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!