Imagine Kikongo

Last weekend we went to the village of Kikongo with another MAF family, the Pedersons. Yes, it was very "cool beans!"

Rita Chapman

Kikongo is about 100 miles southeast of Kinshasa, but 100 miles in Congo is not like 100 miles in the states. You cannot simply drive to Kikongo. There are no passable roads. The mission station is staffed full-time by missionaries Glen and Rita Chapman. They have a three year program for training national pastors AND their wives for ministering to their villages, a hospital, a nursing school, elementary and secondary schools, and probably more that I can't remember. 

We toured the mission station and learned about the ministries, which rely on MAF to function there. 

Imagine if this is where you or your wife or sister had to go to deliver a baby, and you felt privileged to have this option. We met two women who had delivered their babies recently by cesarean section!

Imagine if this was the pharmacy and supply cupboard. You can see that there is not a lot there, but all this nurse asked for was some better baby aspirators for removing amniotic fluid from the babies' nasal passages. They only have one and it does not work well.

Imagine if this was your house...

...and this was how you and all your neighbors got water.

Imagine if these were your neighborhood strip mall, grocery store, etc...

...and this was where your kids went to school...

...and this was the neighborhood playground equipment...

...and you were grateful. 

We saw lots of cool things! Kikongo is situated by the Wamba River, so we spent some time at the river and even crossed it and went on a hike to some small waterfalls. We saw cool flowers and animals. The Chapmans had baby crocodiles, mongoose, and duikers that were orphans and they were raising until they were ready to be released to make it on their own. We learned about local food options and tried a few. 

Glen had a wooden "skim board" and showed us how to use it. Yes, I tried it. NO, you don't get to see a photo. You can see a photo of me by the falls, where I am standing up nice and straight and graceful looking.

We tried smoked corn on the cob, but we passed on the smoked viper. We did buy some smoked fish and mantete (squash seeds). 

This is the mantete after it is prepared with the smoked fish. We ate it served over mashed potatoes.  We also tried mantete rolls - which looked a little like sausage and had a bit of hot pili pepper in them. I liked the mantete prepared both ways but not everyone did.

One of the coolest things we saw is Glen's powered parachute thingymabob. He uses it to take vaccines and medications to other villages. This is an important time saver over tromping through the forest, especially since vaccines are temperature sensitive and the climate is so hot here. He also uses it to take all the equipment to show the Jesus film in other villages and do evangelism. We did not get to take a ride because it is in need of some minor repair, but we did get to see Glen take it for a test run.

Before putting the chute away, it must be inspected for grasshoppers because if they get in, they chew holes in the chute.

Glen asked David to take a look at the engine. No matter what the type of aviation device is, an aircraft mechanic is always interested.

Our time in Kikongo was an interesting mix of leisure and ministry. We loved getting to know the Chapmans a little better, spending time with the Pedersons and relaxing a bit. We also know more about some of the people and ministries that we serve as part of the MAF team here in west DRC. It really changes your perspective and renews your vision when you see all this in person and also gives you a much deeper insight as to how to pray for the missionaries, the ministries, and the people. If we ever get to go again, you bet we will.

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.

Commissioned!

Believe it or not, even after our encounter with the snake, we went back to Succor Creek again last weekend. This time we took two families with us who had never been there. We had a picnic and did some hiking/walking, and explored a cave. Yes, we did find another rattlesnake, but at that point we had split into two groups and I was in the lucky group, I mean the group that didn't meet up with the snake.

Classes have been interesting but draining this week. There have been a lot of emotions, at least for me. We know that after this we are going off in all sorts of directions and have no idea when we will get the priviledge of seeing eachother again. Most of us were in class together last summer also and we have all grown to care for one another. Leaving will be difficult.

Yesterday we had commissioning chapel. I made a scrapbook page of some of the photos. If you click on the image it will enlarge so you can see it better. It was a joyous occasion because we were being prayed over and encouraged and marking a milestone in our journey, but was also serious because we knew that we still have much work to do raising support for our ministry before we can go. Please pray for God to open doors for us and to raise up people who will want to be part of what He is doing through us. Pray also for decisions we have to make regarding the kids' schooling while we are in language school, and for our visa applications to go through without any trouble.

Rattlesnake at Succor Creek!

Today was filled with adventure. One of our homework assignments was for our family to attend a church of a different culture, so we went to the Peace in Jesus Vietnamese Lutheran Church. None of us were quite sure what to expect, but we all had a wonderful time. Everyone was warm and friendly. We couldn't sing in their language, but we recognized several of the tunes so we knew the jist of what they were singing. In our hearts we were able to sing and worship with them. I admit I didn't get much out of the sermon, but still enjoyed watching and observing. The pastor obviously was passionate about what he was sharing. We even picked up a few words by the end of the service. Then this afternoon we joined another MAF family and went hiking at Succor Creek, Oregon. We cooked on the grill and enjoyed the amazing scenery. On our walk, I came very close to stepping on a rattlesnake and after I got over being seriously startled, I just had to take pictures! And video! From a distance, of course. We certainly had something to talk about on the way home and thanked God for his protection and the beauty of his creation.