, and the number of people who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- all combined and then doubled. Yet we rarely hear anything about it."

The media will always have their own agenda and for them, newsworthiness is about profitability and politics. I hope you read Vava Tampa's article (click here). I hope you look at the photos. I hope it angers you and makes your heart ache, as it did to me, and then I hope you cry out to God in behalf of Congo.

Make a difference, today!

Last Friday we visited a sanctuary for bonobo apes with some of our home school friends. In the midst of all the horrible stuff that is happening in the east, it was nice to go to a quiet place for a few hours and see some of the beauty that this country also has to offer.

Bonobos are similar to chimpanzees, but their sole natural habitat is here in the Congo, and they are endangered.
This sanctuary offers a safe place for wild bonobos, but also takes in orphans and bonobos rescued from poachers.

"I am the Lorax! I speak for the trees!" 

Ha ha! Seriously, don't these plants look kind of "Dr. Seussish?" We thought they were very cool.

In addition to seeing the bonobos, we enjoyed a long walk and the beautiful plants and flowers that grow here.







That was Friday. I was feeling pretty OK on Friday but Monday I woke up sick. Again. I noticed I was kinda following a pattern, having a day of fever, chills, aching like I had the flu, and then a day or so of feeling better, then sick again, etc - with headaches throughout. So, we are thinking I got malaria. I was skeptical at first since I take a prophylaxis medication. However, when we moved, I missed some doses and we did not have screens on some of the windows for a while. Power was off so the windows were opened to catch a breeze. My family doesn't even wear bug spray if I am in the room because all the bugs flock to me. And that's all it took. I'm on day two of a three-day medication and feeling much better already. My nine day headache is finally gone.

I'm very blessed to have access to good health care, even here in Kinshasa. My family has been vaccinated against all sorts of diseases. I have a box of medications, including malaria treatments, in my closet. I have the means to pay for a trip to the clinic and a car to take me there. Most people here are not so fortunate. Today is "Giving Tuesday." MAF is trying to raise funds to send 100,000 vaccines to children in the Congo who do not have access to good healthcare. A gift of just a few dollars can save dozens of children from suffering from diseases that kill - like measles. Please pray for our Giving Tuesday campaign, which ends today, and all the staff involved in getting these vaccines to the people who need them, from pilots to mechanics to the drug companies to the humanitarian aid and medical missions groups and everyone in between. And consider clicking on my Giving Tuesday button above and donating to this very worthy cause. Continue praying for an end to the conflict in the east and for all the displaced and hurting people there.

Days of evil

A little boy at one of the refugee camps in Goma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

500,000+ displaced people - over half of which are children
Daily murders, rapes, kidnappings, and extortions
Threats
Accusations
Children forced to join militias
Looting
Impunity
Corruption, corruption, corruption

I would explain all that is going on in the eastern part of DRC, if I completely understood it myself. On the surface, a rebel group called M23 has taken over the city of Goma and some surrounding villages, demanding that Joseph Kabila attend a summit in Uganda today to address their grievances. But the problem in Congo is much, much deeper than what is seen on the surface. There are factors playing into today's current events that are older than I am, some tribal, some political, etc. I have found a couple of articles that explain a little about all that is going on, the events leading up to the current crisis, and who the M23 rebels are, and I've listed them below.

Morning in Mugunga camp (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have never understood  Ephesians chapter 6 more clearly than right now.

 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (verse 12)

The atrocities I hear of going on in Goma and the east - unimaginable things I cannot bring myself to mention on this blog - are much more than fighting over minerals, power and land. It is also undeniably spiritual.

PRAY! There are godly people here who are praying. Join them. There are godly people living and serving on the front lines, physically and spiritually. Pray for them. 

Pray they will be strong in the Lord in in his mighty power! (vs 10)

That God will raise men up to stand against the devil's schemes (vs 11)

That they will be able to stand their ground in these days of evil (vs 13)

That in these dark times their feet will be shod with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace (vs 15). 

That their faith will remain strong and that the evil one's flaming arrows will be extinguished (vs 16)

That they will depend on God and his Word (vs 17)

That God will give them words to fearlessly spread the gospel (vs 19)

Just pray.

More information about M23 and the turmoil in east DRC:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/23/congo-war-criminals-rights-violations-bars

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20468755

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20476677

Two Tuesdays

Tuesday, a friend offered to watch the home schoolers and help them with their studies while a few of us moms when shopping for Christmas before the prices all go up after Thanksgiving. I didn't really have a Christmas shopping list, but managed to get some stocking stuffers and a few things we needed and had been having trouble finding. I also found some amazing fabric, like this fallish looking print! Once I sew a table cloth out of it, I will have TWO fall/Thanksgiving decorations! 

This one actually was going to be a Christmas gift. I bought it with Emily in mind but I caved and showed it to her already so the surprise is gone.

And then there is this one.

Isn't it obnoxious? Sort of like looking at a microscope slide? I don't know what I'll do with it, but I love it because it's so different. With all those colors it would probably make a cool looking rug. It's too visually disturbing to use for a table cloth or curtains. Imagine trying to eat while looking at something that resembles bacteria.

I know you are recalling that just a few days ago I said I wasn't going to buy any more fabric until I used more from my stash. Well, ...I'm weak. And anyways I have plans for a good sized hunk of my stash: living room curtains. Because we were a group and between us we were buying several fabric pieces, we got a good deal.

While we are on the subject of good deals and holidays, I want to let you know about something dear to my heart: the Giving Tuesday Campaign. During this season of being thankful for our blessings and giving gifts to express our love for others, we have Black Friday and Cyber Monday for shopping and saving money on gifts. Now we have Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday, November 27, is "opening day" for the giving season. We can take some of that money we saved on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and use it to help others by giving to a charity of your choosing. MAF is participating and all Giving Tuesday donations to MAF will be used to provide vaccines for children here in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last year over 100,000 cases of measles were reported in DRC, including 1,100 deaths. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that a gift to the MAF Giving Tuesday campaign can mean the difference between life or death and prevent suffering for a child here in Congo. You can find the MAF Giving Tuesday page by clicking HERE or by clicking the Giving Tuesday button in my sidebar. You don't have to wait until Tuesday to make a donation! I know because I already made mine!

Three Things I am Grateful for that Might Surprise You

Like the flowers? Last night Emily played Annelle in her school's performance of Steel Magnolias and the flowers were a gift from the parents of one of the cast members. 

                                                                                                                                        I finished painting Daniel's room. If it looks like I painted it in the dark, that's because I did. The power kept going out. He's happy with it, so that's all that matters. 

I had a lot of blue fabric in my stash, so I made a throw rug for his room. Not only is Daniel happy, but I am very glad to be using my stash. I've told myself I can't buy more fabric until I use what I have, or at least most of it. The next rug will be for Emily's room.






There is a little rebel in me, so I have not participated in all the social media trends to post something you are thankful for every day for thirty days. I'm just not a jump-on-the-band-wagon type of gal. I love Thanksgiving. I believe we should be thankful consciously and intentionally every single day, not just in November. To be honest, doing anything every day for thirty days that involves internet and electricity is just too hard. I don't need one more thing on my list of things I am behind in. You know from my past posts that God has been working in my life in the area of gratitude. We are all grateful for the obvious blessings we have: loved ones, our relationship with Christ, our material blessings, etc. Here are three things that I am very grateful for that probably aren't on everyone's list of blessings this year.

1. People who know a lot about parasites and diseases in the Congo and how to deal with them. We have benefited from the wisdom of missionary doctors, nurses and friends more than once. Just last week we realized that what Daniel thought was a mosquito bite that would not go away was really a worm he had picked up going barefoot after a rain. The worm was making tunnels in his toe and foot and causing pain and itching. We could actually see where the little bugger had been. Gross. The Congolese I talked to use various methods to treat this, most involving razors. Another option is to freeze the worm but that only works if you freeze the right spot, and the worm is always ahead of the tracks you can see on the foot. There are drugs also, and we did manage to find a drug that took care of the problem. It is a huge blessing to be able to ask someone for advice here and to be able to trust their wisdom and experience.

2. The hard things my kids have to deal with. It hurts immensely to see them struggle and deal with pain and hardship, but my kids have more courage, flexibility, insight and compassion than they might have had if they had never gone to the places they have been, seen the things they have seen, or had the experiences and relationships they have had. God has used the hard things in their lives to bring out good things in their character and make them into amazing young people.

3. Randomness. I like predictability. I like knowing the plan and what the rules of the game are before I begin. But I am grateful for the randomness of things here, whether it is electricity, internet, water, transportation, or people. It makes me appreciate what I have when I have it and keeps me from being lazy. You've heard the expression "use it or lose it." At our house we say "Use it before you lose it!"

What are some unusual things you are thankful for? Why?

The Potty Plant

Last week Emily started with basic white and mixed her own custom paint color for her bedroom. Here’s her new color. The photo doesn’t do it justice. In real life, the walls are darker. Much darker. But she loves it.

She doesn’t have as many choices and freedoms as her peers in the states and this was one area where we could let her have her way. Now she has a space that is truly hers, and she made it that way herself. All that’s left is for her to finish unpacking and decorating. Cool beans!

Emily's room on moving day

Yes, she is indeed stirring the paint with a broken broom handle. When you buy paint here, they do not give you a paint stirring stick thingy. At least at the stores I have been to, they don't sell them either. You use what you've got.

That white door off to the left is a ¾ bath. What teenage girl wouldn’t like to have her own private bathroom that her brothers do not have access to? Moreover, what boy would not be happy if he no longer had to wait for his sister to get out

Emily's room after paint job

of the bathroom? What mom would not be happy to have a little less mess to clean up? Now that she has her own bathroom, she gets to clean it herself. Good practice for college. Her future roommate will thank me one day.

For my introvert daughter, having her own space is a big deal and something she wanted for a long time. She’s had her own room before, so it’s not about privacy. It’s more about “fit.” She needed her room to be an expression of herself, a reflection of her taste and personality - and not just a place to set her suitcase. I totally get that.

We’ve made changes to the rest of the house too. Once Lily recovered from her near death experience of getting spayed in Kinshasa, we took away the litter box and now both cats go outside to do their business. Very nice. No more odor. No more emptying the box.

We’ve added our first house plant. It’s called “snake plant.” If you come visit me, you’ll notice that our snake plant, as well as all future house plants have sharp rocks on the top of their soil. That’s because Lily, still young and new at the whole go-outside-to-do-your-business thing, thinks "potted plant" means “potty plant.” The rocks have been an easy and effective deterrent.

Firsties

Here are ten of my most recent "firsties," things I did for the first time:

* met Rita Chapman, a missionary serving in Kikongo whom I've been hearing about since 2008. Very Cool Beans!
* washed myself with gasoline. Peeyou.
* "jumped" electrical phases in our breaker box. Needed to learn and now I have.
* went through a Congolese military checkpoint. Ok.
* led a group of high school girls in a Bible study. These girls are fantastic!
* made pickles that actually stayed crunchy. Too salty, but at least they stayed crunchy. (whisper: They taste like Claussens.)
* drove more than three miles one way from my house, and back. Survived. Barely.
* went to the consulate for the U.S. embassy to renew our kids' passports. Not fun.
* went to a parent/teacher conference for my daughter, a senior. Somehow when we were home schooling her it seemed way too odd, even for us, to have parent/teacher conferences. hee hee.
* took my new friend Hannah to the orphanage with me to play with the kids. This is Hannah.

There is just nothing like hearing a little kid giggle!

Obviously, God is not letting me stay in a rut or get too set in my ways. Living a Christian life takes "muscle," which brings me to the subject of my new post, "Move That Muscle" on the MAF blog. I hope you'll check it out.

Wait Til It's Painted!

Slow internet, plus no electricity, plus a very low battery equals:  a very short blog post! I took this photo while we were in Kenya. There were construction projects everywhere, each surrounded by these corrugated tin fences and I thought it was hilarious! I couldn't capture the entire thing from a moving taxi with my camera, but it says "It doesn't look like much now, but wait til it's painted!" 

That's how we feel about our new home. There is not one square corner. Emily's room is a full foot shorter on one end than the other. We are working on plumbing and wiring and window latches and light fixtures. Every single room was yellow, and most had water damage on the walls. 

But, I am very please to have my bedroom almost completely finished! We've painted, and hung curtains. I just need to scrub the door and scrape up my paint splatters. This room is bigger than our old one so I think I will try to find a pot and get a plant.

The color is supposed to be grey with a hint of blue, but over the yellow paint it dried kind of a green-grey but I like it. 

I love my crooked house!

I'm getting the yellow warning that my battery is about to die. Yikes, I still have so much to talk about!  It will have to wait. I did write an article for the MAF blog that will be posted next week so I'll let y'all know when that's up. 

Our Sentinels

Jacques with our boys

As a security measure, we have two sentinels who alternate 24 hour shifts. Jacques and Leopold have been with us since we arrived here two years ago and I affectionately refer to them as "my guys." In addition to keeping watch over the house, sentinels also answer the gate, run errands to purchase items or pay bills for us, do the yard work, help David work on the house and car, do cleaning, etc. They are a lot of help to me and I sure don't take them for granted. In this culture, the job of sentinel is a low paying, low status job because it does not require an education or special skills. Unfortunately, many people treat their sentinels badly. In our culture, if your boss screamed in your face or berated you in front of others, you would not stand for it. You’d go over his/her head and demand justice, or you would find another job. Here, jobs are scarce and there are few options. MAF families and other missionary families tend to pay above the average for our sentinels, and we have a reputation for being desirable employers. 

Jaques and Josh in front of the old house

Jacques is originally from the village of Semendua. I asked him once how far Semendua is from Kinshasa and he said not long at all by MAF plane but several days by boat. He is married and has five children ranging from 18 years of age to 1 ½ years. His youngest was born several months after our arrival and is named David, after my husband. Depending on the village you hail from, naming your child after someone can signify one of two things: either you are supposed to give a gift to that person and ask them to pray a blessing over your baby, or you expect that person to be a type of “godparent,” a life long benefactor for your child. It is also common practice to name a baby after someone or something significant in your life at the time of your baby’s birth. 

Leopold with two of his sons, Eric and Christian.

Leopold is from Kinshasa. He is also married and has five children, all of them boys. The youngest was born about six weeks after we first arrived here, and is also named David. Leopold is a unique sentinel because he has a trade. He is a mason and does concrete work, lays tiles, etc. Leopold took a sentinel job because he was not finding enough work as a mason to support his family and still does mason work on the side, including some jobs for MAF. He made the foundation for our water reservoir, repaired the wall for one family when a tree fell on it, and built our IT building.  

This week, Leopold’s wife fell from a porch and broke both bones in her forearm. Leopold took her to a hospital and was told that the doctors would not examine her until he paid $150 cash up front. To put that in perspective, many people don’t earn that much in a month or even two months, a pound of ground beef here costs over $5, and the average family here does not have a checking or savings account because they live payday to payday. Leopold moved her to another hospital that only demanded $70 and then came to us for help. He came by again the next night and showed us the x-rays. The doctors had only just seen them, because the power was out the day before at the hospital. So it was over 24 hours before x-rays were even available for her, and 48 hours before she finally had her arm set and in a cast. All Leopold could do during that waiting period was pay for an IV drip with pain medication. She is home and doing better now, but please keep Suzanne in your prayers as she recuperates and tries to work and care for her family.