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.
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