looking good in our new African wear
Bubbles!
Interesting Bathroom visit
Construction at Leve-toi with Mama Julianne
Josh cooking it up Congolese style
Bon BergerSinging at Leve-toi
That's better...enjoy!
Amanda
Monday, June 14, 2010
For Real More Pictures!
looking good in our new African wear
Bubbles!
Interesting Bathroom visit
Construction at Leve-toi with Mama JulianneJosh cooking it up Congolese styleBon BergerSinging at Leve-toi
That's better...enjoy!
Amanda
Some More Pictures
Hey Everyone! Amanda here. This seems to be working finally so I hope you enjoy this little glimpse of our trip in pictures...
Colouring the banner
...I spoke too soon. It only let me put one up.
I'll give it another go in a bit. Sorry!
Colouring the banner
...I spoke too soon. It only let me put one up.
I'll give it another go in a bit. Sorry!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Pictures Finally!
We've finally got some pictures up! The first picture is of our team infront of the youth drop-in centre we visitied. The second is a photo of Rob leading a game at Leve Toi, the school for children with disabilities. We'll try posting some more pics soon!
If you will be in the Southern Ontario or K/W area next weekend, PLEASE NOTE that we will be reporting our trip at the morning worship service at Glencairn Mennonite Brethrenm 9:30AM on June 20th!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
We made it. :)
Just a quick post to say we made it to Camp Crossroads! Josh was wanting to blog about travels, so I'll leave that up to him. But for now, we are all safe and sound, and will probably be heading to bed soon-ish. :)
- Emily
- Emily
Friday, June 4, 2010
One more post before we fly!
Hey Everyone!
Although we keep saying that we are approaching the end of our stay here in Kinshasa, it seems that there continues to be lots to do here! Yesterday we had our last day of ministry which we spent at the orphanage Boma Ya Sika. We put a bit more planning than usual into this day. We told the story of Jesus feeding the multitude with the aid of a short video clip and sung a few english christian songs which they continue to love. We then had a sort of "party" where the kids could make bracelets, get their faces painted, trace their hands on a banner we made for them, and also the usual soccer antics. The banner included the scripture that we helped them memorize last week: Isaiah 43:4: "Oui, parce que tu m'es précieux, et que tu as du prix pour moi, et que je t'aime," This orphanage continues to have a special place in our hearts, and really shows us how God's love is abundant in Kinshasa. Last night we also had a good chunk of time to debrief the entire trip with Jean-Baptiste and pray for one another.
Today we spent the day with Jean-Baptise's family preparing the food for our evening party. We perhaps didn't contribute a whole lot in the preparations, but we like to think that we "participated"! Jean-Baptiste bought a goat for the meal from Kasangulu which was delivered by Pastor Kaminan whom we met at our first church service three weeks ago. Jean-Baptiste's wife, Laure, also showed us how to make a simple style of Congolese donuts which we had been excited about everytime we see them at the street vendors.
At the party we received representatives from all but one of the places we stayed at, which is pretty amazing; this included about 15 people or couples. There was a formal time together where each representative (e.g. Doctor Delphin, pastors from churches, etc.) spoke on behalf of their organizations to tell everyone what we did with them, thank us, and encourage us. We then thanked them, shared a meal, and much time to mingle and say final goodbyes. It was incredible to see so many great leaders of ministry all in one room sharing with us; we also felt fond memories return quickly when we met friends that we made at the beginning of the trip. We have much to be thankful for, and lots of people and communities to continue praying for. Please join us in praying for all the places we've been and people we've met!
So this brings us to the end of our trip. But perhaps I shouldn't speak too quickly, as we have a full day in-town tomorrow before our flight! We have some loose plans to have lunch with the Congolese Ambassador to Canada who is currently in DRC, and then visit a friend of Jean-Baptiste. We're hoping that nothing too out of the ordinary happens tomorrow since traffic can sometimes be very bad here, and it is a long way to the airport.
Our flight information is as follows (though as we know, things could change!):
KINSHASA PARIS/DEGAULLE
AF 889 / KLM 2249 05 JUN 10 910P to 555A
PARIS/DEGAULLE AMSTERDAM
AF8228 / KLM 1228 Q 06 JUN 10 900A to 1020A
AMSTERDAM TORONTO
KLM 691 Q 06 JUN 10 155P to 345P
Our next post will be made in Ontario! Hopefully we'll be able to post some of the many many pictures we have.
blessings,
Jacob and the DRC Action Team
Although we keep saying that we are approaching the end of our stay here in Kinshasa, it seems that there continues to be lots to do here! Yesterday we had our last day of ministry which we spent at the orphanage Boma Ya Sika. We put a bit more planning than usual into this day. We told the story of Jesus feeding the multitude with the aid of a short video clip and sung a few english christian songs which they continue to love. We then had a sort of "party" where the kids could make bracelets, get their faces painted, trace their hands on a banner we made for them, and also the usual soccer antics. The banner included the scripture that we helped them memorize last week: Isaiah 43:4: "Oui, parce que tu m'es précieux, et que tu as du prix pour moi, et que je t'aime," This orphanage continues to have a special place in our hearts, and really shows us how God's love is abundant in Kinshasa. Last night we also had a good chunk of time to debrief the entire trip with Jean-Baptiste and pray for one another.
Today we spent the day with Jean-Baptise's family preparing the food for our evening party. We perhaps didn't contribute a whole lot in the preparations, but we like to think that we "participated"! Jean-Baptiste bought a goat for the meal from Kasangulu which was delivered by Pastor Kaminan whom we met at our first church service three weeks ago. Jean-Baptiste's wife, Laure, also showed us how to make a simple style of Congolese donuts which we had been excited about everytime we see them at the street vendors.
At the party we received representatives from all but one of the places we stayed at, which is pretty amazing; this included about 15 people or couples. There was a formal time together where each representative (e.g. Doctor Delphin, pastors from churches, etc.) spoke on behalf of their organizations to tell everyone what we did with them, thank us, and encourage us. We then thanked them, shared a meal, and much time to mingle and say final goodbyes. It was incredible to see so many great leaders of ministry all in one room sharing with us; we also felt fond memories return quickly when we met friends that we made at the beginning of the trip. We have much to be thankful for, and lots of people and communities to continue praying for. Please join us in praying for all the places we've been and people we've met!
So this brings us to the end of our trip. But perhaps I shouldn't speak too quickly, as we have a full day in-town tomorrow before our flight! We have some loose plans to have lunch with the Congolese Ambassador to Canada who is currently in DRC, and then visit a friend of Jean-Baptiste. We're hoping that nothing too out of the ordinary happens tomorrow since traffic can sometimes be very bad here, and it is a long way to the airport.
Our flight information is as follows (though as we know, things could change!):
KINSHASA PARIS/DEGAULLE
AF 889 / KLM 2249 05 JUN 10 910P to 555A
PARIS/DEGAULLE AMSTERDAM
AF8228 / KLM 1228 Q 06 JUN 10 900A to 1020A
AMSTERDAM TORONTO
KLM 691 Q 06 JUN 10 155P to 345P
Our next post will be made in Ontario! Hopefully we'll be able to post some of the many many pictures we have.
blessings,
Jacob and the DRC Action Team
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Foreign Affairs and More Churches!
Dear Friends, Family, Churches, Supporters,
We are approaching the end of our stay here in Kinshasa! We are still as busy as ever, so here is an update on last night and today's events.
Last night we met a pastor named Mutombo who felt compelled to show us some hospitality, so he invited us to come with him to meet the Congolese Ambassador to Canada, who usually is in Ottawa, but is visiting Kinshasa. We were a little unsure of what to think of the offer, but it's pretty bad news to turn down any kind of invitation here in Africa, so we accepted. It turns out that he works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for DRC here in Kinshasa. He is a coordinator of State Protocol, which apparently is a part of the ministry that welcomes and coordinates visits from foreign VIP's (e.g. delegates, ambassadors). He took us on a fairly thorough tour of the entire Foreign Affairs offices. One hilight, was visiting an office that focused on keeping in touch with immigrants from DRC. They offer services to connect people who have left the country to friends and family still in DRC, to help these immigrants if they are unable to visit the DRC embassy in their country, they even help Congolese people who have left the country to find Congolese food in their own country! It sounded like quite a unique service.
It is getting very difficult to keep track of all the church services we are attending! There are many churches here that hold multiple services a week (e.g. Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday worship services). This is great for us since it lets us attend one everyday! It really helps us to see how there are many different types of churches and worship styles: congregations of sizes 15 to 60+ people, accapella music or full band music, translations in various languages, constructed concrete buildings or a rented outdoor courtyard. There are also many similarities: there are often common worship tunes (we're finally starting to sing along to some of the trickier lingala songs), there are always shouts of AMEN from the congregation, and everytime the whole congregation comes to shake our hands at the end.
Last night and tonight we attended church services conducted by pastors who are students at the School of Missiology (the school which Emily described in the last post). It was insightful to sit with these students in their class at the school, and then see them applying their studies within a very real ministry setting outside of the classroom. Speaking of which, both services were outside, so they were really exciting and relaxing experiences. Also, we had the blessing of not only giving testimonies from our team, but also hearing testimonies of God's work in the people's lives from each of these services. We were very encouraged when Pastor Jean-Claude at Bethlehem Church expressed how thankful he and his church is that we have taken time out of our busy lives, raised money, and come so far to spend time in Kinshasa; he realizes that many people would rather go on a vacation, or just stay at home, but we chose to come and meet him and his church. He said that it is especially good to see young people. It's incredible how just the act of meeting together for a couple hours of worship can bring so much mutual encouragement and blessing.
There continues to be some sickness in the team, but as of tonight we are mostly all well or at least recovering. As we move into the final two full days, we are starting to debate who will win the « Healthiest Team Member Award ». It's looking like if she holds strong until Saturday, Emily will be the winner!
Friday we are having a bit of a get-together / party. We have invited a couple people from every place we've been, a total of about 40 invitations! Prayer for this event would be much appreciated. We are unsure how many people will actually be able to make it, and also we are a little nervous since this is the first and only event that WE are hosting! That being said, most of the preparations will be graciously directed by Jean-Baptiste and his family.
Also, incase we don't post again before Saturday, prayer for our flight leaving that evening (mid-day Ontario time) and entire itinerary would also be appreciated. Although another unexpected stopover in Kenya, or somewhere else might be a fun adventure, I think we'll be much more content with a complication-free travel home!
Merci et dieu te bénisse!
> Jacob with the DRC ACTION Team
We are approaching the end of our stay here in Kinshasa! We are still as busy as ever, so here is an update on last night and today's events.
Last night we met a pastor named Mutombo who felt compelled to show us some hospitality, so he invited us to come with him to meet the Congolese Ambassador to Canada, who usually is in Ottawa, but is visiting Kinshasa. We were a little unsure of what to think of the offer, but it's pretty bad news to turn down any kind of invitation here in Africa, so we accepted. It turns out that he works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for DRC here in Kinshasa. He is a coordinator of State Protocol, which apparently is a part of the ministry that welcomes and coordinates visits from foreign VIP's (e.g. delegates, ambassadors). He took us on a fairly thorough tour of the entire Foreign Affairs offices. One hilight, was visiting an office that focused on keeping in touch with immigrants from DRC. They offer services to connect people who have left the country to friends and family still in DRC, to help these immigrants if they are unable to visit the DRC embassy in their country, they even help Congolese people who have left the country to find Congolese food in their own country! It sounded like quite a unique service.
It is getting very difficult to keep track of all the church services we are attending! There are many churches here that hold multiple services a week (e.g. Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday worship services). This is great for us since it lets us attend one everyday! It really helps us to see how there are many different types of churches and worship styles: congregations of sizes 15 to 60+ people, accapella music or full band music, translations in various languages, constructed concrete buildings or a rented outdoor courtyard. There are also many similarities: there are often common worship tunes (we're finally starting to sing along to some of the trickier lingala songs), there are always shouts of AMEN from the congregation, and everytime the whole congregation comes to shake our hands at the end.
Last night and tonight we attended church services conducted by pastors who are students at the School of Missiology (the school which Emily described in the last post). It was insightful to sit with these students in their class at the school, and then see them applying their studies within a very real ministry setting outside of the classroom. Speaking of which, both services were outside, so they were really exciting and relaxing experiences. Also, we had the blessing of not only giving testimonies from our team, but also hearing testimonies of God's work in the people's lives from each of these services. We were very encouraged when Pastor Jean-Claude at Bethlehem Church expressed how thankful he and his church is that we have taken time out of our busy lives, raised money, and come so far to spend time in Kinshasa; he realizes that many people would rather go on a vacation, or just stay at home, but we chose to come and meet him and his church. He said that it is especially good to see young people. It's incredible how just the act of meeting together for a couple hours of worship can bring so much mutual encouragement and blessing.
There continues to be some sickness in the team, but as of tonight we are mostly all well or at least recovering. As we move into the final two full days, we are starting to debate who will win the « Healthiest Team Member Award ». It's looking like if she holds strong until Saturday, Emily will be the winner!
Friday we are having a bit of a get-together / party. We have invited a couple people from every place we've been, a total of about 40 invitations! Prayer for this event would be much appreciated. We are unsure how many people will actually be able to make it, and also we are a little nervous since this is the first and only event that WE are hosting! That being said, most of the preparations will be graciously directed by Jean-Baptiste and his family.
Also, incase we don't post again before Saturday, prayer for our flight leaving that evening (mid-day Ontario time) and entire itinerary would also be appreciated. Although another unexpected stopover in Kenya, or somewhere else might be a fun adventure, I think we'll be much more content with a complication-free travel home!
Merci et dieu te bénisse!
> Jacob with the DRC ACTION Team
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
We were on TV!
Hey all! This is Emily posting.
The days are really starting to fly by now! It’s hard to believe we’re in our last week here. I’ll try to recap the last few days.
Sunday was great because we got to spend our last Sunday church service at Jean-Baptiste’s church! The church was bigger than the first church we went to, and smaller than the second. The people were welcoming like usual, and the atmosphere was really great there! It’s kind of a routine that we do songs and a testimony or two, and here was no different. We sang some worship songs for the church, and Rob shared his testimony.
After church we had some time to talk with a few people. Aurora especially enjoys these times since she has the easiest time with the language barrier. :) She had a great conversation with one girl from the church named Judite. Judite leads choirs at church, and has a real passion for worship. As we were sitting around, she had a chance to teach us one worship song in Lingala. On Friday we’re going to keep up our end of the bargain and teach her an English worship song. :)
After church we headed over to Jean-Baptiste’s house for a celebration for Alysha’s birthday! His family was super sweet and hospitable. Their house was decorated with balloons and drawings, and the meal Jean-Baptiste’s wife made was delicious and so generous. I think Alysha really enjoyed having a family away from home to celebrate her birthday with her.
Sunday night left a few of us a bit stressed about Monday. All we knew from Jean-Baptiste was that we’d be going to the School of Missiology to share in a church service. Oh, and we’d have a 30 minute spot on a Congolese television show.... Oh boy.
So Monday morning came around, and was a lot less stressful than we’d imagined. We started off with the church service, joining with the students in a time of singing and prayer. We sang a couple of songs for them, and Amanda and Josh shared their testimonies. For me, the service was one of those times when I go into it hoping to encourage the people, and come out of it feeling very encouraged. The people we met were such a blessing. Their prayers for us, and genuine interest was just so encouraging.
After this we got to see a bit more of the school. If I have everything right, it’s basically a Bible College/Seminary with a focus in missions. The students there can study for up to 5 years, and most have ministries that they are really involved in outside of the school. It was really neat hearing some of these stories.
Oh, as for the TV show... We learned after the service that the guy running around with the video camera was actually taping for the TV show. So those close up shots and Aurora’s interview will all be broadcast! Good times. :)
Today we went back to the school. We got to sit in on a class taught by Jean-Baptiste on Mediation and Evangelisation. It was great hearing him teach! The role playing at the end was pretty amusing too. :) We also attended the church service again today.
Right now we have some time off, so we are back at the house. We’ll be going tonight to another church. One of Jean-Baptiste’s students at the School of Missiology is the pastor there.
One more thing. As weird as it is to say... it’s been cold here! Well maybe not cold by Canadian standards... but I had goosebumps! Twice! Also, I saw more than one winter coat in church today, and a man was literally running back and forth in the street to warm up! Hehe. Well, it’s a nice break from the heat for sure.
Thanks for reading! We're praying and missing you all at home.
The days are really starting to fly by now! It’s hard to believe we’re in our last week here. I’ll try to recap the last few days.
Sunday was great because we got to spend our last Sunday church service at Jean-Baptiste’s church! The church was bigger than the first church we went to, and smaller than the second. The people were welcoming like usual, and the atmosphere was really great there! It’s kind of a routine that we do songs and a testimony or two, and here was no different. We sang some worship songs for the church, and Rob shared his testimony.
After church we had some time to talk with a few people. Aurora especially enjoys these times since she has the easiest time with the language barrier. :) She had a great conversation with one girl from the church named Judite. Judite leads choirs at church, and has a real passion for worship. As we were sitting around, she had a chance to teach us one worship song in Lingala. On Friday we’re going to keep up our end of the bargain and teach her an English worship song. :)
After church we headed over to Jean-Baptiste’s house for a celebration for Alysha’s birthday! His family was super sweet and hospitable. Their house was decorated with balloons and drawings, and the meal Jean-Baptiste’s wife made was delicious and so generous. I think Alysha really enjoyed having a family away from home to celebrate her birthday with her.
Sunday night left a few of us a bit stressed about Monday. All we knew from Jean-Baptiste was that we’d be going to the School of Missiology to share in a church service. Oh, and we’d have a 30 minute spot on a Congolese television show.... Oh boy.
So Monday morning came around, and was a lot less stressful than we’d imagined. We started off with the church service, joining with the students in a time of singing and prayer. We sang a couple of songs for them, and Amanda and Josh shared their testimonies. For me, the service was one of those times when I go into it hoping to encourage the people, and come out of it feeling very encouraged. The people we met were such a blessing. Their prayers for us, and genuine interest was just so encouraging.
After this we got to see a bit more of the school. If I have everything right, it’s basically a Bible College/Seminary with a focus in missions. The students there can study for up to 5 years, and most have ministries that they are really involved in outside of the school. It was really neat hearing some of these stories.
Oh, as for the TV show... We learned after the service that the guy running around with the video camera was actually taping for the TV show. So those close up shots and Aurora’s interview will all be broadcast! Good times. :)
Today we went back to the school. We got to sit in on a class taught by Jean-Baptiste on Mediation and Evangelisation. It was great hearing him teach! The role playing at the end was pretty amusing too. :) We also attended the church service again today.
Right now we have some time off, so we are back at the house. We’ll be going tonight to another church. One of Jean-Baptiste’s students at the School of Missiology is the pastor there.
One more thing. As weird as it is to say... it’s been cold here! Well maybe not cold by Canadian standards... but I had goosebumps! Twice! Also, I saw more than one winter coat in church today, and a man was literally running back and forth in the street to warm up! Hehe. Well, it’s a nice break from the heat for sure.
Thanks for reading! We're praying and missing you all at home.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Opportunities
Hey everyone. This is Jacob posting.
Yesterday was another lesson in flexibility. We set out in the evening to meet one of Jean-Baptiste's students to meet with him and encourage him. Turns out his student is a pastor; so what we anticipated as a quiet sit down meeting, turned into a 2 hour church service! To be transparent, even after 3 weeks here, it is still very stressful and frustrating to be in such a confusing state of "where are we? what is happening? what is our purpose here?" Even though it caught us off guard, we were given the opportunities for myself and Amanda to share our testimonies (received with many 'amens'), for Aurora to pray for the church, and for us to connect with people from the church afterwards.
We got some (of the usual) questions such as "do you have computers for us" and "are you married". It is often challenging for us to have such short visits with churches and people since we don't really have time to build a relationship with them. We have realized that this is also difficult for them, for they desire a relationship with Christians from other countries, but it is hard. We trust that our short time meeting with this church (and other churches and people) is encouraging for them and that God uses our encounters effectively for His purposes.
As we were escorted from the church through the streets of (where were we?) to a taxi stop, I had the privalige of meeting with a man named Amos. He knew a bit of english, and was very passionate about learning more, though our conversations included much broken english by him and broken french by me. It was hard for me to hear how he struggles to find learning resources and any means to practice his english. I gave him my email address so he can write me, but he said that even finding a computer with internet is not easy. Please pray for Amos.
Today we went to the Congo River with the young people from Kintambo Church. The river is the 2nd largest in the world in terms of volume... It was really big....
Amanda here...Jacob is having some technical difficulties describing the day. We took a bus with a bunch of the local youth and got to experience a fun day out. The bus was packed full (as per usual) and full of singing. Down by the river was just beautiful. There are huge boulders along the shore which we had a great time jumping to and climbing on. It was cool to see a place where the locals would go for a day off. After being down at the river we had lunch together then Aurore led a bible study. She talked about "shine" (mostly looking at Matthew 5:13-16), one of the main messages of MBMSI (it's on our tshirts). Overall I think it was a great afternoon out. Back to Jake.
Although we now have only one week left in Kinshasa, I anticipate that we will have many opportunities to speak with people. Although these are sometimes short conversations, and depending on the person, in broken french, there is much room for God to speak through us. I would ask you to pray for us, just as Paul asked for prayer in these circumstances:
Ephesians 6:19-20
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
PS It's Alysha's birthday tomorrow! (Sunday)
Yesterday was another lesson in flexibility. We set out in the evening to meet one of Jean-Baptiste's students to meet with him and encourage him. Turns out his student is a pastor; so what we anticipated as a quiet sit down meeting, turned into a 2 hour church service! To be transparent, even after 3 weeks here, it is still very stressful and frustrating to be in such a confusing state of "where are we? what is happening? what is our purpose here?" Even though it caught us off guard, we were given the opportunities for myself and Amanda to share our testimonies (received with many 'amens'), for Aurora to pray for the church, and for us to connect with people from the church afterwards.
We got some (of the usual) questions such as "do you have computers for us" and "are you married". It is often challenging for us to have such short visits with churches and people since we don't really have time to build a relationship with them. We have realized that this is also difficult for them, for they desire a relationship with Christians from other countries, but it is hard. We trust that our short time meeting with this church (and other churches and people) is encouraging for them and that God uses our encounters effectively for His purposes.
As we were escorted from the church through the streets of (where were we?) to a taxi stop, I had the privalige of meeting with a man named Amos. He knew a bit of english, and was very passionate about learning more, though our conversations included much broken english by him and broken french by me. It was hard for me to hear how he struggles to find learning resources and any means to practice his english. I gave him my email address so he can write me, but he said that even finding a computer with internet is not easy. Please pray for Amos.
Today we went to the Congo River with the young people from Kintambo Church. The river is the 2nd largest in the world in terms of volume... It was really big....
Amanda here...Jacob is having some technical difficulties describing the day. We took a bus with a bunch of the local youth and got to experience a fun day out. The bus was packed full (as per usual) and full of singing. Down by the river was just beautiful. There are huge boulders along the shore which we had a great time jumping to and climbing on. It was cool to see a place where the locals would go for a day off. After being down at the river we had lunch together then Aurore led a bible study. She talked about "shine" (mostly looking at Matthew 5:13-16), one of the main messages of MBMSI (it's on our tshirts). Overall I think it was a great afternoon out. Back to Jake.
Although we now have only one week left in Kinshasa, I anticipate that we will have many opportunities to speak with people. Although these are sometimes short conversations, and depending on the person, in broken french, there is much room for God to speak through us. I would ask you to pray for us, just as Paul asked for prayer in these circumstances:
Ephesians 6:19-20
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
PS It's Alysha's birthday tomorrow! (Sunday)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Bomyasika
Hey everyone, Josh here
So for the past two thursdays we have gone to visit an orphanage in the same area as Bon Berger. The orphanage is called Bomyasika. This orphanage takes care of orphans, giving them a place to live, while also helping kids who are not orphans, but are in situations where the family cannot afford to take care of them. Many of these kids do not stay overnight at the orphanage, but are there during the day and eat meals there. Also, the orphanage pays for the kids to attend a local school (funds permitting... sometimes they run low and have to miss school for a period of time).
These visits to the orphanage have been a really great experience for us. We have had the ability to perform dramas for the kids which they love. We are all very ammature actors, so I must admit it is pretty funny watching us try and act out these skits. This gives the kids a good laugh, while also teaching them some message from the Bible, or teaching them about how loved each one of them is.
We have also had a lot of time to just play games with the kids. On the first visit we brought a soccer ball out and many of the boys were very, very excited. Yesterday when we went, Jacob and I played soccer for likely close to 3 hours with the kids. It was quite fun. While this was going on, the others were doing skipping, bubbles, and other activities. I wish I could tell you more about them but I was a bit focused on the soccer... One thing I will say is kids here are fascinated with bubbles. At first they are very scepticle of them, but they quickly warm up to them and have a blast popping them and trying to catch them, somtimes with their mouths...
During our times at the orphanage we have also been able to connect and have conversations with the workers who make everything possible, and with the older kids. Many of their stories are quite inspiring. One women cooks all the meals for the orphanage while also taking care of her own family (I think she had something 5 kids herself). I am sure each one of us has many stories to say about the conversations we had. Yesterday I had one really good talk with one of the older boys, who was also a part of the older soccer crew (they sort of followed me around the whole day). He was really happy that we came to visit, and spoke about how it would be sad when we left, but also about how he didn't know what he would do with his life. Similar to Canada, not all kids do well in school, and this was the case for him. Unfortunately there is no real option to be trained in a skill (carpentry, cement work, etc). I talked with Jean Baptiste about this (who was also working as a translator for this conversation) and he was saying that this is an issue for many places. He was saying that the orphanage does geat work taking care of the kids and giving them a home, but the kids don't learn skills, so they find life difficult once they leave. Its these types of situations that I find very hard. In Canada we have so many options for obtaining a skillset to find work, and here they often have no chances. Jean Baptiste mentioned trying to get some tools at the orphanage so the kids could at least learn how to use them, so I am hopeful for that.
Lastly I just want to mention that I am pretty sick. I have had digestion issues for almost two weeks now, and while yesterday I was fine, today was my worst day yet. I have started taking some strong antibiotics, so I am hoping they will work quickly, but prayer for a fast healing would be very much appreciated.
As I write this the rest of the team is out shopping for souveniours and visiting a former student and current friend of Jean Baptiste to encourage him with the social work he is doing.
Thanks for all your prayers for our team! Only one week left now! crazy...
So for the past two thursdays we have gone to visit an orphanage in the same area as Bon Berger. The orphanage is called Bomyasika. This orphanage takes care of orphans, giving them a place to live, while also helping kids who are not orphans, but are in situations where the family cannot afford to take care of them. Many of these kids do not stay overnight at the orphanage, but are there during the day and eat meals there. Also, the orphanage pays for the kids to attend a local school (funds permitting... sometimes they run low and have to miss school for a period of time).
These visits to the orphanage have been a really great experience for us. We have had the ability to perform dramas for the kids which they love. We are all very ammature actors, so I must admit it is pretty funny watching us try and act out these skits. This gives the kids a good laugh, while also teaching them some message from the Bible, or teaching them about how loved each one of them is.
We have also had a lot of time to just play games with the kids. On the first visit we brought a soccer ball out and many of the boys were very, very excited. Yesterday when we went, Jacob and I played soccer for likely close to 3 hours with the kids. It was quite fun. While this was going on, the others were doing skipping, bubbles, and other activities. I wish I could tell you more about them but I was a bit focused on the soccer... One thing I will say is kids here are fascinated with bubbles. At first they are very scepticle of them, but they quickly warm up to them and have a blast popping them and trying to catch them, somtimes with their mouths...
During our times at the orphanage we have also been able to connect and have conversations with the workers who make everything possible, and with the older kids. Many of their stories are quite inspiring. One women cooks all the meals for the orphanage while also taking care of her own family (I think she had something 5 kids herself). I am sure each one of us has many stories to say about the conversations we had. Yesterday I had one really good talk with one of the older boys, who was also a part of the older soccer crew (they sort of followed me around the whole day). He was really happy that we came to visit, and spoke about how it would be sad when we left, but also about how he didn't know what he would do with his life. Similar to Canada, not all kids do well in school, and this was the case for him. Unfortunately there is no real option to be trained in a skill (carpentry, cement work, etc). I talked with Jean Baptiste about this (who was also working as a translator for this conversation) and he was saying that this is an issue for many places. He was saying that the orphanage does geat work taking care of the kids and giving them a home, but the kids don't learn skills, so they find life difficult once they leave. Its these types of situations that I find very hard. In Canada we have so many options for obtaining a skillset to find work, and here they often have no chances. Jean Baptiste mentioned trying to get some tools at the orphanage so the kids could at least learn how to use them, so I am hopeful for that.
Lastly I just want to mention that I am pretty sick. I have had digestion issues for almost two weeks now, and while yesterday I was fine, today was my worst day yet. I have started taking some strong antibiotics, so I am hoping they will work quickly, but prayer for a fast healing would be very much appreciated.
As I write this the rest of the team is out shopping for souveniours and visiting a former student and current friend of Jean Baptiste to encourage him with the social work he is doing.
Thanks for all your prayers for our team! Only one week left now! crazy...
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Where the motorcycles go...
Hello everyone! Amanda here. It feels like a whole bunch has happened in the past 2 days so I’ll sum it up as best I can. We have been at Leve-toi and witnessing Mama Julianne’s incredible heart for the children with disabilities in the neighbourhood. We have been able to get dirty and work hard as well as sing and play with the kids...a good mix in my opinion. They want to build a bathroom for the kids so we helped to get that started. We didn’t get to any cement but have done heaps of digging and moving dirt.
Today everyone was doing pretty good on the health front and the whole team was able to come. It has been almost a week since all of us have been ready for action. Unfortunatly, I can’t say the same about yesterday. Josh stayed back due to stomach issuses and in the words of Jacob « Today was going really well, until I hit Aurore in the face with a pick axe» ...gasp I know... but please don’t freak out she is doing just fine now. She was moving buckets of dirt and moved a little too close to avoid a kid when Jacob was using the pick axe. She has a nice cut right above her eyebrow and was out of commission for the rest of the day but was still in pretty good spirits all things considered. This drama occurred in the afternoon.
Our morning was full of fun times with the kids. We performed a skit about Moses and the plagues where Jean-Baptiste made the most excellent Pharaoh. We also sang songs with them (yes Pharaoh Pharaoh with all the actions...it was a hit) and made a craft. The rest of the team entertained the group while Emily, Aurore and I made paper frogs with groups of kids. It was really cool when we went back today and some of them waved their frogs out of the classroom windows as we arrived.
In the evening we were splitting up supplies and preparing when we heard some music and drumming coming from the street. It was getting louder and sounded like a parade. We all got uber excited and literally ran downstairs and outside. So excited. When we got to the street we asked someone what the parade was for a group of Kimbangists (sp?) the cult that we heard about in Kasungulu. Apperently it is kinda like their Christmas... What a bust...we were pretty disapointed.
Today we arrived at Leve-toi to see that a whole bunch of work was completed while we were gone and we spent the majority of the morning clearing all the dirt that they had dug up. For a while I went with Jean-Baptiste to load some wheel barrows with sand. Before the morning classes were over we did face painting with the kids. They wanted a whole range of things from flowers to guitars and from butterflies to fire-breathing dragons. Alysha, Emily and I became spontanious artists. With the afternoon class we didn’t have quite as much time as we thought we would so we taught them some songs and attempted a game. We have learned that games with instructions don’t really go well so it was a little awkward but we fixed it with bubbles. There are a whole bunch of really great kids and I liked just being able to give them a little love and attention, something they don’t always get.
Before leaving we went to visit Fred, a friend of Jean-Baptiste. Fred is blind and is currently working on all kinds of stories in braile for blind people or «young blinds» as he calls them. He is a supper cool guy and is really busy with all the work he his doing for the blind community of Kinshasa. It was so interesting to hear about how his life changed for the better when he became blind and all the work he is doing.
Now that we have finished our 3 day visit at Leve-toi we can safely say that 3 people on a motorbike is not as dangerous as one might think. They provided an exciting new mode of transportation for us and helped us draw closer as a team...literally.
Thanks so much for all of your prayers and encouragement!
Today everyone was doing pretty good on the health front and the whole team was able to come. It has been almost a week since all of us have been ready for action. Unfortunatly, I can’t say the same about yesterday. Josh stayed back due to stomach issuses and in the words of Jacob « Today was going really well, until I hit Aurore in the face with a pick axe» ...gasp I know... but please don’t freak out she is doing just fine now. She was moving buckets of dirt and moved a little too close to avoid a kid when Jacob was using the pick axe. She has a nice cut right above her eyebrow and was out of commission for the rest of the day but was still in pretty good spirits all things considered. This drama occurred in the afternoon.
Our morning was full of fun times with the kids. We performed a skit about Moses and the plagues where Jean-Baptiste made the most excellent Pharaoh. We also sang songs with them (yes Pharaoh Pharaoh with all the actions...it was a hit) and made a craft. The rest of the team entertained the group while Emily, Aurore and I made paper frogs with groups of kids. It was really cool when we went back today and some of them waved their frogs out of the classroom windows as we arrived.
In the evening we were splitting up supplies and preparing when we heard some music and drumming coming from the street. It was getting louder and sounded like a parade. We all got uber excited and literally ran downstairs and outside. So excited. When we got to the street we asked someone what the parade was for a group of Kimbangists (sp?) the cult that we heard about in Kasungulu. Apperently it is kinda like their Christmas... What a bust...we were pretty disapointed.
Today we arrived at Leve-toi to see that a whole bunch of work was completed while we were gone and we spent the majority of the morning clearing all the dirt that they had dug up. For a while I went with Jean-Baptiste to load some wheel barrows with sand. Before the morning classes were over we did face painting with the kids. They wanted a whole range of things from flowers to guitars and from butterflies to fire-breathing dragons. Alysha, Emily and I became spontanious artists. With the afternoon class we didn’t have quite as much time as we thought we would so we taught them some songs and attempted a game. We have learned that games with instructions don’t really go well so it was a little awkward but we fixed it with bubbles. There are a whole bunch of really great kids and I liked just being able to give them a little love and attention, something they don’t always get.
Before leaving we went to visit Fred, a friend of Jean-Baptiste. Fred is blind and is currently working on all kinds of stories in braile for blind people or «young blinds» as he calls them. He is a supper cool guy and is really busy with all the work he his doing for the blind community of Kinshasa. It was so interesting to hear about how his life changed for the better when he became blind and all the work he is doing.
Now that we have finished our 3 day visit at Leve-toi we can safely say that 3 people on a motorbike is not as dangerous as one might think. They provided an exciting new mode of transportation for us and helped us draw closer as a team...literally.
Thanks so much for all of your prayers and encouragement!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Church, taxi's, Leve Toi and MORE
Hello all! Alysha here. I'm so excited to be writing here again! It feels like I'm connecting with everyone back home, and it's so wonderful.
There's so much to talk about and I have no idea where to start. I think I'll start with what is at the forefront of my mind, so this might not go in a day-to- day order.
It seems as though the biggest attack that we have here in Kinshasa is through physical sickness and pain. We have not had very many days where the whole team has been feeling well and ready to go! Josh currently is not feeling too up to snuff, which we can tell by the way his eating habits have changed!
Today sadly Aurora had to stay home as she was feeling really, really sick. She had been up all night and had gotten no sleep. It's hard to know what to do to make someone feel comfortable in this kind of situation, because I know that all I would want in that moment would be my mom. :) We've prayed for her as a team but we never turn away the chance at more prayer so please keep our teams health on your minds as you pray.
Though it was ahrd not having Aurora with us today it also gave the team as chance to stretch ourselves and step out. The day was good! We were at Leve Toi which is a school for blind and disabled children, it's amazing the things that Mama Jullianne has done with this school! Now it has a variety of children coming to it. Blind, deaf, mute, physically disabled, and mentally handicapped. This women has just reached out her arms to all those who society has shunned. We were told by Jean-Baptiste today that for the most part handicapped children are not even seen as being part of them family and they are not considered to have any potential in their lives. This makes it difficult for a lot of them to get to school because no one sees the job of getting them to school important. It's pretty sad really, and it makes you wonder what can be done so more of these children can learn and get to school. There also having a lot of building problems because of stone quarry that is near by and the loud noises of them breaking rocks and all the other effects of that is ruining their buildings and their foundations. There's so much good going on in that place, pray that they are filled with energy and renewed passion for the work they are doing there.
Now to jump back to Friday. We had a little bit of taxi trouble travelling to where we needed to go, it was a long two taxi rides somewhere near the airport. These taxi rides have not been fun for me as I pinched a nerve or something while hauling sandbags and sitting down on wooden benches in these taxis is not so great! Once we got to the NGO of Peace that we were heading to we were given a tour and then we sat down with the staff from the NGO and chatted with them about what they're doing and what their vision is. They started up basically a youth drop in center with games and an HIV/AIDS testing center. It's great because the youth come in the play games and get off the street and the workers get to hang out with them and chat with them and teach them all sorts of stuff. They started this map where they have pin pointed the "red" spots in the neighbourhood as well as the "safe" spots, namely churches or similar centres. They are partnered with 74 churchs who said they were interested in starting up something similar and wanted to know what to do! We headed to a church afterwards where we were welcomed with singing from more choirs, I'm continually struck with insane amounts of joy each time they start to sing. We then were given more food which was delicious! We were told we were going to lose a lot of weight here but that hasn't happened to most of us yet, we're being too well fed! I'm sure I'm missing out on sooo much but there's a lot to fit in!
Saturday was our Tourism day, we headed out to an MCC store where we were able to buy some souveniers, all the stuff is made by workers who are paid fair prices for the work that they do. Some of the sculptures were incredible and they had awesome furniture, plates/dishes and other household knick-knacks. After that we headed to go and see this artists shop but when we got there we found out that he had moved his large gallery elsewhere but he had a few pieces lying around. He does really cool work with metal, bending it, scratching it and shaping it. It was great to hear him talk about his work and see him so passionate about what he does. We get to go back to learn how he does some of his work and try it out ourselves, it should be interesting. :) The people's welcoming nature here is incredible sometimes.
After that we headed to Eric's house, Jean-Baptiste's assistant, and learned how to make a Congolese meal. We mixed Kasava leaves with peanut puree and dried fish, we fried fish, mixed Fu-Fu (or Foo-Foo, I'm not really quite sure) which was a lot more difficult than we thought, and cooked some chicken. I'm sorry that I don't remember the Congolese names for all these dishes. While dinner was being cooked by different team members Amanda and I were blessed to get our hair braided. It was pretty painful and I know that I had a watery eye once or twice, especially when all three girls were yanking my head in different directions. :) But now we no longer really have to wash our hair! How excited are you guys to welcome us home?! ;) After Eric's we headed to Jon and Anicka's, two missionaries here to play some games and watch a little bit of monster's Inc. it was great to spend some time with them and Anicka had made some amazing banana bread! :)
So Sunday we headed off to Pastor Mulumbu's church, we had much debate over whether we were going to Pastor Mulumbu's or Pastor Muvungu's church. We eventually have learned to differentiate them by saying Mulumbu- the small pastor or Muvungu- the big pastor. It was an incredible 3.5 hour church service mainly filled with 9 choirs and a worship team singing. Their voices are so powerful and the people seem passionate about singing praises to our God. It's beautiful, we told them that we wanted to bring them back with us so that we could experience that much excitement and passion every Sunday. Their voices just fill the church, without microphones or antyhing! It really is totally different than a church service here, there's nothing to compare it to, it's just wonderful! After that we got to sit down to another wonderful meal with the Pastor and a few other church members. We met a woman who had lived in Canada for 3 years and in Fresno California for 3 as well! Her English was therefore pretty good and it was great to hear another person's outlook on a few things in Canada (such as our COLD winters )! It was a blessing to be there and then we headed home.
That's all for now! I hope that this fills some of you in on what to pray for and what we have been doing the past few days! We think and pray for you often! :) Much love from us all!
There's so much to talk about and I have no idea where to start. I think I'll start with what is at the forefront of my mind, so this might not go in a day-to- day order.
It seems as though the biggest attack that we have here in Kinshasa is through physical sickness and pain. We have not had very many days where the whole team has been feeling well and ready to go! Josh currently is not feeling too up to snuff, which we can tell by the way his eating habits have changed!
Today sadly Aurora had to stay home as she was feeling really, really sick. She had been up all night and had gotten no sleep. It's hard to know what to do to make someone feel comfortable in this kind of situation, because I know that all I would want in that moment would be my mom. :) We've prayed for her as a team but we never turn away the chance at more prayer so please keep our teams health on your minds as you pray.
Though it was ahrd not having Aurora with us today it also gave the team as chance to stretch ourselves and step out. The day was good! We were at Leve Toi which is a school for blind and disabled children, it's amazing the things that Mama Jullianne has done with this school! Now it has a variety of children coming to it. Blind, deaf, mute, physically disabled, and mentally handicapped. This women has just reached out her arms to all those who society has shunned. We were told by Jean-Baptiste today that for the most part handicapped children are not even seen as being part of them family and they are not considered to have any potential in their lives. This makes it difficult for a lot of them to get to school because no one sees the job of getting them to school important. It's pretty sad really, and it makes you wonder what can be done so more of these children can learn and get to school. There also having a lot of building problems because of stone quarry that is near by and the loud noises of them breaking rocks and all the other effects of that is ruining their buildings and their foundations. There's so much good going on in that place, pray that they are filled with energy and renewed passion for the work they are doing there.
Now to jump back to Friday. We had a little bit of taxi trouble travelling to where we needed to go, it was a long two taxi rides somewhere near the airport. These taxi rides have not been fun for me as I pinched a nerve or something while hauling sandbags and sitting down on wooden benches in these taxis is not so great! Once we got to the NGO of Peace that we were heading to we were given a tour and then we sat down with the staff from the NGO and chatted with them about what they're doing and what their vision is. They started up basically a youth drop in center with games and an HIV/AIDS testing center. It's great because the youth come in the play games and get off the street and the workers get to hang out with them and chat with them and teach them all sorts of stuff. They started this map where they have pin pointed the "red" spots in the neighbourhood as well as the "safe" spots, namely churches or similar centres. They are partnered with 74 churchs who said they were interested in starting up something similar and wanted to know what to do! We headed to a church afterwards where we were welcomed with singing from more choirs, I'm continually struck with insane amounts of joy each time they start to sing. We then were given more food which was delicious! We were told we were going to lose a lot of weight here but that hasn't happened to most of us yet, we're being too well fed! I'm sure I'm missing out on sooo much but there's a lot to fit in!
Saturday was our Tourism day, we headed out to an MCC store where we were able to buy some souveniers, all the stuff is made by workers who are paid fair prices for the work that they do. Some of the sculptures were incredible and they had awesome furniture, plates/dishes and other household knick-knacks. After that we headed to go and see this artists shop but when we got there we found out that he had moved his large gallery elsewhere but he had a few pieces lying around. He does really cool work with metal, bending it, scratching it and shaping it. It was great to hear him talk about his work and see him so passionate about what he does. We get to go back to learn how he does some of his work and try it out ourselves, it should be interesting. :) The people's welcoming nature here is incredible sometimes.
After that we headed to Eric's house, Jean-Baptiste's assistant, and learned how to make a Congolese meal. We mixed Kasava leaves with peanut puree and dried fish, we fried fish, mixed Fu-Fu (or Foo-Foo, I'm not really quite sure) which was a lot more difficult than we thought, and cooked some chicken. I'm sorry that I don't remember the Congolese names for all these dishes. While dinner was being cooked by different team members Amanda and I were blessed to get our hair braided. It was pretty painful and I know that I had a watery eye once or twice, especially when all three girls were yanking my head in different directions. :) But now we no longer really have to wash our hair! How excited are you guys to welcome us home?! ;) After Eric's we headed to Jon and Anicka's, two missionaries here to play some games and watch a little bit of monster's Inc. it was great to spend some time with them and Anicka had made some amazing banana bread! :)
So Sunday we headed off to Pastor Mulumbu's church, we had much debate over whether we were going to Pastor Mulumbu's or Pastor Muvungu's church. We eventually have learned to differentiate them by saying Mulumbu- the small pastor or Muvungu- the big pastor. It was an incredible 3.5 hour church service mainly filled with 9 choirs and a worship team singing. Their voices are so powerful and the people seem passionate about singing praises to our God. It's beautiful, we told them that we wanted to bring them back with us so that we could experience that much excitement and passion every Sunday. Their voices just fill the church, without microphones or antyhing! It really is totally different than a church service here, there's nothing to compare it to, it's just wonderful! After that we got to sit down to another wonderful meal with the Pastor and a few other church members. We met a woman who had lived in Canada for 3 years and in Fresno California for 3 as well! Her English was therefore pretty good and it was great to hear another person's outlook on a few things in Canada (such as our COLD winters )! It was a blessing to be there and then we headed home.
That's all for now! I hope that this fills some of you in on what to pray for and what we have been doing the past few days! We think and pray for you often! :) Much love from us all!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Life in Congo
Hey All! This is Emily blogging. So we’ve had a few people (including Josh’s mom) ask us about the house we’re living in. We decided it was about time to update a bit about what it’s like here, and our daily routine and stuff like that.
So the house is a big guest house run by an American couple. All 3 boys share a room, and us girls are split into two rooms. The rooms are pretty big, and the ceiling fans really help us keep cool at night. We were provided with mosquito nets, but the screens in the house keep it so there aren’t many mosquitos at all. We DO have lizards, giant spiders, cockroaches, ants, termites, and massive moths. None of us seem to be too affected by the wildlife though. :)
We have our breakfasts and dinners made for us here at the house. The menu is the same every week. Lunches (which we miss) are Congolese, and dinners are American. So we’ve had pizza, pasta, hamburgers, etc. The hamburgers are our favourite. :) The great thing is that we’ve still got to try some Congolese food with all of the churches/groups that have fed us. A normal Congolese meal is fufu (which looks like crusty playdough and tastes like nothing), spinachy stuff (made from the leaves of the root that makes fufu), and chicken or fish. We also get pop, peanuts and bananas for snacks quite a bit.
So a normal routine for us is: breakfast, meet with Jean-Baptiste at MPH (the name of our house), and head off in some sketchy taxi to the church/place where we will be for the day. I’d have to say yesterday was probably my favourite day in terms of taxis. We travelled all classy in 2 different van-taxis. These things are crazy! They pack a ton of people into a van with tiny benches that are way to small for most of us. At one point we counted 28 people in at once! It’s good times.
Well today we went to an orphanage called Boma Ya Sika. We will be going there for the next 2 Thursdays, so I won’t say too much about it. But it was a great day. :) The kids were super cute and we had a lot of fun with them. We got to act out a bible story, sing some songs, and just hang out with the kids and staff. When we were outside we had time to skip and play soccer too. We’re saving the good stuff (bubbles and facepaint) for another time. :)
A bit more about our daily routine is that we spend a lot of our free time in the library in MPH. As long as the power is working, the air-conditioning is running. :) So that’s where most of us are right now. Rob is off giving Jean-Baptiste a guitar lesson, Aurora and Alysha are in their room (I think), and the rest of us are chilling in here. Tonight we’re going out for dinner with the couple that run MPH, as well as Jean-Baptiste, so that should be good too.
Well, hope that gives you a bit more of an idea about what it’s like here. When we get back, I’m sure pictures will help in getting the idea across. :)
So the house is a big guest house run by an American couple. All 3 boys share a room, and us girls are split into two rooms. The rooms are pretty big, and the ceiling fans really help us keep cool at night. We were provided with mosquito nets, but the screens in the house keep it so there aren’t many mosquitos at all. We DO have lizards, giant spiders, cockroaches, ants, termites, and massive moths. None of us seem to be too affected by the wildlife though. :)
We have our breakfasts and dinners made for us here at the house. The menu is the same every week. Lunches (which we miss) are Congolese, and dinners are American. So we’ve had pizza, pasta, hamburgers, etc. The hamburgers are our favourite. :) The great thing is that we’ve still got to try some Congolese food with all of the churches/groups that have fed us. A normal Congolese meal is fufu (which looks like crusty playdough and tastes like nothing), spinachy stuff (made from the leaves of the root that makes fufu), and chicken or fish. We also get pop, peanuts and bananas for snacks quite a bit.
So a normal routine for us is: breakfast, meet with Jean-Baptiste at MPH (the name of our house), and head off in some sketchy taxi to the church/place where we will be for the day. I’d have to say yesterday was probably my favourite day in terms of taxis. We travelled all classy in 2 different van-taxis. These things are crazy! They pack a ton of people into a van with tiny benches that are way to small for most of us. At one point we counted 28 people in at once! It’s good times.
Well today we went to an orphanage called Boma Ya Sika. We will be going there for the next 2 Thursdays, so I won’t say too much about it. But it was a great day. :) The kids were super cute and we had a lot of fun with them. We got to act out a bible story, sing some songs, and just hang out with the kids and staff. When we were outside we had time to skip and play soccer too. We’re saving the good stuff (bubbles and facepaint) for another time. :)
A bit more about our daily routine is that we spend a lot of our free time in the library in MPH. As long as the power is working, the air-conditioning is running. :) So that’s where most of us are right now. Rob is off giving Jean-Baptiste a guitar lesson, Aurora and Alysha are in their room (I think), and the rest of us are chilling in here. Tonight we’re going out for dinner with the couple that run MPH, as well as Jean-Baptiste, so that should be good too.
Well, hope that gives you a bit more of an idea about what it’s like here. When we get back, I’m sure pictures will help in getting the idea across. :)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Megaphones and Manual Labour
Hey, this is Jacob! I have an update for the last 3 days. Enjoy! *sorry we are still having trouble posting pictures*
On Sunday we were at our first church service in the town Kasangulu, about an hour outside of Kinshasa, at the church we were spending time evangelizing with as Amanda described in the last post.
As expected, the worship service was quite different from what we are used to in North America and it was an amazing experience. Some hilights:
- there was lots of time in prayer, which often begun with the pastor telling us what to pray for, and then everyone praying outloud at once,
- for the most part everyone sings without any instrumental accompaniment, including a couple of songs sung completely solo
- the pastor occasionally used a megaphone which was loud and kind of hilarious
- from our perspective, everything was completely unorganized; we got more warning than we expected, but once in a while someone would just say out of the blue something like (in Lingala) "okay now our guests will bring sing a song of worship"
- we didn't understand most of the service as it was spoken in Lingala, and sometimes french.
- however, Eric, the assistant of our host pastor, continued to be a blessing as an excellent translator for both Lingala and French throughout the day. He also tells really good stories/jokes.
- there were very few adults (maybe about a dozen) and many more children
- one of the pastors read the letter of greetings from Glencairn MB which he translated into Lingala for the congregation
- another pastor conducted the congregation in a special animated gesture to illustrate them sending their love and greetings to Glencairn and our supporters in Canada. We'll be sure to relay that gesture upon our return.
Despite the church being relatively small, we could tell that they still had a strong heart for worship and also had a desire to build into the community. They currently have a vision to build a church, school, and clinic in the town.
Yesterday and today we were in a small village visiting a church and helping with an erosion prevention project they have started. The work we did involved filling sandbags with dirt and placing them where they told us. Most of us were quite excited about doing some manual labour, though on Monday we were all either tired or sick. The digestive systems of myself, Josh, and Amanda had problems accepting some of the food from the day previous. This village had a lot more kids and they were more aggressive in their excitement to see us than anywhere else we had been. The overwhelming presence of loud children coupled with being tired and doing hard work meant we didn't have a great day.
Thanks to some responsible leadership, we were given extra time to rest up and I think it's safe to say that today we were much healthier and in better shape to handle the hard work and excited people. We worked pretty hard and had more energy to converse with the kids and the adults of the village. It is sometimes difficult to build meaningful relationships with people here because there are often cultural differences, language barriers (sometimes double-translation is needed), and sometimes we feel like people have ulterior motives in that they are hoping to get money or something from us. For example, a couple of people kept telling me that I had to give them my shoes. They also offered me drugs.
All in all, we are doing well. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
No I didn’t take the drugs.
Though I am still taking the malaria meds.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Fun Times in DRC
Hello everyone! Yesterday was our day off and we went to «Lola Ya Bonobo» which is a sanctuary for bonobo monkeys, one of the four great apes (we learned many educational things on this adventure) Ok so the best word that I could use to describe these monkeys is rediculous, they were so funny. As we were walking along the path outside of the fence we heard a loud rustling coming from the jungle. We all stopped thinking ‘oh dear here comes a whole heap of them’ the sound kept getting louder and louder until suddenly...one monkey burst out of the jungle dragging a gigantic branch behind it. At another time we were watching them with a school group (approx. 50 kindergarteners) and they would run along the fence, screaching and pushing a plastic waterbottles like a toy car....like I said rediculous. These are also very special monkeys, they’re slogan is «make love not war», meaning that they resolve conflict and tension in interesting/creative ways, ways which may not be appropriate to disclose as we would like to keep things PG. Feel free to look it up it you have any more questions. It was a nice day to just be outside and not totally surrounded by people. It was so beautiful and quiet out there.
The real adventure, in my opinion, was the drive there and back. I would like to start off by thanking you for all of your prayers...with the driving here we are very thankful for them hahaha. There were 12 of us this van which looked and sounded like it had been shot with a machine gun (not actually this is just a visual, don’t freak out) You have to understand the vehicles they get here are rejects from other countries, ones that are too old, don’t work, rusted out, etc. Then they fix them and drive until they break down, get a boost and give it another go. The best part about this van was that the back seat wasn’t quite screwed in so it lifted and bounced along the way. Emily, Jacob and I had the privilage of riding the rollercoaster as we called it. The road made it all the more fun. I think every time we drive somewhere like this we just shake our heads because in North America, you might attempt this with your 4-wheel drive SUV, maybe. But these reject rickity vans make it...somehow...what a gong show. We just laugh and hold on for dear life :)
Today has to have been one of my favourite days so far. We headed outside of Kinshasa to another district to do some evangelizing with local pastors. This area was very different from Kinshasa and much more rural. The church was a mix of bamboo and lumber holding up a steel roof. We met with the pastors there, split up into teams, prayed and headed out. I was in a group with Eric (Jean-Baptiste’s assistant and amazing translator), one of the pastors (I feel really bad that I can’t remember his name right now) and Jacob. When I first heard that we were doing door-to-door evangelizing, not going to lie it freaked me out. Immediatly I pictured and awkward Jehovah’s witness kind of experience but as soon as I put things into context it was fine. 1 most people don’t really have doors, just curtians over doorways. 2 even if they did have a door they would be outside. and 3 the Congolese people are some of the most welcoming I have ever met. These things helped
Our group met with 4 families. Jake and I had the oppertunity to share our testimonies twice each and pray for the people we met. The main purpose of our visit was to invite the people we met today to church tomorrow. I thought that was a really sweet idea because even after we are gone the people we met can be connected to a community of Christ. We tried to talk to another family but they did not even want us to come into the compound. They belonged to a church in the area that Eric explained to us as being called the «black church» where they believe that Jesus was a white man and came to save white people, and that God is also white. They don’t want to hear anything about Jesus. Jake was just saying that that was a lot of the reason that we were there. That it is really important for all of us to worship God together. They don’t really need us there to evangelize but to be there saying that salvation is for everyone and that God desires for everyone to be saved is important.
I will leave you with a funny story. As we were leaving the church there were a bunch of kids following us (as per usual) and we were saying goodbye and someone said my name. I looked back and it was a little boy. Then all of a sudden there were 2 kids saying it and then out of nowhere there were about 20 kids following us chanting my name! I didn’t even know what to do with myself it was hilarious! Oh another adventure in DRC.
Thanks for reading my novel!
Amanda
The real adventure, in my opinion, was the drive there and back. I would like to start off by thanking you for all of your prayers...with the driving here we are very thankful for them hahaha. There were 12 of us this van which looked and sounded like it had been shot with a machine gun (not actually this is just a visual, don’t freak out) You have to understand the vehicles they get here are rejects from other countries, ones that are too old, don’t work, rusted out, etc. Then they fix them and drive until they break down, get a boost and give it another go. The best part about this van was that the back seat wasn’t quite screwed in so it lifted and bounced along the way. Emily, Jacob and I had the privilage of riding the rollercoaster as we called it. The road made it all the more fun. I think every time we drive somewhere like this we just shake our heads because in North America, you might attempt this with your 4-wheel drive SUV, maybe. But these reject rickity vans make it...somehow...what a gong show. We just laugh and hold on for dear life :)
Today has to have been one of my favourite days so far. We headed outside of Kinshasa to another district to do some evangelizing with local pastors. This area was very different from Kinshasa and much more rural. The church was a mix of bamboo and lumber holding up a steel roof. We met with the pastors there, split up into teams, prayed and headed out. I was in a group with Eric (Jean-Baptiste’s assistant and amazing translator), one of the pastors (I feel really bad that I can’t remember his name right now) and Jacob. When I first heard that we were doing door-to-door evangelizing, not going to lie it freaked me out. Immediatly I pictured and awkward Jehovah’s witness kind of experience but as soon as I put things into context it was fine. 1 most people don’t really have doors, just curtians over doorways. 2 even if they did have a door they would be outside. and 3 the Congolese people are some of the most welcoming I have ever met. These things helped
Our group met with 4 families. Jake and I had the oppertunity to share our testimonies twice each and pray for the people we met. The main purpose of our visit was to invite the people we met today to church tomorrow. I thought that was a really sweet idea because even after we are gone the people we met can be connected to a community of Christ. We tried to talk to another family but they did not even want us to come into the compound. They belonged to a church in the area that Eric explained to us as being called the «black church» where they believe that Jesus was a white man and came to save white people, and that God is also white. They don’t want to hear anything about Jesus. Jake was just saying that that was a lot of the reason that we were there. That it is really important for all of us to worship God together. They don’t really need us there to evangelize but to be there saying that salvation is for everyone and that God desires for everyone to be saved is important.
I will leave you with a funny story. As we were leaving the church there were a bunch of kids following us (as per usual) and we were saying goodbye and someone said my name. I looked back and it was a little boy. Then all of a sudden there were 2 kids saying it and then out of nowhere there were about 20 kids following us chanting my name! I didn’t even know what to do with myself it was hilarious! Oh another adventure in DRC.
Thanks for reading my novel!
Amanda
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
We are still alive!
Hello all! We have been a few days without internet and are currently without water! We are all a little sticky and hot but there is one room in the place we are staying with air conditioning it is wonderful to be able to get out of the heat. Today was not too warm but yesterday was very warm, the girls all got sunburnt quite badly.
We have spent the last two days at Bon Beger and it has been a beautiful experience. It is strange sometimes that there is really nothing that we are doing persay. But we were talking today about what Doug, one of the speakers, had said to us at orientation about how often we are focused on being humandoings instead of human beings. Most of the reason we are here is to build relationship and love the people that we meet. So that means that here a lot of the time we stand around and talk or we sit around a talk.
We are finding a few things frustrating here. Yesterday we watched a movie that summarized most of the history of the Congo and the way that white people have oppressed the people of the Congo for so many reasources. The Congo has so many natural reasources! Rubber, coltan, diamonds, wood, uranium, coffee and coaco. But the Congolese people never get to experience the benefits of these reasources. I think this frustrates us because we donèt understand what our palce is in this stroy of the Congolese and the oppression that they are under because of so many greedy people, that just look after what they want and not whati s best for the coutry that they have walked into. But I could rant and this may get me in trouble so I will stop now.
Today I got to share my story with the women in the sewing school at Bon Berger. These women were amazing! I just told them that I had realized that God has made me perfectly and that he values me deeply and thinkgs I am precious and how He values them and thinks they are precious as well. Delphane, the doctor at Bon Berger, then went on to tell them how the were precious and that they really needed to believe that they are. He went into more but I do not understand Lingala, and it was explained to me in summary after. :)
Hereès a story that us girls enjoyed laughing about! The women asked me if I was married because I have a ring on my left hand. I told them that I wasnèt but that my boyfriend is here. They all got excited and asked me when I was getting married. I said I didnèt know and that they would have to ask him. They all laughed! Later the boys went on a tour of Bon Berger and they came to the sewing room. The women asked the boys who was married and they said none of them, then they asked the boys who was engaged and they again replied that none of them were. Then they asked who Bob was., well of course they were confused because Rob never refers to himself as Bob. We were all talking about it later and laughed. The people here are excited about marriage, they offered to find a Congolese man for Aurora when she said she was single. :)
Tomorrow we get to go back to Bon Berger and have dinner with the people who work there as well as give them the medical supplies we have brought with us. We are so excited to be able to bless them that way. After that we go to see some crazy monkeys at a park, apparently it will be quite the adventure! Saturday and Sunday we will spend with Jean-Baptise doing evangilism and going to his church. Finally! Im so excited for an African church service! Next week we start sand bagging to help to stop erosion. But who knows, these plans will probably change! I will stop writting now because I think I have taken up enough of your time! Hope you are all well at home and on your other trips around the world!
We have spent the last two days at Bon Beger and it has been a beautiful experience. It is strange sometimes that there is really nothing that we are doing persay. But we were talking today about what Doug, one of the speakers, had said to us at orientation about how often we are focused on being humandoings instead of human beings. Most of the reason we are here is to build relationship and love the people that we meet. So that means that here a lot of the time we stand around and talk or we sit around a talk.
We are finding a few things frustrating here. Yesterday we watched a movie that summarized most of the history of the Congo and the way that white people have oppressed the people of the Congo for so many reasources. The Congo has so many natural reasources! Rubber, coltan, diamonds, wood, uranium, coffee and coaco. But the Congolese people never get to experience the benefits of these reasources. I think this frustrates us because we donèt understand what our palce is in this stroy of the Congolese and the oppression that they are under because of so many greedy people, that just look after what they want and not whati s best for the coutry that they have walked into. But I could rant and this may get me in trouble so I will stop now.
Today I got to share my story with the women in the sewing school at Bon Berger. These women were amazing! I just told them that I had realized that God has made me perfectly and that he values me deeply and thinkgs I am precious and how He values them and thinks they are precious as well. Delphane, the doctor at Bon Berger, then went on to tell them how the were precious and that they really needed to believe that they are. He went into more but I do not understand Lingala, and it was explained to me in summary after. :)
Hereès a story that us girls enjoyed laughing about! The women asked me if I was married because I have a ring on my left hand. I told them that I wasnèt but that my boyfriend is here. They all got excited and asked me when I was getting married. I said I didnèt know and that they would have to ask him. They all laughed! Later the boys went on a tour of Bon Berger and they came to the sewing room. The women asked the boys who was married and they said none of them, then they asked the boys who was engaged and they again replied that none of them were. Then they asked who Bob was., well of course they were confused because Rob never refers to himself as Bob. We were all talking about it later and laughed. The people here are excited about marriage, they offered to find a Congolese man for Aurora when she said she was single. :)
Tomorrow we get to go back to Bon Berger and have dinner with the people who work there as well as give them the medical supplies we have brought with us. We are so excited to be able to bless them that way. After that we go to see some crazy monkeys at a park, apparently it will be quite the adventure! Saturday and Sunday we will spend with Jean-Baptise doing evangilism and going to his church. Finally! Im so excited for an African church service! Next week we start sand bagging to help to stop erosion. But who knows, these plans will probably change! I will stop writting now because I think I have taken up enough of your time! Hope you are all well at home and on your other trips around the world!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Our Travel Story
We are alive in the DRC!!!
Josh here, with another novel. This is a summary of our travel adventures, all 42 hours of it...
Today we arrived in the Domocratic Rubuplic of the Congo at around noon local time, which was about 18 hours after our original scheduled arrival time. The following will recap our airport stories and the adventure we have already had just getting here.
We left camp crossroads at around 1pm and arrived at Toronto airport at sometime around 3:30. We had a couple issues at the airport. First, as Emily mentioned, her Visa form was missing the expiry date. None of us had noticed until we were boarding onto out first flight, and were worried that they would not let her through. However, after taking a long time in their line (causing delays) and showing how we were a group of seven, they eventually let her through.
Right after this we went through security as fast as we could, since our boarding time was very fast approaching. We made it through security and arrived at our gate after the schedule borading time had begun. However that volcano apperently hasn’t stopped messing with flight paths and the plane was delayed on its flight to toronto so we boarded late. This was nice for not having to rush, but ended up causing far worse problems, since we also needed to take a longer route back to europe, causing us to miss our flight to paris. On a more positive note, we did a group watching of Avatar to start the flight. The personal movie screens are a great idea.
As Emily mentioned, our new path was from Amsterdam to London to Nairobi to Kinshasa. However, this wasn’t the path we were automatically assigned to, so there was a bit of a scramble to get out luggage off of one plane, get tickets for the other, etc. Once everything was sorted out we had about a 7 hour wait for our flight. This wait mainly consited of everybody trying to sleep (some were succesful).
Our flight to London was quick and comfortable, hour long with lots of empty seats to sprawl accross. Then we had a 4 hour wait in London where we checked out the Terminal 4 market place. Btw, Heathrow airport is huge!! It took us like 15 minutes just to get from our plane to the transfer area to check into our new flight. Thank goodness for those sliding floor things, otherwise it would have taken much longer.
The flight from London to Nairobi was close to 8 hours long. I was fortunate in that I was only awake for maybe 3 hours of it. My body was very clearly needing sleep. Upon landing in Nairobi we got our first sight of Africa! I felt sort of weird realizing that we were actually in Africa, not watching a discovery channel show of the scenery, but actually seeing it. To get off the plane we had to walk onto the tarmak and get shuttled to the airport. Once in the airport we found our gate and proceded to check in. During this process the issue of Emily’s passport surfaced again, with the security person saying she would not be allowed on the plane. However, after making some calls and listening to our pleas (and watching us hold up the line) he eventually let her through. No doubt God was with us on the journey!
Our stoppover was supposed to be only 2 hours, but TIA (this is africa). It ended up being over 4 hours long due to some resource difficulties (it appeared that they didnt have a plane to fly, but none of us really knows. After a free pop or water and 4 hours we got onto the plane and flew to Kinshasa! Ironically enough, the customs at Kinshasa was one our main worries heading into our travels, but we had no issues at all, which was a very welcome change. Also, all of our luggage arrived!! Jean-baptiste picked us up and we headed to our place! I will close this blog as it being our travel story, but I will say that it is a pretty incredible city, and for me it brought back a flood of memories from Nicaragua. Its looking to be a pretty incredible trip.
Josh here, with another novel. This is a summary of our travel adventures, all 42 hours of it...
Today we arrived in the Domocratic Rubuplic of the Congo at around noon local time, which was about 18 hours after our original scheduled arrival time. The following will recap our airport stories and the adventure we have already had just getting here.
We left camp crossroads at around 1pm and arrived at Toronto airport at sometime around 3:30. We had a couple issues at the airport. First, as Emily mentioned, her Visa form was missing the expiry date. None of us had noticed until we were boarding onto out first flight, and were worried that they would not let her through. However, after taking a long time in their line (causing delays) and showing how we were a group of seven, they eventually let her through.
Right after this we went through security as fast as we could, since our boarding time was very fast approaching. We made it through security and arrived at our gate after the schedule borading time had begun. However that volcano apperently hasn’t stopped messing with flight paths and the plane was delayed on its flight to toronto so we boarded late. This was nice for not having to rush, but ended up causing far worse problems, since we also needed to take a longer route back to europe, causing us to miss our flight to paris. On a more positive note, we did a group watching of Avatar to start the flight. The personal movie screens are a great idea.
As Emily mentioned, our new path was from Amsterdam to London to Nairobi to Kinshasa. However, this wasn’t the path we were automatically assigned to, so there was a bit of a scramble to get out luggage off of one plane, get tickets for the other, etc. Once everything was sorted out we had about a 7 hour wait for our flight. This wait mainly consited of everybody trying to sleep (some were succesful).
Our flight to London was quick and comfortable, hour long with lots of empty seats to sprawl accross. Then we had a 4 hour wait in London where we checked out the Terminal 4 market place. Btw, Heathrow airport is huge!! It took us like 15 minutes just to get from our plane to the transfer area to check into our new flight. Thank goodness for those sliding floor things, otherwise it would have taken much longer.
The flight from London to Nairobi was close to 8 hours long. I was fortunate in that I was only awake for maybe 3 hours of it. My body was very clearly needing sleep. Upon landing in Nairobi we got our first sight of Africa! I felt sort of weird realizing that we were actually in Africa, not watching a discovery channel show of the scenery, but actually seeing it. To get off the plane we had to walk onto the tarmak and get shuttled to the airport. Once in the airport we found our gate and proceded to check in. During this process the issue of Emily’s passport surfaced again, with the security person saying she would not be allowed on the plane. However, after making some calls and listening to our pleas (and watching us hold up the line) he eventually let her through. No doubt God was with us on the journey!
Our stoppover was supposed to be only 2 hours, but TIA (this is africa). It ended up being over 4 hours long due to some resource difficulties (it appeared that they didnt have a plane to fly, but none of us really knows. After a free pop or water and 4 hours we got onto the plane and flew to Kinshasa! Ironically enough, the customs at Kinshasa was one our main worries heading into our travels, but we had no issues at all, which was a very welcome change. Also, all of our luggage arrived!! Jean-baptiste picked us up and we headed to our place! I will close this blog as it being our travel story, but I will say that it is a pretty incredible city, and for me it brought back a flood of memories from Nicaragua. Its looking to be a pretty incredible trip.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Airport Adventures
May 8, 2010
Emily here. Writing to you from the Amsterdam Airport.
Wow, what a memorable day it’s been already! First off, it’s Amanda’s birthday! I’m pretty sure it’s one she won’t forget. 5 airports in 3 days is quite a feat! :) We had a few little issues with our itinerary, but we were prepared to be unprepared, so it’s all good. :)
In the Toronto airport we found out that my Visa was missing some things... but they decided to let me go along after all! I’m pretty happy about that. Our flight was delayed too, so we missed the connecting flight from Amsterdam to Paris. The new itinerary that they worked out for us takes us from here to London, London to Nairobi (Kenya!), and Kenya to Kinshasa. Which means we get there Sunday morning instead of tonight.
Jean-Baptiste (the pastor who’s sort of co-ordinating everything we do in Congo) said that there would be no problems. Something along the lines of ‘Church is 4 hours, I’ll take you straight there and you’ll only miss the first 2!’ :)
I think it’s safe to say that this is gonna be a trip where God teaches us (over and over) to trust Him. Things aren’t going to go the way we plan. So... I’m excited! Oh yeah.
Thanks for the prayers and support!
Emily here. Writing to you from the Amsterdam Airport.
Wow, what a memorable day it’s been already! First off, it’s Amanda’s birthday! I’m pretty sure it’s one she won’t forget. 5 airports in 3 days is quite a feat! :) We had a few little issues with our itinerary, but we were prepared to be unprepared, so it’s all good. :)
In the Toronto airport we found out that my Visa was missing some things... but they decided to let me go along after all! I’m pretty happy about that. Our flight was delayed too, so we missed the connecting flight from Amsterdam to Paris. The new itinerary that they worked out for us takes us from here to London, London to Nairobi (Kenya!), and Kenya to Kinshasa. Which means we get there Sunday morning instead of tonight.
Jean-Baptiste (the pastor who’s sort of co-ordinating everything we do in Congo) said that there would be no problems. Something along the lines of ‘Church is 4 hours, I’ll take you straight there and you’ll only miss the first 2!’ :)
I think it’s safe to say that this is gonna be a trip where God teaches us (over and over) to trust Him. Things aren’t going to go the way we plan. So... I’m excited! Oh yeah.
Thanks for the prayers and support!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
We leave TOMORROW!!
Hello All!
I have decided to sacrifice my early sleep to update you all before we fly off tomorrow, I'm also not tired, be it from excitement or the fact that it's only 10:10! The past two days have been jam packed. We have been learning so much about eachother and about ourselves and about our God. He is so incredible and has been working in us in amazing ways. I'm currently listening to the beat of an African drum in the background and it is reminding me that in less than 24 hours we will be on a plane to DR Congo! Wow!
We did a foot-washing yesterday, based from Christ's example when he washes his disciples feet. Can you imagine having the greatest King and Lord who ever lived bending down to wash your dirty feet and serve you? It was something that really bonded our team, as we spoke words of encouragement to one another and prayed over each other!
We are so blessed by the great community that we have in our team. For the comfort that we feel with one another, that we really have a dependence on one another and God in directing our team. We're excited to experience the airport, did I say excited? I meant slightly terrified, for me at least.
We were blessed the past few days to have Paul and Carianne by our side just encouraging us and coaching us and teaching us. Without them I'm sure that we would not be as relaxed and excited as we are now! We hope that we are able to bless their friends that they have made there and really reach out to the people that they love in an awesome way!
Personally I'm so excited to get the chance to meet the people we've been hearing sooo much about. Especially Jean-Baptiste, he seems like such a warm and caring man. We've heard so much about him and his laugh at times it seems like we have already met him.
I'm not sure when we will get the chance to next update you, but don't worry we are safe in our Fathers arms!
Joyfully,
Alysha
I have decided to sacrifice my early sleep to update you all before we fly off tomorrow, I'm also not tired, be it from excitement or the fact that it's only 10:10! The past two days have been jam packed. We have been learning so much about eachother and about ourselves and about our God. He is so incredible and has been working in us in amazing ways. I'm currently listening to the beat of an African drum in the background and it is reminding me that in less than 24 hours we will be on a plane to DR Congo! Wow!
We did a foot-washing yesterday, based from Christ's example when he washes his disciples feet. Can you imagine having the greatest King and Lord who ever lived bending down to wash your dirty feet and serve you? It was something that really bonded our team, as we spoke words of encouragement to one another and prayed over each other!
We are so blessed by the great community that we have in our team. For the comfort that we feel with one another, that we really have a dependence on one another and God in directing our team. We're excited to experience the airport, did I say excited? I meant slightly terrified, for me at least.
We were blessed the past few days to have Paul and Carianne by our side just encouraging us and coaching us and teaching us. Without them I'm sure that we would not be as relaxed and excited as we are now! We hope that we are able to bless their friends that they have made there and really reach out to the people that they love in an awesome way!
Personally I'm so excited to get the chance to meet the people we've been hearing sooo much about. Especially Jean-Baptiste, he seems like such a warm and caring man. We've heard so much about him and his laugh at times it seems like we have already met him.
I'm not sure when we will get the chance to next update you, but don't worry we are safe in our Fathers arms!
Joyfully,
Alysha
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
We Know What We Are Doing!!!
well sort of...
Josh here. It appears I have written a novel, so enjoy!
yesterday we had a session with Paul Peters and Carianne Neufeld who have previously been to the Congo and they gave us a lot of very helpful information for our upcoming trip. For the first time we now have a schedule! However we were also told that the schedule will change continuously so we will still be living on the fly. We also learned a great deal about the history of the country, how the white "colonized" the country, exporting all raw materials, including slaves and natural resources. After the country became a recognized independent state, the world then switched to provide the country with aid. While this seems like it is a great thing to happen, it did carry a negative effect in that it elevated the white people, making it appear that the people of the Congo needed the white people to save them. Because of these impressions, a white person is immediately viewed as having a lot of money, and its often assumed that the white person has no interest in the local culture. Part of our trip will be trying to break down these stereotypes, to show the people that we do care, and that we are eager to learn of their culture. From past trips, Paul described that the people are very open to conversation, and find great joy (and laughter) when the white people try and use their native language. A lot of his talk brought me back to me trip to Nicaragua 5 years ago, where I knew none of the native language but found that the people there were simply thrilled that we would take time to visit them and laughed at me a lot for my terrible pronunciation of their language.
We also learned many details about what to wear, how to travel, where we will stay, what the food is like, etc. One of the more interesting (and exciting) things that we learned is that it is not impolite to pick your nose in public!!! Personally I can't wait to get to the Congo!!
As for the rest of the week, lets just say that I have learned more this week than I did maybe all last term in school... which is a bit crazy (keep in mind it was an easier term...). Basically we have 2 sessions each day where people talk about serious issues related to short terms missions. These topics have included reconciliation, dangerous prayer (pray with authority in the spiritual realm), hot and cold cultures, and much more. I know that I am a bit overwhelmed with how much we have learned and will need some time to process it all.
Besides the sessions, we have been spending a lot of time just chillin and hanging out with each other and with the teams going to Nepal, Germany, and Thailand. There have been some serious dutch blitz games going down, along with some frisbee, soccer, and ping pong. It also is a bit weird because it feels like we have been here for much more than just the 3 days. It feels like I have known the people form the other teams for a long time, not that we just met. I really feel that we have developed a great community here, and it has been a pretty awesome few days.
Currently I am late for a group activity, so I must sign off. From all of us, peace out homies!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Camp Confessions
Hello everyone! This is Amanda and Emily posting. We just left Aurore and Alysha at the lake in a canoe...so we don’t know if they are coming back. Camp has been really good so far and we have been learning a lot. It has been good to have this time away as a team to focus and prepare ourselves for the weeks ahead. Today we learned about intercession and all of our teams had a chance to pray for our countries. For those of you who don’t know we are up here at Camp Crossroads with 3 other teams that are a part of MBMSI’s ACTION program. There are also teams going to Berlin, Thailand, and Nepal. This afternoon we were preparing and practicing dramas to present while we are in Congo with Aurore and Jacob as our coaches. It is super cool to have a whole group of people here, all called from different places preparing to go out. On Friday we fly out to Kinshasa via Amsterdam and Paris arriving in the evening Congo time on May 8th. (Congo is 6 hours ahead of here)
Thanks again for all of your prayers!
Thanks again for all of your prayers!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Visas, Packing, and Arrows!
Hey! This is Jacob posting! This officially commemorates the opening of this "collective" team blog! By taking turns authoring this blog, we hope to spend less time using the internet, while keeping the updates frequent and exciting throughout our adventure.
Great news! We have ALL received our travel visas which allow us to enter the RDC (Republique Democratique du Congo)! We had a team meeting last night which really confirmed to us that everything is really coming together nicely.
We are now starting to think more carefully about what physical things we need to bring with us, both in terms of personal gear, and supplies for the activities we will be engaging in. We are still looking for a few items such as sports equipment, medical scrubs, small 'Canadian' gifts, french literature, teaching material and Bibles, and simple crafts supplies.
The scripture we explored last night was Isaiah 49:1-6 which speaks of how as God's servants, we are as arrows, which He stores in His quiver, ready to be used at any instant. I think it's safe to say that we're all excited, (and perhaps a bit nervous) to see how and when God will be using us in the coming weeks!
Great news! We have ALL received our travel visas which allow us to enter the RDC (Republique Democratique du Congo)! We had a team meeting last night which really confirmed to us that everything is really coming together nicely.
We are now starting to think more carefully about what physical things we need to bring with us, both in terms of personal gear, and supplies for the activities we will be engaging in. We are still looking for a few items such as sports equipment, medical scrubs, small 'Canadian' gifts, french literature, teaching material and Bibles, and simple crafts supplies.
The scripture we explored last night was Isaiah 49:1-6 which speaks of how as God's servants, we are as arrows, which He stores in His quiver, ready to be used at any instant. I think it's safe to say that we're all excited, (and perhaps a bit nervous) to see how and when God will be using us in the coming weeks!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Just some honest ponderings...
Yesterday I had the blessing of meeting with Philip Serez from MBMSI and Aurora (my co-leader and friend) for coffee and conversation as to what my role really was in this trip. I walked away feeling excited, encouraged and inspired but at the same time a little nervous.
Last year I approached my trip to Taiwan with some nerves but SO much excitement. I knew God was providing for me in amazing ways and until I got to Taiwan the only other person I really needed to worry about was myself. This year heading in is a different story...
As my role is to be the encourager, relationship builder, team bonder, conflict settler I think a bit more weight falls on my shoulders. And in light of this I feel more responsibility, that everyone is doing well, finding support, feeling like they are part of the team, like they are being supported by the team. And how do I do all this? I guess the answer is that I don't, that I rely on God to give me what I need... but at times that is hard.
This year as I head off I also head of with my best friend, encourager, supporter and boyfriend (that's right 4 in 1!) and I know that this adds a little more difficulty to the situation. I have to learn to depend more on Aurora, team and God when I have learned to depend on Rob and God. As we were talking tonight my friend Rachel prayed for something that struck me. That Rob and I would use this time to grow individually in Christ. I had forgotten to look at it that way, I had begun to worry about how it would pull us apart. It just takes a little encouragement from friends to get my head back in place.
This week I have been encountered with remembering where my ultimate dependence lies, with realizing where my priorities need to be, and of knowing that I am weak and that is OK.
This summer is going to stretch me in ways I did not know I could be stretched, and I'm slowly becoming excited to be stretched! :) I will probably come back a new and improved me.
"Now presenting Alysha new and Congolese improved. "
Last year I approached my trip to Taiwan with some nerves but SO much excitement. I knew God was providing for me in amazing ways and until I got to Taiwan the only other person I really needed to worry about was myself. This year heading in is a different story...
As my role is to be the encourager, relationship builder, team bonder, conflict settler I think a bit more weight falls on my shoulders. And in light of this I feel more responsibility, that everyone is doing well, finding support, feeling like they are part of the team, like they are being supported by the team. And how do I do all this? I guess the answer is that I don't, that I rely on God to give me what I need... but at times that is hard.
This year as I head off I also head of with my best friend, encourager, supporter and boyfriend (that's right 4 in 1!) and I know that this adds a little more difficulty to the situation. I have to learn to depend more on Aurora, team and God when I have learned to depend on Rob and God. As we were talking tonight my friend Rachel prayed for something that struck me. That Rob and I would use this time to grow individually in Christ. I had forgotten to look at it that way, I had begun to worry about how it would pull us apart. It just takes a little encouragement from friends to get my head back in place.
This week I have been encountered with remembering where my ultimate dependence lies, with realizing where my priorities need to be, and of knowing that I am weak and that is OK.
This summer is going to stretch me in ways I did not know I could be stretched, and I'm slowly becoming excited to be stretched! :) I will probably come back a new and improved me.
"Now presenting Alysha new and Congolese improved. "
Thursday, March 18, 2010
My Team
I am sitting in the DP (The Dana Porter Library for you who are not familiar with the Waterloo campus) today thinking of doing research for my papers but instead catching up on e-mails, to-do lists, news, Kinshasa weather and apparently writing this blog. Anyway, I have come to the realization that I have not introduced my team members! I'm not just going to the Congo alone, oh no, my parents may have had a fit, I'm going with a wonderful team! So I thought I should introduce you to them before we head out on this wonderful adventure and I forget that you have no idea who I'm talking about!
Most of us know each other from church, but for some of us this trip has given us the first opportunity to meet each other! I will go in alphabetical order!
Amanda: she is lollipop provider and immunization trip planner extraordinaire, she has an incredible sense of humour, and will be our saving grace in any situation that we need to plan, organize or look ahead! She dives wholeheartedly into any situation with a smile and lots of love. I know I have so much more to learn and I'm looking forward to it!
Aurora: She is our french friend, loving and kind and full of laughter. She has come over from France to co-lead our trip to the Congo! My roommate Joanna and I get the lovely chance to chat with her over dinner every Wednesday and laughter always ensues. She has a big heart and an understanding character. It will be a blessing to have her with us on the trip.
Emily: She is gentle, and quiet but full of life and spunk (I have not used that word in ages!). She has a huge heart for people, and shines God's love! Her gentleness and patience will keep us all calm and in line at times I'm sure! Her laugh can also fill up a room, I love having it fill our apartment every Wednesday at bible study!
Jacob: He is full of ideas, supportive and pretty much willing to help in every situation! I love his ability to make people laugh, and to encourage people as well. I look at this trip as an opportunity to get to know him better as well!
Josh: He has a calm and easy-going nature! His stories made us cringe and laugh in the doctors office! His ability to keep conversation going and make people feel comfortable is going to be a huge blessing while we're constantly in new and potentially uncomfortable situations.
Rob: His patience, understanding and caring nature are going to be well appreciated! His sense of humour will also be able to bring light to heavy situations. I know that his ability to listen and make people feel as though valuable will transcend across any culture or language barriers that may arise.
I am so excited for the chance that this trip will give me to get to know each one of these people better! I also know that we will have a lot of laughs, because this team has a great sense of humour! Hopefully these little descriptions will help you feel a little bit more connected to us as we head off!
Most of us know each other from church, but for some of us this trip has given us the first opportunity to meet each other! I will go in alphabetical order!
Amanda: she is lollipop provider and immunization trip planner extraordinaire, she has an incredible sense of humour, and will be our saving grace in any situation that we need to plan, organize or look ahead! She dives wholeheartedly into any situation with a smile and lots of love. I know I have so much more to learn and I'm looking forward to it!
Aurora: She is our french friend, loving and kind and full of laughter. She has come over from France to co-lead our trip to the Congo! My roommate Joanna and I get the lovely chance to chat with her over dinner every Wednesday and laughter always ensues. She has a big heart and an understanding character. It will be a blessing to have her with us on the trip.
Emily: She is gentle, and quiet but full of life and spunk (I have not used that word in ages!). She has a huge heart for people, and shines God's love! Her gentleness and patience will keep us all calm and in line at times I'm sure! Her laugh can also fill up a room, I love having it fill our apartment every Wednesday at bible study!
Jacob: He is full of ideas, supportive and pretty much willing to help in every situation! I love his ability to make people laugh, and to encourage people as well. I look at this trip as an opportunity to get to know him better as well!
Josh: He has a calm and easy-going nature! His stories made us cringe and laugh in the doctors office! His ability to keep conversation going and make people feel comfortable is going to be a huge blessing while we're constantly in new and potentially uncomfortable situations.
Rob: His patience, understanding and caring nature are going to be well appreciated! His sense of humour will also be able to bring light to heavy situations. I know that his ability to listen and make people feel as though valuable will transcend across any culture or language barriers that may arise.
I am so excited for the chance that this trip will give me to get to know each one of these people better! I also know that we will have a lot of laughs, because this team has a great sense of humour! Hopefully these little descriptions will help you feel a little bit more connected to us as we head off!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Immunized and Fun-raised
Well, we all headed off on the epic journey to get our immunizations last Friday. The sun was shining, the mood was bright, the lollipops were hidden away in Amanda's purse, it was going to be great. We got separated into two groups of three and got ushered away to separate rooms in the dark recesses of the travel clinic.
OK, so it wasn't dark and we weren't ushered. We stood in fact for a while before we were politely called and told where to go. Once we were in the room we stared at all the posters and wondered if we would contract Japanese Encephalitis or if we would experience the joys of being a traveler and drinking water or eating food that was foreign. We have quickly become comfortable with some discussion after reading through many pamphlets on the dangers of traveling. We listened as Josh explained his many broken bones.
The doctor was helpful, and probably one of the best needle givers I have ever experienced. We cringed a little, paled a little and moved on to paying for all our protection. Then we were happily surprised once again as Amanda pulled out lollipops from her purse. It takes little to make us happy apparently.
We continued on in our weekends a little sore, constantly finding joy in telling people we had yellow fever. Then it came to be Sunday and we did a little "Fun-raising" through an artisan fair and we were greatly blessed by our church community. Raising a lot of support!
It's been a good week for our team! We continue to move forward in learning how to support each other and how to work the best with one another. We're all feeling more excited as there is only one month and 29 days left!
OK, so it wasn't dark and we weren't ushered. We stood in fact for a while before we were politely called and told where to go. Once we were in the room we stared at all the posters and wondered if we would contract Japanese Encephalitis or if we would experience the joys of being a traveler and drinking water or eating food that was foreign. We have quickly become comfortable with some discussion after reading through many pamphlets on the dangers of traveling. We listened as Josh explained his many broken bones.
The doctor was helpful, and probably one of the best needle givers I have ever experienced. We cringed a little, paled a little and moved on to paying for all our protection. Then we were happily surprised once again as Amanda pulled out lollipops from her purse. It takes little to make us happy apparently.
We continued on in our weekends a little sore, constantly finding joy in telling people we had yellow fever. Then it came to be Sunday and we did a little "Fun-raising" through an artisan fair and we were greatly blessed by our church community. Raising a lot of support!
It's been a good week for our team! We continue to move forward in learning how to support each other and how to work the best with one another. We're all feeling more excited as there is only one month and 29 days left!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Before it All Begins
So, I sit here before it all begins and I think to myself, "Wow."
I know you may have been expecting a more exciting revelation but that really just sums it all up. I cannot believe that a year has passed since I was preparing to go to Taiwan and this year I find myself at the precipice of a whole new adventure!
I tend to get the same reaction from people when I tell them that I am going to the Congo this summer. "The Congo?!" they respond with shock... "well aren't you scared?!" And to be honest no...I'm not. Our bible study is currently reading through the book Fearless by Max Lucado, and I have realized that I'm very quick to worry about the small things in life, but the big things I'm a lot more relaxed about. I know that God has everything under control. :)
Right now our team is in the middle of fund-raising and preparing outings to go and get all our immunizations. I'm encouraged about the group that God has brought together, we are diverse but we seem to all fit together perfectly. Honestly, we're like a puzzle, where every piece is different but we all fit together to make a wonderful picture, and I love it.
We leave in about two months for our six week journey, and it's so exciting! I hope to write in here up to the date we leave on our trip as well as once or twice while we are there...though I'm not sure about what our internet access will be like. :)
I know you may have been expecting a more exciting revelation but that really just sums it all up. I cannot believe that a year has passed since I was preparing to go to Taiwan and this year I find myself at the precipice of a whole new adventure!
I tend to get the same reaction from people when I tell them that I am going to the Congo this summer. "The Congo?!" they respond with shock... "well aren't you scared?!" And to be honest no...I'm not. Our bible study is currently reading through the book Fearless by Max Lucado, and I have realized that I'm very quick to worry about the small things in life, but the big things I'm a lot more relaxed about. I know that God has everything under control. :)
Right now our team is in the middle of fund-raising and preparing outings to go and get all our immunizations. I'm encouraged about the group that God has brought together, we are diverse but we seem to all fit together perfectly. Honestly, we're like a puzzle, where every piece is different but we all fit together to make a wonderful picture, and I love it.
We leave in about two months for our six week journey, and it's so exciting! I hope to write in here up to the date we leave on our trip as well as once or twice while we are there...though I'm not sure about what our internet access will be like. :)
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