Sweet Feet and Baby Philippe

Between the car troubles and the travels, I had not been to the orphanage in several weeks but got to go back today. I had some toys and blankets with me. The workers got excited about the blankets, but the kids got excited about the toys (see above). We are in the dry season, which means no rain and cooler temps. It also means all the kids have runny noses and icy cold feet. I rubbed lots of little dirty feet today and went home with lots of bodily fluids on my arms and clothing. I also got lots of hugs and kisses. 

This little guy's shirt says "Aujourd'hui j'ai décidé d'être sage!" Translated that means "Today I have decided to be good!" As a matter of facts, he was being very good.

Many of the kids are possessive of the toys and refuse to share for fear of having them taken away by bullies. Dieu Merci had a ViewMaster toy and insisted on showing each picture to me, several times. He is one of the most cheerful and sweet natured kids at the orphanage.

I had to take this little man's picture because he is almost always throwing a tantrum and today we caught him smiling!

Originally, this little boy's name was Patrick but it was changed to Giles, with the French pronunciation. I am not sure why. Giles arrived at the orphanage as an infant and is a year old. He was born without arms and is already being encouraged to use his feet to do things for himself.





Today was an fun day because with school out there were lots more kids than usual and they were all playing well together and being very sweet and affectionate. I saw two babies that a month or so ago I wasn't sure would still be alive today and both are gaining weight and getting stronger. It is such a thrill to see a child that was once listless and feeble smile and wave her arms and coo.

It was a heartbreaking day also. A new baby arrived 8 days ago. His name is Philippe but we were told it will be changed to Jacob. Again I don't know the reason for the name change. Philippe is less than a month old. He has cleft palate and either cannot or will not eat. He has only two fingers on his right hand. His right ear is deformed. His right eye is missing. Both of his feet are horribly deformed, as though they are on backwards and upside down. A severe birth defect here is often thought to be a curse or brought on by magic and the babies are then abandoned, which is how Philippe came to be at the orphanage. I really don't know if he will live. I'm thankful he is at least in a place where he is being loved. Pray for Philippe and the staff at the hospital, and for his mama and papa, wherever they are.

Natalie, tired after a morning of playing hard.

The Malevolence Offering

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After church yesterday, our youngest asked us: “What is the malevolence offering for, anyway?”
Before you get any wrong ideas about our church, he was referring to the special benevolence offering that our church collects the fourth Sunday of each month. The money is used for people who need help with medical expenses. It was an innocent mistake, and quite funny, but it made me stop and think about my own attitude toward giving. Do my gifts and my attitude toward others reflect a benevolent heart, or a malevolent one?

I enjoy giving very much. Sometimes, though, the needs here are so great that you feel as though any thing you do is not even scratching the surface. It’s overwhelming. Often people have certain expectations of missionaries, and so they ask for help with an air of entitlement and treat us with resentment if we don’t meet those expectations. Sometimes we just get weary of being asked over and over for help.

I don’t want to give with worry in my heart or just to meet someone's expections. I don’t want to harbor ill will towards the people who might benefit from my giving. Neither do I want to forget that even if my gift seems as small and insignificant as a pebble in the ocean, God can use it to bless someone and show His love and power (think five loaves and two fish)! God has done so much for us! Giving to others in His name is a way to express my love and gratitude toward Him and to love my neighbors. When I truly love my neighbor, it is a joy to give!

Daniel’s question gave us a wonderful opportunity to explain the difference between those two words, and to talk about honoring God and showing love by giving to others.

Speaking of "malevolence offerings," SNEL is still spreading their ill will and mean-spiritedness about the city. Last week, I wrote about some of the antics the local electric company is up to (see my "Bad Guys" post here.) At that time, two of the four MAF families who rent actual homes and not apartments had already been targeted. Now a third family, the Linds, is being harassed. They've posted an update to the whole SNEL fiasco HERE. We are the only family that has not been visited but we don't expect to escape. It would really be nice though, if the timing of our move works so that we don't have to deal with this in both our present home and our future one! As Matthew and Lisa said though, the bottom line is that God is in control. Whether or not we have power, He is still all-powerful! Keep praying for salvation for the SNEL officials, and for all the families who are being affected by this.

Sappy Birthdayversary

Birthday Cake (Photo credit: Will Clayton)

Here is an update on our prayer needs. We still need a place to live. The electric company is still harassing people. They have not picked on us, yet. We have a new team member, Emmanuel, who is adjusting to life here and working in the hangar with David.

Today marks four years that we have been with MAF! I never forget our MAF anniversary because it falls on our oldest son's birthday. Last week our daughter had her first birthday ever without her big brother. Today is the first time Josh will have had a birthday away from us. Next month, our youngest will have his first birthday away from his brother. I knew when we joined MAF, on Josh's 15th birthday, that one day there would be thousands of miles between us and our children. I told myself that would be ok, that God would take care of them. Even if we were still in the states, they would still have to grow up and leave the nest, right?

Mail box (Photo credit: Mark Sardella)

But I didn't realize how hard it would be. I can't just run to the nearest store and buy a gift and a greeting card and pop them in the mail. There is no postal service. No shopping mall. Between the time zones and the slow connection, we can't usually get skype to work. And right now, he has no phone service so we can't call him even on our phones. It isn't just birthdays that bother me either. I couldn't send him goodies during his finals. I couldn't go to his rugby games. Someone else has to drive him to the doctor or the store. There is no one to bake him a birthday cake.

So the prevailing mood at our house has been rather melancholic. We all miss Josh even more than usual. While I was in my self-pity mode I wrote this "letter to my children." It's pretty sappy and not very good, but oh well. It's the thought that counts.


My Mother Heart

I have two hearts. One is my human heart. The other is my mother’s heart. And they are sometimes at odds with one another.

My human heart knows you were never mine. You were a loan, entrusted to me for a time to love, nurture and train. I always knew I would one day have to let you go.

My mother heart will always think of you as mine, and will always long to have you near me.

My human heart knows that you will make mistakes along the way and prays you will learn from them, becoming better and not bitter.

My mother heart wants to protect you from even your own mistakes.

My human heart knows that you are learning to take care of yourself and make your own decisions, and that this is how it should be.

My mother heart wants you to need me, just a little.

My human heart knows that God has you in the palm of his hand. He loves you more than I ever can and is faithful and trustworthy.

My mother heart sometimes fears for you anyway.

My human heart knows I don’t deserve you. You are incredible, precious, and amazing. You give me joy and laughter, and yes, some tears. I love watching you: as you interact with others, as you learn and play, as you grow in your faith. I am proud of you and will always love you.

My mother heart feels the same way.

When the Bad Guys are Also the Victims

photo taken in Kinshasa by Thomas, used under Creative Commons

Last week our team had the pleasure of meeting with Jon Lewis, who previously served here with MAF. Jon wrote a blog article about the changes he observed in Kinshasa and Congo since he was last here. I highly recommend his article Congo's Clock.

Two things Jon mentioned stood out to me, one because our family had recently made the same sad observation. On our recent drive to the interior for a camping trip, we passed numerous villages with mosques and only a couple with evangelical churches. The Muslims are fighting for the DRC, and they are doing it with a weapon that the national church here does not have – money. Because of that, they are gaining converts at an alarming rate. Other cults that spend a ton of money here and have an increasingly strong presence are the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons. One of the things we discussed at the meeting with Jon was that there is a discipleship void here. Even in the Christian churches, pastors are often untrained and believers hold on to their old beliefs in witchcraft and magic, trying to make them mesh with their new faith. Pray for the Christian churches in Congo, for strong faith, for discipleship, and for the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers.

Money is a powerful motivator anywhere, but here especially. Which brings me to the second point. Jon spoke of a “myriad of mini dictators who use the ‘Wild West’ nature of this country” for personal profit at the expense of everyone else.

Here is a recent example. The higher-ups in SNEL, the electric company here, decided there was not as much money coming in as there should be. That is true. Many do not pay their bills unless they are threatened with losing their power. The result is that SNEL workers have been on a rampage for a week and are still at it. SNEL doesn't really even know how much power people use, so thThey don’t even have accurate records of payments because half the time they don’t have electricity in their own office and can’t enter the information in or print a receipt when someone makes a payment. They show up, seemingly randomly, at people’s homes or even confront pedestrians in the street and make ridiculous demands. They went to the home of one of our MAF families and demanded receipts for every month back to the 1990’s, when this family has only been here since about 2006. They came back later with a soldier carrying an automatic weapon and a big cable cutter to cut their power and it took some persuasion to get SNEL to give them more time to get receipts together. Their house is actually owned by MAF, so there is a paper trail to prove the bills have all been paid and eventually this should be straightened out, though they might be forced to pay some money. I just learned this morning that another MAF family is now being harassed. The electric company is even cutting power to people and businesses for not paying the supposed debts of previous tenants!

Will any of this money actually go back into repairing and maintaining the infrastructure? Or to pay the SNEL workers who aren’t at the top of the ladder? Probably not. The SNEL employees have little or no training, no uniforms or even ID badges, no proper tools. When there are repairs made to our line, we have to pay for the materials and labor. When will it end? When they finally upset someone who has more power and clout than the head of SNEL.

SNEL is not the bad guy though. Well, ok, they sort of are. But they aren’t. SNEL is only one piece in the puzzle of corruption and love of money; pawns in the hands of the real enemy. I know God can use this ugly problem for his glory. One missionary friend, when they went to her house to confront her, invited them in for a drink and presented the gospel to all of them in their own language. I don’t know how well it was received, but I know they heard it and the seeds have been planted. As I was thinking about all the people being forced to pay the debts of others, God reminded me that Jesus voluntarily paid my debt, and the debts of the SNEL officials. Please pray for them, that they will come to understand Who Jesus is and that He paid their debt, if they will only accept Him.

Gifts are meant to be enjoyed!

We still haven’t found a place to live yet, but I have been trying to motivate myself to at least go through stuff we’ve accumulated since we came here, get rid of the garbage and unwanted items, and organize the rest so that packing will be easier. This includes going through our storage bins. When we came here, we brought with us items that others had told us either cannot be found here at all or are exorbitantly priced. For example certain spices, pecans, dried fruits, cocoa and chocolate chips. While we can certainly survive without them, they add a sense of “normalcy” to our lives here and make holidays, birthdays, and other days more special. 

In theory, as our 32 months here go by, we would take items from the “stash” as needed, hoping to space it out enough to last the entire term. 

The week since we found out we have to move has caused me to think a lot more about what is worth packing up and hauling around and what is not, what really blesses our family, what ought to be blessing someone else, and what is really just “baggage” that no one ought to be burdened with.

Since coming here 21 months ago, I have noticed something I rarely saw in the states but seems much more common here. Unfortunately, in addition to observing it, I have also been guilty of it myself. Unintentionally, even unconsciously, the “supply cupboard” or “stash” becomes a hoard –  added to enthusiastically whenever someone visits from the U.S. and can bring items in or when someone here is leaving and has a “yard sale.”  Then because we might run out of something, we hesitate to use it or share it, especially if we are running low on something. I would never admit to believing that God has a limited capacity or desire to provide for us and bless us, but I have acted as if I did. 

I find it interesting that while I was pondering this, I found a post that my friend T had recently written about the same issue in  Lessons From My Chocolate Chip Stash.  Because of our travels and busyness I didn’t find her article until today. Her post has some good insights, comparing our stash of supplies to our finances. A smart person plans for the future, but there has to be a balance. Whether it is our chocolate chips, our money, or anything else in our “stash,” it has been given to us by God to be used, shared, and enjoyed. I don’t want to be like the man in Luke 12:13-21 who filled silo upon silo for himself and shared it with no one. I would much rather be like the ravens and the wildflowers in verses 22-34.  I want to take joy in what God has given me, enjoy it, and invest it in the lives of my family and those around me. A wise investment yields good returns, whether in the short term or the long term. Sharing some nuts and cocoa or baking a dessert for someone might not make chocolate chips fall like rain over Kinshasa (imagine!), but there is no way to measure the unseen earnings. The simple items in my stash can be used to encourage someone, to make someone feel valued, to brighten someone’s day or maybe even their future by giving them a little "clin d'oeil", a wink from God, that helps them persevere. 

From Ocean Front to Battle Front

photo credit: Amber Derocher

Our week at the MAF family conference was amazing! Here are some of the highlights.

photo credit: Chris Steiger

Sessions/studies about: the dangers of ego, God speaks our love language, forgiveness, unity, spiritual warfare, and more

praise, prayer, and worship

Meeting fellow MAF missionaries who serve in Congo with us but whom we never see, and seeing friends we'd not seen in a year or more

Date night: the Rose Drive team entertained all the young children so all the couples could have dinner dates

Pampering: ice cream with real American toppings like Heath Bar bits and Hershey's syrup, real chocolate, door prizes of things we can't get here like Ranch dressing mix and Starburst candies, s'mores! (no graham crackers, big marshmallows or Hershey bars in Congo), shower gels and lotions for the ladies, and hand-written notes from the team leader (hand-written notes are a lost art and a real blessing anywhere!)

Fun activities: pool, beach, volleyball, snorkeling, kayaking

Electricity and water: in abundance!

Cooking and cleaning: none!

Now about Snorkeling.  Forty of us signed up for a snorkeling excursion out to the coral reef.  I have had a fear of deep water since childhood that even after learning to swim did not go away. I like to swim only if I can stand up and still breathe. But I figured I would probably never get another chance to snorkel in the Indian Ocean for only a few dollars per person.  It was a learning experience.  The first thing I learned was not to assume things.  I had assumed that the snorkeling adventure was one of the many activities offered through the resort and would therefore be handled by professionals and come complete with a lesson on how to actually snorkel. Um, no. It was two dudes with boats for hire. Here's a photo of our boat. It was called the Millenium, I think because that's how old the boat was.

photo credit: Sandy Francis

(That's me in the brown striped swimsuit coverup and David is the cool looking guy in the grey shirt and sunglasses. Daniel is up on top. Emily was in the other boat with her teen friends.)








There was no lesson.  No safety lecture. Not enough snorkeling equipment to go around, requiring us to take turns. AND: no life jackets, giant noodles, styrofoam dishes, or other flotation equipment was offered or available. Each boat had one life preserver that was tied to the boat and floated in the ocean. The thing about irrational fears is that those of us who have them know they are irrational and yet there they are. And they are powerful. I prayed. I talked to myself. It took some time, but I finally got up enough nerve to get out of the boat. The water was choppy and the snorkel tube did not have anything to prevent water coming in so I quickly got a big mouth full of seawater. Panic and dread ensued and I immediately got back in the boat. I was angry with myself and decided to try again, only to repeat the first experience. I was so disappointed in myself.

photo credit: Sandy Francis

(Daniel having fun and me either getting in the water or climbing out - I did lots of both.)





Then another girl who was a weak swimmer told me that she had swum out to the life preserver and snorkeled while holding on to the preserver with one hand.  I thought, "I can do that!" So, I tried a third time. I swam out to the life preserver, grabbed hold, and snorkeled away. It was incredible! I was having so much fun! David swam out to where I was just to say he was happy for me that I had found a way to snorkel in spite of my fear.

Next, I learned about currents. At some point I lifted my head up and saw that I was quite a bit farther from the boat than when I began. I told David he had pulled me out too far and he said he hadn't done it. No problem. We just grabbed the rope to pull ourselves back in. Except that the rope had come untied from the boat. Naturally. We started swimming but were really not making any progress against the current for our efforts and it wasn't long before I was tired enough that I knew if I didn't have that life preserver I would have been in trouble. We could see the boat but couldn't get to it. Eventually, one of our friends saw us fighting the current and swam out, got the rope, and pulled it in. Enough water for me for one day, thanks.

I am very glad I went. I had a great time and saw cool stuff! And I was only a little embarrassed over my ridiculous fear because everyone was kind about it.

After we came back to Kinshasa, we took a couple of nights to go camping and have some time alone as a family, away from videos, internet, phones, etc. We cooked over fires, played in the river, hiked, played games, saw cool bugs

and crossed this bridge.

On our way home, Saturday, we were about five minutes into Kinshasa, stuck in a traffic jam, when someone hit our car from behind. The police held us there and let the person go who had hit us. Then they tried to fine us $100 for "being in the way" of the other driver.  This is actually a common occurrence, especially if you are fair skinned. If you don't pay, they put a lock on your wheel until you do. We talked them down to $20, drove about fifty feet, and got pulled over again, and once again it was because of our skin color. David told them we had just paid the police behind us and they let us go.  No kidding, fifty feet later we were stopped for a third time.  This time we had to talk a while before they let us go. 

Our welcome back to Kinshasa was further "enhanced" on Sunday by a 14 hour power outage and the news that our landlady is finally planning to repair the plumbing issues in the house and the wall that is about to fall into the road. She also plans to raise the rent, so we have to move. She wants us out by end of September.

A friend recently said to us "any battle front is not an easy place to live and work." There is sometimes the temptation to feel a bit disillusioned, especially after a mountain top experience like the conference and then coming back to Kinshasa. But this place really is a battle front. A person can't enlist in an army and go off to war expecting it to be a bed of roses. My snorkeling experience reminded me that my God is big, bigger than the ocean I was so afraid of, the ocean He created.  He was with me there and He is with me here.

A Shout Out to My Team

photo credit: Nick Frey

We are back from Kenya! I will write about it. I will! But first I have to beg photos off my teammates because I hardly took any.  I got a little frustrated with my camera. I will give you a little summary now though.  We feasted! We were spiritually and physically fed in abundance. We rested. We played. We met fellow MAF missionaries for the first time even though we all serve in the same country, and came home with lots of new friends and memories. We are incredibly grateful for all the people who made the conference possible. There are lots of missionaries who are now returning to their ministries with their "batteries fully charged." Within a few hours after we returned home we had already encountered a bad leak in the bathroom toilet, a power outage, and someone asking us for money for medical bills. There's just no place like home!

In the meantime, I just want to publicly say that I appreciate my team here in the Congo and the MAF team in the U.S. that makes it possible for us to be here. Many of you know that our internet is sometimes less than fun. Since that is our primary means of communication, bill paying, doing homework, etc; not having it can be stressful. Our IT guys work hard trying to keep everyone on the team in contact with their loved ones and they do a great job amid some challenging circumstances.  Matthew Lind has written a blog post about our most recent project, with lots of photos and explanations for those of us like me who are not engineers or IT people. MAF is known for aviation, so there are lots of great pilot stories out there.  We also have full time mechanics, IT specialists, learning technologies people, base maintenance folks, and countless behind the scenes people who perform tasks that I probably don't even know exist.  Matthew's post is a great story about the IT side of MAF, but it's also a great story about team work, since we had pilots, IT staff, base maintenance staff, and national staff all working together. You can read Matthew's article HERE.