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